[Dan Brockett]

If low light is your main concern, you have to go with the 5D MKII. The HPX170 with most adapters is going to be rated at ISO 200 or thereabouts whereas you can easily shoot the 5D MKII with fast lenses at ISO 2500 and still have a very usable and nice image. I know what it can be like to shoot the 170 without enough light and it looks terrible. The recorded signal is more robust but if you will always be fighting underexposing the 170, go for the 5D MKII without a doubt, it has been proven numerous times in very low light.

As far as post, I have seen 5D MKII projected and as long as you are careful and know your post workflow or have an editor who is good at that, the 5D MKII image can look great even on a bigger screen. But you have to be aware of the moire and aliasing issues, that can really kill you when projected. Test, test, test. Check the wardrobe, be careful with repetitive patterns on buildings, water, lots of foliage, etc. It is a severe limitation of the 5D MKII but there are ways around it with careful composition, using a monitor and using filtration.

Dan

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[Dan Brockett]

Good points all Michael.

I find that my 5D MKII is a lousy video camera, but a great stills and motion picture camera. If I have to handhold it, do moves like following someone walking or follow something moving quickly, the CMOS rolling shutter artifacts can be quite a hindrance. The awkward ergonomics make it challenging to hold and work with while obtaining smooth and professional level movement.

In the end, if I think of my 5D MKII like a S16 camera, it works well. If I am on sticks or my jib, with a monitor, in a controlled situation, it is great. Most of my shooting though is becoming more and more run and gun.

The piece I shot yesterday was an available light interview I shot with my 170 and stills all over the place with my 5D MKII to support the video. Also shot b-roll with the 170. The combination of the two worked very well. I could have shot the interview with the 5D MKII but it was a reticent interviewee and we were talking about some really sensitive subject matter so having to interrupt them every 12 minutes to shut the 5D MKII off and on would not have worked.

Yes, tough choice. I would not want to give up either, they are both great tools in their own right, but so different.

Dan

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[Dan Brockett]

I own the HPX170, a Letus Extreme and the Canon 5D MKII. I shot a project yesterday with both of them. The HPX170 will have a cleaner, sharper picture but with the addition of a 35mm adapter, sharpness will somewhat go out the window. The HPX170 with the Letus requires a ton of light to make great images, the 5D MKII, not so much, although you do need to light it to make it look good.

Between the two, I find it a difficult choice on which to use at times, although either can make great images. The recorded signal off of the HPX170 will be much more robust and not as compressed. It is also 4:2:2 if you are doing any keying or compositing.

By the time you outfit the 5D MKII with lenses, Z-Finder, etc. you will be in the same cost range as the 170 with a 35mm adapter.

Tough choice. I like them both, use them both but if I had to choose only one, it would be my 170, it is a much better video camera. But I don’t shoot narrative, I shoot mostly docs, BTS, EPK type of stuff.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Good to know Jeff. Those are not bad at all. The best I have ever had was with my PB G4 and that would have been the equivalent of 24 minutes (32GB card’s didn’t exist when I was using my PB G4, but four 8GBs at 6 minutes ea)

I look forward to acquiring one as soon as a project comes up that will pay for it 😉

I know that PCD-35 can do astounding transfer times but that is a bit more pricey than the PCD-2

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Spec Comm has a few available or at least they did on Friday. Talk to Jasmine, she has been posting about these over on DVX User

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

I just received a new MBP from Apple to replace my 2007 MBP that was a lemon. Unfortunately, it is a 15″ i5. While it is fast and slick…

1. The glossy screen really sucks in comparison to my old MBP that had the matte screen
2. Losing the FW 400 port is a royal PITA
3. Losing the Expresscard 34 slot sucks. No more Express34 slot CF card reader, no more E-SATA RAID

I am not a full time editor although I do edit my own demo reels, corporate projects and a few little projects here and there. I used a single disc FW 800 drive recently to cut a two camera concert that was 1080 24p Pro Res. I had to reduce the playback quality quite a bit. Add another camera angle and stream and I am not sure of FW 800 would handle it.

I am in total agreement with the other Zane on all counts. Unless you mess with video just as a hobby, I would only get the 17″ MBP.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

I am starting to have flashbacks when the PPCs first went live and then the whole IBM PPC thing just started to stagnate. Remember when PCs were SOOOO much faster than those G4s? It is beginning to feel as if Apple is once again slipping into complacency. Where is the old rush that we used to get every time Apple premiered a new version of FCP? While I am still an Apple user and have been an FCP user since V 1.0 on my ancient old Blue and White G3, if they don’t do something by the end of this year, I will undoubtedly move to MC5. AVID seems to have some of the old fire back lately.

I just interviewed a lot of top people at AVID for an article on global and remote workflow and I have to say Interplay and Unity ISIS blew me away. Makes Apple’s attempts with FCP Server, etc. seem pretty weak in comparison.

Competition is good for all of us but Apple doesn’t seem to care to stay competitive any more.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

So tell us how you really feel about it David! 😉

FWIW, I totally agree. The Apple “KGB/CIA” operation mode is beginning to feel a bit dated as well as ridiculous in this era of Jan Crittenden and others practically living on the boards and truly communicating with their customers. I really feel that my day to day camera that I make a living with, the AG-HPX170 has features on it that came directly from user feedback that I was involved in.

At least we know that it is not limited to Pro Apps, all of Apple operates this way but it is getting old. There are ways to communicate with your customers that don’t involve giving away the farm about upcoming products. And it makes customers more loyal. I think about 50% of FCS users are considering jumping ship to MC5 or CS5 as it is, the silent treatment and the “ignore users” treatment is wearing thin.

Dan Brockett

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

I second the Dells. I have had the 2405 since it came out in around 2006 and it is excellent.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Not a terrible choice but:

1. DVCPRO HD = 8bit, ProRes = 10bit
2. DVCPRO HD = abbreviated raster 720=960×720, 1080=1140×1080
ProRes = full raster. Assuming the XDCAM footage is XDCAM EX, it
begins in full raster, why reduce it? If it is regular XDCAM HD,
then that format too is abbreviated raster, then it wouldn’t
matter as much.

I just cut a project that was DVCPRO HD and ProRes on the same tine line, it worked great. I have converted 5D MKII footage to both DVCPRO HD and ProRes and didn’t see any difference. Just depends on how much of a purist you are and what kind of source material you have. If there are a lot of gradients and high-con edges, 10 bit has much less banding and jaggies.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs