Canon 7d for HD video?

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joescrivens

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Hey there,

I've just purchased a panasonic HDC-HS300 HD camcorder and am looking at buying a Canon 50D but then I just started watching lots of videos of the 7d HD recording and I was wowed by it:

take a look at these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFqQj0puris&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAE_afCyVbU

Can anyone tell me - is it feasible to use the video function instead of a camcorder?

the videos above all seem to have lots of accessories like rigs and extra lenses etc. Does anyone have one and use it for HD video?
 
Owning both a 7D abd Canon HF100 HD camcorder I can honnestly say I much prefer the camcorder for video and the 7D for photos:).

To get the best out of a 7D you have to be very patient and competent using manual focus. Ultimately it can provide better results than many consumer camcorders, but you have to work much, much harder to obtain them.

Cameras are for photograps and camcorders are for video. Until full-time AF is an option on DSLR's this will not change for the majority of users.
 
so is it just the manual focus that you find the problem?

I often use manual focus on my hs300 anyway

the appeal for me is only having to carry one device around
 
joescrivens said:
so is it just the manual focus that you find the problem?

I often use manual focus on my hs300 anyway

the appeal for me is only having to carry one device around
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Manual focus is my biggest dislike but handling is also inferior. Bitrates are (dare I say it) too high and an 8GB card get eaten-up very quickly. The main advantage of video via DSLR is the professional blur/bokeh that can be achieved due to the much superior lens choice. You also have better scope for wide-angle filming.

Another annoying thing is not being able to use the viewfinder for video. You also look extremely stupid walking about with a large DSLR held 12 inches inforn of your face.
 
Orville said:
Manual focus is my biggest dislike but handling is also inferior. Bitrates are (dare I say it) too high and an 8GB card get eaten-up very quickly. The main advantage of video via DSLR is the professional blur/bokeh that can be achieved due to the much superior lens choice. You also have better scope for wide-angle filming.

Another annoying thing is not being able to use the viewfinder for video. You also look extremely stupid walking about with a large DSLR held 12 inches inforn of your face.
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so what do you use to actually see the video? do you use the screen on the back?
 
joescrivens said:
so what do you use to actually see the video? do you use the screen on the back?
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I use the 3" LCD to see what I am recording (viewfinder is not possible), and a 1080P LCD to view afterwards. Believe me, unless you carry a tripod and separate mic, the 7D (and all other movie capable DSLR's) are not very practical for video. The mono mic on the 7D is pretty useless for audio.

The 7D is without doubt the best video capable DSLR available today, but it still a long way off of camcorder flexibility and practicality.
 
Have to agree with Orville ,
i tried some video the other day on a bird walking, i was useing a 500f4isL but no way could i get the focus right ,it was fine when the bird was still as you could AF it, but as soon as it moved again it soon was out of focus and im not that good at manule focus to keep it sharp.
Very hard work and lots of skill needed imo.
Rob.
 
Thanks guys, I do have an external mic actually and have either of you guys tried the zacuto z-finder viewfinder? Apparantly it makes focusing much easier
 
Well I made the jump and got the 7d and I've been playing around with video today and I love it. Manual focussing wasn't as tricky as I thought it might be and I'm so impressed with the quality of 24p.

I have kept my camcorder but after spending a day with this I really don't know if i'll ever use it again! I got a 16gb 400x CF card and 1 minute of video was coming out at around 210mb so an hour would be 12gb leaving 4gb for photos which is at least 200 photos at full raw quality so I'm a happy man
 
Orville said:
Another annoying thing is not being able to use the viewfinder for video. You also look extremely stupid walking about with a large DSLR held 12 inches inforn of your face.
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I have the 5 rather than 7 and find it is almost impossible to use with the 100-400 without a tripod as I cannot hold it at the right distance to see the screen and focus smoothly.

