Canon Digital Learning Center - EOS 5D Mark II: Movie Mode Basics

EOS 5D Mark II: Movie Mode Basics

Canon has taken its expertise in imaging, photography and movie capture technology to a new level with the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR. Answering the question of where SLR technology is going next, the EOS 5D Mark II features 16:9 Full HD movie capture at 1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 fps as well as 4:3 standard TV quality (SD) movie capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps, both capabilities appearing for the first time in a Canon SLR camera. Movie capture is part of the camera’s Live View function, using the Picture Style that has been set for Live View still image shooting. This allows skilled photographers and cinematographers to adjust image sharpness, contrast, color saturation, and white balance, and have those settings apply to the movie image. When recording movies, the camera’s rear LCD screen is letter-boxed by a semi-transparent border to match the aspect ratio of the movie recording size. Moreover, the EOS 5D Mark II camera’s Full HD movie capability enables new levels of creative expression through its unfettered access to the complete line of more than 60 Canon EF lenses, which provide an incredible variety of visual effects including everything from ultra-wide-angle and fish-eye to macro and super-telephoto, including many large-aperture L-series professional lenses that can keep the main subject in razor-sharp focus while blurring the background beyond recognition.

The EOS 5D Mark II will record movies up to 4GB per clip or a maximum continuous movie capture time of 29 minutes and 59 seconds, whichever comes first. Depending on the level of detail in the scene, a 4GB memory card can record approximately 12 minutes of movies at full HD resolution or approximately 24 minutes in standard definition.¹ Video clips are recorded in .MOV format using an MPEG-4² movie compression and sound is recorded using linear PCM³ without compression. The new camera features an input terminal for external stereo microphones as well as a built-in monaural microphone for convenience. To help show off those fantastic movies as well as still photos, the EOS 5D Mark II camera includes an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output to display crisp, clear images on a High-Definition TV.

Depth of Field Issues

The EOS 5D Mark II uses its full-frame 24x36mm CMOS sensor for all the images it produces, whether they are still photos or movies. This sensor is approximately 10 to 20 times the size of the image sensors used in most HD camcorders regardless of cost. This sensor size difference means that for any given combination of aperture value, subject distance and angle of view, images from the EOS 5D Mark II are going to have much shallower depth of field than images from a conventional HD device. The situation is somewhat similar to the comparison of an 8 x 10 format view camera to a 35mm SLR. This difference in the look of movies created by the EOS 5D Mark II is part of the reason why we believe it will be embraced by creative professionals. Together with the wide selection of interchangeable EF lenses, the relatively large imaging format of the EOS 5D Mark II creates a look that cannot be duplicated by any other movie capture device on the market today.

The EOS 5D Mark II can achieve shallower depth of field than many HD cameras, ideal for creative applications (Photographed with the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. Video has been compressed for web use*)

Preparing the EOS 5D Mark II for Video Capture

Movie mode in the EOS 5D Mark II is integrated with the camera’s Live View function, and most basic movie settings can be set up ahead of time on the 3-inch Clear View LCD screen. The basic settings include:

Live View Mode: Off, Still Images only, or Still Images + Movies

Screen Display: Still Image (3:2), Still Image (3:2) + Exposure Simulation, or Movie

Movie Resolution and Aspect Ratio (1920 x 1080/16:9 or 640 x 480/4:3)

Live View AF Mode: Quick, Live, Face Detection

Audio Recording: On/Off

Grid Display: Off/Fine/Coarse

In addition to the basic settings, photographers can also select and adjust the following camera settings that are supported in Movie mode:

Picture Style
White Balance
AE Lock
Exposure Compensation
Peripheral Illumination Correction
Auto Lighting Optimizer
Highlight Tone Priority

These settings go a long way towards customizing the “look and feel” of EOS 5D Mark II movies as well as still images.

Get the look you want for any type of scene, with any light sources (Photographed with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. Video has been compressed for web use*)

In addition to the adjustable settings listed above, the following settings are made automatically by the camera and cannot be adjusted by the user:

ISO speed
Shutter speed (from 1/30 to 1/125)
Aperture (varies according to lens; no arbitrary restrictions)
Color space (sRGB)
Exposure metering pattern (Evaluative)

Finally, the following settings do not function during Movie mode with the EOS 5D Mark II:

High ISO Noise Reduction
Long Exposure Noise Reduction

Once the camera has been set up for Movie mode, a few additional preparations are required:

Make sure the battery is fully charged
Use a CompactFlash memory card with adequate card writing speed (at least 8MB/sec.) and available storage capacity
Select the desired lens
Focus and compose the scene

Focusing in Movie Mode

Focusing is a powerful creative tool in both still and moving images: Along with composition, movement, and lighting, focus helps to manipulate your viewers' eyes to the most important element of the frame.

