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Filed under: Cameras •

Scarlet Killers - Attack of the HD DSLRs!

Q: What is useable in HD mode as opposed to still mode?

A: There is a limited degree of auto-focus capability present even when you’re recording a movie there is an ability to press a button on the camera to cause the focusing system to operate and we’re not recommending it, but it’s something that can be done. The reason that we’re not recommending it is - there are several actually - one is that the auto-focus system that we use for movies is actually the same one that we use for the “live view” function of the camera, which is actually a way of being able to take still pictures when you’re looking at the preview on the back of the camera and the net result of this is that it may take a couple of seconds before the focus actually locks in. Another issue is that if you were to be using the built in microphone, it’s so sensitive that it would pick up audible noise of the focusing mode moving itself into position. There’s also the possibility in some bright lighting conditions that when you push that auto-focus button, there may be a brief change in the brightness level of the scene because sometimes the aperture setting of the lens does change. So we’re recommending manual focus as the primary focus method because you have more control over the speed and timing of it.


One of the things that is retained is a fully automatic exposure control. The camera sets its own ISO or sensitivity. It sets its own aperture and it sets its own shutter speed. There are controls on the camera for exposure compensation and auto exposure lock. But there are no manual overrides to be able to set those exposure settings individually in HD. In stills mode everything can be adjusted manually.


Q: And the primary monitoring is through the SLR viewfinder?


A: At all times you’re in movie mode you either have to work off of the LCD on the back of the camera or a connected monitor.

What we’ve seen some people do already is to put together a - one of our guys called it a Frankencamera - with the fluid head tripod mount and a matte box in front of the lens and platform to be able to hook a 7” LCD monitor in the HDMI port.


Q: What about shutter speeds? They’re all automatic?

A: The range is set between 1/30th and 1/125th of a second.


Q: Is that range working at some fine granular detail or is it just 30th, 60th, 125th?

A: It’s pretty variable. The autoexposure on the camera technically lets it be set within an eighth of a stop. So there’s a lot of range to be able to adjust it. But what we’re noticing is that because it has the three different things to control, it does have a priority that the first thing it will usually do is work on ISO (sensitivity), then shutter and the last would be aperture.


Q: So even though there’s not a true aperture priority that’s kind of the way the camera’s flowchart of processing goes?

A: It has to be that way to be as silent as possible. Keeping the aperture adjustment to the last is one way of doing that.


Q: When you’re in HD mode does the camera stick to a certain ISO range or does it operate in the entire extended ISO range up to 25,000.?

A: If you leave everything on the camera set to its default it’s going to peak out at 6400 ISO at the top end, but there is an option to set it up to an ISO expansion range and at that point it can go up to 12,800. It will go up that high in movie mode. In still camera mode you can go up to 25,600.


Q: Where do you find the top of the ISO range for where you start seeing noise in HD mode?

A: It’s not really an easy question to answer. It’s so dependent on the subject matter and the lighting conditions. What I’ll say is this, the higher key the situation - in other words if you’ve got a fairly evenly lit subject matter and a lot of mid-tones to bright, into the white part of the tonal range, you don’t really see that much noise even into 6400. But if you start going for the real low-key, dark night time stuff, then you might start seeing it a little bit sooner than that, but not much. It’s phenomenal how good it is in terms of low noise even in the higher ISOs.


Q: Let’s talk about storage capacity.

A: One of the specs of this camera is that the maximum length of an individual clip is limited to 4gigs. And according to cameras tests in the lab in Tokyo with an average amount of detail and a fairly reasonable normal type of a scene we’re estimating that to come out to roughly 12 minutes of full HD. So if you had a 16gig card, you could shoot 4 12 minute clips on one card. There’s no issue as far as the camera heating up. The only reason that there’s a 4gig limit is basically because that’s as large of a file as you can put at one time onto Compact Flash.


Q: What’s coming out of the HDMI spigot?

A: If you are talking about playing back a movie that’s already been captured you get both audio and video. But if you are monitoring the live signal, then the audio is cut off and the video is the only thing that comes through. The RCA video jack can output PAL or NTSC.


Q: What is the mirror doing while shooting HD?

A: Well, the whole concept of this camera for movie mode is that the mirror is already up at the outset. To be able to even start a movie you have to flip the mirror up so that the shutter and the sensor can be totally exposed. So the mirror is really not involved.


Q: What about Canon lenses compared to HD video or film lenses?

