canon 5d mark ii

Episode 0074: Interview with George Woolley – Filmmaker

by Dave Warner on July 4, 2011

LensFlare 35 is a photography podcast brought to you by Dave Warner. This week, Dave, is speaking with filmmaker George Woolley. George has more than 10 years of experience in digital and television production and development. He’s the Executive Producer of Yahoo! Originals and has done work for MTV, ESPN, ABC, BRAVO, FUEL, VH1, MTV2 and worked in a variety of roles including Writer, Director, Editor, Cameraman and Development. The video (below) is the one that we’re talking about in the interview, so it’s best to watch it first before you listen to the full interview.

To listen to the full podcast interview, click on the player’s forward arrow below. You can also play the Podcast in a pop up window, download it OR subscribe to it via iTunes.

Podcast: Play in new window

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HD DSLR Video – Have you made one yet?

by Dave Warner on November 17, 2010

It’s been more than two years now since the release of the Canon 5D Mark II and Vincent Laforet’s film Reverie, which really blew everyone’s doors off. Can you believe it’s been that long already? For some, the camera was the greatest thing to hit their lives and they ran with it. To say that it has revolutionized the film industry, is probably not much of a stretch. The 5D Mark II is not the only HD DSLR out there shooting great video these days, there are several. They are responsible for creating everything from music videos, to commercials; TV shows like House and 24, Indie films, documentaries and even full length movies.

But what about the rest of us who bought these cameras? Have we realized our dreams of incorporating video into our workflow? Have YOU done anything with it at all other than to post video of your cat running around on Vimeo? I know that I had all these grand ideas about what I would shoot when I just figured out how to use it. The more people I interviewed about it for the LensFlare 35 podcasts, the more daunting it became for me personally. I quickly found out that all the settings I had used to capture those first video segments were ‘wrong’. Then, I started hearing about all this extra gear I needed just to shoot video, THEN it was the fact that I needed assistants, had to change out the type of lighting I owned, had to ‘think’ like a film-maker and storyboard everything out first; I needed a more powerful computer AND expensive software to edit it and…did I mention audio? How important it is to have the correct gear, how to record it, how to sync, it, and on and on.

By now you are either shaking your head in agreement with me or trying to figure out why I haven’t jumped in and done a grand film as of yet. Well, part of it is the false belief that I have to have all of this ‘stuff’ first before I go out and do anything. Really? So, I’ve decided that my 2011 New Year’s Resolution – that’s right folks, I’m getting ahead of the curve – is that I’m going to tackle this darn video stuff and I’m going to figure it out. AND I’m NOT going to go to a VC (Venture Capitalist) to raise the money I need to do it!

Here’s the path I’m going to take, and I plan on bringing you with me. First, I’m going to find a way to REALLY educate myself about the basics. Then, I’m going to figure out a FEW of the must-have items and purchase those – I’m going to figure out a way to use what I have and spend as LITTLE as possible. I’m also going to try and get items that have dual-use. If I get them, I can use them for stills AND video. I’m also going to go DIY on some of the gear. I’m going to figure out some of the items I need and build them myself and then tell you what I did. I’ll also convince some vendors to ‘lend’ some gear to me for testing, and then finally I’ll put it all together and share the final product with you. Along the way, I’m hoping that you learn from my mistakes and that you take WHATEVER camera you have and start shooting some video with it. I know that I’ve waited way too long to start doing this and I’m ready to start the new year – a bit early, but I’m ready.

So stay tuned… In the meantime, enjoy the film that got this thing going.

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Canon 2.0.3 Firmware Update for Canon 5D Mark II is Replaced by 2.0.4

by Dave Warner on March 19, 2010

The release that Canon just did the other day has been pulled and replaced. Here’s the story:

We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience caused to our customers by suspending the availability of the Version 2.0.3 firmware.

We are now introducing the Version 2.0.4 firmware. This firmware corrects the malfunction that occurred in the previous Version 2.0.3 firmware, in which the manual recording level changed and made recording impossible.

Customers who have the Version 2.0.3 firmware on their cameras should update the firmware to Version 2.0.4.
EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update Version 2.0.4
Firmware changes

In the Version 2.0.4 firmware, the following phenomena that occurred with the Version 2.0.3 firmware (which was to enhance the movie functions) have been corrected.

* There was a phenomenon in which the manual recording settings made in C1/C2/C3 were changed and sound could not be recorded if manual sound recording was used in the C1/C2/C3 settings and the camera was subsequently turned off (or if Auto Power Off was activated). This does not occur in modes other than C1/C2/C3.

The Version 2.0.4 firmware includes the movie function enhancements listed in items 1 through 5 below, and also incorporates the correction listed in item 6.

1. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates.

NTSC:
* 1920×1080 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
* 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
* 640×480 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
PAL:
* 1920×1080 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)
* 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
* 640×480 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)

2. Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).
3. Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure.
4. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies.
5. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz.
6. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.)

Caution:

* Firmware Version 2.0.4 is for cameras with firmware up to version 2.0.3. If the camera’s firmware is already version 2.0.4, it is not necessary to update the firmware.
* Movies captured using EOS 5D Mark II cameras with Firmware Version 1.1.0 to 1.2.4 can be played back on cameras updated with Firmware Version 2.0.4. However, if you try to play back movies captured with a camera with the new firmare on a camera with a previous firmare version, a message, Cannot play back image, appears on the camera’s LCD monitor.
* It is recommended that you use the latest Canon applications*1 to edit movies captured with EOS 5D Mark II cameras that have the latest firmare because some previous versions do not support movie-editing functions and the frame rates that are added or changed by the latest firmware. You can download the latest Canon applications from our Web site.
*1 ZoomBrowser EX Version 6.5.0 or later (compatible operating systems : Windows XP/Vista/7)
ImageBrowser Version 6.5.0 or later (compatible operating systems : Mac OS X v10.4/10.5/10.6)
* In addition to the enhancements to the movie function, the accompanying instruction manual has also been revised. Users are asked to download both the latest firmware and the latest instruction manual. You can proceed to download the instruction manual by clicking the [I Agree] button from the bottom of this page.

Fore more information and to download the link, click here.

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Canon Releases Firmware Update for 5D Mark II!

by Dave Warner on March 16, 2010

Finally, the LONG awaited firmware update for the Canon 5D Mark II is up! Here’s what it does:

Firmware Version 2.0.3 incorporates five enhancements to the movie function and a fix to the manual sensor cleaning function of the EOS 5D Mark II camera.

1. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates

NTSC:
1920×1080:30 fps (changed – actual 29.97fps)
1920×1080:24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
640×480:30 fps (changed – actual 29.97fps)

PAL:
1920×1080:25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)
1920×1080:24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
640×480:25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)

2. Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).

3. Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure.

4. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies.

5. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz.

6. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.)

If you’d like to download the update, please visit this link: http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html

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New Canon 5D Mark II Software Update – Details SLOWLY Coming Out!

March 2, 2010

Well, we’ve all been waiting for it, right? The new firmware for the Canon 5D Mark II SEEMS like it is coming out any time now. There is a press release out from Canon London that talks about it, and Canon Europe has some videos showing the capabilities that have been added into the software. [...]

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Episode 0033: Interview with Film Maker Shane Hurlbut

January 12, 2010

LensFlare 35 is a weekly show brought to you by Dave Warner. In this week’s episode, Dave interviews film maker Shane Hurlbut. Shane is the pioneering leader of the team who first recognized the creative possibilities of the Canon 5D Mark II camera for shooting film. He has described it as a “game changer” because [...]

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