Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

5d mkii or 7d for b roll cam?

Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
535
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
NYC ✈ Utah ✈ LA
I need to get a second cam to go along with my scarlet canon mount.... I know the benefits of the full frame 5D matching the full frame Scarlet, but the 7D has many benefits too. Would it be ridiculous to even consider a cropped frame for a b-roll cam? The reason I ask is because $ is tight for a bit, and i'd rather invest into lenses for the scarlet. BUT if it's a huge deal, I'll just bite the bullet. Thanks for any advice.
 
So no 5d mkii at all eh? I do appreciate your quick response. It would most definitely be more cost efective to go with the 60D or 7D....
 
i own and shoot with a dslr... but the more i try to work with the footage, the more i get frustrated. it's a great, cheap little device - but that's all it is. for web viewing purposes, it's not impossible to match up shots between cameras: you'll have to soften the red footage with blurs, median filters, and or noise reduction, then sharpen it back a little with an unsharp mask to make it look similar. there are obviously, other things you can do to throw away information to make it cut in. you'll also be much more limited in your color correcting if you're trying to match it in the same scene.

i really don't recommend it, but i'd rather you make your own decision based on your workflow on and off set. i won't look down on anybody for shooting on anything they've got, but i really think you'd be better off forgetting the b-roll and investing that money in something more lasting. if you are going to get one, i'd recommend the 60d with magic lantern firmware. otherwise, look at the 7d, or t2i... i really wouldn't bother with the 5d.

watch this, so you can make a more informed decision: http://www.zacuto.com/the-great-camera-shootout-2011
 
Paul, I appreciate your kind words, and quick response. The idea of a B-roll cam to me something "just in casse". So that takes away Evin's idea of the GH2 ( have one now and going to sell) because I'd rather have lenses that go back and forth. I am currently in the middl of watching the shootout...... Thanks again.
 
is it possible you could rent a backup or b cam for those really important shoots? maybe a friend has a camera that can be on standby? or do you just want to have something on hand at all times, just in case? i'd say red ones and scarlets will be pretty competitively priced for rentals. otherwise, check out that 60d with magic :) plus, all the canon's take really great photos.
 
YEah I usually bring a camera with me at all times for personal stuff, so I definitely need a B-roll or second cam. The scarlet won't be an everyday camera, so it's nice to not have to bring it with everywhere. We have a bunch of panasonic gear now, but are phasing it out for canon glass and etc. 60d with magic is AWESOME. The only thing I see though that the 60D has over the 7D is the price, and the flip out screen. hmmmm...
 
the 60D with magic if you are going to get a Canon DSLR, cheaper than 7d and with the magic firmware its even more powerful, and the cost of the body is less than a 64Gb red mag lol, go figure
 
I'll chime in here with a few thoughts.

60D and 7D, as others have mention match the crop factor/sensor size of Scarlet at 4k pretty well.
The 5D Mark II will provide slightly better noise performance and give you really wide angle lens options due to the larger sensor.

Bringing HDSLR material up to 4k is a nasty endeavor, but to simplify it. Upscale, noise reduction, (**fixes**), sharpen, and apply grain pattern if desired.

By "fixes" I mean rolling shutter removal and moire reduction through chromatic blurring if those happen to show up in your shot.

I'm one of the nuts that's been using those things on movies and attempting to match it to higher quality material. It's a pain and soon I won't have to deal with it as much. This was one of the major factors in me purchasing a Scarlet.

A good place to start if shooting with HDSLRs is new to you is the Technicolor Cinestyle Picture Profile. Grading and correcting HDSLR material isn't as versatile as Redcode Raw. Not by a long shot. You'll be able to push 1 to 2 stops max in either direction before things turn into chaos. Occasionly you can get away with 3 stops, but I try not to push more than 1 stop in post with this lossy codec.
 
The 5DII is probably the worst video DSLR available today. Big sensor? Wow. Who cares? It's softer than either the 7D or D7000 (go to Patrick's link above). You don't need 24x36mm sensors for a 'cinematic' look. The people who rave about the 5DII usually don't know what they're talking about. Even if 2K was 'enough', there are better options.

EDIT: I am not a DP, FWIW.
 
I disagree with what seems to be the consensus here that the 5D should not be considered. I have shot a lot with 5D/7D/60D and the 5D has at least 1 stop of noise advantage compared to its brethren. At ISO 1250 it looks equal or better than the 60D/7D does at 640 in most cases. That's not a small advantage.

It also has about 1 stop more shallow DOF. Whether that's an advantage or disadvantage obviously depends on a lot of factors... But it can be nice to have. I love the look of a shallow DOF wide shot and this is much easier to achieve with the 5D.

Whether it's softer or not than the 7D/60D, I don't know. They all suck in this regard IMO. Barely even resolves 720p. They all look fine for web 720p distribution but suck terribly at anything higher.

Personally, I like the 60D for the swivel screen. I like the 7D for the 1080p HDMI output during recording. And I like the 5D because it takes better looking footage. :-)
 
Phil Holland said:
Bringing HDSLR material up to 4k is a nasty endeavor, but to simplify it. Upscale, noise reduction, (**fixes**), sharpen, and apply grain pattern if desired.
Click to expand...

Phil, I can understand doing that when most everything is captured at 4k... but shoot man, I don't know how you can do that. As in, the footage coming out of the camera already looks like it's been upscaled, with noise reduction and a grain pattern... add in all the little bits that just aren't there, then you're really having fun. BUT, it is a super cheap device, not made for the purpose of capturing highly detailed video, and in some ways, the overall image looks better than the other offerings in the video world. I'm just complaining because I've been working with some DSLR footage today, and it's so disappointing to know how much sharper a still coming from the camera looks. I don't feel good about publishing it higher than 720, and it might have a chance at SD to appear sharp, i dunno. If anyone has suggestions... I'm open to them.
 
I have been shooting with the 5D sind it first came out and shot a dozen projects where we were intercuting the 7D and 5D. 5D wins. no question. Way better skin tones, color, detail, and less moire.

Just my 2C
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top