Danny Grizzle
Forum Replies Created
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SORRY – Posted to Canon forum by accident. Reposed as intended to DSLR forum. Suggest replies be made to that thread.
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After spending the day on CreativeCOW, I am rethinking my infatuation with the 5D MkII.
Peter DeCrescenzo posted this link on a prior thread on this board:
https://www.dvxuser.com/articles/article.php/20
The bottom line is the stock 5D MkII looks gorgeous with fast primes, but only fast primes shot wide open with lots of out of focus background. Of course, this makes guys like me salivate until somebody shakes me awake with the realization that the camera won’t reliably do small aperture, deep focus shots without huge risk of really crappy results.
The article is an education about aliasing and the optical low pass filters which digital cameras use to address the issue. But Canon cannot put such a filter on the 5D MkII because it would destroy the camera’s 21 megapixel performance as a still camera.
My conclusion is Canon needs to do a version of the 5D MkII optimized for video. And they probably will. They may even take it further and and redesign the entire camera body, viewfinder, and memory card system. P2 or SxS, maybe. With more powerful graphics processing and a faster storage system, I don’t see why a video version of this still camera could not do 2K or better, essentially the same market as the RED ONE.
In the mean time, the Optical Low Pass Filter issue makes me take note of the LensRentals.com specially modified IR version of the 5D MkII. I mean, if these guys can have a 5D MkII modified to remove the factory low pass filter and replace it with a 715nm infrared filter, what’s to keep someone from doing a mod to the 5D MkII to address the aliasing issue with a low pass filter that is optimized for HD video production?
As for this Cavision vs. Zacuto vs. Redrock stuff, I’ve never seen any of it. I will say, I always elect to pay for better quality if it is warranted. I believe people who do good work should be rewarded. Before reading the Cavision review on LensRentals.com, Cavision was not really on my radar. At the same time, I have bought Chrosziel matte boxes. Fine and good, but grossly overpriced — nice gear, but I would buy a less expensive quality alternative in a heartbeat.
BTW – I see Chrosziel finally got a website. Maybe it has been up for years — I have not built a new camera package in a long time. And what is the first featured item on the Chrosziel website? Why, a full matte box / follow focus package for the 5D MkII, of course. Once I check the price, maybe my relativist thinking will make Zacuto seem like the middle ground.
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I know what you are saying, and agree. It is about balance and proportion. The 5D Mk II is not the end-all of HD production; actually it’s simply the entry. I think it shook up RED, and opened Canon’s eyes to a potential market. It will be interesting to see what happens if Canon sets their mind to a purpose built single imager video camera designed to use their EOS lenses (which I love/hate).
In the mean time, I don’t want to be the kid who spends more on his car stereo than the value of the automobile. Note I’m not badmouthing Zacuto or Redrock, only saying the Cavision stuff looks interesting for a lot less money. It would be nice to see and work with all this stuff, and maybe I should do some rentals before purchase. What I read on the LensRentals.com website was specific to the Cavision Video SLR Viewfinder, $170 at B&H. Read it for yourself and tell me if you think the Zacuto is worth more than twice as much ($375). And the reviewer seems to think the Cavision is a super design, as well.
No disrespect to Zacuto. I love beautiful, high quality gear. But at the same time, in the early 1970’s, I bought into the Canon F1 35mm system at a time when Nikon was the definitive choice of professionals. I’ve never regretted that decision.
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> Audio Technica went out of their way some years back to make headphones with replaceable cords. After all the work to figure which plugs/sockets to use and all the extra work in making them, they got ZERO orders for the cords.
I love this story. Reminds me of my former client, Lucchese Boot Company, makers of the pinnacle Texas cowboy boot, a frequent gift by American Presidents to other Heads of State (present administration excepted, I expect).
Lucchese slavishly makes handmade boots from custom lasts for discerning customers. No last is ever thrown away. They have huge bins full of custom lasts for the rich and famous, including Lyndon Johnson, John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Bud Abbot and Lou Costello… a mountain of Who’s Who of America for over 100 years.
But nobody ever reorders. Even the ones who are not dead.
Real boot guys will tell you a normal “made to order” production boot is better than a custom last every time. Because we age. Our weight changes, and because we can find finished goods that fit right instead of taking a blind leap into custom made that may or may not be perfect, allowing for variables of manufacture.
About my obsession with cases. I confess. Everybody who knows me knows this is true. On the other hand, my stuff lasts forever. I know every set screw and cable in my kit. I still have field equipment in daily use that is 20 and 30 years old. P.S. – no, I don’t rent or loan gear.
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I also use rifle cases for my boom poles. But I worry about this more than anything else because a rifle is thief bait — I can have $50K worth of gear in a $35K Suburban — someday I figure a $12 rifle case is going to draw attention from the wrong guy and cause a big loss.
Does keeping your gear in firearms cases draw special attention from airport security?
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Actually, I’ve got a couple of Behringer Sharks that I use with a Fender Passport sound system for meetings in hotel rooms up to 150-200 people.
