Multitasking with 5d mk2

  I’ve always been against multi-tasking  (do one job and do it properly) but the chance of shooting video and stills on one camera is just too tempting. But just how easy is it to do. Recently I had the chance to fly across the English Channel with a record breaking 50 other hot air balloons, space was at a premium and the gear was down to one 5d mk2, 2 lenses, Rode Videomic (old style) and GoPro on a chest harness.  The GoPro was just in case we ditched in the sea I could at least produce something  saleable to pay for the rest of the gear, my smiling Italian hosts told me as we were crossing the White Cliffs that there where 3 of us and only 2 lifejackets so the waterproof housing could well of been tested.

So just a Canon 5d with the Rode videomic on top and a LCDVF magnifier on the screen. The LCDVF might not be the best viewer on the market but for switching between video and stills it is brilliant tie the strap onto your camera strap and you can whip it on and off and let it dangle when your shooting  stills . If you’re not familiar with this one it has a magnetic strip stuck onto your screen and the finder just snaps on and off perfect in this application. Not so handy is the Videomic, pop off your LCDVF and try and look through your normal viewfinder and you’ll have the Videomic embedded in your forehead so you have to keep taking it on and off, not so good. Closer look at the mounting on the Videomic looks like you might be able to shift the point of contact forward I’ll give it a try and update. The Rode Videomic Pro does not have this problem and only protrudes forward.

  Of course it’s not just about the gear, if you’re  trying to do both then you need to prioritise one way or another accept that you can get an ok film and try an anticipate a couple of key moments that will make strong still images. It’s not perfect and you will miss things but hey you’re not superman.

  Anyway check out the little film let me know what you think. As you can imagine this was a dog free job.