T2i or T3i

Shadowdare

I'm planning to get a Canon T2i. Does the kit lens have an optical stabilizer? I plan to make lots of videos with it. Sometimes I will be holding it handheld and the filmmaker from DigitalRev doesn't seem to have any issues with holding it by hand.

Will the jello/rolling shutter effect be noticeable if I have steady hands and am walking around?

For making videos, how big of an SD card will I need? A while ago I managed to get 5 hours of video on 5 miniDV tapes with a Canon XHA1 but I'm not sure how big the videos get on the T2i with an SD card.

Also, should I get the T3i instead? I heard I can get the T2i with the manual audio control with the Magic Lantern firmware. I heard that the T3i has less photography features so that's a bummer, but it does have the tilty swivvly screen - is it really useful for making videos?

Snarkasm

It looks like the stock 18-55mm lens does have IS, so you'll be good there. As far as whether the rolling shutter will come into effect, that's more a function of what you're shooting and your shutter speed than an inherent issue with the camera hardware. Just try to match your speeds and things will work out.

As for size, you'd probably have to check what quality and size video you're putting out. On my 5D, I found a couple clips I still have that show 40 seconds of 1080p video at about 200MB, so extrapolate out from there. That's a little over 3 minutes per gigabyte.

I don't know enough about the differences between the T2i vs the T3i, but if you're going to be doing interesting angle videography, the swivel screen will likely help. It looks like the T2i does still have Live View, which will help, but you may find yourself wishing you had the swivel.

Shadowdare

Thanks. That's some good advise. I might as well have to get a large SD card. I don't think I'll really be needing the swivel screen a lot but only rarely so I don't think it's worth it but I'm going to have to give it a try in person to get the feel of it. I'm just curious, do you use the Magic Lantern firmware?

Do you know if the kit lenses are any good? I was thinking about getting the body of the T2i (or T3i maybe) only but get the Nikon E 50mm f/1.8 lens with a Nikon to Canon EOS adapter as recommended by someone else. I'm not sure if it has an optical stabilizer though, but here is where I can see with a prime lens that the 600D video crop function would be nice.

Snarkasm

I don't use any custom firmware.

Personally, I don't think the 18-55 kit lens is particularly good, but it's probably the cheapest IS you'll get easily. I'm really not sure why you'd get a Nikon 50mm when Canon's nifty fifty 1.8 is one of the most acclaimed lenses available, and doesn't require a mount at all...

It doesn't have IS, but I don't know how much you're willing to spend on a lens, so we'll need that info to give you a good range.

If you're not going to worry about the swivel screen, you might look into getting the 90 degree viewfinder adapter - might help you get some better angles. Not sure what the price comparison is between the adapter or just getting the T3i, though.

Shadowdare

The Nikon + adapter would probably set me back to $175. The Canon one seems to be $135. I can see that because I don't have any lenses right now, that a zoom lens might be more beneficial.

The viewfinder adapter, I'm guessing, is probably going to be half the price. I liked the build quality of the Nikon 50mm and it's aperture ring and better focus ring. I personally prefer "bigger" focus rings for videography (the one on the 18-55mm kit stinks) but I haven't even used the Canon one so I don't know.

So I think the T2i body itself is $699 at Amazon's price and originally listing at $799.99. I'm looking not to exceed $950 if possible. An IS lens will be very nice to have for videos.

Snarkasm

So you're looking to find a $250 optically-stabilized lens. This is going to be fun...

Looks like Sigma has two that fall into that range:

The 50-200 f/4.0-5.6

Or the 18-50 f/2.8-4.5

On the Canon side, the only one that looks like it applies is the 18-55, the kit lens.

Check the reviews on the Sigma 50-200; I think it looks like a decent starter, and it gives you a lot more range than the 18-55. Obviously not as wide, but you're going to have to decide if it's wide enough for your uses. 50mm on a crop body is closer to 70mm on a full frame, and 70mm on a full frame is just about what your eye normally sees without a camera in front of it.

