Canon EOS 3D

Anyone hear of this coming out soon? Supposedly it will shoot uncompressed video. Wonder if it will be worth the wait or just go with either the Canon 5 or 7 D.

Steve

Anyone hear of this coming out soon? Supposedly it will shoot uncompressed video. Wonder if it will be worth the wait or just go with either the Canon 5 or 7 D.

Steve

The Canon 3D has been around longer than the Scarlet, only less so Have not seen any recent buzz about it, but who knows. Lot's more rumors floating about the 5D Mark III coming out this year....

Anyone hear of this coming out soon? Supposedly it will shoot uncompressed video. Wonder if it will be worth the wait or just go with either the Canon 5 or 7 D.

Steve

Just Rumours at the mo Steve... Looks good though. Have you looked at the 600D or 60D???

Dive safe

DeanB

Right now I am considering either the Canon 5D or a 7D system. The 7D is a used system with a Nautica housing. The only problem, and I can use as much advice as I can get, is that I am unfamiliar with working with any DSLRs for video. I am going this route only because I don't have the cash for an EX1r and a 20k Gates housing so I figured that the video from either of these two cameras is still better than the tape based cam I am shooting with now. Just how complicated is it to focus these underwater in terms of the video? Ins and outs of either, features, the whole gamut. I have looked at the little Canon cams and the Sony CS550 and thought the footage looked flat from both, as if someone placed a smoothing filter on them. Thus, I need to move up. Anyone who can give some insight and advice would have me indebted.

Steve

Right now I am considering either the Canon 5D or a 7D system. The 7D is a used system with a Nautica housing. The only problem, and I can use as much advice as I can get, is that I am unfamiliar with working with any DSLRs for video. I am going this route only because I don't have the cash for an EX1r and a 20k Gates housing so I figured that the video from either of these two cameras is still better than the tape based cam I am shooting with now. Just how complicated is it to focus these underwater in terms of the video? Ins and outs of either, features, the whole gamut. I have looked at the little Canon cams and the Sony CS550 and thought the footage looked flat from both, as if someone placed a smoothing filter on them. Thus, I need to move up. Anyone who can give some insight and advice would have me indebted.

Steve

My old mucker Simon Spear is using a 7D set-up so maybe he can enlighten you

Dive safe

DeanB

Hi Steve, here's my (rather rambling) thoughts after 'upgrading' to a 7D last year to replace my V1 in Gates housing.

I think a 7D would be a major upgrade from a similar priced 'camcorder'. I'm not sure what you are using these days, but I'd say that covers more or less anything HDV or AVCHD. You can get a 7D underwater cheaper than you can buy an EX1, let alone a housing for it. A 5D solely for shooting video is more expensive for (in my opinion) no increase in performance, but I know some would disagree with me on that. For solely video use I'd also consider the 600D and 60D. Every Canon HDSLR is slightly different in video performance, but you really can't see much difference between the bottom of the range and the top. It would definitely save you a few bucks if you went for a 600D. For photos it is another matter entirely and the more expensive camera definitely shoots better quality stills.

You have to keep in mind that these HDSLR's are not video cameras so both topside and underwater the form factor is not helpful for shooting good video. They sure can be a pain in the butt at times but if you are prepared to shoot in full manual then you can get some great results out of them. Do they compare with an EX1? Yes and no. I've had shoots over the last year where a 7D completely outclassed an EX1, but I've also had completely the opposite. They really are another tool in your bag that you can use for the right job.

Underwater for SuperWA you really can't fault the HDSLR's, focus is not an issue but I do prefer a WA lens rather than superWA as that can often make things look very,very far away. I've not done an awful lot of macro with the 7D but when I have and managed to get everything in focus the results have been outstanding. Getting everything in focus though is the key element and with a small LCD screen on the back of the camera and a tiny DoF it can be a real challenge.

You've also got issues with the codecs and compression used in the HDSLR's, but to be honest I'm currently getting less rejections due to image quality than I am with HDV footage recorded over the last few years. For the last 6 months I've been using the 7D probably three or four times a month for shoots both topside and underwater and so far no one has had a problem with the quality.

