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Sign of the Times

Apr 9, 2009 12:00 PM, By D.W. Leitner

A look at the Canon Realis WUX10, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and other signposts on the road to low-cost innovation.

In a nutshell, the DMC-GH1 features a 4/3in. CMOS sensor with 12.1 megapixels, dual-CPU image processing, stereo mic input, HDMI output, and recording to SDHC cards. The 3in. LCD viewing screen swivels and folds out to the side. And how cool is this: The viewfinder turns on only when you bring your eye to the eyepiece. You can even relegate the LCD panel to a detailed status display if you want. All this in a camera body weighing 13.6oz.

Now, none of these hybrid still cameras produce always-flawless HD. CMOS images are vulnerable to rolling shutter, a noticeable skew from top to bottom caused by the fact that CMOS images are captured as sequential horizontal lines, from top to bottom, rather than all at once. If a tall, fast-moving object darts across the frame, for example, the portion of its image at the top of a single frame will be registered a split-second earlier than the portion at the bottom of the same frame. Panning a CMOS camera too quickly can produce the same oblique, wobbly result. (This look has already been dubbed “jellocam.”)

And as Forman points out, not being able to lock down the ISO, or sensitivity, of his Canon 5D Mark II means that when shooting at night, the digital signal processing of the 5D Mark II, such as it is, can jack up the ISO rating as high as 3200—in the middle of a shot. (Think coarse shadow detail in an Impressionist painting.)

Nevertheless, Forman likes his 5D Mark II, which he says is “definitely great for stock shots, where there are no actors involved and no focus-pulling.”

I spent an afternoon with Forman while he worked down a list of needed HD stock shots in midtown Manhattan. Since I sometimes shoot films about architecture, I was particularly interested in Canon’s EF series of tilt-shift lenses, including 17mm, 45mm, and 90mm. Tilt-shift lenses are specialty lenses used in landscape and architectural photography for perspective control, and they’re also unsurpassed at creative control of depth of field. (See accompanying photo on p. 32.) These effects have been common in large-format photography since the 19th century, but they remain extremely rare in digital video and film. Until the 5D Mark II, that is.

In February, Canon announced two new tilt-shift EF lenses: the ultrawide TS-E17mm f/4 and the TS-E24mm f/3.5 II, which replaces Canon’s original 24mm EF tilt-shift. Canon says the new version offers lower geometric distortion and reduced chromatic aberration. Both feature Canon’s new TS Revolving System, which permits tilt-shift lens movements to be adjusted in parallel or at right angles to each other. (Got that?)

With Forman, I tested a Canon TS-E45mm f/2.8 (which can also rotate if you know the trick). A normal focal length for 35mm, it wasn’t wide enough to serve as an aid to filming architecture (a topic for a future article?). But what an amazing feeling to have this early photographic technique updated for digital motion imaging!

Continue the discussion on �Crosstalk� the Millimeter Forum.
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