5d2 burst rate hitting 30 fps, up to 18K ++ shots?

[liquidstone]

If I understand it correctly, each frame of a 5d2 video can be extracted as a 1920x1080 pixel still photo (in jpeg perhaps?). For 10 - 12 minutes of video at 30 fps, that totals 18,000 - 21,600 2.07 MP still images before shooting has to be stopped temporarily.

Wow.... that makes the 5DM2 even faster than the old Olympus E-100 RS, which shot 1.3 MP stills at a blazing 15 fps. :D

Anybody can confirm that the 2.07 M stills can be extracted from the 5d2 video and thus useable for low res applications?

[aussieskier]

Theoretically, yes that is possible. You can extract a still from progressive video. However, the compression used on video is different than jpeg and thus the artifacts would be different.

You would be able to get a 2mp file from it, but I couldn't tell you what the compression quality would be like without seeing it.

[jcolman]

Here's a link to a blog that has a pic extracted directly from the video.

http://www.bebbblog.com/


The compression is quite noticeable.

[liquidstone]

Theoretically, yes that is possible. You can extract a still from progressive video. However, the compression used on video is different than jpeg and thus the artifacts would be different.

You would be able to get a 2mp file from it, but I couldn't tell you what the compression quality would be like without seeing it.

Thanks for the info.

I use a consumer Sony DCR-SR65 videocam (720 x 480 res), and I can indeed extract stills from the footage, and these are saved as jpegs by the software supplied with the videocam. IQ is nowhere near the quality of DSLR jpegs (heavily compressed and narrow DR), but for very low-res apps (newspapers, small prints, etc.), these are surprisingly useable. I expect stills extracted from the 5d2 video to be far better.

[jcolman]

I expect stills extracted from the 5d2 video to be far better. Better, yes. But are they something you'd want to use as a still image? Doubtful. Too much compression.

[jacobsen1]

Here's a link to a blog that has a pic extracted directly from the video.[/url]

well that's the .jpeg that gets dropped on the card as a preview for the video... So it's not a frame from the middle, but it should be similar (my P&S does that too).


You can extract a still from progressive video.

HOW?

[charlesking]

The video encoding uses a GoP that's 15 frames long. That means that 28 of the frames produced every second are 'predictive' frames which will be of slightly lower quality. Given the huge bitrate used, I think it will prove hard to tell the difference though.

As to 'how': play the movie in VLC, navigate to the desired frame, select Video->Snapshot.

[cptrios]

Even with compression, from what I've seen a well-exposed video would be perfectly suitable for extracting 4x6 prints. Nothing bigger...but that's still pretty damn decent considering the 30fps factor!

[liquidstone]

Given the huge bitrate used, I think it will prove hard to tell the difference though.




Indeed.... at a bit rate of 38.6 Mbits/sec, even if some are allocated to audio, that's still a lot data to make decent stills.

[liquidstone]

Looks like a countryman of mine has already extracted stills from a 5d2 video (pre-prod unit), it's Reply No. 143 in this linked thread:

http://www.pinoyphotography.org/forum/index.php?topic=36640.135

[PacAce]

Thanks for the info.

I use a consumer Sony DCR-SR65 videocam (720 x 480 res), and I can indeed extract stills from the footage, and these are saved as jpegs by the software supplied with the videocam. IQ is nowhere near the quality of DSLR jpegs (heavily compressed and narrow DR), but for very low-res apps (newspapers, small prints, etc.), these are surprisingly useable. I expect stills extracted from the 5d2 video to be far better.
Romy, if the still extract from a 720x480 video is good enough for what you need, then the a still from the 5Dmk2 should be much better at its highest resolution of 1920 x 1080.

For comparison, attached is a still image from a video shot with a Nikon D90 at a lower HD resolution of 1280 x 720 (cropped to 1024 x 720 for attaching here) using the kit lens that came with it. The 5Dmk2 should be able to better, I'm sure. :)

307382

[basroil]

the good thing about the mkii is that you can just shoot 21mp shots and have video resume after the mirror returns. Not bad, but not like a 4k RED where you can extract a 10mp image from anywhere in the film without stopping recording

[jacobsen1]

As to 'how': play the movie in VLC, navigate to the desired frame, select Video->Snapshot.
thanks, can't wait to see how that looks.

[charlesking]

thanks, can't wait to see how that looks.
You can try it out for yourself. DPR posted a couple of original 1080p .MOV files straight from the camera at
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091705canon_5dmarkii.asp#samples
All the other samples I've found have been downsized or converted to flash.

[HyperYagami]

remember, in that case the shots are fixed at 1/30s exposure. don't expect you can freeze action that way.

[fWord]

We need to hold out for video cameras that can produce an image of equivalent IQ to a current 10+MP camera. When that happens we can certainly catch the 'moment' everytime!

When something is about to happen, raise the camera to your eye and 'vacumn in' about 10 seconds of video, and select the best millisecond in that to produce our image!

Perfect moments, everytime!!

