Comments on: Manual video control coming to Canon 5D Mark II

A firmware update due June 2 will answer demands for manual control over video settings including ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

[sticks1839]

How exactly do dSLRs handle the video aspect at different shutter speeds? Assuming they always take 30 shots (frames) per second. This means that a 1/30th of a second shutter would relate to the entire second of time being captured by the camera, although moving subjects would be blurred. Whereas, the 1/4000th of a second shutter would only capture a small fraction (3/400) of the actual time elapsed which would prevent blur, but may induce large spatial movement for fast moving subjects from frame to frame. Is this the correct way of thinking about this?

[Shankland]

SLR video uses an electronic shutter, not the camera's physical shutter. A faster shutter speed in video effectively freezes each frame, reducing blur in each but at least in my experience also potentially making the overall video less smooth. Using shorter shutter speed in video also reduces the exposure, requiring you to compensate with higher ISO or wider aperture. So yes, you could get the larger spatial movement issue you mentioned, but I'm sure there are plenty of times you might want faster shutter speed for freeze-frame presentation of video.

Some electronic shutter technology suffers from wobbly "Jell-O" problems when the camera view is panned from side to side because of details about how the data is read sequentially off the image sensor, but I don't know at this stage how big an issue that is with manual control over 5D Mark II video.

[CG-Tech]

Canon has firmware with manual control since while or long ago, but very restricted to few people.

It's great they finally release it to all customers, after thousands of requests...

We hope Canon doesn't block manual control for 3rd party brand lenses, that would be an unfair move indeed.

Thanks Canon for releasing it, at last.

[ArtInvent]

I seriously doubt if adding full manual control makes the camera any more complicated. The 5D was intentionally crippled by Canon to downplay it's video capabilities, and now they are simpling giving in to massive complaints about that bad decision.

It's purely a matter of Canon protecting their dedicated video camera business: when people realize they can shoot both fantastic stills and incredible full-frame large-sensor HD video with one camera, who on earth would buy a dedicated video camera? So they are no way gonna put too many video features on these SLR's until the competition forces them to. (Such as good stereo mics, silent slow automated zoom, external mic jack, time code, etc.) Of course they could do it all tomorrow if they wanted.

As proof of this, Sony has no video on their new SLR's whatsoever. "Buy a video camera." Heard that, and no thanks, Sony!

Or how about Nikon with their 20 frame per second camera. *** is that about? Crippleware.

In the mean time, none of their dedicated video gear has a sensor anywhere near as large as the 5D!

I have a $1000 video camera with a tiny sensor and no shallow DOF control whatsoever and no lens changeability. I have a $1200 DSLR with magnificent image quality and no video whatsover. I have no motivation to invest in a few nice lenses or anything, because this is a silly situation. The first company that offers real non-crippled 1080p video on a nice SLR style camera will get my next purchase.

[tttulio]

What about PAL frame rate?
I cannot believe they updated the firmware and left out the most complained about aspect of it.
Wake up!!!