Canon T2i = HD Video / DSLR for under $1k

Stephen Locke said:
That's good news and at 1 sec it is faster than my 1Ds models with firewire! I figured they must have improved that somehow esp. w/ HD video to upload to the computer as well.
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I remember reading the T2i has vastly improved USB data transfer...
 
I would assume transfer rate wouldn't be an issue, as even with my T1i it is leaps and bounds above what my XTi was on simple USB. The video files do take quite a while though.
 
Stephen Locke said:
That's good news and at 1 sec it is faster than my 1Ds models with firewire! I figured they must have improved that somehow esp. w/ HD video to upload to the computer as well.
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There are times on my laptop it will take 30-60 minutes to dump like 4 gigs from. Then other times it does it as fast as my pc. Like it thinks it is not USB 2.0. I CAN'T stand it when it does that. I could time it later to make sure, but it is really damn fast even compared to my fast XSi dump. I remember thinking, oh damn, when I first saw it go.

I agree on that 2 card thing, that would be nice and seems like something they could have done easy enough.

Sucks though, had to get new batteries again, new flash cards since XSi was SDHC, and even new cable release type on these things. And today a small format HDMI cable lol.

I thought the 12,800 and 25,600 ISO would be somewhat usable using RAW conversion software to remove the color noise. I was wrong. Heck I think I'll enjoy 50 ISO more than anything. Give a little longer low light shutter blur effect without any ND filters and silky smooth noise free shots.
 
Mike Hollingshead said:
Also there is bit rate for the footage. Sounds like these DSLR do around 45-50 mbits/s. HDV and most consumer HD vid cams are what, 25 mbits/s or less?
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Bit rates in a tapeless environment are pretty worthless to determine video quality. The Canon DSLRs have huge bitrates but that's just because their codecs are extremely inefficient. That doesn't mean they don't take good video, because they do....but they shoot in a format and with a codec that just doesn't have as big of a bang for your buck as other codecs. The thing with Canon's is they also have clip limits and whatnot as well, which does hinder video shooting. But using bitrates to judge video quality on cameras today is just like using processor speed to judge the speed of computers, it's not all that is there which influences the end result.

However, HD-DSLRs are the future of filmmaking on a small to medium sized budget. Most 'pro' cams have 35mm equivilants around 28mm at the max (with a wide angle adapter you can probably get 20-24 without much distortion). However, you can get down to 14mm at f/2.8 on an HD-DSLR. If you have the right glass, shooting video on a HD-DSLR vs. anything sub $5,000 on the camcorder market isn't even a contest. You have to be creative with audio, but shooting audio separately or using adapters solves that problem.

I'm shooting a film in on a Panasonic GH1 this spring and it's without a doubt the best camera I've used in the sub $5k market outside of a 5D Mark II, but I wanted to shoot in 60p, so the GH1 was the best option. Being able to shoot video from ultra wide angles as well as being able to use an extremely fast f/1.7 lens for what amounts to the same focal length wide angle as a standard consumer cam will mean getting more shots and having more flexibility than any dedicated video camera can offer at a reasonable cost.

To those saying HD-DSLRs are a fad or a gimmick, I remember when people were talking about social media in the same way. Sure, HD-DSLRs aren't going to change how humans fundamentally communicate, but they are changing how digital content makers approach their content in a lot of ways due to the low cost of entry and the stunning results they can deliver in capable hands.
 
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Jayson Prentice said:
I gotta agree with Mike here. I don't really understand the point of HD video on the DSLR, you can't use them simultaneously and I'm sure the vidcaps aren't nearly as good as an actual picture taken with the camera. So you are stuck with either video missing a few seconds here or there, or a crapping still vidcap image.
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While it is true you can only use one or the other at a time, HD video on a DSLR is a revelation for videographers who suddenly can use inexpensive interchangable SLR/DSLR lenses on their "video camera" (gaining low light capabilities with fast lenses, in addition to a wide range of prime or zoom focal length options). The other biggie is depth of field. Your consumer/prosumer video camera has tremendous depth of field, in most cases. That may be fine for a chaser, but film-makers/videographers generally wants more selective, narrower depth of field for creative purposes. The only option for this before was big-bucks video cameras and big bucks lenses.
 
Well I took the plunge and pre-ordered a T2i from Amazon today. LOL I had to sell my XTi and a computer I wasn't using to pay for it. If anyone is interested I may have a battery grip with the extra battery for sale.
 
I was lucky and found that B&H had some T2i's. Too bad all they had were the kits... but I won't complain. I will have it Friday. I will let eveyone know what I think. I bought their last one I think. :D
 
http://www.zacuto.com/shootout

Pretty cool video on there about DSLRs for big time video productions. Long and takes a while to load. The Nikon D3 is crazy at high iso video. Puts all the canons to shame, course it is also doing noise reduction to video while canon isn't. There's also interesting tid bits on the off-ISO settings being better than the standard ones. Not sure if they cover it real well anywhere. Something that like 640 can be cleaner than 400 or something.
 
I picked up the T2i about two weeks ago, along with a Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens, and couldn't be happier with the purchase. It's low light ability is nothing short of stellar, with little noise even at high ISO settings.

Really looking forward to using it this season, and the exposure bracketing feature is going to get a lot of use, as I've been doing some experimenting with HDR photography.

Quite an upgrade, considering my last camera was the Rebel XT.

Would highly recommend this camera!


John
VE4 JTH
 
Just picked up the T2i yesterday. I'll be bringing it out this week for its first chase, and hopefully will be getting some nice pictures (my class 6 SD card won't arrive until next week for video). The flexible video options + ext mic input + low-light performance were what sold me. 18MP didn't hurt either... ;)
 
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