At The Moos’.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Archives for posts with tag: canon
Now that iOS 5 is out in the wild, I shall let you in on a very neat new feature I discovered in iOS Beta 7 that has gone largely unmentioned:
iMovie for iOS, running on an iPad 2, now accepts video clips shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Yes, full HD editing.
I thought that being able to import and immediately view full HD clips while I’m still on the set was a big deal, but this is so much bigger, alone worth the price of an iPad 2 itself.
Photographers, videographers and production people wishing to use their iPads as a true notebook replacement on the set should have much to rejoice about a little-known new feature in iOS 5:
iOS 5 can now playback 1920×1080 H.264 QuickTime video files produced by Canon EOS DSLRs!
I don’t know about you, but this is huge for me. When I bought a 1st-generation iPad last November, I had hoped to use it in the field for viewing rushes, but it was simply not possible in iOS 4, limited by what I’m pretty certain is the hardware of the 1st-generation iPad.
Now that this is possible in iOS 5 running on the iPad 2, along with the ability to sort photos and videos into existing albums, I think I’m going to be a lot more comfortable leaving the MBP behind the next time I go out for a shoot. And especially now that I have the iPad 2 CF Card Camera Connection Kit from M.I.C Store to download images and videos off the CF cards from my Canon 5D Mark II.
There is a bug, though. When you import from an SD or CompactFlash card into the iPad 2, the ‘Camera’ page displays the correct thumbnail of each MOV file, but once imported, those MOV files will lose their thumbnails, although they will play just fine when you tap on them. It’s been fixed; see Update #3 below.
If you really want those thumbnails, the workaround is to copy all the MOVs to your computer and sync them back into the Photos app via iTunes.
I have tested H.264 footage from all EOS Movie capable DSLRs—Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D, EOS 60D, EOS 600D—and I’m pleased to report that footage from all models played fine.
Update #1: Immediately after I’d published this post, I wondered if iMovie would see and accept these H.264 MOVs. Alas, it doesn’t.
Update #2: The next thing I wondered was if I could get the MOVs to playback on a TV via the Apple Digital AV Adapter. It worked beautifully. That’s one step closer to a lightweight and highly portable video island on the shooting set.
Update #3: The thumbnail issue has been fixed in iOS 5 Beta 3. :)
Since I have the privilege of owning both the Canon PowerShot S90 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V, each a feature-rich and capable pocket-sized camera in its own right, I thought it’d be interesting to talk about how two cameras, similar in price, market positioning and class, cannot be more different because of the design philosophies that had gone into shaping them.
In a nutshell: the S90 makes me want to take good photographs, while the HX5V makes me want to capture everything I see.
The S90 is all business
At the time of its introduction, the Canon PowerShot S90 is the only camera the size of a pack of playing cards that shoots RAW and boasts a 1/1.7-inch image sensor untypical of most point-and-shoot cameras. These two attributes are what made the working photographer in me sit up and pay close attention when Canon announced the S90. The S90 promises—and largely lives up—to be the choice for photographers who want a compact camera with DSLR-like manual control and image quality. It is born to be a serious camera, designed to meet the needs of serious shooters.
The S90 is, indeed, all work and no play. Full manual control is where the S90 really shines; to use the S90 exclusively on auto mode is akin to buying a DSLR and shooting only on auto. And even though the S90 does have full auto and assisted scene modes, they are rudimentary ones that end up pleasing neither the pro nor the amateur — too insignificant for the former, and not fancy enough for the latter.
But sometimes even I don’t want to have to work so hard to get a shot. Do most pros don’t and won’t care for gimmicky, ‘consumer-ish’ features because they’re really of no substance, or is it because such features have yet to be implemented in a way that are actually useful?
The HX5V is all fun
It was a ‘consumer-ish’ feature of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V that got my attention: Intelligent Sweep Panorama.
On location recces, I always make it a point to shoot a panoramic image for reference. With a DSLR or the S90, I’d have to take panning shots and gauge by eye to see if they would line up. With the HX5V, all I have to do is to hold down the shutter and sweep the camera in an arc. Thanks to the ability of the HX5V’s image sensor to shoot up to 10 frames per second, it rapidly takes a series of shots and automatically stitches them into one panoramic image. I was sold the first time I tried it; it was one of those “why the heck hasn’t anyone thought of this before” moments.
And it helped that the specs of the HX5V trump those of the S90 on a feature-to-feature comparison. It would seem that Sony’s singular aim was to cram as many features as possible into the HX5V, a feat considering how it is of similar size and weight to the S90. Built-in GPS for geotagging, 10x optical zoom, and especially 1080i HD video recording are the three key functions I wished the S90 had from the start.
