500D Video Useless?

[marsbar]

I can live with 720p at 30fps, but these other problems pretty much
makes video a useless feature in this DSLR for me.

Yeah I just don't get it, having video on DSLR would be a dream because of lenses, but crippling it so much... what a joke. I have a HF10, and the fact it can can do better than 5D Mk II in terms of functions is funny.

. Focus problems - In video mode, when you press the focus button, it
will make the video over-exposed during the focus duration. (This is
because the contrast based detection needs more light to focus.)

This is true at least when using LV contrast detect AF, but is it the case with 5D Mk II? that really sucks.

. No actions - Focus speed is very slow compared to a cheap
camcorder. Parents can't capture their young kid running around.

Again so true, bigger DSLR lenses can focus fast enough for still frames but for video it need to be very fast or else some frames will be OOF. I guess the lighter lenses that camcorder use, as well as high end 2/3" camcorders have that advantage. So people that are used to photo, but not video will get very frustrated.

. No outdoors video - There's no wind filter, which means the wind
sound will be a problem in your video.

Yeah wind cut filter is very useful, it's surprising how much difference it can make.

. No music recital - No external port for microphone. So you have
high quality graphics to go with mediocre sound.

Boy your really slinging mud now! Agian a useful feature that is not available, IF you shooting something far away, having a mic that can be closer is very helpful. If your shooting nature video, having a parabolic microphone is almost a must.

. No artistic video - Can't set aperture/shutter/ISO. So you can't
get that cimema-like shallow depth of field with your larger aperture
lenses (unless the camera happens to use it wide open).

Ok there might be a compromising work around for this. Use the DOF stop down trick, remove lens, tape over contacts, reattach lens. This of course means no AF, or any info from lens type your using, for PP adjustment. But it means you do have a manual Av mode that is possible. But it's very limiting, and not practical on the field.

. No smooth zoom - Can't zoom smoothly like a cheap consumer
camcorder. Well, this is an inherent problem with all DSLR, not just
Canon.

Again DSLR lenses are made for shooting still photographs, so you draw a very valid point. Hay this could cause a price surge of the EF 35-80mm f/4-5.6 PZ lens in the used market!

Other than that, it's a fine tool for capturing still images.

I'm still gonna look into buying the 500D, not because of video, but I would like a camera to convert to Infrared that has contrast detect AF, and that is not my 50D.

--

 

[RedFox88]

I watched the video, and in my eyes the difference between 30 & 20
fps was VERY noticable. When the framerate dropped to 20, the video
became instantly less pleasant to watch.

Yes that's because you have 30fps as a reference. 5D2 users whine for 24fps. I'm sure 40fps would look even smoother! But you're not going to notice between 20fps and the much whined for 24fps.

Hollywood movies are shot at 24fps I believe and boy it can get choppy when the camera pans and during action.

To be fair, if I ever wanted to shoot video, 720p/30fps would
probably be enough for me, resolution-wise.

It sounds like you don't do video so why are you putting down a model and feature you don't deal with?

 

[tcherna]

On it's own, 20 fps won't be a huge problem, but you'll start to see jerky motion, like watching old super 8 movies. Watching it on a computer will be fine. The bigger issue is if you try to edit the video. Most video editing systems like NTSC or PAL (30 and 25 fps) and some film (24fps), but few 20 fps. Bringing in a 20 fps movie will result in duplicated frames because they need to be duplicated to match the frame rate of your edited movie. I would use 720p30 for that very reason.

Watching a 20 fps movie on a TV will look really bad.

tdc

 

[shutterman]

It is a nice feature to have but to me it makes no difference as I use a camera to take still pictures and if I want to shoot video then I will use a video camera. What is up with these one gadgets that everyone seems to want to do everything. A still camera is not going to be able to be a still camera and a video camera equal to having the same video quality an actually video camera would have and vice versa. We are not there yet and personally it makes no difference to me as I would just an actual video camera. I guess it would be convenient in some sense to not have to carry around both, but other than that there is not point to it IMO. I guess some people will never be happy.

 

[watcher38]

Don't forget the 3 story screen to show your home movies on!

Roy2001 said: That's not the point! People shoot family video for lifetime memory! They want to preserve the best quality. Personally I would like to use IMAX camera to shoot my kids if possible.

 

[genotypewriter]

The new Rebel/500D features HD video. Big woop. It's 20 fps. That's
not even physiologically useful (for the human eye). I assume the
editing software up-converts to 24- or 30- fps? But still, there's a
loss of images to produce truly fluid action. Besides, up-conversion
only duplicates frames. Film is 24, and TV is 30 fps. Seems like
Canon purposely made the video function a PoS so as to not
cannibalize their video camera and 5DII lines.

