So I've repeatedly heard the argument from Philip Bloom all the way down the DSLR "food chain" that the T2i is cheaply-built, fragile, plastic, breakable, etc. Then of course we repeatedly hear about what TANKS the 7D and 5D are.

This may seem like an unnecessary post...but I just wanted to say that I think these comments are empty and a bit absurd.

I don't know about anyone else here...but I take care of my gear! In 20 years of using expensive cameras in all kinds of conditions, I have never once dropped a camera, slammed one into a solid object, dunked one in water, or done anything else destructive. Am I lucky? Not at all---I'm just careful with my gear.

So I'm not even remotely concerned about the build quality of the T2i. It's far superior to the build quality of my 6-year-old Canon Powershot S2 consumer camera...and I've abused the hell out of that little camera and it's held up great and still going strong!

If you routinely shoot in war zones, ok---I can see why you might want an all-metal body camera. But for normal conditions the rest of us encounter? The T2i is just fine.

So the next time anyone starts carrying on about the supposedly cheesy build quality of the T2i, do me a favor---roll your eyes and say "Please! Spare me the nonsense!" :-)

Scott

Agreed. I'm impressed with how solid its built and with the fit and finish. The HV30 feels like a toy in comparison.

I also agree that the T2i feels well built. I haven't handled a lot of high end still cameras so maybe don't know what I'm missing... I guess, but this is by far the best quality feeling and operating still camera I have ever owned or used. I can't say enough about it.

Build quality of all the Rebel series have never been a problem as they are incredibly sturdy and well-built.

Weight, however, is an issue as I have in the past had wrist pain after hand-holding and shooting cameras for hours. The light weight of the T2i is essential for me, and I would not consider a 7D or 5DII for that reason. I try to stay with the lighter lenses while hand-holding as well. The much maligned 18-55 IS kit lens is quite good, and very light.

BTW, T2i still and video image quality is fantastic! ;-)

The people that say that are the same people that are going to run out in half a year and buy the next thing canon offers. For the amount of time they actually use the rebel, or any camera, it might as well be made of balsa wood. Granted, I prefer a sturdy metal frame to plastic, but for that price? Why?

I still haven't had enough time to really get to know the camera. I'm surprised by it's learning curve; I've been using film and video cameras for years and can usually get the hang of one pretty quickly. These DSLR's are truly a different beast. Sometimes the video is gorgeous, other times it looks like heck. It's not just the lens- it's a combination of how much detail and motion is happening, how much light, what lens, blah blah blah... a lot of factors. But it's definitely fun to learn.

First Rebel I had (350D) I used for five years. I dropped it a few times, used it in all weather conditions. Worked perfectly, close to 100,000 actuations.

I don't really want or need a bigger, heavier version that's made of metal.

I agree and for me this is not something that would swing me to the 7d (although 8fps stills might!). DSLR's in general are built like bricks compared to most handycams. So even without the weather sealed, rugged body of the 7d, most people uprgading or switching to the 550d from a similarly priced camcorder like an HV30 will notice a big difference.

Even my Pentx K-x, one of the cheapest DSLRs available, feels rock solid.

I too think that 550D is well build. The only flimsy thing is the battery door.

I too think that 550D is well build. The only flimsy thing is the battery door.

Speaking of the battery door, the placement is horrible for video use as you can't change batteries with a tripod plate on. For this, and the overheating issue, the battery grip is a requirement IMO. Solves the switching issue and seems to significantly help with the overheating problem.

I haven't seen overheating yet Bryan.

I haven't seen overheating yet Bryan.

What's the old joke? There are only two types of T2i users, those that have overheated and those that will overheat.

If you shoot in cool environments for short bursts you might never get hit. But if you shoot for an extended time in anything over 80 degrees, you will eventually overheat. I've heard of some people still overheating even with the battery grip, but so far for me I've not seen the indicator since getting it.

Comes with working in Texas, I guess.

I walked around NYC for about 6 hrs with my 70-200mm f/2.8 IS hanging on the front and not once felt the required support was inadequate. With the Z-Finder on the back the footage was quite good and stable.

As Bryan said, you will probably overheat eventually. Even with the battery grip I've gotten the warning in 80+ degree shooting conditions. But it took about 2 hours for that to happen, and even then, 30 secs of cooldown solved the issue. The T2i seems well-enough made for me.

It is true that the 7D is far better built than a 550D, I have used the 7D and it feels amazing to hold compared to the 550D. That said the 550D/T2i is probably one of the most well built pieces of equipment in its price range. I do agree that under sensible use the 550D is by far strong enough to withstand day to day use.

The T2i is the 4th dRebel that I've owned (by choice, not to replace broken gear), and I absolutely love it. It's the best Rebel yet, hands down, in my opinion. I do see where there could be improvement, but that's what it's all about in the world of commerce. Give it away all at once, and you'll have nothing to move on to next year. I still need another battery and the grip, but otherwise I love it.

