THE RUMOR MILL: CANON WORKING ON DSLR BASED VIDEO CAMERA
Posted by Peter Marsh in Cameras, Found, Technical Oct 21st, 2009 | 5 Comments
CRAZY NEWS IN THE CANON WORLD! COMING 2010!
Canon is rumored to be currently developing a new video camera with integrated DSLR functions that we’ve grown to love. Functions that will apparently blow the need for DSLRs out of the water…
The camera will be modeled after the current XL H1 and will include an EOS mount for interchangeable lenses. Two lenses are being developed specifically for the camera, one starting at 16mm and a tele-zoom starting at 70mm. Of course the EOS mount will allow you to use any EF or EF-S lenses that you’ve been getting for your DSLR.
The best part is the sensor and frame rates though! It will hold an APS-C sensor, that of the 7D basically, that will be able to capture 120hz or full frames a sec. It will be somewhere around a 12.1 MP sensor. The projected frame rates will be 24/25/30 & 60p in 1080p as well as 60p in 720p.
Like it’s DSLR counterparts, the images will be captured to a single CF card slot in a video format of MPEG-4 at 56mb/s. There is also rumor of work being done on a raw video format at 12mb/sec that will require an external IO module with uncompressed SDI out and USB 3.
As far as other video aspects in the camera go, I’m sure it will have a lot of the functions the XL H1 currently has. Price range will more than likely be in the $8000s. All other info has yet to leak, but when it does, I’ll let you know!
THE 1D MARK IV: KICKIN’ THE 7D’S TEETH IN
Posted by Peter Marsh in Articles, Cameras, Technical Oct 20th, 2009 | No Comments
IT’S HERE! IT’S SHEER MADNESS! GET USED TO IT!
Canon made it’s official press release today on the 1D Mark IV. For the longest time, the 1D line had been regarded as Canon’s “flagship” line of cameras and they proved that today with this guy. A lot was rumored, speculated, and discussed about this camera and for the most part Canon delivered everything we wanted and more. I’m for one incredibly impressed and for the projected price of roughly $5000, I feel like it really packs a punch!
Feel like the 5D Mark II is getting left in the dust? Worry no more, we’re finally getting the firmware update we asked for! 24P!
FIRST WAVE OF CANON 7D “ISSUES” ADDRESSED
Posted by Peter Marsh in Articles, Technical Oct 18th, 2009 | No Comments
Canon’s newest Video DSLR, the 7D, has only been out for a week or so and, as expected with any new piece of technology, people are already complaining…
The first reported problem with the 7D was apparently a pattern noise issue that showed up even at low ISOs. The issue pissed a lot of people off, but it wasn’t apparent with every 7D. Only a handful of 7Ds had this issue and Canon chalked it up as a manufacturer defect and replaced everyone’s 7D. Since then, there haven’t been any more reports and the camera is working better than ever. Or is it?
SNL USING CANON 7D & 5D MARK II FOR INTROS
Posted by Peter Marsh in Found, Video Oct 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Alexander Buono, Director Of Photography for SNL has recently been turned to Canon’s 7D and 5D Mark II after watching various sample videos online. Philip Bloom is hailed as one of the main contributors to his recent stab at DSLR cinematography.
Most recently, Alex shot new titles sequences as well as bits and pieces of studio sketches on the 7D and 5D Mark II. One fantastic example is “Bladdivan.”
After using the two cameras in a production atmosphere, Alex said he was extremely impressed and even gave some feedback to Canon on what he would like to see improved upon. Personally, I think this is the kind of stuff that needs to happen to make DSLR cinematography a creditable and legitimate tool for filmmakers. Let’s just hope this doesn’t jack up the price on these guys, right?
THE NEW NIKON D3s: VIDEO DISAPPOINTMENT
Posted by Peter Marsh in Articles, Cameras, Technical Oct 16th, 2009 | No Comments
“Nikon today announces the introduction of the D3S, the camera that enables professionals to take control of the unpredictable and extends the possibilities for action photographers everywhere. Built upon the widely acclaimed Nikon D3, the D3S advances low light photography to another level and sets in motion new creative options for multi-media movie shooting.” -DP Review
Nikon is marketing this camera as the “ultimate camera for news, sports and wildlife.” An interesting marketing ploy… And to be perfectly honest, it probably is the ultimate for that industry. As a still camera, the D3s is top notch and a hell of a choice for any photographer. But what about video?
The rumors for the longest time were this camera would be the first from Nikon to offer 1080p video at 24fps. That got me excited, because Nikon makes amazing lenses and I could only imagine how great the video would be. But alas, Nikon didn’t deliever… This camera, like all the ones before it, shoots only in 720p at 24fps. Don’t get me wrong, that is still nice HD, but it’s not full HD. But you don’t get manual controls or manual focus. The camera is completely auto in movie mode. And for the price range, ( a whopping $5100!!) you might as well go with the Canon counterpart that does shoot in 1080p at a fraction of the cost.