--
Insert obligatory quote here...

--
http://www.flickr.com/genotypewriter



Lenses: Exquisitar, Godlilux, Bridar, Vario-Cigar, Vario-Efsar

 

[Kuivaamo]

To be fair, if I ever wanted to shoot video, 720p/30fps would
probably be enough for me, resolution-wise.

It sounds like you don't do video so why are you putting down a model
and feature you don't deal with?

Am I? I posted my honest opinion, I didn't like how the 20 fps looked. I'm not putting down the video feature or the model as a whole. I can see a potential use for a high quality video mode (artsy music videos to underground music), so I like the idea that my next DSLR will be able to do this as well even though I'm not sure I'll ever end up taking advantage of it. I'm not one of those "please Canon, no video!" types, heck I'd welcome an ariculated screen and in-body IS to go with it.

 

[Roguey]

I could see a big differnets in 20fps and 30fps, one's fluid and the other is jerky, so much so its no use for real video footage.

Like you guys said, there is 720p @ 30fps although if they could just up the 1080p to 30fps (they nearly got there), then it would be so much better!

Any idea's if it will be 'patched' in a later firmware update? or if the 60D will have full 1080p video/stereo recoding? id love to record 1080p footage with such good lenses.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roguey/ (My pics)

 

[Roguey]

oh, and other thing ive just noticed:

the PowerShot SX1 IS (which uses the same Digic 4 processor) can record 1080p @ 30fps but the 500D can only at 20fps.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roguey/ (My pics)

 

[Kuivaamo]

oh, and other thing ive just noticed:
the PowerShot SX1 IS (which uses the same Digic 4 processor) can
record 1080p @ 30fps but the 500D can only at 20fps.

Smells like intentional crippling to maintain product differentiation to me. Nothing new from Canon, it's unfortunate but that's how their marketing works.

 

[Manehead]

oh, and other thing ive just noticed:
the PowerShot SX1 IS (which uses the same Digic 4 processor) can
record 1080p @ 30fps but the 500D can only at 20fps.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roguey/ (My pics)

Not the same sensor though unfortunately so there goes that theory out of the window...

(by the way I agree that Canon probably crippled the 500D unnecessarily but your example doesn't hold up)

 

[Chez Wimpy]

Watching a 20 fps movie on a TV will look really bad.

Well, there is your problem right there. Who told you to watch the movies on your TV? Print to film, and run them through your 20fps capable modified 16mm projector... sheesh. You expect Canon to explain this in the manual!?!?

--
-CW

 

[Chez Wimpy]

I could see a big differnets in 20fps and 30fps, one's fluid and the
other is jerky, so much so its no use for real video footage.

Converted to 30fps it is a mess. They did a 2:1 pulldown, which judders because - temporally - every other frame is displayed for twice as long. Makes familiar 3:2 look like swiss movement in comparison.

Like you guys said, there is 720p @ 30fps although if they could just
up the 1080p to 30fps (they nearly got there), then it would be so
much better!

What are you doing revealing the 550D specs here!?!? You freakin' signed a NDA when we showed you the stupid roadmap already, right?

Any idea's if it will be 'patched' in a later firmware update? or if
the 60D will have full 1080p video/stereo recoding? id love to record
1080p footage with such good lenses.

On a serious note, predictably yes, the 60D will do 30fps, but you might want to consider the 5D2 for serious video. Shooting full HD with a "wide angle" like the 35/2 is amazing (the 35L and 24L that much better), and something that's (due to lack of fast, wide, small EF-S options) impossible on a crop camera.

--
-CW

 

[Chez Wimpy]

Unless you have a TV that is 1080P and is over 52" then you will not
notice the difference between 1080P and 720P.

Try living in Japan for a minute or two. We can well spot the difference... since our 1080p TVs are three feet distant (against the far wall) when viewing.

I only wish I were joking...

--
-CW

 

[lsdec]

Don't forget the 3 story screen to show your home movies on!

lol. this is too funny! good one.

 

[lsdec]

Here's 30fs, 720P from my aiptek A-HD. You can get an idea for motion.

http://www.vimeo.com/672326

Chicago! Looks like you're in chi-town suburbs.. good motion. Now do you think I could have made out which train station you were on with 1080P?

 

[ovrebekk]

Unless you want to compete with digital cinema do you really need 1080p resolution?

If would definitely not want to store and process videos of that size and I think the lack of a 720p mode is one of the largest flaws of the 5D mkII video implementation.
Why is it that everyone screams for 1080p just because it exists.

 

[webshark3]

LOL...

 

[jonrobertp]

n/t

 

[jonrobertp]

n/t