Review – Learn Canon 5D MkII Cinematography – Philip Bloom
The Canon 5D Mk II has taken the world, and Canon, by surprise as a great camcorder – even though it’s a stills camera. Getting the best video from it, given its still-birth, can be tricky though. A new DVD by Philip Bloom, one of the biggest advocates of this new camera, aims to take the viewer through everything they need to know to shoot great looking moving images.
The DVD covers the additional equipment you’ll need, from lenses, viewfinder accessories and ND filters to shoulder mounts, matte boxes and follow focuses. Philip also demonstrates the menu settings for best footage capture, shooting styles and there is a set of DVD extras on post-production workflow.
The presentation is good, though you sometimes wish Mr. Bloom would get to the point a bit quicker (but that’s what the Fast Forward button is for, right?). The points, once reached, are both insightful and useful and – perhaps the best thing about the DVD – Philip Bloom’s enthusiasm, the footage shown from the camera and the interesting tidbits inspire the viewer to get the best from their own camera.
The down side is the price – £70 ($120) is a little eye-watering for an instructional DVD – though if it saves you buying the wrong bit of kit or wasting a day shooting, the expense should be reasonably easy to justify.
Adam Garstone