The HX5V is the quintessential point-and-shoot camera, and I mean that in a good way. Sony has really upped the ante by making many aspects of the HX5V simple and fun to use. Every function is designed with convenience in mind, and is either highly automated or assisted enough such that you don’t have to think about how to get the shot. In that sense, the HX5V is the antithesis to the S90, full auto versus full manual.
Here’s what’s hot and what’s not in these two cameras, in no particular order of importance:
Image Quality
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Both cameras are equally guilty of overzealous in-camera noise reduction, a Scarlet Letter every small-sensor compact camera is cursed to carry. With JPEGs from either camera coming out soft, the only consolation is at least the Canon S90 shoots RAW. RAW files allow the kind of headroom for manipulations in post that JPEGs simply cannot provide; this alone gives the S90 the edge over the HX5V in image quality. And, believe me, it’s quite the edge.
Ironic, given that the sensor in the S90 (and the G11) is made by Sony.
Low Light Capability
Both Canon and Sony are proud of the low-light capabilities of their respective cameras. Call me a cynic, but nothing a point-and-shoot camera can capture in low light will pass muster when pitted against something from a DSLR, so I take such claims with a very big pinch of salt.
As I’d mentioned in my previous post, I wouldn’t blink shooting at ISO 1600 with my DSLR. With the S90, I am comfortable shooting at ISO 800, but I’ll be crossing my fingers very tightly at ISO 1600. With the HX5V, ISO 800 gets me a little nervous, and I won’t even consider ISO 1600. As for ISO 3200 (or higher: the S90 can push to ISO 12800 in auto mode!), forget it; I’d rather leave the two cameras in my bag and spend the time admiring the scene.
Focal Range
I am the kind of photographer who prefers to snipe than to get up close to subjects. And I prefer to zoom into a scene to get the framing right, instead of cropping later in post. The Canon S90 has an optical zoom range of 28mm-105mm, which is barely adequate for the kind of shots I like to snipe. The reach of the Sony HX5V, 25mm-250mm, has proven to be a much better match to my shooting style.
Wide Angle
To me, any focal length longer than 24mm is not considered wide angle. From day one, I had found the 28mm end of the S90 to be so limiting I took to adding a filter thread so that I can attach a wide angle lens—made, ironically, for Sony Handycams—that converts its 28mm to a nice, recce-friendly 19mm. With the Sony HX5V, I don’t have to fumble with a wide angle converter lens at all.
One big disappointment about the S90: shots taken at 28mm exhibit noticeable barrel distortion. But because the S90 automatically corrects this flaw during live view on its LCD screen, this is something you may not realize. Also, the S90 applies barrel distortion correction to only JPEG files, and not RAW files.
If you shoot RAW, you’d need to use the bundled software, Canon Digital Photo Professional, to correct the RAW files. The problem is, I shoot RAW, I like wide angle shots, but I use Adobe Lightroom; having to run those wide angle RAW files through DPP is an unnecessary extra step for me.
Maximum Aperture
Having the reach is nice, but how do the optics in each camera compare?
One of the selling points of the Canon S90 is its nice, bright f/2.0 lens, even though that is only at 28mm; at 105mm, it goes down to f/4.9. The Sony HX5V does f/3.5 at 25mm, going down to f/5.5 at 250mm. Yes, while the S90 has a two-stop advantage over the HX5V at the widest focal length, it is largely negated by the latter’s ability to shoot HDR. Besides, I’m not one to shoot a wide angle shot at f/2, preferring instead to shoot at a smaller aperture.
Manual Control
The lack of full manual control on the HX5V is where Sony really drops the ball. The only two aperture values you can set on the HX5V are either f/3.5 or f/8 (at 25mm; at 250mm, it becomes f/5.5 or f/13). There is no way to dial in any other f-stop other than f/3.5, f/5.5, f/8, and f/13.
Canon, knowing that serious photographers, whose hearts the S90 is after and who would howl at such a limitation, wisely chose to let you have full manual control on the S90. You can dial in any aperture value from f/2.0 to f/8. This is but one example of the extent the S90 gives control back to the photographer.
One more point to give to the S90 is the presence of a customizable Shortcut button, and, of course, its famed front Control Ring.
Handling
The S90 simply handles better. The front Control Ring, with its ability to control settings such as zoom, ISO, EV compensation, aperture or shutter speed, allows for quicker adjustments, since you can adjust two different settings simultaneously, just like how you would on a DSLR.
The combination of its front Control Ring and rear Control Dial elevates the S90 from the mass of compact cameras with four-way buttons that you have to press and press just to invoke certain settings. Take changing shutter speed for example: on the S90 it takes one turn, just as I would with the Quick Control Dial on an EOS body; on the HX5V, I have to first activate the four-way buttons, and then press in steps its stiff up and down buttons.
