This is officially my first blog entry of any kind. Fairly Exciting.
...So I'm in the process of "tricking out" my 5D for a doc I'm going to shoot in Albania. It's been a ton of research and I still don't have all the answers, but basically the 2 main options for turning your still camera into a viable option for video are: www.zacuto.com or www.redrockmicro.com
Although Zacuto is way more expensive (and arguably more well-made), I prefer the red rock hand grips, follow focus, and the red rock quick release system so I may end up making a composite from the best of both manufacturers. In my case, it's complicated because I shoot "Goofy-Eyed" (left eye) and so I need to offset the camera to my left.
The thing I am most proud of is discovering that if you mount a quick release plate to a cheeseborough plate you can go from handheld to tripod mode in a matter of seconds.
What gets expensive in all honesty (besides lenses) is a decent mattebox, filters, and tripod. You will no doubt end up spending way more for the accessories than for the camera, but you will have a better product than most prosumer cameras in that price range. Optically anyway.
As for audio, becahtek makes an adapter which should make audio decent if not professional quality:
http://www.beachtek.com/dxa5d.html
You still have the 30p to 24p issue to address and this guy has one solution which I haven't tested and can't speak to, but is interesting to ponder: http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/05/30/how-to-convert-canon-5dmk2-footage-from-30p-to-24p/
Anyhow, I still have a lot more research to do, but it is exciting to play and explore the phenomena of a still/video hybrid.
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