Canon 5D Mark II Notes

DVinfo continues to be a good source of information for those playing with their new Canon 5D Mark II’s


Josh Dahlberg notes issues with aliasing and the rolling shutter:
…with the default settings, aliasing and moire patterns can be nasty (you don't need to hunt for artifacts, they pop out when complex geometric patterns or horizontal lines are in focus). However, after turning sharpness down a few notches, I didn't notice any problems at all with today's footage (shot in a variety of contexts) […]

I shot using a monopod and lenses ranging from 24mm to 135mm […] Anything over 50mm IMHO requires a tripod or steadycam as rolling shutter bites hard with even the slightest jerk. Having said that, rolling shutter is not an issue with smooth, controlled movements.



John Fairhurst offers these tips for managing rolling shutter:

  • Pan the camera only one direction per cut. No back and fourths.
  • Use wider lenses for faster moves. The skew will blend with the lens distortion, which people readily accept.
  • Move the actors more than the camera - especially around buildings and straight lines.
  • Pay attention to shutter speed, which isn't easy to control.



Is over-heating a potential problem? One poster noted:
I've spoken with a few rental houses […] They're already seeing dead pixels crop up from all the use and customers have also noted the camera being "hot to the touch" after extended video use.

but the basis of this report is a little murky (the claimed amount of hours on these cameras was clearly incorrect.) Canon claimed when the camera was first announced that heat would not be a problem with this camera (of course, they might not have thought users might be using it just as a video capture device.)

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