HD movies: HD movies
Technology always advances. And so it is with still cameras. No longer are they limited to shooting still images. Instead they can now also shoot full high definition (HD) movie files.
The EOS 5D Mark II introduced the ability to shoot in full HD movie mode at 1920x1080p resolution. This is the current highest standard that’s available for movies and it ensures crisp details. The images are captured using the full-frame CMOS sensor that is used for still images. The resolution is then scaled down. Using the full sensor provides the advantage of a shallow depth-of-field to help to isolate the subject from the background, unlike compact video cameras that use small sensors and have correspondingly larger depth-of-field.
The camera shoots movies to the H.264 MPEG 4 movie standard and captures sound at 44.1KHz in 16bit. The internal microphone is a mono unit that captures only one channel, however the 3.5mm jack plug provided is a stereo connection that allows the use of an external microphone.
Movies are captured at 30fps, providing a smooth playback of moving subjects. Firmware version 1.1.0 for the EOS 5D Mark II provides manual and automatic control of exposure in the movie mode. If the camera is in Tv/Av or P shooting modes, movie exposure will be automatic, with AE Lock provided by the star button and exposure compensation with the Quick Control Dial. If the camera is in Manual shooting mode with "Movie display" enabled in the Live View function settings, then the shutter speed, aperture and ISO will be enabled and can be changed to alter the exposure of the movie recording.
The EOS 5D Mark II is the first Canon DSLR to offer HD movie recording options.
Applicable products:
EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 500D, EOS 7D
With the Manual exposure settings, all apertures are available and shutter speeds from 1/30sec to 1/4000sec can be selected.
ISO speeds from 100 to 6400 as well as the H1 setting of 12,800 can also be made. Auto ISO can be used too, if you need a particular combination of shutter speed and aperture.
The EOS 7D is the first Canon SLR to offer in-camera selectable frame rates.
Like the EOS 5D Mark II, the consumer level EOS 500D also includes HD Movie recording, however it does not include the manual exposure video controls found on the EOS 5D Mark II. It records in the same format, H.264 .MOV, but there are three choices of resolution. Recordings can be made at 1080p at 20fps, 720p at 30fps or the VGA resolution of 640x480 at 30fps.
The EOS 7D has added HD movie recording to the APS-C sensor, mid-range price bracket cameras. Like the EOS 500D, it features the ability to record at 1920x1080, 1280x720 and 640x480 resolutions, but now adds the ability to select from different frame rate settings for more creative control. The options available are 1920x1080 at 24, 25 and 30fps, and 1280x720 and 640x480 at 50 or 60fps. The options available will depend on whether PAL or NTSC is selected for the video system.
The EOS 7D features full manual control of exposure like the EOS 5D Mark II, as well as a semi-automatic mode where the shutter speed and aperture can be locked but the ISO allowed to adjust automatically to keep the exposure correct. Sound recording on the EOS 7D has been improved as well, and is now sampled at 48KHz rather than 44.1KHz as found on the EOS 5D Mark II.