It is possible to focus a Canon EF lens manually or automatically while capturing a movie with the EOS 5D Mark II camera. For example, when the 5D Mark II is set for Live Mode AF or Face Detection Live Mode AF in Live View, it is possible to autofocus the lens before or during a movie clip by pressing the camera’s AF ON button. However, we recommend focusing before the movie begins for the following reasons:

The speed of AF in these modes may seem slow to the average viewer if it is performed while recording a movie.
Live Mode AF with or without Face Detection is a locking type of autofocus; it cannot track a subject moving towards or away from the camera.
Depending on the lighting conditions, there may be a change in exposure level while AF is being performed.
If you are using the camera’s internal microphone, it will pick up the sound of the lens’s focusing motor while AF is being performed, resulting in unwanted audible clicking noise.

Therefore, from an aesthetic perspective, you may find it more practical to autofocus the lens before recording begins. Of course, remember that it’s also possible to focus manually at any time. This can come in handy when you want total control of the lens' speed and timing -- for example, to transition from a sharply focused image to a blurred one (or vice versa); to follow a moving subject; or to rack focus between different planes in your shot (i.e. foreground to background).

The EOS 5D Mark II’s 3-inch, 920,000 dot Clear View LCD screen makes it easy to focus and compose images with its brilliant, sharp display. Additionally, it’s possible to superimpose fine or coarse grids as a compositional aid, and it’s also possible to superimpose a semitransparent border for 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios.

Taking Movies

Once the EOS 5D Mark II has been set up as outlined earlier, the procedure for capturing movies is very straightforward:

To get Movie Mode started, press the Live View/Print-Share button, and then press the SET button to start/stop recording

Press the Live View/Print-Share button to start Live View
Focus and compose the scene
Adjust exposure compensation and/or apply AE lock as desired
Press the INFO. button to the left of the LCD screen once or twice to display the desired amount of viewfinder info, such as exposure scale and elapsed time
Press the SET button in the Quick Control Dial to start the movie clip
Press the SET button again to stop the movie clip

In addition to operating the camera directly, it is also possible to start and stop EOS 5D Mark II movie clips with the Canon RC-1 or RC-5 wireless remote controllers, which are available as optional accessories at nominal cost.

Audio Features

The 5D Mark II has a built-in microphone, located near the lens (there is also an external mic input)

Sound recording is possible with the camera’s built-in monaural microphone or a commercially available external stereo microphone connected to the camera via its 3.5mm diameter stereo miniplug jack. With either the built-in microphone or an external mic, the sampling rate is 44.1 KHz and the bit count is 16 bits for both L and R channels. Audio levels and wind filter settings are controlled automatically. Sound recording can be turned off or on in the camera’s Live View menu.

Commercially available electret condenser type external microphones are recommended for best results. However, dynamic type or condenser type external microphones that require phantom power cannot be used.

Taking Still Photos While Taking Movies

To view a gallery of in-camera JPEGS shot by Vincent Laforet, during the making of REVERIE, click here

It’s possible to take still photos at any desired image quality setting while taking movies, simply by pressing the camera’s shutter button. This function provides a great deal of flexibility to photographers who may need to capture both still and video images of the same subject. This is not the same thing as grabbing a frame from the video footage; instead, the still image(s) are recorded as separate files and stored on the memory card the same way as other still images. When taking still images during a movie, Live View is interrupted temporarily. It resumes automatically when the last exposure ends. The movie clip continues to record while the still images are being taken, with the result that there’s a short gap during playback at the point when the still images were taken.

You can shoot stills while filming a movie -- however, the movie will appear to pause for the duration of time the still was captured

One of the interesting things about shooting still pictures during a movie clip with the EOS 5D Mark II is that the image quality of both can be controlled by the photographer. For example, photojournalists or wedding photographers covering an event with both still images and movie clips may find it very convenient to use the same Picture Style for both so the images match up precisely, something that can’t be done as well when using a separate movie capture device. On the other hand, if the still images are captured in one of the EOS 5D Mark II’s RAW modes (RAW, sRAW1 or sRAW2), they can differ from the movie clips in many ways by varying bit depth, color space, white balance, exposure compensation, sharpening, contrast, saturation, etc. according to personal taste or the needs of the client. The RAW image data remains intact at all times so that a variety of visual effects can be achieved from any individual image or set of images.

Choosing a Storage Device

Normally, movie clips captured by the EOS 5D Mark II are stored in the camera using a CompactFlash memory card with a data transfer speed of at least 8MB per second. Most currently sold CF cards are at least that fast, but for best results we recommend the use of UDMA-compliant⁴ CF cards, which tend to be much faster than 8MB/sec. The camera itself is compatible up to UDMA Mode 6, which represents a maximum data transfer rate of 133MB/sec., although the fastest cards available as of September, 2008 are in the range of approximately 45MB/sec.

