Building up a full kit for 5dmkiii from scratch (video)

Hi all. Well santa was very good to me and bought me a 5d mark iii body for Christmas. Of course we all know that the body is only the start of a very expensive hobby. I'm coming off using a Sony HD 550 video camera so, apart from being able to use my Sola 1200's for video lights, I'm really starting from scratch.

So my question is this: how would you start amassing all of the accessories - memory cards, lenses, underwater housing, monitors, filters/ diopters, carrying cases, etc if you wanted to make sure you bought the best, even if it takes a while to buy it all?

What would you buy, and in what order? What is table stakes, what are bells and whistles / nice-to-haves?

My intention is to predominantly use the 5dmkiii for video, but I might toy around with stills if I can. Given I've got no experience with DSLRs, let's say I want to start practicing with the camera topside for a couple of months, then buy the UW housing and go underwater locally. My local playground is Sydney where the viz is anywhere from ~8-20 meters, relatively greenish water with limited opportunity for really wide angle shots. Then I'll take it travelling - likely next stop for that will be the Galapagos - so wide-angle shots mostly. Then after that, it'll be Komodo for muck / macro and wide angle..

Any guidance is much appreciated.

For video with the Mk3 I'd recommend wide rectilinear rather than fisheye glass. Take a close look at the Canon 16-35 and perhaps the Sigma 12-24. For macro the Canon 100 L IS is my glass of choice though the 180 may have a role but only with a tripod I suspect. The XIT404 tripod base will do that job nicely.

Good lighting will certainly enhance your work and I'm rather keen on the Fisheye Aquavolt 3500s and 7000s.

An external monitor will seem a luxury but once owned, will become a necessity...

HTH, Tim

For video with the Mk3 I'd recommend wide rectilinear rather than fisheye glass. Take a close look at the Canon 16-35 and perhaps the Sigma 12-24. For macro the Canon 100 L IS is my glass of choice though the 180 may have a role but only with a tripod I suspect. The XIT404 tripod base will do that job nicely.

 

Good lighting will certainly enhance your work and I'm rather keen on the Fisheye Aquavolt 3500s and 7000s.

 

An external monitor will seem a luxury but once owned, will become a necessity...

 

HTH, Tim

Thanks Tim,

What about the other bits and bobs - what's in your grab bag in terms of memory cards, filters, etc?

I tend to like rectilinear lenses for video. However the distortion is different but still there. Sometimes the fisheye look isn't that bad. I tend to shoot video with the 16-35 @ 20-25mm. I like the new 24mm f2.8 IS quite a bit. It's sharper in the corners than the 24 f1.4 II and almost as sharp as my 21mm Zeiss, which I also really like for video, but it isn't a start up kit lens.

The Sigma 12-24 is even more distorted but it's sharp enough for video, but it's not really sharp for stills.

Since your home waters aren't conducive to WA, I'd first consider the 24-70 f4 IS or the 24-105 f4 IS for Canon, and the 24-70 VC from Tamron is also pretty solid, although it's got more distortion than the Canons @ 24mm. All 3 are awesome walkaround lenses for topside too, except the Tamron does have the f2.8.

The 100L IS is nice but for video and if you are on a budget, the 100mm macro works well as well. The IS is only one stop in macro mode, so a tripod is better but the IS doesn't hurt. Another option is the Sigma 105 OS, which focuses a tad closer and a bit cheaper for very similar performance.

As for cards, UDMA7 CF cards work very well on the 5D3 but not the 95MB/s SD cards when it comes to write speed. If there's money to save, the SD cards don't have to be faster than 30MB/s. That means you can get 128GB for over 3 hours of All-I video, not that the battery can last that long! Also consider using the firmware hack magic lantern for video specific features if you are comfortable with that.

You've got options as far as cards go with the MKIII. I use a 64Gb CF card and a 32Gb SD. You can play with the various options of which card you write to. I have also copied from the CF to the SD when on safari and download the SD to the tablet therby eliminating the need for a CF card reader.

Another option is to use a CF to SD card converter in-situ - there are CF housings that allow for an SD card to be used thereby taking the CF out of the equasion entirely.

I haven't had much dive time with the 5DM3 and therefore haven't fully explored the use of video however it does chew through memory quickly in 1080. So high capacity cards at the specs mentioned in th eprevious post may be what you should aim for.

