nofilmschool » canon7d

Pick Your Poison: Canon 6D vs. 60D vs. 7D vs. 5D Mark II Camera Comparison

Joe Marine — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:20:35 +0000

There are many more options for DSLRs and smaller cameras than there ever have been, but there are still a lot of reasons you might want to use Canon’s cameras. For one thing, they still take incredible still photos, but on the video side, even while there might be some cameras that resolve more detail or have less aliasing/moire, some of the older releases from Canon still give a great built-in look that doesn’t require much work in post (subjective, of course). JJ Kim from Orange Wedding Films recently took a look at the newer full-frame Canon 6D, along with the APS-C 7D and 60D, and the full-frame 5D Mark II. In the video below, JJ compares their features/specs, as well as image quality and low-light/moire performance. (more…)

Happy New Year! Magic Lantern Delivers Second Canon 7D Alpha, More Cameras on the Way

Joe Marine — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:37:11 +0000

As we approach midnight in most places around the world (with some already celebrating the new year), the hardworking team over at Magic Lantern has delivered more updates to the trusty Canon DSLRs. We now have a second alpha for the Canon 7D — a camera that we previously thought was unhackable — and more updates are on their way with support for the Canon T4i, 6D, and 40D. Check out all of the exciting developments below. (more…)

Clean HDMI Will Be Coming to the Canon 7D

Joe Marine — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:38:38 +0000

Good things continue to happen for the Canon 7D. With a rapidly changing camera landscape (and far too many options to choose from), many people are still holding on to their trusty DSLRs — and that includes quite a few 7Ds. Just recently the first alpha of Magic Lantern was made available for the camera, and now it looks like clean HDMI may not be too far off. It’s been available for other Canon DSLRs through the firmware hack for some time now, but this is the first testing that has been done for this camera. Check out the video below to see the first results in action.
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Get It While It's Hot: Magic Lantern Alpha for the Canon 7D Now Available

Joe Marine — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:30:23 +0000

It seemed like an impossibility, and many people had written off ever having the ability to use Magic Lantern on the Canon 7D (including me), but it has finally become a reality: the hack is working successfully and is available right now for use on your own camera. Hudson and Indy were the major players who made this possible, and g3gg0, in a post on the Magic Lantern site, described in detail what went into the release and what is, or isn’t, working. (more…)

Magic Lantern for the Canon 7D Nearing Release

Joe Marine — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:14:15 +0000

There have been some rather exciting updates regarding the Magic Lantern firmware hack recently. The first big announcement was that the third party firmware was now working on the Canon 5D Mark III, and then we got the fantastic news that it’s also being ported to the Canon 7D. There have been new developments with the 7D, and we are edging even closer to a final release. Click through for a video showing off the newest firmware working on the camera. (more…)

Magic Lantern is Coming to the Canon 7D

Joe Marine — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:59:03 +0000

First it was the 5D Mark III getting Magic Lantern support. Now it seems like the impossible has finally happened. Bart over at Magic Lantern sent an email early this morning confirming that Magic Lantern has indeed been ported over to the Canon 7D and most (if not all) of the features should work sometime in the near future. Click through for more details on this exciting announcement. (more…)

Innovative 'Quikdraw' DSLR Lens Belt Provides Easy Run-and-Gun Prime Lens Switching

Benjamin Dewhurst — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:02:55 +0000

We’ve all been there… it’s the twelfth hour, and you’re Cam Op or DP on a skeleton crew that’s shooting on a DSLR. The director wants that organic, handheld, flowing look, and stopping just isn’t an option because the talent are in the zone. You’ve been shooting on the 50mm a little too much for your taste, and would love to try the 35mm or 85mm — but your lens bag might as well be on the moon with how fast things are moving (and with no AC). What do you do? Wouldn’t it be great if there was a tool to help with your quick run-and-gun filmmaking — to keep your lens choices literally at your fingertips? Well, with the Quikdraw, a new belt-side lens holder that’s seeking funding on Kickstarter, you can have the luxury of lens change speed with some added security. Click through to see a video of the system in action. (more…)

The Long-Awaited Canon 7D 2.0.X Firmware Update Allowing Manual Audio Control is Here

Joe Marine — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:04:02 +0000

We’ve been talking about it for what seems like an eternity now, people have been asking for it, and Canon has delivered. The new Canon firmware 2.0.X that will be fixing audio in the 7D and finally allow manual controls is available for download. The firmware update also addresses a number of other issues related to the still photography portion of the camera — but the manual audio controls are the most significant change for video shooters. (more…)

How Well Does the Canon 7D Mosaic Engineering Filter Remove Aliasing and Moire?

Joe Marine — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:21:23 +0000

Back in May it was announced that the Canon 7D anti-aliasing/moire filter from Mosaic Engineering was being released, and there were plans to make one for the other cameras as well. We already know how well the filter works for the Canon 5D, but it was anyone’s guess if they had fixed any of the issues with the original filter. Sebastian over at cinema5D takes a look at the filter and compares an unfiltered 7D in the video embedded below: (more…)

Canon Firmware Update for 7D with Audio Controls Finally Official, but When Will We Get It?

