It has been awhile since my last entry. Mostly because I have been engrossed in learning an entirely new medium. New to me anyway. Having the Canon 5D MKII since it first came out just over a year ago I still had not really investigated the video capabilities of this little miracle. In short it is nothing less than astounding. Once I began to get interested in what this camera could actually do it didn't take long for me to become totally sucked into this world of moving pictures.

The camera is amazing. For a relatively small investment (at least proportionately) you have the ability to create the most stunning imagery. Imagery that rivals even the most technically complex productions and output from cameras and video/film production systems that would be completely off limits financially to only the most well funded people.

What makes this camera so amazing is the full frame sensor combined with the ability to use the wide variety of lenses available from Canon. It is also small and stealthy which allows an incredible amount of freedom when shooting.

The 5D MKII is even infiltrating Hollywood. It has become the darling of the Indie filmmaking industry (as well as the newer 7D and 1D MKIV) and is becoming more and more popular in the advertising world in the making of television commercials as well as longer internet infomercials and mini web docu-dramas. It is even being used to film a feature film about Navy Seals called (working title) by renowned Hollywood cinematographer Shane Hurlbut.

Those are all the accolades. There are, however, some caveats to be considered. And, these are caveats not "downsides". There is a significant learning curve. The camera itself is fairly easy to operate in live video mode and coming from a still photography background gives you an advantage over videographers because of your knowledge and experience with basic exposure controls which are so often absent on video only cameras.

The second area of knowledge which needs to be acquired and, most important as far as I am concerned, is the ability to tell a story. Which is to say you are not telling a story through a single image or series of single images but through a continuous flow of ideas which involve not only moving and still images and the lack thereof but the incorporation of sound be it music, voiceover or natural background sound. All these things involve your ability to put them together in a cohesive format which will lead your audience in the direction you want them to go.

The last and, almost as important, part of this puzzle is editing or post production process. This is probably the most daunting because it involves educating yourself to a series of new technical processes that are essential to success. Learning both video and audio editing software and processes is not easy but once you start it can become addictive. Especially when you see whats available to you and just what you can accomplish the more proficient you become.

There are also the extensive lines of accessories available for this camera. This also involves an education to figure out what you really need vs. what is just frosting on the cake. The few pieces which I believe are necessary are a fluid head for your tripod, some kind of rig which is an apparatus which allows for smoother carrying/shooting when handheld, some sort of follow-focus used for pulling focus from one plane of focus to another, a stand-alone audio recorder (these cameras internal mic's are not very good - this is a subject in and of itself) and finally video and audio editing software.

So that's my two cents on my initial foray into all things video. Here's my first shot at putting together a short documentary. Hopefully I got some things right. I am still learning.