The real redeeming quality of this camera is the High-Sensitivity ISO set at an unmatched 102400. Nikon says it is “low noise” but I can imagine those images would be a little rough. It does have a full frame sensor though, so it might end up working out.
Complete Specs:
-12.1MP CMOS FX sensor 36.0 x 23.9mm
-ISO from 100 to 12800 (High ISO at 102400)
-9fps continuous shooting
-Fast Shutter Speed at 1/8000 sec.
-2 CF card slots
-Movie Mode 1280×720/24fps MOTION JPEG format
THE RUMOR MILL: OCTOBER 20TH - CANON 1D MARK IV
Posted by Peter Marsh in Cameras, Found, Technical Oct 14th, 2009 | No Comments
IT’S COMING…
This time from a very reliable source!
It looks certain that Canon will introduce a new camera on Tuesday Oct. 20th. Most likely it will be the 1D Mk IV, with very high ISO. Probably as high as ISO 102,400. The camera will have an APS-H (1.3x Crop) sensor.
I have no information on resolution, fps or movie options yet.
My feelings are that Canon has responded to the Nikon D3s that is supposed to be released in the next week. The D3s will also have super high ISO at 102,400. But! The Nikon D3s will NOT have 1080p video! Only 720p. Looks like Nikon really isn’t trying to compete there.
Another smaller rumor is that Canon will announce a 1Ds Mark IV in the spring that will be a projected 32MP camera. Not only that, but these two cameras have been lined up to be the LAST of Canon’s 1D line. To me that means that things are only going to get better!
TIME FOR THE BEST AND WORST DSLR FILM TRAILERS!
Posted by Peter Marsh in Found, Video Oct 10th, 2009 | 7 Comments
VOLUME I:
A HANDFUL OF THE BEST AND WORST DSLR FILM TRAILERS.
This has been a long time coming…
Over the last few months, I’ve been watching a shit ton of DSLR videos out there, and it really saddens me to say that 90% of them have been awful. Just really awful…
BUT! Some of them were fantastic! And more and more people are now realizing that DSLRs can produce amazing films! All you need first is a damn good story. THAT’S IMPORTANT!
Watch my picks for some of the best and worst DSLR film trailers after the jump.
FIRMWARE UPDATE FOR CANON 7D?
Posted by Peter Marsh in Found, Technical Oct 9th, 2009 | No Comments
So the word on the street is that a firmware update has surfaced for the Canon 7D, and several owners in Europe and Japan have already installed it.
The 7D comes with firmware version 1.0.7 pre-installed which holds all the sweet options you’ve all been hearing about. The supposed update is version 1.0.9. Well, for one, that makes no sense… What happened to 1.0.8?
Also, people are saying that the only way to install the firmware update is to have your camera retailer do it for you… Really now? Why is that? If that’s the case, camera retailers are gonna start hating their lives, updating everyone’s camera for them.
Canon hasn’t released any info on this update, and there is nowhere to download the update from their site, so this looks like a hoax to me. And no info has been released either as to what the update is actually updating… Definitely something to keep your eye on. And the 7D is so new that people might just be getting over excited about how they can make it even better than it already is.
My opinion? Don’t hop on supposed “updates” unless you really know what it does and Canon authorizes it. Otherwise you’ll void your warranty and screw yourself in the long run.
CANON 5D & 7D COMPARISON VIDEOS
Posted by Peter Marsh in Found, Technical Oct 8th, 2009 | 1 Comment
These videos have been out for a while, with mixed feelings and torn decisions. I feel the ones we have here are the best summary of the subtle differences between the two cameras. The common trend that everyone has been noticing about the 7D is how well it fairs to the 5D when under 1600 ISO. Once you go higher than that on both cameras, the 5D still outshines. Yet considering the 7D is a 18mp crop sensor, that’s pretty impressive! The thing you’ll really notice in the videos is how rarely the makers can keep the same focal length on both cameras. Is it that hard to line them up? I know the 7D is a crop, so it will be magnified a bit. But really? SEE FOR YOURSELF!
THE RUMOR MILL: MORE ON THE 1D MARK IV
Posted by Peter Marsh in Cameras, Found, Technical Oct 3rd, 2009 | No Comments
Official Announcement? NOT OCTOBER… Damn…
More sources are in, and the consensus is apparently “the end of January.” This date of course is not the end all be all… If issues arise with the camera, the announcement date will be pushed back. Also, as of this moment, there are no dates set for a press release or official showings.
We do get to drool over some sweet specs though:
16MP
12fps
1.3x APS-H sensor size
1080p HD video with 24p/25p, 30p, 60p! (That’s right, Full HD slow-mo!)
This camera is just about the closest guarded secret in Canon’s history, so who really knows for sure what’s going on.
