Canon 5D Mark II dropping frames when shooting video

[tony_black1]

<p>Hi everybody,<br>

When shooting video with 5d, unfortunately it is dropping frames or duplicating frames most of the time. It is not a slow card issue since i use the fastest and different brands. Who has experienced this issue and is there any solution for this? Thank you all.</p>

 

[steve_dunn2]

<p>I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you, but I do have a couple of questions that hopefully might help a bit.</p>

 

<p>Are you running the latest firmware? I doubt this is it, because if it was, there would probably have been a whole pile of people screaming about this over the years, but firmware updates sometimes fix problems that only crop up in certain highly specific situations. As a general guideline, I don't recommend being among the first to install the latest firmware unless it specifically addresses an issue you're experiencing, but once it's been out for long enough to determine that nobody's screaming about problems with it, it's usually a good idea to upgrade.</p>

 

<p>How did you determine that the frame issue is the camera rather than the playback device? Playing back video, particularly HD, can be a challenge for many computers' CPUs, and it's not uncommon for there to be stutters along the way. Is it possible, then, that the camera is doing its job and it's your playback device that's struggling?</p>

[brad_trostad]

<p>Have you been able to verify this in a NLE - seeing duplicate frames in the timeline when stepping through one at a time? Does the problem change when viewed on other (preferrably faster) computers? Does this same problem show up when reviewed on the 5D2's LCD - or just when downloaded and played on a computer.</p>

<p>When I first looked at clips from my 5D2 I thought there were issues. It just turned out that my Core2Duo couldn't play the 1080p clips back smoothly. Now running on a i7 with different video card and they all play perfect. IIRC, on the older system the points where it would play funny were often in the exact same spot - probably because a buffer drained, or memory filled up at the same point, etc. That's what made me initially think it was a flaw in the recorded video and not the playback device.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>As Brad and Steve say check the PC - if the sound does not synch perfectly then it will be a PC issue. You need very fast processors and a large RAM to play 5DII video on a PC or MAC. Try using a HDMI cable to a TV from the camera and see if the problem still exists.</p>

[tony_black1]

<p>Unfortunately I can see the dropped frames on my 5d's LCD screen.. It is not a computer problem since i use a very fast Macbook pro. It looks like my camera is not from your batch! And Canon ignores this problem. What a shame..</p>

[PuppyDigs]

<p>EVen my slow 'n poke SanDisk Utra (30 MB/s) don't skip frames or drop out on my 5D2. So either the OP has bad cards--not uncommon--or something is wrong with the camera. I'd so a total reset (pull mains & PRAM/clock battery) and update the FW before sending to service. The 5D2 is a well proven model for video and skipping frames is not a common problem.</p>

[jack_the_hat]

<p>Does it skip frames when playing back on the camera? If so, it's a camera or card problem. <br>

If it only does it when playing the movies on a PC then it's not surprising at all. PC's have a terrible time trying to play these movie files. I gave up and bought a Mac, they play back perfectly on all Macs, even the basic MacBooks.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>Yes 5DII video plays fine on the new Mac pros and airs so long as you have 4MB RAM - sounds like a camera issue</p>

[brad_trostad]

<p>Is there any way you can upload one short example MOV file (straight out of the camera) to a web location that does not re-convert? Then someone here can download it and look at it to verify. Or, have you looked at the raw footage yet in an editor yet to 100% verify the problem? What shutter speed were you using - perhaps you had it set way to fast and are seeing the effects of that? Are you pressing the photo button while filming - the 5D2 will have interrupted video when the photo button is pressed? </p>

[tony_black1]

<p>i have tried every shutter speed. no photo button pressed either. Looks like it is an hardware problem.:(</p>

[brad_trostad]

<p>That's a bummer Tony. Maybe you should post over on the DSLR video forums (DVInfo, Cinema5D, etc) just to be sure.</p>

[bobby_ellis]

<p>Tony How have you handled this problem. I am sure it is in the camera. I bought the camera in December 2011 but just recently did a studio green screen shoot and noticed it with the talent while shooting and in the computer upon review. Reshot and got the same results. It was set in "Movie Display" and shot in manual mode. There was no zooming or changes in lighting. The only movement was the talent on the green screen. We managed to get good takes by reshooting. Used Sandisk 16gb 90mbs Extreme Pro UDMA6. But I still noticed the problem via the LCD on camera while shooting. I am using firmware ver 2.0.9<br>

Please help!</p>