[Paul Kim]

I got excited because I read “bitterly cold”–but only 15 degrees? You must be used to sunnier places… 😉

Actually, I’m happy to report I filmed with the 7D for a week in Russia at temperatures reaching below -20C, or well below 0 F, with pretty much no problems unless you count the fingers that were running the camera. This machine holds up great.

I was very concerned about condensation, and I must admit I didn’t really have a chance to take proper care between going in and out of the cold. I was particularly worried because where I was staying was scorching hot–what’s with cold places in the world where they way overheat the inside of homes or buildings? However, it’s interesting to note that again I had no condensation problems period. Now there were many instances where I was going from outside back into a not so warm car, and being in that car to normalize for a couple hours before getting back into a warmer house. But there were instances I just went straight in with no issues.

Yet I appreciate your comments Stephen, esp if you’re filming in Antarctica! I wonder if I had continued this way for another week or two, if there would have been a build up of condensation over time. Is there any way to monitor this? Or what precautions can you take when you’re filming in cities and locations where you can’t exactly keep your gear somewhere outside or in a colder spot?

[Paul Kim]

We both like the same kind of lenses, Robbie. I’m in love with my 50mm 1.2, it’s phenomenal, and on a 7D it makes an amazing lens for filming faces. I’ve done some interviews with it at 1.2, pretty crazy, but I managed to keep it all sharp except for one instance.

The next couple lenses I’d like to get is the 24-105 F4 L for doc work (need the zoom range, though wish it were a 2.8, and 24-70 doesn’t feel like enough), and also the 70-200 IS. However, I was interested to note on the 70-200 you like the F4 better than the 2.8 due to its sharpness and size. You haven’t been missing the speed of the 2.8, no? Would love to hear more of your thoughts on comparing the two. After all, I’d be thrilled to save a decent chunk of change, too.

[Paul Kim]

All good suggestions, particularly about renting first, or borrowing.

To me, the most important question for you to ask is, what kind of projects are you working on–i.e., what are your creative needs?

People love various lenses for different reasons. I do primarily documentary work, and my needs are much different from indie films. For instance, in my case, zooms are more important than primes, although I have an awesome medium length prime for low light situations and portraiture. But it’s hard to beat a zoom for when I need to be quick to adapt to different situations, and be able to catch cutaways and different focal lengths at a second’s notice. Also, since I do a lot of handheld/shoulder run & gun, the Canon IS lenses make a huge difference. Huge. So there’s another factor.

Also, manual vs auto is a big consideration, too. Since my wife is quite a photographer herself, I tend to buy Canon AF even though I’d love to go with Zeiss for my primes. If I didn’t do any photography, I’d go with strictly manual.

[Paul Kim]

Thought I would follow up on the 7D for docs topic, as I picked one up to test for this kind of use. It doesn’t seem like a lot of people are using the 7D for doc, however, as I’m not finding much about it. Or at least for certain types of documentary, like where run & gun is important. I just came back from a test shoot in Russia, and there were a lot of significant differences from XDCAM EX and P2 cameras, obviously. Some observations that reflect previous comments:

If you want to do run & gun, you’d better know exactly what you’re doing and have done a lot of testing. Using a rig is nearly essential for most shots off a tripod, and I say this while being very adept handheld. And while I haven’t tested it, a follow focus would be very handy, something I don’t usually employ with more traditional cameras for doc. Trying to focus on the ring with your hand adds a lot of shake, more so than other professional camcorders, even if you’re really careful. Not essential, but handy. Of course having a follow focus can change the kind of rig you have, too, so it also has its potential downsides.

Everyone says the Z-finder is a joy to use and essential. I agree, it’s essential, but not necessarily a joy to use. It may be natural for photography types to have their face glued to the back of the camera, but it’s not always so for documentary work. A lot of shoulder-mount cameras have a viewfinder that you’re using, but you also have the freedom to do different angles, and this isn’t as easy with these DSLRs, until one gets a monitor. For instance, even with certain shots locked down on my Miller, let’s say 42″ from the ground, it’s too high for me to kneel and look through the z-finder, and it’s almost too low for me to lean over and look through. So you end up in a half-squat position that’s uncomfortable enough to ruin any type of focus pulls I might want to do or even steady pans. I suppose this is a no-brainer, but it’s just another thing I’ve never had to deal with before using this camera.

As far as the images, they really broke down from the aliasing when I tried to do wider landscape shots where most of the frame was in focus. When filming anything like gritty roads, sides of brick buildings–anything with a lot of detail, the aliasing was very problematic. In fact I almost dismissed the camera from these initial observations as being entirely unusable, but every once in a while I would get these amazing shots, and it was quite humbling to be wrestling with the variance. It wasn’t until I read Barry Green’s article about aliasing that it finally made complete sense and confirmed my results. You begin to realize when the camera almost fails, and when it gives great results.

Generally, on interviews, the camera really shines, especially if you have a fast, portraiture-length lens on it. I did an interview at 50mm 1.2 (about 80mm with x1.6 crop), and while it was a challenge to maintain focus, it was very nice. That’s not to say you don’t notice the lack of sharpness in the image; the way Canon creates their 1080 is just not as sharp when I compare with say, the EX1.

So for interviews, or when you are creating shallow depth of field, the camera can do a lot for its size. If you want to follow a subject (like vérité), good luck. Have a good rig, and even if you do, you might want to use Canon’s IS lenses to avoid horrible shakes when you’re moving on your feet.

Once you start exploiting the camera’s strengths and avoiding its weaknesses, things will start to work well for you. I think if Canon can figure out a way to improve on the aliasing, this will be hard to beat.

[Paul Kim]

Chuck, how are you mounting and powering this thing? Does it work well for pulling focus–i.e., is it sharp?

[Paul Kim]

Sorry, meant an Ikan and/or SmallHD monitor. Love the Marshalls, but pretty pricey.

[Paul Kim]

For those of you with the Ikan SmallHD, what’s your thoughts about using it for handheld video on the 7D? I do a lot of documentary work, and am not quite satisfied with the Zacuto viewfinder for getting it really sharp, and for different angles. I hear it’s light, but does it work okay for handheld on DSLRs?

[Paul Kim]

I noticed someone mentioned that you needed an MXO for this. We have an old Power Mac G5 that we’d like to plug into a 42″ plasma. Is it as simple as using a DVI to HDMI cable and running it off your FCP timeline? Or would it only work as a second display with mirroring or dual display type function?

We’d ideally like to color correct it and use it as a playback monitor. Do we need the Matrox MXO or can we just get one of those cables?

Thanks.

[Paul Kim]

CaptM,

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Finally!!!!!!

Thanks so much!

[Paul Kim]

I upgraded to FCP5 a long time ago, and never had issues capturing. So I have no idea what happened a week ago, unless some other update triggered it.