The optional WFT-E4A wireless transmitter grip lets you transer files directly to an external storage device.

The highest capacity available in CF as of September 2008 is 100GB⁵, and the maximum storage capacity of the current CF card format is 137GB. For photographers seeking greater storage capacity as well as lower storage costs per gigabyte, the EOS 5D Mark II offers the option of recording movies and/or still images directly to an external storage device, bypassing the CF card in the camera. Direct recording to a USB storage device is supported by the optional WFT-E4A Wireless File Transmitter, which is scheduled to be shipped to dealers in late November, 2008 along with the EOS 5D Mark II camera. Direct recording to a compatible personal computer is also possible via Remote Live View.

The WFT-E4A acts as a USB host, which makes it possible to attach storage devices with far greater storage capacity than CF cards. Small devices such as most USB “keychains” and hard drives with 1.8-inch or smaller disk diameters can be powered by the WFT-E4A, but larger hard drives will require their own independent power supply. Set-up for external storage is fairly straightforward using the EOS 5D Mark II’s LCD menu screens, but there are a few rules to follow:

It’s possible to record movie clips directly to an external USB storage device connected to the WFT-E4A, but the 4GB maximum clip length remains in effect.⁶

It’s also possible to record movie clips or still images directly to a compatible personal computer using Remote Live View.

The EOS 5D Mark II does not support simultaneous recording of movie clips to the camera’s CF card and external storage. (However, simultaneous recording of still images to both locations is supported).

When storing movie clips directly to external media connected to the WFT-E4A via USB, the data connection must be established before shooting begins, i.e., the USB lamp on the WFT-E4A must light up in green. Failure to follow this step may prevent movie recording.

After they’re captured, it’s possible to copy (transfer) movie clips stored in the camera to external storage through the WFT-E4A. As previously mentioned, the EOS 5D Mark II supports direct movie capture to a compatible personal computer when using the Remote Live View function of the supplied EOS Utility software. In this case, the camera must be connected directly to the computer via USB. Direct movie transfer is not available when the EOS 5D Mark II is connected to the computer via Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4A.

Viewing Movie Clips

The most convenient way to view movie clips captured by the EOS 5D Mark II is directly on the camera’s 3-inch, 920,000 dot LCD screen. The camera’s built-in speaker plays back audio to go along with the movie, making it easy to check your results quickly and conveniently in the field. The LCD screen displays a playback menu that lets you play, pause, stop or jump quickly to the beginning or end of a clip. When the playback is paused, it’s possible to move forward or backward a frame at a time, and slow motion playback is also available. The top of the screen displays the elapsed time, a progress bar indicating the playback position, the file number, and the storage location of the file. Sound volume is adjusted by turning the camera’s main input dial during playback.

Still images and movie clips can also be played back through a TV set by connecting the EOS 5D Mark II with either an optional HDMI cable or the supplied analog A/V cable. When connecting to an HDTV with a compatible HDMI cable, the camera automatically adjusts the output resolution to match the monitor. It is also possible to play back HD or SD movie clips on an HD or SD TV set using the supplied analog A/V cable. Both cables support audio playback with sound volume controlled by the TV set.

A third way to view movie clips captured by the EOS 5D Mark II is to transfer the files to a compatible personal computer.

For a complete list of hardware and OS requirements, please click here to download a PDF chart.

Canon’s supplied software applications ZoomBrowser EX 6.2.1 and ImageBrowser 6.2.1 can be used to play movie clips. These programs can also be used for simple editing, i.e., trimming unwanted footage from the beginning or end of a movie clip. More advanced editing of EOS 5D Mark II movie clips is definitely possible with other software, but this subject deserves more detailed attention than an overview article like this one can provide (watch for additional Canon Digital Learning Center tips on this topic at a later date).

Bottom Line

The Full HD movie recording capability of the EOS 5D Mark II marks a turning point in the history of SLR photography and the EOS system. Photographers of every specialty and skill level are excited about the new creative possibilities this feature offers.

¹ According to Canon’s standard test methods.
²MPEG4 is a highly efficient compression method for digital movie data.
³Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is a method for converting audio signals from analog to digital.
⁴UDMA stands for Ultra Dynamic Memory Access
⁵According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompactFlash
⁶This is due to the limitations of the FAT32 file format, which is one of only two file formats supported the CompactFlash memory card specifications. (The other supported file format is FAT16, which can only be used with CF cards that have storage capacities of less than 2GB.)
* Video samples shot with preproduction camera.