Thanks all. Really helpful. A few more questions on the CF card - is it worth the jump in price to go for the 128gb card or is 64gb enough? Any opinions out there on sandisk vs. lexar vs. other? I've read that lexar have had a few issues both with their cards and then their customer service - anyone want to weigh in with their experience?

What about a travel case for toting the kit around - what are you using?

A couple of years back I was reasonably happy with using the Canon 5D2 topside...but I got rid of it after only a few dives. Then I had to sell several virtually unused Canon lenses that I'd just bought but were of no further use to me.

I suggest you give your Canon 5D3 a try with a couple of dives first and see if you still want to keep using it for video (it's great for still photography). There are better alternatives for UW video as far as I'm concerned.

I use the ThinkTank Airport Accelerator and the Crumpler 8 million bag for most trips. I just got a new xmas gift bag, the GuraGear Battaflae, the 32 liter version. It's lighter than the Airport Accelerator and has a great rain shield. BUT it doesn't have a laptop area like the TTAA. Have to reconfigure to carry the 17" and all the gear.

Congrats Rebecca, I would be keen to stick with the 64gb or even two 32gb, you will have to open the housing to change batteries and it is always better to split your images and videos over cards. With a 32GB card I reckon you will get about 40 mins of video which is heaps.

I use the ThinkTank Airport Accelerator and the Crumpler 8 million bag for most trips. I just got a new xmas gift bag, the GuraGear Battaflae, the 32 liter version. It's lighter than the Airport Accelerator and has a great rain shield. BUT it doesn't have a laptop area like the TTAA. Have to reconfigure to carry the 17" and all the gear.

Thanks all for the tips.

Drew - with your TTAA, do you get everything in that? The UW housing, body, lenses, lights, etc?

By the way, the photo shop is trying to sell me a protective filter for the 16-35 lens I just bought. Is this necessary?

Another quick questions: it looks like there's a few movie recording sizes that I can choose - is ALL-I or IPB better? And is the 50fps a better setting at only 720 or 25 fps at 1080, since it is clearly a trade off.

My TTAAII fits superdome 240mm, housing with one body inside, arms, several backup drives with cables (USB3 and eSATA), 17" laptop, chargers etc.

Eric has a big thread here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22986

UV/Skylight filters are nice but some say they can see a difference for crappy stuff. Many photo dealers have huge margins on the ones they recommend (their way of nickel and diming you for a bit more cash). If you are using it exclusively for underwater, then don't bother. There's a risk of reflections.

As for format, depends on your computer and NLE program. All-I is intra so it's easier on the computer to playback, but files are bigger than IPB. IPB is significantly more efficient in size but requires my GHZ to process. Some programs even have to transcode to playbook properly. Another possible caveat, some say they can see a difference in quality between IPB and All-I, where IPB is better than All-I.

On the MKIII I would always shoot 1080 25p... does it give you a 30p option? More frames to play with. I would only use the 50p mode for something I wanted to slo mo slightly

You have to switch it to NTSC in order to get 30p

You have to switch it to NTSC in order to get 30p

Is that something i can do or does it require sending it to a canon shop?

Is that something i can do or does it require sending it to a canon shop?

I am pretty sure that you can find it inside the menu. I don't have a 5D MK3 but it is the case for 6D.

I am pretty sure that you can find it inside the menu. I don't have a 5D MK3 but it is the case for 6D.

Thanks - found the menu steps to change to NTSC though I have read on another webforum that despite having ability to change in the menu options, it doesn't do anything in actuality. Hmm, that sounds dodgy. Will do a bit of digging to see if I can confirm this....

Think Tank Airport International 2.0 on the way - I recognise that this is a step up from the Think Tank Airport Accelerator and means domestic travel will likely entail checking in vs. carry-on (which has a level of risk). I have a bum shoulder so wheels for me are key and with the stupid rules of only 7 kilos on a lot of the Aussie carriers, I need something that will hold up if checked in. I'll let you know how this purchase goes.

I'm doing my editing with the Adobe suite of products on a new Macbook pro (yeah, I know, Adobe on a Mac? But wasn't overwhelmed with what I was hearing about the newest FCP and I like the pay-as-you-go model that Adobe has on their full product suite as I still learn...) If anyone has a view as to whether IPB is better than All-I with that set up, let me know (or please help me find the thread talking about this). Otherwise I will again do some digging and come back to this thread with any findings.

