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Needing to record long form videos with Canon EOS 7D
I have a Canon EOS 7D that has worked great for run and gun/man on the street type interviews and videos.
However that 12-minute limitation on record time can be a slight pain at times when interviews run long (thank goodness for external audio and B-Roll)
I’m now being asked to film some longer form videos that may run from 1 hour to 1.5 hours.
I just found out about the Blackmagic Hyperdecks and AJA Ki decks that *should* let me record longer videos with my 7D.
Has anyone used either of these decks with their Canon 7D?
Does this in fact bypass the 12 minute limitation and limit overheating that I’ve seen on some longer filming sessions?
Any other issues I should be aware of?
And/or would it just be better to get a new camera like a Panasonic P2 or Sony XDCam for longer videos?Jonathan Blundell
Senior Rich Media Developer/Producer
Public and Government Affairs
Dallas County Community College District“And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
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1 Reply
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[Jonathan Blundell] “Has anyone used either of these decks with their Canon 7D? “
The 7D doesn’t have a clean HDMI output, so some menu overlays are always on even when viewing over HDMI. So you could use a BMD or AJA deck to record but it won’t really be usable. You can also look at Atomos Ninja recorders for the same thing.
[Jonathan Blundell] “Does this in fact bypass the 12 minute limitation and limit overheating that I’ve seen on some longer filming sessions?”
Sort of, but you still have to have the camera rolling or else it’ll fall asleep. So you still need to monitor it and press Start/Stop ever 10-12 minutes to break the file. It “bypasses” it in the sense that you can record longer from the DSLR camera provided you can keep it awake and powered for the length of time needed. However you still have the problem above to contend with.
[Jonathan Blundell] “Any other issues I should be aware of?”
DSLR’s aren’t built for long-form recording. In fact, they’re quite terrible!
[Jonathan Blundell] “And/or would it just be better to get a new camera like a Panasonic P2 or Sony XDCam for longer videos?”
While I enjoy DSLR’s for some jobs, they are not long-form cameras. If you need to record an event that runs for 60-120 minutes you’re far better off with almost any of the standard offerings from Sony, Panasonic, or JVC. I keep a couple of old Sony EX1’s around for just this sort of thing. They’re so much easier to manage, run audio into, and record on for long-form events.
Just my $.02
Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost
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