The T2i body + Sigma 10-20mm + Glidecam HD-1000 = WIN!!!

Took it to the bar to get some test footage, got drunk, and latter dropped it.

Not a scratch. Works like a charm.

Needless to say, I haven't done it since, but I've had other cams that didn't survive "the first drop" test, so I'm happy enough with the toughness.

john

well having owned a T90 ( it was stolen :( amazing camera still selling used at its new price ) and an original EOS-1 film camera ( it was stolen :( :( ) the 550D is much smaller in the hand to the point of where you could really get a cramped hand using it all day. thankfully I'm not doing that for video purposes, and even for stills I tend to either be on a tripod or using a flash grip even if I'm not using a flash.

Two words "weather proofing". That's a big reason why I would get a 7D over the Rebel. Doing a lot of photographs of rally cars in all weathers means that weather sealing is a must, even using a cover of some kind (heavy rain gets everywhere, not to mention condensation build up).

One area I'm a bit concerned about is when I have the heavy lenses (24-70L & 70-200L) on it, they droop enough to make the follow focus not want to work well. I am fabricating my own support (can't justify spending over $200 on Zacuto's support.) which will solve this but I wonder if the 7D and 5D would behave differently.

Otherwise, it's great for what I do strength-wise.

The T2i is built just how it was supposed to be built, to suit certain needs. Those that say it is cheaply built are 100% accurate, it's an $800 body! "Cheaply built" and "well built" are allowed to be used in the same sentence, it's ok. As far as the 7D and 5D tanks, well, will your T2i trample through the mud?...maybe, but that is not what it was built for. But yes, it is a well built camera.

...(can't justify spending over $200 on Zacuto's support.) which will solve this but I wonder if the 7D and 5D would behave differently.


Robert, consider the warranty that comes with Zacuto's products...lifetime! And you get top notch customer service. But if you don't think it's worth it, then it isn't. Just sayin.

JS

One area I'm a bit concerned about is when I have the heavy lenses (24-70L & 70-200L) on it, they droop enough to make the follow focus not want to work well. I am fabricating my own support (can't justify spending over $200 on Zacuto's support.) which will solve this but I wonder if the 7D and 5D would behave differently.

Otherwise, it's great for what I do strength-wise.

I use both those lenses regularly with my FF and they seem to work fine.

The point that the T2i isn't "weatherproof" makes sense...but what's still got me a little confused is...do owners of 7D's and 5D's routinely...

• leave their cameras sitting unprotected in pouring rain?
• drop or throw their cameras into the mud?
• do things like climbing rock faces with the camera just dangling from a strap and slamming against the rock?

This is what I can't figure out...I keep hearing people refer to what *seem* to be scenarios like this...and yet I would NEVER do any of these things unless I was so filthy rich that a 7D or 5D was a "disposable" camera for me.

Can the 7D and 5D *really* withstand the kind of abuse I mentioned above? (More importantly, does the fact they have a metal body indicate they were *meant* to be abused like that?)

Scott

Robert, consider the warranty that comes with Zacuto's products...lifetime! And you get top notch customer service. But if you don't think it's worth it, then it isn't. Just sayin.

JS

I hear ya but here's what I'm modeling mine after...

Cavision | R15-LS25SET Lens Bracket Support | R15-LS25SET | B&H

And since I already have the 15mm rails bracket ($35) the other piece can be made from aluminum stock for about $2. And I can skip the strap which for my needs is pointless. I know the Zacuto stuff is nice (I have a Z-Finder Pro) but I'm a tinkerer and have the tools to make it myself!

Took it to the bar to get some test footage, got drunk, and latter dropped it.

john

LOL Brilliant real world test!

Well, I don't know how smart it was....

But it was def a real world test (and I will take it as a compliment!) - here's a sample of the footage I took that night:

john vincent's videos on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/user3511807/videos/sort:newest)

john

Aside from John's...err...real-world test...I'm still waiting to hear exactly how 7D and 5D owners abuse their cameras...

They love to talk about what tanks they are...and yet few people seem willing to admit they beat 'em against walls, drop 'em all the time, sling 'em in the mud, etc...

(Guess I should post in the 5D forum!)

Scott

Accident do happen, you just never know, or one day in TX here last winter it was snowing like crazy, took the kids out and shoot some video in the snow, after a few minutes the camera was soaking wet from snow melting on a hot body, I wouldn't do that with the T2i but didn't even think about it with the 7D, I have both and there is no doubt the 7D is better built, you really get what you pay for, not to mention about other features like intermediate ISO, Kelvin temperature adjustment, seperate control for aperture, no need to push a button at the same time and turning the dial to adjust aperture, micro focus adjusment for still and much more stuff that T2i doesn't have, but most of all 7D will give you better picture under certain situation in low light, for example, a scene is lit that to get a good exposure it call for ISO 1250 at F 1.4 with shutter at 50th of a second, now T2i doesn't have ISO 1250, you either have to use ISO 800 and lower your shutter speed and introduced blur to your image or go up to ISO 1600 and have to higher your shutter speed so it won't over exposed but then at ISO 1600 you will see much more noise, and so here is a prime example why 7D can have better picture than T2i, I shoot with both and this is the fact, I'm glad that T2i works well for you, but you make it sound like people that buy 5D and 7D is waste their money or something, no they don't, they get more and you really get what you pay for.