A: The range of focal lengths that we offer is outstanding. Everything from 14mm or 15mm fisheye all the way up to 800mm lenses plus extenders. F-stop range, we’ve got a number of very fast lenses that get as wide open as 1.2. We have special purpose lenses such as tilt shift lenses and Vincent showed some of the effects of those to create some very interesting special effects. There’s macro lenses. But within this whole big range of lenses, Canon is pretty much an acknowledged world leader in the sharpness and the contrast and the color balance and alot of that has to do the the technology that we’ve developed around multi-coating also the type of glass that we use and the cuts of glass that we use, like various aspherical elements and even some crystal. We use flourite in some of our lenses. This is the same type of flourite that ends up getting used in some of the broadcast optic lenses.


Q: Is there a contrast ratio for the sensor from brightest to darkest?

A: Not that we quote yet. But based on passed experience with a camera that uses a very, very similar sensor to this, I’m expecting the actual dynamic range that translates out to still pictures to be over 8 stops.


dpreview.com has a review up on the EOS 1DS Mark III that uses an earlier generation of this sensor and they rate that at over and a half stops.


Q: When is the camera shipping?


A: We’re anticipating the end of November.

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I don’t think there are any immediate plans, since the camera hasn’t even been released yet, but Canon’s no rookie in the broadcast HD domain, so I’m sure that they understand what motion video/film people want. But, this is a STILL camera first, with HD functionality second.

Ans as Stephan noted in his post, the 30fps goes more to people using it to make video for the web than it does for people using it for indie films or broadcast.

Hopefully, they’ll move the technology from the sensor into some other video/motion production packages.

Posted by Steve Hullfish  on  10/31  at  12:03 PM

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It’s an EF lens Mount.

Posted by ThomasKoch  on  11/01  at  09:45 PM

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Thanks for the heads up Thomas. I knew I should have fact-checked that one when I transcribed it…

It’s been fixed.

Posted by Steve Hullfish  on  11/02  at  12:55 AM

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One thing not mentioned here is that you can only shoot for 5 minutes at a time. This is due to sensor heating and not file size limitations. It would also seem that the images would get noisier the closer to the 5 minute limit you get. I have also been told that you only have to stop recording for a minute or two to allow the sensor to cool then you can go back it. The camera has many limitations but it could be an interesting camera within those limits. I can’t wait to get my hands on one.

Posted by RC Fisher  on  11/02  at  11:54 AM

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good post!—

i have heard that the 5 minute limit is imposed by some other countries taxing video and still cameras at different rates, so they limit it to 5 minutes to get around this…
i don’t know if that is true or not…

hopefully we can get our hands on one and see what the limitations are—

but the low light performance seems to be unmatched by any motion camera—bar none!
and the interchangable lenses is my biggest buying reason—

Posted by billS  on  11/02  at  07:43 PM

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I think a lot of this talk about time limitations may be speculative - or even trolling.

The Canon reps - who obviously have their own agenda - assured me that there is no overheating issue and specifically said that the shooting time for each scene - depending on subject matter - was close to 12 minutes, not five.

If “RC Fischer” or “bill S” have any real experience with the camera, I’d love to know about it. Otherwise, I’d take either comment about time limitations with a grain of salt. I’d believe the Canon reps first, because if they are not telling the truth, there’s a lot more repercussion than the word of two people who’ve never touched the camera before.

Also, I interviewed Vincent Laforet and he never mentioned a time limit, overheating or noise issues.

I have no direct experience with the camera myself, so I cannot state that “the truth” myself.
Plus, it may depend on the CF media, maybe…

Posted by Steve Hullfish  on  11/02  at  08:47 PM

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Wow it looks like I poked a soft spot!

Well Steve I got the info from a good source but things can change. The biggest problem with still camera design is sensor heating, all still cameras have this problem. The longer the sensor is activated the hotter it gets and the more noise it generates. Canon has had great success in solving this in their still cameras but a sensor that’s making movies is another matter. If you have been following the progress of the Red camera early on they had lots of problems with sensor heating. The issue has since been resolved but not with out a lot of redesign work to keep the sensor cool enough to operate properly. Heat is the big killer because heat=resistance=image noise. Canon is really good about not telling you anything about their cameras. I recently tried to get info, from Canon, about their shutter release system. Not about anything propietary just the shutter release, several hours and numerous calls and not a word. Better secrecy than the Manhatten Project! Well lets get back on track, it remains to be seen if there are issues with the sensor but we will find out soon enough.

Posted by RC Fisher  on  11/03  at  11:11 AM

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