Canon's response; personal belief: 24p and 25p is for soon

[Gordon Prince]

Posted here by Kyril Cvetkov:

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/09/26/original-raw-clips-from-reverie-now-available-for-download/#comments

Thank you for contacting Canon USA via the Canon Digital Learning Center. Our Professional Products Marketing Division is comprised of both camera and video personnel, and we have been working intimately as a team dealing with what is a convergence of the two markets — especially so in this new model. We are aware of the potential this camera will have on both the still and video markets, and the “buzz” it has created. We know there is no other video camera with this size sensor, and we are aware of the fact that videographers and filmmakers will now have the same use of interchangeable lenses and shallow depth of field that their still photographer colleagues have always had the benefit of in the past. I have forwarded your email to my video colleges. Hopefully your suggestion for 24 fps will make its way to our R&D department in Japan.

[reality]

The idea here is that you want to make sure they do their best (a herculean effort) to work on a firmware update. Understand that adding a single new feature - to the FIRMWARE - weeks before the release of your camera - is kinda nuts. Not wise. You could screw the entire camera up - and turn it into a brick - and a commercial flop… they have likely “locked down” all changes - and are now in production - that’s completely my guess… the prototype camera was a last “beta” in software terms… normally companies only make “fixes” between the final beta and the final release (Gold Master) - they almost NEVER add new features. It’s simply too risky. Remember: Canon has been working on this camera for YEARS. Any change they make in the firmware - has to be tested with quite a few different departments and groups… to make sure a firmware fix for example doesn’t cause an unexpected hardware problem… or image quality problem with 24p for example - or software issue w/ the Quicktime H.264 .mov files… and be tested on dozens of different machines… you get the idea. All of this so you don’t get this dream camera when you buy it - and have it freeze the first time you turn it on to 24p…

I find this quote really funny considering the RED perspective :)

[Pawel Achtel]

I find this quote really funny considering the RED perspective :)

You want a variable frame rate? Uhh, ok, that's a different department...LOL

Yes, it does have a different perspective.

[jbeale]

if you look at the third example on Canon's page, check the water droplets frame-by-frame on the actor splashing his face at the sink
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2127
(Clip 3, 1080p 77.42 MB)

...the light trail from flying water drops starts in one frame almost exactly where it ended in the previous frame. So the shutter angle is nearly 360 degrees. Eg. almost 1/30 sec exposure at 30 fps. I wonder if that is under user control.

[Vincent Thomas]

Will it be possible to have one day people stop comparing the Canon 5D II to a true dedicate camera like the Red? This is so stupid indeed...

Now, without knowing what happening inside Canon RnD department or have interest to defend then, it looks very obvious they are soon going to replace their old XL H1 with a more serious solution, they are not blind and know the market...

v*

[Pawel Achtel]

Will it be possible to have one day people stop comparing the Canon 5D II to a true dedicate camera like the Red? This is so stupid indeed...

Now, without knowing what happening inside Canon RnD department or have interest to defend then, it looks very obvious they are soon going to replace their old XL H1 with a more serious solution, they are not blind and know the market...

v*

It makes sense to compare as we are expecting DSMC to be in exactly the same market as Canon and Nikon.

Canon does not know the motion picture market. The only division that is remotely related to it is broadcast lens division. But, they only make b4 lenses, not cinema standard PL lenses. Canon does not make cinema cameras.

They may have huge R&D division in each department, but it is still a large, inflexible corporation, with many layers of fat. It is marketing-driven, not technical innovation-driven company. It has hopeless customer service - one of the worst I have seen. They can't compete here.

Canon makes strong claims for their new camera's professional capabilities, but it does not stand up to professional quality standards, it is not even close. So, we shoot it down because we are confident that, if Red One can beat Canon in their own game with "extra features" (still pictures) only , the DSMC will most likely blow both Canon and Nikon out of the water, just as Red One has done with just about any other competitor in its own market segment. Why? Because they listen to their customers and they are passionate about what they do.

[kidrobot]

...the light trail from flying water drops starts in one frame almost exactly where it ended in the previous frame. So the shutter angle is nearly 360 degrees. Eg. almost 1/30 sec exposure at 30 fps. I wonder if that is under user control.

I read somewhere that the shutter speed is selected by the camera, range 1/30s-1/125s.