Speaking of the S90’s rear Control Dial: a lot of S90 users don’t like how it spins too freely, but I actually like it the way it is. The trick is to not hold the S90 the way you would usually grip a compact camera; instead, I hold the S90 with my thumb on the bottom and my middle finger on the shutter release, and I spin the Control Dial with my index finger instead.
But if it really bothers you that much, take a look at this S90 Control Dial Solution from Lensmate [pictured above]. And, while you’re there, do yourself a favor and add the Richard Franiec Custom S90 Grip [pictured on the left] to your order. The custom grip immediately remedies the fact that the S90 isn’t very well-designed for one-handed operation.
Menus
I have never liked the way Sony lays out the menus for its gadgets. The menu layout of the HX5V hasn’t unproven my bias otherwise. The menu of the S90 is simply better laid out, and contain more customizable settings. The one thing sorely lacking in the HX5V that the S90 can do is to set how long a shot in review can remain on-screen.
Parting Thoughts
Using the S90, I shoot the same way I do with my DSLRs, carefully and purposefully in full manual mode, because I know I can get the shots exactly the way I want them. Using the HX5V, I shoot in full auto all the time because its Intelligent Auto mode gets it right almost all the time, which makes me very trigger-happy and carefree with this camera.
The S90 is a tool, the HX5V a toy, and that is essentially the personalities of these two cameras: one serious, the other fun. Which doesn’t help me at all in deciding which one to let go, because they perfectly suit both the serious and the fun side of me. The S90 and the HX5V are really companion, and not competing, cameras.
I think I’ll end up keeping both.
Having taken to digital SLRs right from the start, it has never occurred to me that I’d ever want or need a point-and-shoot camera. While I have lusted after some outstanding compact cameras in the past, such as the Ricoh Caplio GX100 way back in 2007, the mere thought of the compromises in image quality I’d have to accept with such cameras put me off purchasing one for the longest time, until now.
Earlier this year, when I took a trip to Tokyo, I brought along my EOS 5D Mark II and my three musketeers of lenses: an EF 17-40mm f/4L, an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. These are my weapons of choice for travel photography, a focal range curated to be able for me to take just about any kind of subject.
On the second day, beset by a foul mood, I was hit by a revelation:
I am on vacation after all, right? Why am I carrying all this stuff?
I realized I wasn’t enjoying myself. And it really came down to my right shoulder pleading for mercy; I was lugging nearly three kilograms of gear. With each passing day, I was consciously bringing along lesser and lesser gear, till it was down to just the 5D Mark II and the 24-70mm.
Come to think of it, bringing along an DSLR and lenses on a vacation trip does take some fun of it, doesn’t it? You’re forever swapping lenses, making your girlfriend/boyfriend an unwilling camera assistant while you’re at it; you’re fretting about dust getting into the sensor; you’re constantly aware that you are conspicuous theft or mugging bait. Throw in the shopping bags you’re bound to pick up as the day progresses and it quickly gets tiring.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, the thought of getting a point-and-shoot camera grew more and more. Besides, I reckoned I could always use a point-and-shoot for scouting locations.
In deciding I wanted a pocket-sized camera, I ruled out the Olympus PEN E-P1, the Panasonic GF-1 and the GH-1, all of which I find too DSLR-like in form and handling for my liking; having any of those kits would still mean having to carry a camera body and a couple of lenses. The only contender was the Canon PowerShot G11, the notably larger and heavier cousin of which its image sensor and processor the S90 shares anyway.
So, on the second last day of the trip, after having already done enough research to know it would be the only current point-and-shoot camera I’d consider owning, I picked up a Canon PowerShot S90 from the Yodobashi store in Nishi-Shinjuku for S$580.
How do I like ‘em point-and-shoots?
I confess the first time I viewed an image from the S90 that was shot at ISO 1600, I cringed. I didn’t like it at all. Details were patchy and the blacks were muddy.
I know, I know. Yes, I have been spoilt silly by the kind of clean, high-ISO results I get from DSLRs—I wouldn’t blink shooting at ISO 1600 with my 5D Mark II—and, yes, expecting similar results from a compact camera is simply asking for the impossible. It’s a compromise I’m still taking a bit of time to get used to.
The upside is, you can’t beat the convenience. Into the back pocket it goes every time I’m about to step out of the house.
After using the S90 for four months, I came to realize the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V has all the features I wish the S90 had. Sony had actually announced the HX5V five days after I bought the S90, but I hadn’t paid it any attention as I’ve never been interested in Sony’s compact cameras. But the feature set of the HX5V is so much more suited for location recce-ing I couldn’t resist picking one up two weeks ago. I’m still putting both cameras through the paces, with the intention of letting one go eventually. The problem is, it’s pretty damn hard to decide, as both cameras compliment each other and are equally good.
