Canon 5DmkII 50hz flicker on Vimeo

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2. Canon 5d mkII Moire & rolling shutter

by Josh Dahlberg

10 months ago

1. Canon 5DmkII 50hz flicker

by Josh Dahlberg

11 months ago

Canon 5dmkii with Nikkor 2.8/24mm, outdoors with shops in the background.

50hz lighting isn't fun with the Canon 5D mkII. Come on Canon, give Pal users a break!

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panga 11 months ago

pretty please Canon
Joshua Fleetwood 10 months ago

Doh!
Cheng Ka Chun 10 months ago

thanks for sharing
Matt Scott 9 months ago

Thanks so much for posting these eye openers. Its good like you say to be aware of them, but also good to keep in mind that you can still achieve AMAZING results with this camera.

I have a question however:
If I set my 5d to PAL, does that mean the only difference is a change from 60hz to 50hz? And what lights are considered "50hz lighting"?

Thanks so much :)
Josh Dahlberg 9 months ago

Changing it between NTSC & PAL has no effect on the flicker (or on your recording) - it simply changes the 5D's output via HDMI to a tv screen for viewing.

The flicker problem is caused because the MKII records at 30fps, no matter whether it's in Pal or NTSC mode. In North America with 60hz electricity, this is fine. In Pal countries (most of Europe, UK, NZ/Aus) all lighting is 50hz and therefore it's frequency is out of sync with the 5D. One way around this is to record at a shutter that is a multiple of the the electricity frequency - ie: a shutter like 50 or 100. But then, getting the desired shutter speed on the 5D is not always easy due to the lack of manual controls.

One good thing is, you can at least see the flicker in the viewfinder so you know when it's occuring.
thomasmesser 4 months ago

I think this is not the 50 or 60 Hz problem. This video was recorded in fast shutter speed. More than 1/200s. All cameras, pal, ntsc or film 24 can't ahieve pictures of monitors, led displays or fluorescent lights without flickering in fast shutters mode.
Jason Colquhoun 3 months ago

I've been playing around wit hthis system a bit lately...I'm excited as to what the future upgrades to the 5DMKII will bring...I think it'll be an amazing system.
John Novotny 3 months ago

Can't wait for the Nikon answer to this camera, it's coming soon.