THE WRAP UP - FILMMAKING ON THE CANON 7D
Posted by Peter Marsh in Articles, Featured, Technical Sep 3rd, 2009 | 12 responses
You have the facts! You know what to expect! Or do you??
The illustrious Canon 7D has finally hit the market, expected in the US by the end of September, so take this time to learn and do your research. You’ll thank yourself in the end…
And at an affordable $1700 for the body, why the hell not?
First off, this camera pretty much f-ing rocks!
-Full HD 1080p in 24, 25, and 30fps (holy crap!)
-You’ll be a slow-mo machine with this bad boy. 50fps and 60fps in 720p (very nice)
-Your video and images will process twice as fast! Dual Divic 4 processors (badass)
-Interchangeable lenses, that we’ve all grown to love (for those DOF junkies like me)
-Manual exposure: shutter speed and ISO (up to an expandable 12800, killer!)
-Better weather proofing to keep it dry (don’t want to risk that one)
But for all it’s glory though, it has it’s downsides:
-Not Full Frame (it’s a 1.6x crop frame. You can kiss anamorphic goodbye!)
-No Autofocus in video mode (who cares you ask? you’d be surprised…)
-Gentle compression (the 7D’s video bitrate might be a little higher than the 5D’s though)
-Other frame rates (it’s always fun to shoot in 20 or 22fps and see what happens)
-Separating shooting frame rate from playback (shoot slow mo? can’t see what it looks like until editing)
-Video ergonomics. The 7D does not have a flip-out LCD. (would make everything much easier)
Now, having said all this, it really comes down to how it’s going to work for you…
A 1.6x crop frame is still the equivalent to Super 35mm film anyways so it will be great for filmmaking. Just don’t try and mount a Panavision lens to this guy, it won’t do you any good… The lack of anamorphic capability makes this a real bummer. All in all, I’d say that the 7D will meet most of your filmmaking needs, and really for the price it’s completely worth it.
Canon 7D Sample Video 2 from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
Love the post! Thanks for breaking down all that knowledge for us.
These posts have been great! I love feeling up to date on the latest and greatest in DSLR
Did you know Rodney Charters used Panna lenses on 7d?
Hate to break the news “Don’t try and slap a panavision lense on this guy”…
Check out http://www.thecostmovie.com
They used super speed Panavision…UBELIEVABLE footage!
hi
i just got a PL mount for 7d. what do u think lenses will hit the mirror?
actually you can watch the 60p footage in slow motion, there is a play in slow motion button next to the regular play button
”Separating shooting frame rate from playback (shoot slow mo? can’t see what it looks like until editing)”
I know this was a while ago, but you can play back at a slower frame rate in camera.
Does any one know the difference of frame size between Canon 7D and nikon d90 ?
Hi,
Just wanted to point out one thing:
“Separating shooting frame rate from playback (shoot slow mo? can’t see what it looks like until editing)”
I think you actually can, because when you play it back in camera, there is an option next to the regular play button to play it in slow motion.
I just purchased the 7D last month. I don’t know if the camera changed since this post was written, but I know I can playback my 720p60fps footage in slow-motion on the LCD.
Thanks dude, that is extremely good information, much appreciated.
The Mini Jib looks like a cool option.