I have never had a camcorder but am very pleased with the video functions so far and am looking forward to the update when it is released
 
I still don't see the point of marrying an extremely versatile state-of-the-art DSLR with a 1080p video camera that has a rudimetary (and therefore far from versatile) function set. As someone else said somewhere round these parts, they like the video function of the 500D coz it allows them to take little videos of their kids and stuff.. but, for most people, I think that the addition of a video function is a result of the ongoing marketing war between Canikon; they've included it simply because they can, wow!

If the video function had the spec aof a properly dedicated video camera, then yeah, why not. Otherwise it's just flashiness. There are plenty of cameras about that take as good pics as the 7D, which are cheaper and don't feature video. But I guess for the people that convince themselves via reviews and bench tests that they must have the latest and (supposedly) greatest, you could probably add a mp3 player function to the mix and they'll justify that as essential too!!! :D
 
There is a lot of use of the video function. It gives high end results of using D of F and bokeh for a lot less than having to shell out for a pro video setup. It really is a solution for a lot of people. Some of the movies that are being made on these cameras are incredible.

I know a lot of people on here moan about it, but if you don't want it, don't use it. When I upgrade, I admit it will be used mainly as a camera, but there will be times where I will use the video functions, and I know a lot of others will too. It is not there to take snap shot video, these are serious filming devices.
 
ding76uk said:
but if you don't want it, don't use it.
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Don't want it, won't use it, won't even buy it.

I still think it lacks the versatility of a dedicated video cam, and that doesn't have to be a professional one. Anybody I know who's into serious filming won't be swanning around with a DSLR as their tool in the near future.
 
Nifkin said:
I still don't see the point of marrying an extremely versatile state-of-the-art DSLR with a 1080p video camera that has a rudimetary (and therefore far from versatile) function set. As someone else said somewhere round these parts, they like the video function of the 500D coz it allows them to take little videos of their kids and stuff.. but, for most people, I think that the addition of a video function is a result of the ongoing marketing war between Canikon; they've included it simply because they can, wow!

If the video function had the spec aof a properly dedicated video camera, then yeah, why not. Otherwise it's just flashiness. There are plenty of cameras about that take as good pics as the 7D, which are cheaper and don't feature video. But I guess for the people that convince themselves via reviews and bench tests that they must have the latest and (supposedly) greatest, you could probably add a mp3 player function to the mix and they'll justify that as essential too!!! :D
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Well, here's my take. I've used a camcorder for at least 5 years and I also had a 450D, it was always a pain carrying both around with me when I wanted to capture film and stills. Now I have a superb stills camera and it also takes much higher quality footage than my HD camcorder (which wasn't cheap, £800).

Not only that, it's soooo much better that I'm doubting whether I'll ever actually use my camcorder again. You say it is rudimentary but look at this sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFqQj0puris and show me a camcorder under £1500 that can achieve anything near this
 
Nifkin said:
Don't want it, won't use it, won't even buy it.

I still think it lacks the versatility of a dedicated video cam, and that doesn't have to be a professional one. Anybody I know who's into serious filming won't be swanning around with a DSLR as their tool in the near future.
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tell that to the people over at 5dcinema, I'll assume that the people you know into serious filming aren't these people.
 
joescrivens said:
Well, here's my take. I've used a camcorder for at least 5 years and I also had a 450D, it was always a pain carrying both around with me when I wanted to capture film and stills. Now I have a superb stills camera and it also takes much higher quality footage than my HD camcorder (which wasn't cheap, £800).

Not only that, it's soooo much better that I'm doubting whether I'll ever actually use my camcorder again. You say it is rudimentary but look at this sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFqQj0puris and show me a camcorder under £1500 that can achieve anything near this
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Can't watch youchoob at work, I'm afraid. I have no doubt about the image quality, but the functionality of it is rudimentary. I just wish Nikanon would offer a with/without video option for their SLRs with a price differential to match.

