I was just looking at some videos shot with the 5D, and many of them are official music videos. And it makes so much sense, the 5D is the best cost-effective camera for this specific job. It seems that many professional filmmakers who shoot music videos by trade, have flocked behind the 5D. At $3,500 (with two medium quality lenses) is a bargain.

With its 30p, you can shoot the video with 25% sped up audio, and then slow-down the video in post to 24p to match the original audio (confused? read here). Then, there’s the unparalleled quality of the videos straight out of the 5D (higher bitrate than any HDV/AVCHD prosumer camera), its color and image control that can emulate film looks, shallow DoF, and now, full manual control. The fact that its audio abilities are less than ideal is irrelevant towards shooting a music video, since the audio is added later.

At this point makes absolutely no sense to buy any prosumer camera ($2,000 to $10,000) and put a 35mm adapter in them to shoot music videos. Because, either the bitrate of these cameras can’t surpass the 5D’s (e.g. EX1, XH-A1), or the resolution is actually lower and adding a 35m adapter kills quality even more — even if the bitrate is higher (e.g. HVX200).

It only makes sense to get these cameras instead if you actually need true 24p recording (which is coming to the 5D too, and it’s not necessary for 25% slow-downed music videos anyway), if you need 60p/60i for better slow-motion, or if you need better audio options.

In other words: if you are in the business of shooting music videos, get a 5D and use it as your main camera. And if you happen to need better slow-motion abilities, get a consumer Canon HF-S100 that shoots in good quality 60i (when interpolating to 540p it creates a 60p file that produces smoother slow-mo).

Of course, for music bands that don’t have that kind of money, they can try my guide for shooting their music video for less than $430.

UPDATE: Heh, what do you know? This article was published today at NYTimes!

* If you are using Vegas with progressive Cineform files, make sure you read this. This is a must-do, or you are losing heaps of quality. The bug is actually not Cineform’s or Vegas’, but whoever wrote the AVI container specification.

* I updated the OSNews’ Mobile Detection Kit package a few days ago. It now includes detection for the Palm Pre among others.

* The Blitzen Trapper are preparing a new EP, that includes songs previously available only via CD-Rs sold at their gigs. Too bad that “Crushing the wheat” is not included, as it’s one of their best songs. I will be buying anyway though.

* David Carradine (along John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Steve McQueen) was one of my father’s favorite actors. I never liked the guy for some reason. While kung-fu and shit are all under my geek skin (I even practiced some tae-kwon-do ITF for a while back in the early ’90s), Carradine rubbed me the wrong way somehow, as a kid. I felt that there was something weird about him. I guess now we know (and there were allegations by one of his numerous ex-wives that he had sex with a young close relative of his). Yuck.

* I guess I have a fetish too. I like intelligent men. For example, there’s this Sony Vegas engineer that I don’t even know how he looks like (never seen a pic of him), but he’s so damn smart that… The guy just gets it, while some others in his team just manage to piss me off.

* JBQ and I watched the “Valkyrie” movie last night. Pretty good movie, we liked it.

* I now have a Google profile. Complete yours too!

* I cooked some Thai curry with rice for lunch, and my stomach hurts right now. Burp…

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