Magic Lantern 14 Bit RAW Video Workflow Tutorial

Check out this video if you are interested in working with RAW video in the future. There are just a few steps extra compared to regular video editing. Click here to download a few RAW image sequences right out of the camera. I have included a shot from the Blackmagic Cinema Camera as well.

A Short Q&A

Here are some questions people have asked me that I though might be good to post on my website.

Q: What lenses do you use?

A: As for lenses we are using

Canon 24mm 1.4Canon 70-200mm 2.8Canon 16-35mm 2.8Canon 50mm 1.4Canon 24-70 2.8

That is pretty much it. I haven't really used anything other than those four lenses. I would love to try out the expensive cinema prime lenses Zeiss makes...but they are expensive...

Q: What editing software do you use?

A: I use Adobe Premiere to edit all my videos. I use After Effects for special effects. For some features (like optical flow) I occasionally use Final Cut Pro X.

Q: What format and codec do you use to export your videos?

A: I export for YouTube with the following settings.

Frame size: 1920x1080

Frame Rate: 23.976 (This changes odviously because I don't shoot everything in 23.97fps)

Field Order: Progressive

Aspect: Square Pixels

TV Standard: NTSC

Profile: High

Level: 4.0

I make sure "Render at Maximum Depth" is checked

Bitrate Encoding: VBR, 2 pass

Target Bitrate (Mbps): 8 

Maximum Bitrate [Mbps]: 8

I use Adobe media encoder to do all my encoding for Youtube but MPEG Streamclip does a wonderful job as well.

Here is a sreenshot of the average video I upload to YouTube

Q: How do you clean your sensor in your camera?

A: You need to be very careful when cleaning the sensor. You don't want to blow inside your camera (even with compressed air) because it can put moisture on your sensor or sandblast the sensor from the dust in the compartment. Once I had dust on my sensor and I used a straw to suck it out. If it is really bad the best and safest way to clean it is to send it into a professional camera cleaning place.

RAW Video on 5D Mark III using Magic Lantern

It is awesome editing raw DNG files recorded from the 5D Mark III. Here is the video I created to show off the advantages of shooting RAW. 

I have provided a list of stuff you would need to install Magic Lantern with RAW support on your 5D Mark III. The installation really isn't too difficult but it has a few steps.

Pre Production List

• 5D Mark III (Firmware 1.1.3)

• Also works for 5D Mark II, 50D, 6D,  60D, 600D (Not 1080)

• CF Card formatted as ExFAT (90MB/s min)

• 23.97p 1080, 82.9MB/s
• 59.94p 720, 129.8MB/s (Haven't tested yet)
• 29.97p 1080. 103.6MB/s (Haven't tested yet)
• 16GB ≈ 3min, 32GB ≈ 6min, 64GB ≈ 12 min, 128GB ≈ 24min

• CF Card Reader (Faster the better for pulling off large files)
• CF Card Preparation Programs
• Magic Lantern Firmware
• Making card bootable (Optional but makes installation more streamlined) 
• For Mac
• Macboot
• For Windows
• EOScard

Post Production List

• CF Card Reader
• raw2dng (to unpack the .RAW file out of the camera to DNG)
• Adobe Camera RAW or Aperture (to color grade your images)
• Adobe After Effects (To render image sequence to video for editing)

Getting some new videos made

Hey everyone! I am excited to tell you that I am developing some video reviews and tutorials for the site. I will post them as soon as they are done. In the meantime let me know if there is anything you want me to do a tutorial or a review on.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera 2.5K Footage VS 5D Mark III

So I was able to get my hands on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera for about two weeks and I had a lot of fun with it. It was a huge difference from what I was used to with the 5D Mark III. These are some of the features that I found that would be helpful for someone looking to buy this camera in the future.

A Simple Interface

Upon opening the box to reveal the camera I noticed something very odd, no huge user manual. Unlike the 5D Mark III that comes with a book when you buy it, this camera comes with a little piece of paper folded into thirds that could fit in your wallet with a few instructions on it. The interface was so simple to use and I didn't even have to look at the instructions to learn the camera.

I really liked the simplicity of the menu system and the size of the screen in the back. There were just a few menus and no submenus inside the camera to go through. All you did inside the camera was name your shots, change your video and audio quality and of course your lens aperture and shutter angle controls.

The Quality and Clarity of 2.5K

The picture quality of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera is amazing in RAW. I have never used a Red or any other high resolution camera prior to the Blackmagic and when I saw the quality of what I was shooting I was in love. When shooting RAW the camera records individual DNG (Digital Negative) files that you can manipulate using many different editors. You can click here to see a comparison I did with the Blackmagic VS the 5D Mark III. Make sure you turn on Original Quality to see the difference between the cameras. I explained what I did for each shot in the description.