Joe Marine — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:32:58 +0000

After almost three years, the Canon 7D is finally going to get a significant update that fixes audio controls. While it may not be a huge deal to film-style sets that record dual-system audio, there are many cases where having the ability to get good levels from a mic connected to the camera is important. We had initially reported this after it leaked on a Canon website, but now the upgrade is official. In addition to the audio updates, there are numerous upgrades to the still photography capabilities of the camera. (more…)

Canon Finally Addressing Audio in a New Firmware Update for the 7D

Joe Marine — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:24:25 +0000

In a press release that briefly leaked on a Canon CPN site, it was revealed that Canon will address a number of issues in the popular 7D. Having used the Canon 7D on all of the NoFilmSchool NAB videos, my biggest issue was the lack of manual audio controls. It’s been a long time coming, but Canon will finally address this problem in a new firmware update. In addition to manual audio controls, a number of still photography features will be fixed. (more…)

Say Goodbye to Moire and Aliasing on the Canon 7D with This Filter from Mosaic Engineering

Joe Marine — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:00:57 +0000

Not too long ago a company called Mosaic Engineering surprised the DSLR world and came out with a filter that greatly reduced the aliasing and moire patterns on the Canon 5D Mark II. Installation was relatively straightforward, and the only major drawback was that super-wide lenses could appear very soft, especially in the corners. Now they’ve released a similar filter for the Canon 7D, and as you can see from the video embedded below, it will work in much the same way. They are also developing a filter for the Nikon D800, which has similar moire problems as the 5D Mark II, even though I haven’t really noticed it too much in my testing. (more…)

How Durable is Your Camera? A Canon 7D is Tested to the Extreme

Joe Marine — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:39:39 +0000

We’ve been testing cameras for performance in ideal conditions, and also in not-so-ideal conditions, but this is just ridiculous. Kai Wong and the guys over at DigitalRev were kindly donated a Canon 7D to see how much punishment that little camera could take. The 7D has a magnesium alloy body, so it’s much more capable of handling inclement weather — but what if it were frozen in a block of ice, or set on fire? Could it still take photos? Check out the video below to find out. (more…)

Magic Lantern is Working on the 5D Mark III After Canon Firmware Update

Joe Marine — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:34:16 +0000

Canon recently announced a firmware update for the Canon 5D Mark III, and that led the way for the great folks at Magic Lantern to begin porting their hack. Already a big hit on the Mark II and other Canon cameras, Magic Lantern could open up specific features many believe Canon should have included in the first place. Chuck Westfall has said that the 5D Mark III and the 1D X might never get a full, clean HDMI, mainly because Canon (obviously) puts more money and attention into the video features on their expensive video-centric Cinema EOS line (though he also says they are always listening to consumers). Most of all, they want to keep the two product lines separate, and possibly the only hope for this feature (and others like it) is for something like Magic Lantern to unlock the hidden power of the camera. (more…)

Sundance-winning ‘Like Crazy’ DP Shares Lessons Learned Shooting on HDSLR

E.M. Taboada — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:57:39 +0000

It’s easy to forget just how liberating shooting with HDSLRs can be — you can follow your characters down a crowded street, get B-roll while your crew is setting up lights, and generally have the flexibility that a small camera allows you. Last year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, Like Crazy , got a lot of press for the fact that it was shot on a Canon 7D and was acquired by Paramount for $4 million – but less discussed was why it was shot on a 7D and what the challenges and advantages of doing so were. In an interview with HD Magazine, DP John Guleserian delves into these questions and more — revealing how shooting with a HDSLR has impacted his way of shooting in general: (more…)

1080P Camera Shootout: ARRI ALEXA vs Sony F3 (S-Log) vs Canon 7D

Ryan Koo — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:59:49 +0000

I’m always up for a demo of the Sony F3′s S-Log mode, especially when compared to the much more expensive but similar ARRI ALEXA. The F3 has been called a “mini ALEXA” in S-Log mode, and I suppose you could call the Canon 7D a “mini F3,” though no one’s claiming the 7D can hold up to the big boys — it’s here as a reference for HDSLR shooters. Here’s the test, carried out by Hello World Communications using Cooke Panchro lenses: (more…)

Canon 7D Does 1,000 FPS Slow-Motion Surfing Video Thanks to Software Tricks

Ryan Koo — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:41:38 +0000

Devin Graham filmed surfers off Oahu’s North Shore with his Canon 7D and a 2X teleconverter (which converts his 70-200mm and 100-400mm lenses to 140-400mm and 200-800mm, respectively). As with other action sports that look great slowed-down, surfing benefits from super slow-mo, and so Dylan used After Effects to take his 60fps clips all the way down to 1,000fps. Here’s the result: (more…)

What Your HDSLR is Missing: Dynamic Range

Ryan Koo — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:44:51 +0000

Well, I should say, “what your DSLR is missing — among other things.” But one of the less obvious shortcomings of our DSLRs (other than aliasing, lack of good sound options, etc.) is the lack of dynamic range that DSLRs exhibit in video mode. And what better way to demonstrate this lack than by putting a Canon 7D side-by-side with a high-end ARRI ALEXA, and do a comparison video? (more…)

Nuno Rocha's Canon 7D Short 'Vicky and Sam'

Ryan Koo — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:13:56 +0000

Here’s a 10-minute, DSLR-shot movie about movies. Directed by Nuno Rocha and shot in Austin Texas. It might be a bit meta, but it comes with the message for screenwriters to treat your characters like they’re real people… (more…)

Finally Some Cheaper Batteries for Canon 5D and 7D Shooters

Ryan Koo — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:50:23 +0000

How’s that for an exciting thumbnail, right? This is only of interest for 5D Mark II, 7D, and forthcoming 60D shooters, but DSLRs gobble batteries at an alarming rate in movie mode. To date we’ve been faced with paying $70-$100 for each genuine Canon LP-E6 battery, or taking our chances with eBay models for $10. Until now… (more…)