[charlesking]

We need to hold out for video cameras that can produce an image of equivalent IQ to a current 10+MP camera. When that happens we can certainly catch the 'moment' everytime!

When something is about to happen, raise the camera to your eye and 'vacumn in' about 10 seconds of video, and select the best millisecond in that to produce our image!

Perfect moments, everytime!!
Muahaha, take that Cartier-Bresson!

[basroil]

We need to hold out for video cameras that can produce an image of equivalent IQ to a current 10+MP camera. When that happens we can certainly catch the 'moment' everytime!

When something is about to happen, raise the camera to your eye and 'vacumn in' about 10 seconds of video, and select the best millisecond in that to produce our image!

Perfect moments, everytime!!

NY Post tried doing that at yankee stadium with three mkiii's set up to fire at third phase (so that they would fire 1:2:3,1:2:3 and you'd get exactly 30fps). Sadly enough, they missed the shot they wanted. To get the shot "every" time (within human bounds that is, still won't get a bullet or even paintball all the time), you'll need 60-120fps, so 10mp at 100fps (for rough estimate) would produce at least 1GB of information. I don't know of any consumer technologies that allow you to record at that speed, let alone store more than a few minutes.

[fWord]

...so 10mp at 100fps (for rough estimate) would produce at least 1GB of information. I don't know of any consumer technologies that allow you to record at that speed, let alone store more than a few minutes.

While I didn't do well at math in school, would that be roughly 10GB of information every 10 seconds? Can't say for sure at the moment but certainly as technology improves, that could be possible. Imagine a camera with twelve DIGIC VIII processors, 30GB buffer...you take in a 30-second burst, the camera locks for another 30-seconds. Switch to next camera on your sidearm.

All the while this video footage is beamed wirelessly to a number of editors that sift out the best frame while the photographer is at work. By the time game is over, pictures are ready to be placed in a newspaper.

Oh, didn't think of that. A standard newspaper may not even need a 10MP image. How about 3MP? Unless it's on the frontpage.

[fWord]

Muahaha, take that Cartier-Bresson!

:lol: A classic example of technology over skill. That would make the poor man roll in his grave.

[basroil]

While I didn't do well at math in school, would that be roughly 10GB of information every 10 seconds? Can't say for sure at the moment but certainly as technology improves, that could be possible. Imagine a camera with twelve DIGIC VIII processors, 30GB buffer...you take in a 30-second burst, the camera locks for another 30-seconds. Switch to next camera on your sidearm.

All the while this video footage is beamed wirelessly to a number of editors that sift out the best frame while the photographer is at work. By the time game is over, pictures are ready to be placed in a newspaper.

Oh, didn't think of that. A standard newspaper may not even need a 10MP image. How about 3MP? Unless it's on the frontpage.

Well, the physical limit for consumer HDDs right now is about 100mb/s, and for SSD it's about 150mb/s. Now, if they used anything even remotely like that you are saying, you won't be able to switch cameras like that, you'll have to move to the next station, as each camera will be about a cubic foot and the battery would be larger than my laptop's, just to be able to power the cards and processors...

[fWord]

Well, the physical limit for consumer HDDs right now is about 100mb/s, and for SSD it's about 150mb/s. Now, if they used anything even remotely like that you are saying, you won't be able to switch cameras like that, you'll have to move to the next station, as each camera will be about a cubic foot and the battery would be larger than my laptop's, just to be able to power the cards and processors...

Haha...only time will tell. Give it a decade and I'm sure it's easily possible.

[davidfig]

Here's a link to a blog that has a pic extracted directly from the video.

http://www.bebbblog.com/


The compression is quite noticeable.

Can you tell me which one it is. Since the first one talks about video, but it states that they took a photo.

[Adamora]

well that's the .jpeg that gets dropped on the card as a preview for the video... So it's not a frame from the middle, but it should be similar (my P&S does that too).




HOW?

Print screen :P

[bieber]

remember, in that case the shots are fixed at 1/30s exposure. don't expect you can freeze action that way.
There's no reason to expect them to fix the shutter speed at 1/30s, though. They just have to take thirty frames a second, it doesn't matter how long each frame is exposed for.

[olly1oo6]

remember, in that case the shots are fixed at 1/30s exposure. don't expect you can freeze action that way.

I believe you're getting frame-rate confused with shutter speed.
You can shoot at 30fps on a video camera with a 1/2000th shutter, and if you freeze-frame on a shot it will certainly capture the action without blur. Although I do not know what/whether the 5d2 has manual controls over shutter speed, it will more likely be at least 1/60th and above depending on the light available.

[liquidstone]

I'm supposed to join some birding buddies in trying out a pre-prod 5d2 at birds a few days ago, but I begged off because of heavy rains. My friends managed to take some video footage despite the rains:

http://birdphotoph.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=review&action=display&thread=1559&page=1


I'm hoping I can get my hands on this pre-prod 5d2 in the coming days so I can try out the video capture too. :)

Romy