The Feedom of Color Correction in RAW

It was fun to color the RAW footage from this camera. Davinci Resolve comes with the camera when you purchase it but I wan't able to learn it fast enough in a week well enough to do any amazing color correction (I actually got a little impatient after messing around with it for a while) but I did put the images through Adobe Camera Raw and then combined the images into video using Adobe After Effects. I really liked how I was able to maintain detail in both highlights and shadow and it felt similar to editing a RAW picture from the 5D Mark III.

The process that I used however was very processor intensive and I was worried at times that my computer wouldn't handle it. It got through the footage after a few hours of processing and then I was able to edit the footage in Premiere. If you are shooting RAW you can't go straight to Premiere or Final Cut because you can't import image sequences straight into these programs. You have to go through Davinci Resolve, Quicktime Pro, After effects or any other program that allows you to recompile the pictures into video to be able to edit. Once it was in Premiere I had no problem editing the footage for my video.

When I tried to color correct the Blackmagic Prores 422 1080 footage I wasn't able to get near the results I did from when I shot in RAW. For some reason I even liked the 5D Mark III footage over the Blackmagic because there just seemed to be a little more color control there. I am not that well trained in color correction so don't take my word there. I have read that the Blackmagic Prores 422 dinamic range is still much greater than the 5DMIII.

The File Size

If you are prepared to burn through terabytes of storage per project this is the camera for you. Although the picture quality is amazing on this camera it comes at a cost. A 500GB per hour cost. Using this camera I needed to learn how to be more conservative with my shots because I knew that I would have to put the footage somewhere. I was using a 500GB solid state drive and I filled it pretty quick. You kind of lose track of time when you are having fun. If you are like me and like to take lots of angles and keep shooting for long periods of time you might need to switch to Prores 422 1080 on the camera to preserve space and be able to shoot longer. You don't get as much clarity, quality or dynamic range if you do this but the option is there for you if you want.

The Weight

Holding the camera for the first time I was surprised of how heavy it was compared to how heavy it looked. There is no easy way to hold the camera with your hands unlike the 5D Mark III so some sort of stabilization unit would be necessary for this camera.

The Monitor Difficult to See Outside

The size of the monitor in the back is great. The only thing I didn't like was when I stepped outside I couldn't see anything. I had to go under a sweater to be able to see the monitor well enough to make decisions based on my shot.

The battery and external battery sources.

You can not replace the internal battery in this camera. If you are mobile and are on shoots away from power sources you have to bring your own. If you already own Canon batteries you can use them with an adapter to power the Blackmagic. There are many adapters for all the different kinds of batteries out there so you shouldn't have too much of an issue finding something that works for you.

The Crop

The only thing that made me really sad about the camera was its 2.3x crop sensor. I had a 24mm lens on it and it acted like a 60mm lens. There was no way of getting any kind of super wide shot which I use a lot when I shoot video. I have read that there might be a ring coming out that will allow you to have a full frame look on this camera. Philip Bloom talks about this here.

The crop isn't bad for everyone though. This is such a great camera for all kinds of film. You are only limited with wide shots so if your film requires anything but super wide shots this is such a great camera.

The Price

B&H has the Blackmagic listed at $2995. This is nearly $500 less than the 5D Mark III but you will probably be spending just about that on a solid state drive worthy for the camera so overall they end up being about the same.

Click here to see the Blackmagic on B&H
Click here to see the 5D Mark III on B&H
Click here to see a good solid state drive for the Blackmagic on B&H

Philip Bloom does a more in-depth video review of the camera here. He also compares other cameras besides the 5D Mark III.

A list of other cool features:

• - Focus Assist Button - This allowed me to know where I was focused without having to zoom in and double check.
• - Highlight control button (Aperture) - Push this button and your camera ajusts the aperture to make sure you are not clipping in the highlights.
• You can use EOS lenses if you buy the camera with an EF mount. If you have already invested in EOS lenses you can jump right in with this camera without having to buy anything else.

Back to Posting!

Well it has been a long time since I have posted anything. I have been working on a massive archive for our projects and behind the scenes like crazy. I have also been running around chasing a one year old baby who is now walking. I am trying to figure out what to post about and hopefully ideas come more readily. If you would like to ask me a question please email me.

What cameras do ThePianoGuys use and why?

First off I want to let you know that what I say in this post is just my opinion and if you are in the market to buy a camera you need to do the research to make sure it is right for you. Also I might not cover everything because there is just so much to cover. If there is something I missed please let me know and I can go further in detail. That said...

So I get emails every day of people asking me what cameras and lenses ThePianoGuys use for our productions. Usually the reason why people ask this question is to get advice about what they should or shouldn't get when buying a camera and/or lenses for their own production. Also people ask me what is the best camera out there or which is my personal favorite. These are difficult questions to answer because there are so many circumstances where one camera would be better than another based on many different factors. I will do my best to explain in this post what we have come to understand about the cameras and lenses ThePianoGuys use and why we have chosen to use these over other potential options. So what cameras and lenses do ThePianoGuys use? Here is our current list.