5Dcinema are DSLR photographers who've started making films coz they've got a video function on their camera, not dedicated film industry type. Wasn't sure what your definition of serious filming was, hence the italics.

Sounds like you've already made your mind up about your original query, Joe, so fill your boots!

Anyway, was only playing devil's avacado; I really coudn't care what people want to do with their cameras; if it's creative it's fine with me :D:D:D
 
Nifkin said:
Can't watch youchoob at work, I'm afraid. I have no doubt about the image quality, but the functionality of it is rudimentary. I just wish Nikanon would offer a with/without video option for their SLRs with a price differential to match.

5Dcinema are DSLR photographers who've started making films coz they've got a video function on their camera, not dedicated film industry type. Wasn't sure what your definition of serious filming was, hence the italics.

Sounds like you've already made your mind up about your original query, Joe, so fill your boots!

Anyway, was only playing devil's avacado; I really coudn't care what people want to do with their cameras; if it's creative it's fine with me :D:D:D
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For sure, and your opinion is more than valid.

I think if you see that film though and anything else Philip Bloom has made on the 7d you'll change your mind about it being rudimentary. If he hadn't told you he was filming it on a 7d you'd have just assumed he was using an actual camcorder.

I think you'll also find that many of the people at 5dcinema have moved from hd and hdv into the 5d and 7d, they didn't start becuase they had the option. They were already making film and started using the dSLR option.
 
joescrivens said:
For sure, and your opinion is more than valid.

I think if you see that film though and anything else Philip Bloom has made on the 7d you'll change your mind about it being rudimentary. If he hadn't told you he was filming it on a 7d you'd have just assumed he was using an actual camcorder.

I think you'll also find that many of the people at 5dcinema have moved from hd and hdv into the 5d and 7d, they didn't start becuase they had the option. They were already making film and started using the dSLR option.
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I will check them out!
 
Have to agree with Joe, I bought a 7D and haven't shot video on anything else since. What's missing is full time fast AF, but everything else is fantastic, and you save on carrying a whole second set of kit. There's no way i could afford to reproduce the quality of my L glass on a video camera - it would be tens of thousands.

I was, in fact, looking for a small HD video camera to use a pocket device, but having now used the 7D i'm just going to wait for the same type of video options to be availalbe on the MFT cameras and simialr, and then use one of them.
 
very cool, what lens were you using?

I did the same thing this morning:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9-Nf1B9Q85k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9-Nf1B9Q85k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
 
Do not buy a 7D (or 5D MkII, (or a D300)) for video unless you are willing to spend a lot of time and effort with preparation. Buy the 7D for photographic picture quality, AF or FPS. Video is much more practical using a camcorder unless you have the time, patience and skill to get the most out of the decent quality lenses that DSLR's offer.

The 7D is a really good CAMERA. Video is a bonus.
 
How much less would it be without video.... why not just give us a camera with this speck...I wonder what is happening to the video cam market if anything???
 
joescrivens said:
very cool, what lens were you using?

I did the same thing this morning:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9-Nf1B9Q85k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9-Nf1B9Q85k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
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I agree with people who think video dSLRs are good products, although I am yet to buy one. I could already see some potential uses for it, including presentations, weddings, macro work, some of my experiments in the lab and so on... They are nearly there, just need AF and RAW codec, but I could live without it.

Your example, well :thinking::thinking:, needs some more work. I would be even tempted to say a few well lit stills would have more impact. There needs to be some action and the development of the scene for it to be worth motion pictures. You should definitely stabilise the camera (tripod seems the easiest and the most obvious way), and practise focusing.

There is another issue with focus pulling and some lenses that many people are not aware. The focal length of some lenses shifts significantly while focusing causing a zoom effect. It may look a bit unpleasant to the viewer. Sadly, my favourite 100mm macro clearly exhibits this issue.
 