That said, the Behringer Sharks are more trouble than they are worth. First, they are multi-function devices with a lot of modes and settings. And they have to be tuned to the room. Maybe if somebody was doing this gig day in day out, they would eventually learn to work the things. I have not tossed them out of my gear bag, but they simply never get pulled out and installed at shows anymore. Maybe if I had an extra hour to screw around with them, but considering I’ve usually pulled an all-nighter anyway, the Behringer sharks just don’t happen. They are marginal anyway. I’m more fascinated by their other features now; their feedback elimination is weak.
Back to basics:
Ty Ford and others here have given golden advice. The key is good mic technique.
My presenters use omni lavaliers. Once they amp up the volume in front of a live audience, it always works. Nobody I know believes in cardiod lavs, but it’s your money.
About good mic technique. Executives exist in a reality distortion field. When you say you have no control, this implies the executive holds your function in contempt, somehow implying that if the exec had a real audio pro, nature’s laws of physics would be suspended. Either get a new gig or go toe-to-toe and face to face with this arrogance. Sounds like you are dealing with a God complex, somebody who expects to roll forth heaven and earth with the sound of their voice.
Only their voice is not going to be heard without proper mic technique. If the President of the United States and Steve Jobs must both be wired or else speak directly into the mic, then your guys must do so also. You can look them in the eye and tell them this with absolute confidence.
After too many customer evaluation forms complaining about audio, I’ve had to get tough on our people. A major problem is non-professional talent who believe they don’t really need a PA at all, and treat the microphone like some kind of Harry Potter magic wand, a “talking stick” they hold when it is their turn to speak, to be held somewhere down around their belt buckle, with a thumb hooked into their pocket. One of our guys is a repeat offender for putting the wireless mic into his back pocket. Don’t know what they expect out of sound there, but it won’t be good!
One tip, though, other than “telling them how the cow ate the cabbage.”
There is no law written that says you must place the Fender Passport speakers to the left and right of the speaker’s podium as if you were setting up a home TV set. In most of my presentations, a large rear projection screen has center stage, with the presenter’s podium off to one side. I position the Passport speakers as close together as possible, cabinets side by side with front faces aligned in fact to reduce possibility of phase cancellation. But I setup the speakers on the side of the room opposite from the presenter. I also angle them away from the speaking position, to further reduce backwashing amplified sound back into the microphone.
There is no such thing as stereo audio in 99% of all sound reinforcement. If audio is right, nobody in the audience will notice there is audio.
The other thing to consider is positioning the Passport speakers forward of the presenter. Others here have said as much, but I tell people, “Feedback is due to the difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound.” Essentially, the audio path from the speaker’s mouth to the Passport loudspeaker occurs at the speed of light (electricity travels at roughly the same speed). The speed of sound, however, is vastly slower. So sound generated at the microphone comes out of the loudspeaker at essentially the same time. Once the loudspeaker converts the electrical signal into audible sound, however, the sound travels at a relatively leisurely rate through the meeting room. Feedback happens when the sound out of the loudspeaker reinters the microphone, then instantly comes out of the loudspeaker again. So you get an endless loop setup, first a little ringing, then an ear splitting howl.
That’s why I don’t think the Behringer Sharks are much good. They really don’t have much effect on feedback, but they can, with great care, be tuned to stop a bit of the precursory ringing. The Sharks are multiband, multi-frequency, which amounts to addressing the specifics of tuning — the exact frequency of feedback is affected by distance between mic and speakers, and standing reverberation waves in a specific room due to wall distances, etc.
So what if Behringer Sharks can notch these frequencies? This does not eliminate feedback, it only suppresses the early warnings of feedback. You can’t make a pig fly. An SUV is not a Porsche, even though the SUV does have stiff handling. If you make the mistake of thinking the SUV will corner like a Porsche, the SUV will simply flip and roll with no warning. Consider the ringing sound that precedes full blown feedback to be “body roll” — audible warning that things are about to go south. At that point, you are either going to be forced to gain down the volume, or else finesse mic placement.
The mixer is critical
When running multiple microphones, a simple mixer like my Mackie VLZ-1402 adds a critical additional safeguard against feedback. You cannot allow open mics. In our case, we have 3 people working the audience with wireless mics for Q&A, a wireless mic at the podium, plus lavalier body packs on one or two presenters.
Mixing can be a little hairy because I am usually the man behind the curtain. So I stick my head out during Q&A! I leave the VU channels gained up. Judicious use of the Mute and Solo buttons makes it easy to switch mics completely on or completely off as needed.
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Yah, here’s one of those penniless high school dropout dope smoking wannabes. Note position of his right hand:
James Cameron on set of Avatar -
I really like Sennheiser G3. I’ve got half a dozen.
Actually, mine are half older generation, half newer G3. The infrared configuration feature of the new G3 series is extremely cool.
One pointer: I’m happy with my Evolution 100 Series wireless mics, but I will note that the lavalier mics that Sennheiser supplies in the kits are cheap and inferior. You will double the sound quality with the addition of a high quality lavalier. Unfortunately, good mics are not cheap, but in comparison to your reputation, they are a great value.
I use Tram, Sennheiser MKE2, and Sanken COS-11. Sony has a new lavalier that looks interesting, but suspiciously like a Sanken knock-off.