Another plus is that underwater the WB on the 7D has literally blown me away. I'm consistently able to get virtually perfect colour manual white balancing without using a filter at depths up to 40m. In my experience that's unheard of in a video camera. I've not extensively edited underwater footage from the 7D yet as I'm still working through other projects, but when I've played around with it I've been really, really impressed.

However I've not been overly impressed with any of the housings I've used for the 7D so I guess still photographers must be a lot more forgiving when it comes to the quality of their housings than video users. I really wish a video housing manufacturer would start to look at making HDSLR housings as I think that would give a few still housing companies a kick up the backside.

Like many I'm still waiting for that 'perfect' camera to get released, but until it arrives I'm really happy using the 7D. I'm sure there are lots more issues but I hope this helps to get the debate started.

Cheers, Simon

My old mucker Simon Spear is using a 7D set-up so maybe he can enlighten you

LOL you must have posted that as I was typing!

Thanks Simon, you covered a lot of ground which I am thankful for. Unlike most videographers I did not start as a photographer and the knowledge that goes with being one. Been a videographer since 8mm, before there was even hi-8, but there is still a different knowledge set. So far, what I have gleaned is that the Tokina 10-17 is mandatory and that Nautica makes the better of the housings. With the 7D, do you have to change ISO and F stops a lot underwater or is there a basic setting for underwater use that you rely on? One used 7D system I am considering has an 8" dome but is a 4" dome the one I want? I know video but not one f stop from another. Headed over to Eric Hanauer's tomorrow morning to see his new Nikon 7000 set up and then to Howard Hall's place to see Michelle's 7D system. Boy do I feel stupid about this stuff.

Steve

One used 7D system I am considering has an 8" dome but is a 4" dome the one I want?

Hey Steve, I don't think there is any advantage of the 4" except size. If I were to choose one dome it would probably be the 8" as it will work better with a rectilinear wide angle lens.

For the Ikelite we have an 8'' dome and I believe on the Hugyfot we have a 6'' and I've not seen any noticeable difference between the two of them. There are these 4'' mini domes out now which people are using for stills wide angle macro, but I've no idea how they work for video.

Changing ISO (same as Gain on a Camcorder) and Aperture becomes second nature after awhile so I wouldn't worry about that especially with Liveview as you'll instantly see how the settings are changing your image and yes there are certain settings which work better and will give you a framework to experiment around. Honestly I'm nowhere near the most technically knowledgeable about these things and I don't come from a photography background either and I found it easy to work with.

Despite the apparent Wetpixel 'love in' with Nauticam I've heard of some significant problems with them (parts going rusty after light use, housing floods due to poor design etc, etc). Some of the issues have been posted on this forum so if you do a search I'm sure you'll be able to dig it up. As with any bit of expensive kit best to do your homework first!

Oh yeah and I know the title maybe misleading, but can we move this thread back out of the 3D section as we are not talking about 3D cameras here!

Cheers, Simon

Oh yeah and I know the title maybe misleading, but can we move this thread back out of the 3D section as we are not talking about 3D cameras here!

 

Cheers, Simon

I wondered why it jumped ship

Dive safe

DeanB

I know that glass is superior to Acrylic but is this also the case with the DSLRs? I would think so but the used system I am thinking of buying has a 8" acrylic port. Will this make a huge difference in the quality of the video footage. Also, how long do the batteries for these cameras last, need to know how many to buy.

Steve

The 8" should resolve a better image and using the Tokina lens you really need as big a dome as possible. A good friend of mine is extremely knowledgeable regarding underwater optics and he is pretty sure that anything over a field of vision of 94 degrees will result in loss of resolution. However I don't think that it would be very noticeable on a 7D as it isn't a super high resolution camera to start off with in video mode.

I got the 7D and D60.

Took the D60 up with the Tokina 11-16 mm and got some aerial video of the great barrier reef for an overseas production.

Came out great.