5Diii - Event Video Recording Advice, Please

I was wondering if anyone could give a few pointers please. I have been asked if I could provide a camera to a friend to record a family member and few of their close friends performing a routine as part of an evening of entertainment.

My intention is to loan a 5Diii with appropriate lens. I have not used the camera myself for video more than once (I have stills) so it feels a little bit like the blind leading the blind...to make things worse I cannot attend so instructions have to be passed on. The event is for fun, non-commercial, village hall type of thing, so if it all goes pear shaped then it is not the end of the world...but I would like to give the best chance of getting a good outcome/video.

The intention would be to have the camera on a tripod with the shutter button option enabled to allow a cable shutter release to start and stop the recording by someone sitting next to it.

My questions are:

Will the camera audio recording be acceptable if the camera is located more-or-less somewhere in the audience (I guess 80-100 people)?

Being mindful of the 29 minute 59 second recording limit, if you press the 'stop' and then the 'start' recording will there be a delay whilst file writing takes place or any other peculiarity?

If the sensor likely to overheat using the camera in this way, event recording for say 1.5 hours?

Is setting the focus manually and using 'P' mode the best way to set the camera?

How long will a fully charged battery last doing this?

Is there any do or don't advice?

I am intending setting the camera resolution to 1920 - 24 - IBP if this is relevant.

Apologies for the perhaps basic questions, but any advice or pointers would be really appreciated - I always say "you don't know what you don't know" so hearing from someone who has used the camera like this would be helpful. THANKS!

Will the camera audio recording be acceptable if the camera is located more-or-less somewhere in the audience (I guess 80-100 people)?
I think you should set your camera to auto on audio levels for this other person. The audio won't be great, but you will probably get something. I would get a shotgun mic like a rodevideomic to help.


Being mindful of the 29 minute 59 second recording limit, if you press the 'stop' and then the 'start' recording will there be a delay whilst file writing takes place or any other peculiarity?

I've had delays in video even when recording for 29 minutes and 59 seconds. When the file size reaches 4gb, the file will split but should continue, sometimes however, there's some missing frames. It isn't huge, but I've had it happen. Yes if you press the start and stop there is a delay, but shouldn't be huge (will depend on the card). If you're trying to get complete coverage of the event using the 5D Mark III with a person who has never used this camera before, you are in very murky territory. Ideally you would need two DSLRs, one located elsewhere and intermittent checking of the two.



If the sensor likely to overheat using the camera in this way, event recording for say 1.5 hours?
- I have never had my 5D Mark III overheat and I filmed a rather warm high school graduation day. I did have a battery grip though.

Is setting the focus manually and using 'P' mode the best way to set the camera?
Manually focusing and exposing the camera manually is the best way to handle the camera. I would probably set the ISO to Auto for this person, but you risk getting bad footage in really odd lighting conditions.

How long will a fully charged battery last doing this?
Not sure, maybe 45 minutes? I usually bring extra batteries.

Is there any do or don't advice?
1. This is a bad idea.
2. The 5D Mark III is great for event recording, but not for coverage of the event. Your probably better off with a dedicated video camera for coverage.

I am intending setting the camera resolution to 1920 - 24 - IBP if this is relevant.
That should be fine. You would run out of memory very quickly with ALL-I. Personally, the quality is negligible in most cases depending on the output of the video.

Apologies for the perhaps basic questions, but any advice or pointers would be really appreciated - I always say "you don't know what you don't know" so hearing from someone who has used the camera like this would be helpful. THANKS!

Thanks Mesakid for taking the trouble to reply.

I hadn't picked up on the Auto audio level option - so thanks for that.

I know exactly what you mean when you say this isn't a good idea...that's my gut feeling too. The 5Diii seems great for getting quality footage, but not for longish event recording, especially in the hands of a novice.

My four options seem to be either, (1) stick with the 5Diii plan and hope it works, (2) offer a G12 and tripod, (3) nip out and buy a cheap camcorder and find a use for it later, or (4) say I cannot help.