(Worth noting: Icrontic has both Amazon and Adorama affiliate accounts - if you click the links here and search for and purchase your hardware through them, IC will get a little bit of support for helping you out. If we've been helpful, it'd be appreciated.)

shwaip

The 18-55 IS kit lens is supposed to be decent. I'd suggest buying the kit. Use the 18-55 kit lens for a while, and decide where to upgrade from there.

One thing you have to remember is that the IS mechanism in the lenses makes noise (spinning gyros, moving lens elements), which can be picked up by the camera's mic. You may find yourself wanting to turn off IS to get rid of the noise. The amount of noise that gets made depends on the lens. Some are not audible, some are.

Snarkasm

That's more or less why I recommended the Sigma. The 50-200 is an HSM lens, which is Sigma's version of Canon's USM. It's not AS quiet, but I imagine it to be quieter than the kit lens. I haven't had a chance to test the kit lens, though.

shwaip

Well the USM/HSM is the focusing mechanism, I'm mostly referring to the IS noise. It's nicer to have USM/HSM, but the last time I checked, autofocus during video didn't work that well anyway.

Snarkasm

Too right, I misread.

Shadowdare

Would the noise be audible if I used an external microphone such as a hot shoe attached shotgun microphone? Those lenses look cool. Also, does Amazon charge tax? Haven't used them in a while and thanks for the affiliate links.

If only if I could get a lens like the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L. Can I get a shallow DOF with the f/4 lens or would I have to get the f/2.8 or a f/1.8 one? Those Sigmas look nice, f/4 is okay for video but the wider apertures of the other lens looks amazing for photos. I wish I can fit two lens in the budget so I can focus more on photography than videography.

I think I'm leaning towards that 50-200 f/4.0-5.6 lens and it looks like my only options too. What other lens deciding factors do I need to consider? If I'll need all that zooming range and how well it does in low light at that aperture?

Snarkasm

External directional mics shouldn't pick up IS or USM noise, no.

As for DOF, it depends more on the distance between your subject and the background. An f/4 will give you nice bokeh if your subject isn't standing with their back against a wall. An f/1.8 can give you nice bokeh even if they're half inside one.

A variable-aperture lens like the 50-200 offers a minimum aperture of 4.0 at 50mm, and a minimum of 5.6 at 200mm. Low light photography depends typically on four things: the slowest shutter speed you can handle without introducing motion blur, the widest aperture you can handle while maintaining the bokeh you want, the highest ISO you can handle without introducing more noise than you want, and how dark you want the final image to end up. I have no idea, however, how these translate to videography, to be honest.

If I were you, I'd pay a little more for a good lens if you can manage it. Good lenses hold their value very well (so they can be resold without too much loss), and a better lens typically gives you much better picture quality improvement than a better body does.

I don't believe Amazon charges tax unless you live in CA, but I could be wrong.

shwaip

dpreview.com just put up their review of the t3i

http://dpreview.com/reviews/Canoneos600d/

you might give it a read to see what they have to say.

Shadowdare

Interesting review. Nothing new learned from it though. Good advise again, Snarkasm. Just wondering, would that Sigma 50-200mm be better than the Canon EF-S 18-135mm kit lens? I believe they end up being the same price with the T2i (kit / no kit).

Since you say good lenses hold their value very well, then I suppose I should just save and pay up a bit more and account for the tax in the budget as well. For which states does Amazon charge sales tax? I believe they do for my state unfortunately.

Snarkasm

That would be the route I'd go, but I can't speak for you.

Also, is the 18-135 the new kit lens? I thought the 18-55 was still the kit.

Shadowdare

I believe there are two packages of the T2i and T3i. One comes with the 18-55 and the other 18-135. That second Sigma is nice, but the first Sigma sounds good for a first time lens. I've been reading up and hearing that because of the crop body sensor, people recommend something 18mm or less for more of a wide angle because of the crop factor.

Another interesting thing is that the Nikon D5100 has been announced. I saw a preview on a website. The 18-55mm Nikon kit lens package is cheaper than the Canon T3i's package by a hundred dollars or so it seems. I wonder if it has manual audio control? I know Nikon has superb image quality.

Maybe it's worth it to wait for that? What would you do? I personally learning towards the Canon T2i still.