Canon 5D Mark II Video 2/5

I wanted to love the video feature on the new Canon 5D Mk II. We purchased two of these cameras in our studio and hoped to use them for web video production rather than set up the Red camera when HQ quality is not needed. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Canon did manage something amazing with this feature, but there are too many loose ends with the feature to make it useful.

Pros:
- 35mm full frame sensor with a full range of lenses. This allows for a look you get from a professional cinema 35mm camera. Capable of shooting gorgeous footage far above its price range.

Cons:
- The camera is always in full auto mode. You can use exposure lock to stop it from shifting, but it doesn't stay locked between shots. The only other control is exposure adjustment. Since the video runs from the live preview mode, the lens is always fully open, so there is no aperture control.

- Rolling shutter makes the images look like jello when straight vertical lines are present; this tends to be very apparent during panning.

- 30fps is fixed. A 24fps mode would be much more desired as it converts well to 30 fps and has the highly desired filmic look.

- H.264. This is a great fromat for distribution but a poor format if you wish to work with the footage.

Conclusion:
When this camera was announced, it grabbed a lot of attention. Suddenly, there was a still camera with specs more impressive than most camcorders. The released product shows its limitations - the video mode feels like an after thought, as it is tacked onto the live view mode. It controls like a point and shoot camera. The video certainly feels like a beta product, and I believe it is. I can see future revisions of Canon cameras improving on this mode and making it an amazing product though; the potential is there. For now, you will be fighting against the camera to get the shots you want.

Right now the video ends up being average, hence the 2/5. Considering it is essentially a free feature on a great still camera, it does not detract from the camera itself. It just won't replace your camcorder if you are into serious video work.

These opinions comes are from someone (that would be me) who works in the commercial digital cinema industry as an editor and digital technician.