Second point:
Sennheiser product packaging is junk. Don’t expect to find a carry case in the box. So budget in a nice padded (not foam) Pelican case from the get go. A model 1450 is a good starter case, or get a 1550 for room to grow into a multi-mic package.
It burns me up that Sennheiser doesn’t do more. Their $600 lavalier ships in a plastic zip-lock bag. I bought a small clear top Pelican case for mine to keep it from getting crushed inside my Pelican 1550 case!
Tram includes a cheap snap close plastic box. It won’t shatter or break, but case quality is on par with something from the fishing tackle department at Walmart.
Sanken wins the quality competition. If I remember right, it is a true condenser, not an electret. I’m told this lavalier is the favorite among Hollywood sound guys. It also comes in a great case. If anything, my complaint here is the Sanken case is too big and takes up too much space inside my Pelican 1550 wireless kit location case.
Final point: On Day 1 when you buy wireless mics, spend a few extra dollars on Rycote Undercover lavalier supplies. This stuff does not cost much, and it will save your bacon.
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I like the advice to use Canons 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8, especially since I already own these two lenses.
I’m old school. Modern SLR systems are designed more for sports photographers than anyone else.
I dislike autofocus. It is not inherently evil, but motorized focus seems to dictate mechanical design of lenses. Short throw manual focus, where the lens goes from infinity to macro with only a few degrees of rotation, make a lens horrible for human control. Sloppy fly-by-wire focusing, where the focus ring is not mechanically coupled to focus but only controls the focus motor, is even worse.
I also don’t like the fact that Canon chose to remove iris control from their EOS lenses. Depth of field scales are gone. Depth of field preview is awkward. There are lots of DOF apps for iPhone, but these are dorky workarounds. The fact remains that Canon is off track with lens design, as if they hired the same Japanese engineers who invented the $20,000 electronic toilet and robotic bidet with built-in Nintendo and karaoke. EOS lenses are a mixed bag, great for some specific things, but ultimately frustrating for master photographers and cinematographers who need absolute manual control.
I disagree with some who posted to this thread about 5D Mk II ISO performance rendering superspeed optics obsolete. Because deliberate and creative control of depth of field is actually the most exciting thing about this camera. That’s also why the full frame sensor is important, because the corresponding longer focal length lenses are associated with shallow depth of field.
OK, so much for theory. My specific recommendations:
1) Zeiss ZE manual focus lenses. Before I buy, I will consider whether the Nikon mount variants allow manual control of iris because I’ve read some photographers prefer them with an adapter for use on Canon EOS. Manual aperture makes the lens more versatile, should you ever want to use it on a DOF adapter like Letus.
BTW – for cinematography use of the 5D Mk II, seriously consider optional focusing screens. The Canon website notes their availability, but Zeiss does a better job explaining focusing screens and why these are critical for your success.
2) Canon Tilt-Shift Lenses. Manual focus plus more creative control. And these are great lenses, even without consideration of lens movements. See Philip Bloom’s videos – he uses tilt shift lenses extensively.
I already own two Canon tilt-shift lenses. I will probably buy the entire set, then fill in with Zeiss primes, duplicating focal lengths on the 50mm and 85mm because of their large aperture.
3) Singh-Ray Vari-ND filters because the Canon 5D Mk II is not a purpose built video camera. Singh-Ray Vari-ND may seem like an obscure photographic gadget, but they are essential to professional work with the 5D Mk II.
4) LensRentals.com is a great resource. Not just because you can rent exotic lenses, perhaps to try before you buy, but also because the LensRentals.com website contains succinct practical advice. These guys rent virtually every Canon lens that exists, so they have extensive hands-on practical experience. Read their article on the Canon 5D Mk II. In particular, their article This lens is soft and other myths should be read by every Canon 5D Mk II owner and user.
Unlike guys in L.A. or New York, I don’t hang with other shooters, and I never see gear in use before I buy it. So I value scuttlebutt in places like LensRentals.com and CreativeCOW.
Final points on use:
1) Image Stabilization – use with care. Canon’s EOS lens line was designed for still photographers. It works great for stills, but maybe not so good for cinematography. I’m concerned about damping as the gyros reach end of travel. I can see a visible bump with my IS lenses during motion required for framing.
2) Lenses are only as good as their support. I’m a believer in high quality tripods and fluid heads.
3) Aftermarket accessories. Zacuto and Redrock Micro make gorgeous shooting rigs with viewfinders, rail systems, shoulder mounts, matte boxes, etc. for the 5D Mk II. But the money can become a multiple of what the 5D Mk II costs, which offends me. When I put together my wish list, I think maybe I should consider a RED system instead. After reading glowing comments about Cavision on the LensRentals.com website, I am considering going with this much less expensive alternative.
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Glad to know about 8.0.6. I just launched CatDV, then picked “Check for Updates” from the Help menu. The following message was returned:
CatDV Update Check
Thank you for checking for updates. The CatDV product family is updated regularly with both bug fixes and feature enhancements.
You are using 8.0.5, which appears to be newer than the latest known version (CatDV Pro 8.0.2) !