So much for not wanting a point-and-shoot…
For television commercial shoots, camera equipment is always hired from a rental house. But as a director who would often operate the camera myself, I have a Canon XL-1s Mini DV camcorder, purchased six years ago, that I use extensively for smaller-scale shoots.
A major wave of change swept through the broadcast industry sometime in the second half of those six years. By 2007, High Definition has all but supplanted Standard Definition for broadcast productions. Along with the migration to HD, tapeless acquisition was fast becoming the norm; footage recorded to solid-state memory media as video files ready for editing, eliminating the time-consuming process of digitizing tapes. More and more, I found myself choosing to rent a HD camcorder rather than using my own SD camcorder even for the smaller shoots.
The first sign that my equipment line-up was in dire need of an upgrade was in September 2007, when my workhorse XL-1s finally gasped its last breath halfway through a shoot in Shanghai. I was faced with the unpleasant prospect of investing S$10,000 or so for a HD camcorder, in particular a Sony PMW-EX1.
But making the move to HD meant more than just buying a HD camcorder; the massive amount of HD data meant that I would have to upgrade my entire postproduction workflow. One new workstation here, plenty of high-speed storage there, and I was looking at another S$15,000 easily, a figure I was neither willing nor capable of spending at that point in time.
I held out. In the meanwhile, my stills digital SLR cameras were, likewise, quickly falling into obsolescence. Solid as they were, my two cameras—a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon EOS-1D Mark II—had already been surpassed by newer cameras sporting next-generation features I found increasingly difficult to ignore; features such as 14-bit A/D conversion, larger, higher-resolution and more viewable 3.0″ LCD screens, and Live View had become ubiquitous.
But, again, I held out. So, for a good whole year, there I was, a director in search of a decent broadcast-quality HD video camera, and a photographer in search of a replacement for his two previous-generation digital SLR cameras.
Then the impossible happened. What really convinced me that I could no longer hold back was the one game-changing feature—the second sign—offered by one of those next-generation digital SLR cameras:
Video recording.
Such a development is a watershed moment for someone like myself who has been shooting both videos and stills all his professional life. The significance of a video-recording digital SLR is in the leap in artistic expression I can now have.
These digital SLR cameras, with their large image sensors the same size as that of 35mm film, produce the shallow depth-of-field look synonymous with 35mm motion picture film cameras. Since depth of field increases as focal length decreases, typical camcorders, with their much smaller sensors, simply cannot produce that elusive, shallow DOF look that videographers yearn and go out of their way to achieve (read this article for the physics).
Years ago, to achieve the same look, I had to use a P+S Technik Mini35 lens adapter. It was expensive to rent (S$900/day with accompanying Zeiss Super Speed lenses, or S$12,500 to purchase, camera and lenses not included), and it was bulky; it was actually bigger than the XL-1s camcorder it mounted onto.
Now, the same, if not better, filmic look can be had with a digital SLR camera a third of both the cost and weight of the P+S Technik Mini35. What’s more, since I already own a small collection of quality EF lenses I can use on such a digital SLR camera, I now need to maintain only one camera system, as versus one video camera system and one stills camera system.
Last week, after a series of unfortunate events unfolded on a couple of ongoing jobs—which I took to be the third and final sign from the heavens above it’s time to finally upgrade—I took the plunge and bought an EOS 5D Mark II.
I know, I know… I said I would never get a 5D Mark II because it has the same AF system of the 5D which I find disappointing. In fact, I felt none of the excitement on the day I bought the 5D Mark II that I had felt previously when buying other cameras.
Having used the camera for a week, I still have deep misgivings at just how much better the AF system in the 5D Mark II will perform, as Canon claims it would. Also, I remain unconvinced that the form factor of a digital SLR is at all suitable for video acquisition.
Accustomed to operating 2/3″ Digital Betacam and DVCPRO camcorders, all of which are of the traditional form factor of the broadcast video camera—articulatable viewfinder, zoom grip, top handle, left-handside controls—I find myself constantly trying to press my eye to the viewfinder on the 5D Mark II while the camera is rolling.
Still, I am very heartened by the 35mm look the 5D Mark II achieves. But is The Look worth the various ergonomical and operational shortcomings of this camera? I have a strong suspicion this is going to be a love-hate relationship.
Time will tell.
About
34, male and very Cancerian. Often irascible, even if he is prescient to his emotions. Lives for the resonance of beautiful passages, cinematic magic and aural bliss. Dabbles in fiction writing, photography, sketching and daydreaming in his free time, even though he is paid to do just those in a professional capacity.
He is, in other words, quite a geek.
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