As for housings, I've got the Nauticam in my sights. However I'm not totally certain yet as my husband has a Hugyfot for his Nikon D700 with some pretty nifty features (vacuum system for sealing and monitoring the camera's seal, really tightly tailored to camera meaning no unnecessary space, well designed controls, etc). I have no clue how they do with video (eg can they accommodate an external monitor, etc) so if anyone has had experience with video in a Hugy, can you please weigh in or point me to a useful thread?.....

Finally, it may be too detailed for this thread to go through each menu setting to get the camera set up right for underwater video. Tim, Drew, Jon, anyone else willing and able to have a side conversation?

I asked Hugy about an external monitor myself.

Here is their response:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your interest in our products.

The Hugyfot housing for the Canon 5DMkIII is standard equipped with an extra port that allows the use of the Wahoo external HDMI monitor.

We can supply the housing directly with this monitor housing, but you can have this installed afterwards as well.

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When I'm ready to buy a monitor I want an UW small HD. hopefully I'll be able to pull it off.

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Also, I didn't see anyone answer the question if they have used a 128GB card for video. Want to do some long cave and lecture filming w/ a 5D mkiii and don't want to spend money on 2 64GB cards.

Even if the battery dies, I'd rather just change the battery and leave the card in place.

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Buying most of my gear today, I'll post up as we test it all out. Still deciding between the Hugy and a Zen 220 port and an Aquatica setup. These ar ethe only 2 housings that have 150m and 120m upgrades respectively.

Sorry Nauticam, 100m just doesn't cut it for deep wrecks.

That was my first post in the forum. Brine Shrimp. LOL!!

With regards to the IPB and All-I the best bet will be to take into the drink and test it. You could do a few tests on land but underwater with the blues and greens is where you notice compression artifacts and banding etc.

On the subject of housings, as you know I don't shoot underwater with a DSLR but know a lot of guys that do and one of the key issues that they find is the lack of control over focus. All DSLR housings have gearing for zoom (or focus with a prime lens) but very few if any have both. This means you have to find a solution around this and there are a few including assigning buttons etc but it would be a major consideration to me.

Other option is to shoot with a prime lens and have control which could work well, Sigma do a beautiful 15mm f2.8 fisheye which is full frame and works really well underwater and it doesn't break the bank.

Also, I didn't see anyone answer the question if they have used a 128GB card for video. Want to do some long cave and lecture filming w/ a 5D mkiii and don't want to spend money on 2 64GB cards. Even if the battery dies, I'd rather just change the battery and leave the card in place.!

Well I think all housings require the removal of the camera to change the battery. Nothing wrong with 2 64GB SDXC cards so there's reduced risk of losing a lot of data in a card failure. The price of SDXC 128 vs 64GB cards is approximately half so there's no real savings either way. On the other hand, UDMA 7 64 to 128GB is significant;y more. So it's much more economical to buy SDXC (non UHS-I compatible ones since the 5D3 isn't UHS-I compatible. However, if you want to save on time downloading, especially with USB3, it makes sense to buy them.

With regards to the IPB and All-I the best bet will be to take into the drink and test it. You could do a few tests on land but underwater with the blues and greens is where you notice compression artifacts and banding etc. On the subject of housings, as you know I don't shoot underwater with a DSLR but know a lot of guys that do and one of the key issues that they find is the lack of control over focus. All DSLR housings have gearing for zoom (or focus with a prime lens) but very few if any have both. This means you have to find a solution around this and there are a few including assigning buttons etc but it would be a major consideration to me. Other option is to shoot with a prime lens and have control which could work well, Sigma do a beautiful 15mm f2.8 fisheye which is full frame and works really well underwater and it doesn't break the bank.

Jonny

There are housings which can do both zoom and focus.Aquatica has an extension ring that has a focus knob for the 16-35. Seacam has 2 dials for zoom and focus and can make gears for both for certain lenses, so long as the gears can fit inside the opening.

As usual forums have had debates about IPB vs All-I. Personally there are slight differences but for underwater, it's negligible and in the edges where small detail. I've used both and don't want to perpetuate the nonsense argument. If you can't see it... then it doesn't matter!

Great info Drew, I would definitely go with two dial option.