Its funny cause I've read this whole thread and not one person has pointed out the main reason us video guys use the 5dmk2 / 7d for video and that the size of the sensor. This coupled with fast primes allow us to shoot clean footage in very lowlight conditions. An impossibility on a modest budget until now.
We are prepared to work around everything we are sacrificing by not using a dedicated video camera due to the look of the footage. Of course a dedicated video camera will always have its use in certain situations too.
 
Good point made above - I was shooting video with a 200mm 2.8 IS lens inside a disco last night, with no extra lighting. No way i could do that with any video camera in my price range.
 
grifter09 said:
Its funny cause I've read this whole thread and not one person has pointed out the main reason us video guys use the 5dmk2 / 7d for video and that the size of the sensor. This coupled with fast primes allow us to shoot clean footage in very lowlight conditions. An impossibility on a modest budget until now.
We are prepared to work around everything we are sacrificing by not using a dedicated video camera due to the look of the footage. Of course a dedicated video camera will always have its use in certain situations too.
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It is not something I could comment on as I had never used a video camera until getting my 5D MkII so have having a steep learning curve but enjoying it
 
daugirdas said:
I agree with people who think video dSLRs are good products, although I am yet to buy one. I could already see some potential uses for it, including presentations, weddings, macro work, some of my experiments in the lab and so on... They are nearly there, just need AF and RAW codec, but I could live without it.

Your example, well :thinking::thinking:, needs some more work. I would be even tempted to say a few well lit stills would have more impact. There needs to be some action and the development of the scene for it to be worth motion pictures. You should definitely stabilise the camera (tripod seems the easiest and the most obvious way), and practise focusing.

There is another issue with focus pulling and some lenses that many people are not aware. The focal length of some lenses shifts significantly while focusing causing a zoom effect. It may look a bit unpleasant to the viewer. Sadly, my favourite 100mm macro clearly exhibits this issue.
Click to expand...

If I'd have wanted a critique I'd have posted that in the critique section mate. It's the first thing I filmed with the camera out of the box, it's not for a professional piece needing impact, it's a home movie of my daughter :bonk:
 
Orville said:
Do not buy a 7D (or 5D MkII, (or a D300)) for video unless you are willing to spend a lot of time and effort with preparation. Buy the 7D for photographic picture quality, AF or FPS. Video is much more practical using a camcorder unless you have the time, patience and skill to get the most out of the decent quality lenses that DSLR's offer.

The 7D is a really good CAMERA. Video is a bonus.
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Have to say I have bought it 50% because of the stills and 50% because of the video. Even with no time and effort with prep my video is better than it was with my HS100. It may be practical with a camcorder but the results are flat and boring for the model you can get for the same price.

just my opinon! :)
 
FreeloaderJoe said:
If you need any more evidence then take a look at this: http://www.vimeo.com/7058755 its stunning its incredible. I rest my case. Not into big internet forum arguments. The evidence is there. Full length films are being shot on 5D's.
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Wicked video that. 95% of the reason I bought my 5d was for the photography aspect but I am now properly inspired with video again.

I used to do bits of basic video when I was in uni but it was difficult to be creative with consumer equipment with regard to dof etc but I can see why film makers are mad for 5d and 7d.

It appears dollying appears to be a nice trick and I'm sure I saw a tutorial on how to make your own track for slrs online somewhere
 
Mike.P said:
Then I think you will have your 50D for a long long time. At a guess I would say video will be standard on all but the very basic cameras from now on
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Haha. Missed the bit about me playing devil's advocate in my later post, I see :p
 
robbys82 said:
Wicked video that. 95% of the reason I bought my 5d was for the photography aspect but I am now properly inspired with video again.

I used to do bits of basic video when I was in uni but it was difficult to be creative with consumer equipment with regard to dof etc but I can see why film makers are mad for 5d and 7d.

It appears dollying appears to be a nice trick and I'm sure I saw a tutorial on how to make your own track for slrs online somewhere
Click to expand...

Any chance you could find it ?
 
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