Homebrew Firmware for 5D Mark II

[chris_mills1]

<p>Now this is interesting:</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://vimeo.com/5267475">http://vimeo.com/5267475</a> </li>

</ul>

<p>The video examples I've seen from the 5D Mark II were impressive, but I figured the UI was still so firmly skewed towards shooting still images that video was still mostly a gimmick -- added because the DIGIC-4 could do it anyway, not because serious video people would prefer it over their existing tools. However, Mr. Hudson's efforts cause me to rethink this a bit.</p>

<p>The fact that somebody took the time and effort to write up their own firmware in order to fix a few things suggests that at least some folks out there are taking the addition of video to the 5D as significantly more than a gimmick. I guess the DOF-control and the crazy low-light performance are enough to make up for the awkwardness of the video mode.</p>

<p>Now, I'm more of a still image shooter, so I don't think I'm likely to overwrite the firmware on my camera in order to tweak the video performance. But I am intrigued that the video folks are taking the 5D Mark II's video seriously enough to spawn this kind of thing.</p>

[model mayhem gallery]

<p>After spending almost 3 Grand on a camera, I will be taking all of its current and future features very serious. I now see straight still photography in the way I looked at silent films where audio didn't exist yet. Now that films have audio and are in color I just don't think people will ever be happy with a black and white silent film anymore. I believe this is the mark of photography evolving into something much more. I no longer say I provide photography services and now call it mixed media services. I deliver traditional photos on traditional paper but also deliver photos and HD video on CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, Youtube, IPhone, Myspace, etc. There are so many different options its unlimited.</p>

[joshroot]

<p>Believe me, with the ability to have a narrow depth of field and to do things like roll focus for under $3k, I promise you that there are a lot of video people who are head over heels about hte 5DmkII. Of course there can be improvements made. But for sure not everyone thinks of it as a "gimmick".</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>If they could just get the frame rate up on the T1i from 20fps to 30fps in 1080p mode and tweak the firmware a bit, I think there would be even more interest. The downside of the T1i is that it can't record stero from an external mic, but then real film makers would probably be recording audio seperately anyway.</p>

<p>Canon certainly aren't going to do that to the T1i or they'd run the risk of shooting themselves in the foot and losing a few 5D MkII sales.</p>

<p>Of course 30 fps may not be possible with the T1i hardware, but firmware hacks would be welcomed by impoverished film makers prepared to shoot at 720p</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<blockquote>

<p>The downside of the T1i is that it can't record stero from an external mic, but then real film makers would probably be recording audio seperately anyway.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not without timecode you won't. That's one of the things that makes video from a still camera non-professional from the get-go. Without the ability to record good audio and without the capability to sync to an external audio recorder means it won't be widely accepted in the pro field.</p>

<p><Chas><br /></p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>"I believe this is the mark of photography evolving into something much more."<br>

======================<br>

I don't know, I still see a rack of magazines when I visit the drug store. Don't even mention the Public Library. Video has it's place as it allways did, but I don't see this as a revolution.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>I still see a rack of magazines when I visit the drug store</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Maybe instead of looking at the surface in the drug store, you should look at useful data. The drop is huge and ongoing.</p>

[zac williams www.williams]

<p>I shot a :30 television spot last week with the 5D II using the Canon firmware update. For the first time, I feel that I have an instrument that can produce video that doesn't look like it was filmed using inexpensive prosumer gear. I would not have believed it even a couple of years ago, but I can certainly see the future convergence of still and motion cameras into being one and the same. Both types of media, photographs and motion, will still exist, but I think in many cases they will be captured with one type of camera. </p>

[JDMvW]

<p><em>I</em> don't need it, <em>I</em> don't want it, but</p>

<p>Jeez it is cool what people are doing with it!</p>

<p>There seems to be some life left in the R&D department at Canon.</p>

<p> </p>

[jonny_mac]

<p>I personally wouldn't buy a camera now without video now that I've got the 5dII. I've gotten rid of my camcorder and have replaced it with video from the 5dII. Way more control, and video results are amazing now that they have opened up manual mode. Only thing is that there isn't AF on the fly but I tend to keep it at one FL anyway with occasional zooming rather than zooming all the time.<br>

Sound could be improved but I've picked up the Rode stereo video mic and it is amazing. Truly, the video blows away the consumer HD cams for sure.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>@Zac, what did you do about the audio?</p>

<p><Chas><br /></p>

[mark_pierlot]

<p>I'm with JDM. I am and will always be a still photographer (and still shoot film in tandem with digital), but the work that videographers are doing with the 5DII is very impressive.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>I find that white balance is an issue with the 5DII video. If you shoot a sequence where the light varies you get a very poor video. I suspect that there is a post processing solution to this but I am really a still shooter and have not tried this yet. An example of the white balance issue is following a skier goiung from shade to sunshine and back again. the snow colour varies as the light changes.</p>

[digitmstr]

<p>I think the 20fps @ 1080p on the T1 is silly - I don't know why Canon has to continue to strip down the Rebel line at this point. </p>

<p>When they did it with the original Rebel someone wrote a hack for it and voila', it was done. I hope someone does it for the T1 as I am sure Canon simply wrote the software to limit the frame rate since the DIGIC is the same in both cameras.</p>

 

[scottelly]

<p>If someone DOES write that hack, I might just have to get a T1 also. I'm already planning to replace my 5D with a 5D MkII, but I'd LOVE to have a 1.6 crop video camera that matches the quality of the 5D MkII. Eventually I'd like to be shooting as much video as I shoot stills now. I LOVE video! Now all Canon needs to do is start adding fold-out swivel screens, like Sony has (and now Nikon too). Ultimately, the versatility of a screen that allows the photographer to compose a shot from above his/her head (without having to bring along a ladder), as well as holding the camera low, while pointing it up from the surface of the water (without having to go down into the water to view the screen) is a godsend, and I'm hoping the next generation of Canon cameras will ALL have large (3" at least) swiveling fold-out screens to compliment their amazing video capability.<br>

Has anyone tried hacking the video compression quality settings? Can the video be recorded in a 24 Mbit mode as well as a 16 Mbit mode? I'd like to see how good the quality of video could be in a 64 Mbit mode with a greater color depth. Well, all in due time. I have to GET one of these amazing new cameras first.</p>