5D Mk 3

Hello fellow Wetpixellers,

I am considering investing in the 5DMk 3 and Nauticam system to cover low level stills and footage both above and below. I am wondering iof anyone out there has any recommendations for WA zoom lenses together with dome optics/extensions/diopters/TCs. I'm leaning at the moment towards the 16-35 canon for this.

Additionally what do people use for editing the footage produced, (I'm currently using FCP7)Will Express be necessary?

Also MWB methods. Red filter/White Slate/Sun/fins? What works best for people?

All feedback would be much appreciated.

All the best

Richard

Hi Richard

I was at Palau over Christmas and New Year. Shot extensively with Canon 5D MIII and Nauticam housing. I was using 16-35 f2.8 L USM II. You need a big dome for that lens. To improve corner sharpness a +2 dioptre will help but the lens takes 82mm dia filter. Finding a shop selling a good +2 dioptre with 82mm dia. filter thread is quite hard. Its a great lens for video. For still the dioptre is recommended for the corners at widest.

I shot everything using Magic Lantern RAW. Not internal H264. The RAW file need particular workflow. Two ways:

One - Use RAW2DNG app to convert the Canon ML Raw to DNG. From DNG import into Photoshop to do quick check/color grade before exporting as TIFF. From here each frame is approx 6mb or higher. Sequence in QuickTime 7 and export to Prores. Finally to Adobe PP or FCX. This is with Mac platform. Win is similar.

Or Two- use Ginger HDR add-on app to Adobe PP. You then can upload the Raw footage to Adobe Speedgrade or Premier Pro. Much faster this way and allows you to scrub through the Raw footage.

One advantage of raw is you really don't have to MWB. Although a thin red filter helps and if someone could invent an auto Vario ND.

As for digital stills the 5DMIII is great low light full frame camera. Focusing is quick and great for extreme macro eg 100mm with the Nauticam SMC. Not as high resolution as the Nikon D800 or DR but in low light its a faster camera. Just wish the flash sync could be higher than 1/200. Unless if you opt for house canon system flash. I need to do that for the spawning aggregation shoot.

Hey are you attending ADEX (April 11-13th? Plenty of footage to see at my booth.

Cheers

David

Richard, I suggest you re-ask your video and NLE question in the video forum. Most video members don't check here. There are threads on the 5D3 raw and NLE recommendation in that thread.

I consider 24mm wide and anything below that SWA, especially behind a dome port. As for SWA zooms, the 16-35 II is a nice lens but the distortion is quite hard to deal with in post. Worse for the 17-40. The Tokina 16-28, while cheaper, didn't really perform well for my tastes. I use a 58mm extension port with a Superdome (9.25") and also 60mm with an 8" dome with this lens. WIth the 8", even at F11, the corners aren't great. I can't bother with diopters as the FOV shrinks so it'd be like shooting at 18mm anyhow.

I also use the 24-70L II and really like the 24-70IS as well, since it can go to macro mode, which isn't useful behind a dome but does well as a travel lens. Much less barrel distortion than the 24-105, my current favorite travel lens.

Hi, thank you for the feedback David and Drew.

Great to be able to tap into some external brains through this forum. Palau has NOTHING like a good camera shop to be able to check out the latest and once again I won't be able to make it to ADEX as I am busy through the next 3 weeks, but it's good stuff! Work conspiring against work holiday! So I won't be able to see your footage David, which would be my preference. Any possibility you could send me a comparison data disk somehow? Internet is abysmal here as you know.

I have a further question regarding ML David: It certainly opens up a Canon but how stable is it? The idea of an intervalometer in a Canon is a massive draw and of course the RAW footage. Will PP CS4 be able to handle the Ginger output? What computer are you doing this in?

Thanks also Drew, so, the 16-35 is best behind a large dome but still needs a diopter?

Anybody else out there using any other combinations that work?

Still choosing for topside lenses..

I realise this is steering away from purely stills. I'll try the sharing side of the forum too.

Many Thanks.

Richard

Hi Richard

Send me a PM (info@scubacam.com.sg) and I could send you some examples of 5DIII ML raw I took from Palau. I was going to get a reel together but thats on a back burner after my leg and back injuries. May be end of the year before I could really take a look at them again. Far too busy now.

There is another option with the dome. I custom make dome flanges and uses the Pro-one dome glass element. I have been using this for my Subal and Zillion and with 16-35mm I do not need a dioptre. Although at the 16mm corner is not tack sharp until stopped down a bit. I am also almost certain I could ask Nauticam to make a custom port flange.

Another lens I would highly recommend if money no object is the ZE Zeiss 15mm and 24mm. A 9.25" dome and these lenses then you have IMHO one of the sharpest set up around for HD DSLR. I know its mechanical but the lens is mechanically finely tuned and manual focus is easier if you have an external monitor like a Ninja with expanded focus.

Just some news on Ginger HDR. 19 lights has discontinued this software. I still have the latest version. Works well with my PP CS6 as a plug in. Not sure about CS4 but it is compatible from CS3 upwards.

Computer I use is the 15" Mac Book Pro retina.

MAgic Lantern is stable only with certain cards I use the Lexar 64GB 1000x UDMA. I also had Komputerbay cards but after three failed/ have problems I give up on that brand.

regards

David

Hi Richard, I have just finished a trip to Cocos with a 5D3 Magic Lantern setup and I am really pleased with the result.

My workflow : ML Raw -> DNG (Rawanizer) -> Import into After Effects and grade with ACR (don't abuse shadow/highlight or you will get flickering) -> Render to Quicktime mov (Codec: Avid DNxHD) -> Import into Premiere Pro to edit.

With ML Raw I used neither a red filter nor MWB.

David, I bought a 2+ diopter with a 82 mm thread from B&H last year. I think it is a HOYA. The optics seem fine and have noticed no extra CA

Thanks diverdoug1

I managed to get a Hoya+2 dioptre 82mm here in Singapore in the end.

However most of the time I did not need it with the Pro-one dome.

cheers

PM sent David.

Thanks