III. VIDEO RECORDING ON EOS 5D MARK II | 15 |
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to the fully zoomed-in focal length on most camcorders. And few video cameras in existence can match the narrow depth of field of Canon’s EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens used by many top-end portrait shooters. Because of these unique video recording traits and the versatility provided by Canon’s EF lens system, the EOS 5D Mark II should be as attractive to serious videographers as it is to advanced and professional still photographers.
It may seem like a small technological advance to move from a full-frame DSLR model offering a Live View Function (such as the more expensive EOS 1Ds Mark III) to a full-frame DSLR offering both Live View and 1080p Full HD video recording functionality. But it was an engineering feat that only Canon, with its long history as a manufacturer of consumer and professional level camcorders, premium lenses for TV and broadcast cameras, and advanced CMOS sensors could achieve. Canon’s knowledge of the real world challenges faced by videographers was also behind several features that take the EOS 5D Mark II to the next level. These include the 3.5mm diameter stereo mini jack for connecting a stereo microphone or external audio mixer to the camera, a built-in speaker for audio playback, an HDMI output jack for viewing both stills and video clips on an HDTV monitor, and the ability to record either 16:9 ratio, 1080p HD videos with sound, or 4:3 ratio, SD (VGA resolution, 640 x 480) videos with sound directly to UDMA or high speed CF cards.
The two video resolution choices are selected via menu on the camera’s LCD, as are the desired
Picture Style settings for creative control of the video image quality. Once the camera is set to
Live View mode, pressing the Set button on the camera back activates the video recording function.
Still Photo During Video Recording (Conceptual Diagram) |
CF card | | |
| (1) | | (2) (3)(4) |
| Video file | Still photo file |
| Pressed | Recording completed |
| completely | live video reappears |
Video | Still display | Video |
| Approx. 1 sec. | |
At any time during video recording, photographers can capture high-resolution still images with the press of the shutter button (or up to 3.9 fps burst rate). Still images taken during recording are always shot in Program AE mode, regardless of the Mode Dial settings in effect. ISO is also set automatically for still images during video recording, from 100 thru 6400, or up to ISO 12,800 when ISO expansion is activated in the Custom Function menus. During the time it takes to record the image as a separate file on the memory card, a freeze frame of the photo is displayed during playback, and sound recording is temporarily suspended.
If desired, the Live AF Function, with or without Face Detection, can also be activated during video recording mode by pressing the AF-ON button on the EOS 5D Mark II’s back panel (there are some potential limitations to live autofocusing during moving recording). Manual focusing and zooming of the attached lens is also possible during video recording, and recommended when using the camera’s internal microphone to reduce the chances of recording AF motor noises.