 

Cameras ThePianoGuys use on a regular basis:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera
• Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera
• (Coming Soon) Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera

Lenses ThePianoGuys use on a regular basis:

• Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Autofocus Lens
• Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Autofocus Lens
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

Other cameras we often rent for special proposes:

• Sony PMW-EX3 XDCAM EX HD Camcorder
• Sony PMW-F3L Super 35mm XDCAM EX Full-HD Compact Camcorder

 

Why do we use these cameras over other options?

 

#1 Size and portability

We love the size of the DSLR cameras. The 5D Mark II (and the newer 5D Mark III) are great portable cameras. With the interchangeable lens ability you can really get a great look in a pretty small package. We can go into locations and remain under the radar easier because we aren't carrying around huge bulky cameras. Also when having to hike into locations the weight is less than bigger video cameras so it is easier to carry. In addition, because of the lighter weight it is easier to mount these cameras to the more portable stabilization units like the Glidecam which we use pretty much for every shoot.

#2 Picture quality

With the full frame sensor and the ability to attach high quality lenses to the camera, we can pull off truly cinematic looking shots with very little effort. The look of your video (the shallow depth of field and those really nice rack focus shots) are only made possible by the lens. A great camera operator could have a really nice camera but if he doesn't have a good lens attached to it then it doesn't do him much good. Remember: The picture is all about the lens. The better the lens, the less light is needed. (especially indoors) and the better your picture will be.

Although the look of your picture is all about the lens, cameras like the 5D Mark II (now the 5D Mark III) have low light ISO capabilities enabling to film in even dimmer circumstances. Note that raising the ISO increases noise on the picture, but it allows you to do things with the camera you couldn't have done before with other cameras. On our videos we have shot footage as high as 6400 ISO. A good example is the disco scene in our video "Me and My Cello - Happy Together"

Are DSLR cameras really more cost effective?

Some say yes

When comparing these cameras to the big cinema cameras then yes; using DSLR cameras for video is more cost effective. They use these cameras for television and many independent movies now. It used to be that you needed more than a million dollar budget to make a film. Now people are pulling off $200,000 features.

Some say no

If you go the DSLR route and you are on a very tight budget, you may come to find out pretty early on that it isn't the most cost effective way to shoot video. While it appears cost effective when looking at the body of the camera compared to other camera bodies, it doesn't hold true when looking at lenses. Remember, the look of your picture is all about the lens. Just the three lenses ThePianoGuys use (listed above) all add up to be over $6,500. This is more than three times the cost of the body of the 5D Mark II. When it is all said and done you are at a camera package of over $10,000 to cover all your most needed focal lengths. So now what?

At this point if you are still looking for a professional camera I would go for a Sony PMW-EX3 or EX1. (Sony PMW-EX3 is listed above as one of our regularly rented cameras).

What are the advantages of a professional video camera VS DSLR?

Because I have more experience with the camera I am gong to talk about the SONY PMW-EX3. This camera and cameras like it have many advantages over the DSLR cameras. I have shot with these cameras a lot and I have really come to like them. They just have a clarity about them that the 5D Mark II can't even touch. We shot our video “Pirates of the Caribbean using” with two PMW-EX3 cameras that we rented. You can tell the clarity of this video is much sharper than many of our other videos. Also, with auto-focus on these cameras it is easier to put them on a jib and have it stay in focus. You have a pretty decent (not the best) zoom lens that comes with it which makes it so packing and going is much quicker. You can buy a new EX1 right now for $6299 and the EX3 for around $8300 which is less than the camera package ThePianoGuys use.

Does any of this really matter?

In the past few years we have seen the evolution of cameras progress rapidly. All I have told you is great but you have to realize that all cameras are getting so good that anyone with a creative mind can create wonderful material. See this video by freddiew. They shot this video on a Samsung Galaxy S iii. It is amazing what can be done on the smallest of budgets. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars to create really great stuff. I advise you to read about all the cameras you can and talk to people who have used them before. With great cameras now priced so low there is no reason why someone couldn't go out and create their own story.

The last thing I want to share is this documentary called "REVENGE of the Great Camera Shootout". Make sure to watch part one and part two. This video really opened my eyes and made me change my view on cameras. I used to think that the only way to make films was to get the best of the best cameras. Well this documentary does a very unique test between many different cameras. (including an iPhone). Thank you for reading my blog. Please ask me questions through my twitter @Tel_Stewart.

Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 - Part One: Starting With Darkness from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.


Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 - Part Two: Igniting The Debate from Steve Weiss on Vimeo.