This page is based on research, information, and testing that has proven to provide a "cinematic" look from the Canon 5D MK-II. It's presented here as a step-by-step guide that will take you through the process of configuring and using the camera for cinematic video.
The optimal ISO settings are 160, 320, 640, 1250, or 1600. ISO does affect the noise level within the picture. The lower the ISO, the less noise in the picture. However, under low light conditions, you will need to increase the ISO settings.
The shutter speed of a movie camera under normal shooting conditions is 1/48th of a second. The "nearest" setting on the Canon 5D is 1/50th of a second. Set the shutter speed to 1/50th.
A compatible shutter speed chart is provided at the end of this page detailing "nearest" values based on a 24fps 1/48th exposure.
The Canon 5D has a number of automated features that are designed to improve still photography. Unfortunately, these settings are not ideal for cinematographers seeking a cinematic look.
Disable the follow functions from the menu settings:
- Shooting 2 (Red)
- Picture Style (click "set")
- Toggle to User Def. 1
- Press the INFO button
- Toggle to Sharpness setting
- Set sharpness to 0 (zero)
- Click Set
- Menu: Set-Up 1 (Yellow)
- Auto power off
- Set to "off"
- Custom Functions (Orange)
- Select C.FN II: Image
- Select item 2 "High ISO speed noise reduct'n"
- Set to "Disable"
- Select C.FN II: Image
- Select item 3 "Highlight tone priority"
- Set to "Disable"
- Select C.FN II: Image
- Select item 4 "Auto Lighting Optimizer"
- Set to "Disable"
- Set-Up 2 (Yellow)
- Toggle to "Live View/Movie func. set."
- Click "Set"
- Toggle to "LV func. setting"
- Click "Set"
- Toggle to "Stills+Movie"
- Click "Set"
- Toggle to "Movie display"
- Click "Set"
- Press "Menu" button twice
- Toggle to "Movie rec. size"
- Click "Set"
- Select 1920x1080 @24fps
- Click "Set"
- If recording sound externally, or not recording sound at all; Toggle to "Sound recording"
- Click "Set"
- Toggle to "Sound rec."
- Click "Set"
- Set to "Disable"
- Click "Set"
- Set the camera to M for manual mode
- Switch the camera past "on" and to the "Quick Control Dial" setting
- Shutter speed is already set to 1/50th
- ISO can be set at any time but should be set to 160, 320, 640, 1250, or 1600
- Aperture is adjusted by turning the Quick Control Dial
- Turning to the right decreases the size of the aperture
- Turning to the left increase the size of the aperture
- Focusing the camera is achieved by manually turning the focus ring
- Zoom the lens in to the subject
- Press the "Magnify" button twice (x10)
- Adjust focus in the Live View window
- Press the "Magnify" button one more time to reset to normal
- 1920 x 1080 24fps video is recorded as:
- 23.976fps
- 1920x1080 interlace full frame (no scaling, cropping; interlaced)
- H.264 Quicktime
- 46 Mbits/second (5.75MB/second)
- Audio is recorded as:
- 16bit (Little Endian)
- Stereo (L+R)
- 48KHz
- 1920x1080 24pfs, file size averages 330MBytes/minute (approx. 5.5MBytes/second)
- Maximum file size allowable is 4Gbytes
- Maximum duration allowable is 11 minutes, 59 seconds
- When maximum size or duration is achieved, recording stops
- 300X professional grade CF cards are the minimum standard for HD recording
- Maximum read/write speed of a 300X card is 45MBytes/second (approx. 360Mbits/second)
- UDMA Type II
- 533X professional grade CF card is ideal
- UDMA Type II
o Read speed – 80Mbytes/second
o Write speed – up to 90Mbytes/second
- 8GB card can store up to 24 minutes (max) of HD video
- 16GB card can store up to 48 minutes (max) of HD video
- CF to PC transfer times (300X cards via USB 2.0):
- 4GB = 5.25 minutes
- 5GB = 6.5 minutes
- 8GB = 10.5 minutes
- 16GB = 21 minutes
- 32GB = 41.5 minutes
*NOTE: Transfer speed varies depending on the size and number of files.
Performance of CF cards varies from manufacturer and situation.
- Battery Model: LP-E6 (NOT interchangeable with BP-511A)
- From empty to full requires 2.5 to 4 hrs of charging time
- Blinking "orange" light at 1 blink/second indicates 0-50% charge
- Blinking "orange" light at 2 blinks/second indicates 50-75% charge
- Blinking "orange" light at 3 blinks/second indicates 75-100% charge
- Battery Life: 1.5 hours (MAX) in movie mode with Live View
- Battery Grip Model: BG-E6 (NOT interchangeable with BG-E4)
- BG-E6 Life: 3 hours (MAX) in movie mode with Live View
| Cinematic |
Canon Shutter Speed |
Deviation* |
Accuracy** |
| 48 |
50 |
4.17% |
104.17% |
| 240 |
250 |
4.17% |
104.17% |
| 384 |
400 |
4.17% |
104.17% |
| 480 |
500 |
4.17% |
104.17% |
| 624 |
640 |
2.56% |
102.56% |
| 768 |
800 |
4.17% |
104.17% |
| 816 |
800 |
-1.96% |
98.04% |
| 1008 |
1000 |
-0.79% |
99.21% |
| 1248 |
1250 |
0.16% |
100.16% |
| 1584 |
1600 |
1.01% |
101.01% |
| 1968 |
2000 |
1.63% |
101.63% |
| 2496 |
2500 |
0.16% |
100.16% |
| 3168 |
3200 |
1.01% |
101.01% |
| 3984 |
4000 |
0.40% |
100.40% |
| 4992 |
5000 |
0.16% |
100.16% |
| 7968 |
8000 |
0.40% |
100.40% |
* Deviations closer to zero represent less disparity between the Canon and a Cinema Camera
** Accuracy closer to 100% represents the optimal Canon shutter speed
† Please note there are a great many considerations in selecting an optimal shutter speed including availability and use of light, depth of field, and more. This chart is provided only as a gauge to demonstrate the range of options available to replicate a cinema camera's shutter. |