Sorry Khoi...I didn't mean to suggest the 7D or 5D are a waste of money...though looking at detailed specs, I *do* believe that the quality difference between the 7D and 550D is definitely NOT worth $800-900. That's 2x more expensive...and the 7D in my opinion does not produce results that are 2x better than the 550D.

But my real point was simply to suggest that build quality is not a reason NOT to buy the 550D. (I've gotten my T2i slightly wet in a light rain, and there was no problem. In fact, has ANYONE ever had a problem from a T2i getting wet? Some people act as if they'll explode if a single droplet of moisture gets on them...)

Scott

Well, again on a night when I might had "a pint" I was out shooting at night during a misting rain. Prolly shouldn't have, but what ya gonna do?

I'd want to keep rain off of it just to keep the lens clean, if for no other reason.

jdv

Aside from John's...err...real-world test...I'm still waiting to hear exactly how 7D and 5D owners abuse their cameras...

They love to talk about what tanks they are...and yet few people seem willing to admit they beat 'em against walls, drop 'em all the time, sling 'em in the mud, etc...

(Guess I should post in the 5D forum!)

Scott

Well, my buddy called me the other day. He dropped his 5D with a 16-35L mounted on a tile floor. And he said it bounced. 5D....not a scratch and in perfect working order. 16-35L....$500 to repair and approx 6-8 weeks to get parts!

Having dropped other things on my tile floor, I would have to say my T2i would not survive unscathed. I watched my son drop our old Panasonic FMZ-5 camera and it is toast...or should I say crumbs!

Over in the 7D forum, one guy said he shot outside in the pouring rain for an hour with his 7D. If that's true, then I'm truly impressed...and said Canon should market the 7D as being waterproof.

I also said I'd never do that with my T2i...and I also wouldn't do it with a 7D or 5D! :-)

As for dropping cameras...that sucks...but I'm either lucky, careful, or coordinated (or some combination of the three) 'cause I've never once dropped a camera (and I do a lot of bushwhacking, hiking, canoeing, etc. with my cameras).

Scott

I'd want the weatherproofing of the 7D. I've often shot rallies all day with my Pentax K10D, which is also weatherproofed, in some very heavy continuous downpours. If you work a lot outside then the weatherproofing is worth more than its weight in gold.

I've been lurking for a while but finally registered to share this story. I do have a T2i, but this story is about the XSi/450D that came out two years ago.

Shortly after I got my hands on then-hot XSi (450D), an unfortunate confluence of events led me to driving off in the car with my XSi perched atop the roof. Long story made short, I got up to about 35 mph (56 kph) before the camera slid off the rooftop and smashed into the asphalt. Attached to the body was the Tamron 18-250mm zoom lens.

Here's the camera after I carefully picked up all the parts I could find:

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257715_uxjUc-O.jpg

Here's looking at the front of the XSi/450D, with the base of the Tamron lens torn and still attached to the camera body:

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257772_fvpoS-L.jpg

Eh, "luckily" for the lens hood, it managed to eject itself completely from the lens and survived with nary a scratch, but the lens itself fared considerably worse:

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257798_QRdV5-L.jpg

Amazingly, the big 3" LCD was spared any scratches or damages... it was close, though:

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257836_uMFgA-L.jpg

Lots of dings and scratches on all corners...

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257883_BFdea-L.jpg

... and the flash hotshoe was bent...

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257921_dMicH-L.jpg

... and the baseplate for the hand grip took its lumps, too:

http://www.hanning-yu.com/photos/867257965_J3KmR-L.jpg

HOWEVER, the camera continued to work flawlessly. The lens was a complete write-off, but the body itself has been working great for the past two years since this accident, some 10,000+ shots later. The flash hotshoe was salvaged with some careful plier action.

So rest assured about the structural durability of the Digital Rebel bodies. They will last a good long time.

Sorry about the accident, but GREAT testimonial as to the durability of the Rebels!
By the way, what kind of hand grip is that? (I'd like to get one!)

Scott

It's a Hakuba baseplate mated to the Canon E-1 hand strap. The baseplate lets you use the excellent and comfortable Canon hand strap without needing the battery grip.

I've also used the Opteka set shown below with great results. The hand strap is not as good as the Canon's, but still plenty comfortable and functional.

Amazon.com: Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap for Digital & Film SLR Cameras:…

Just to be clear, I dropped it on the ground outside. Pretty much hard dirt, no grass - but no rocks either. I wouldn't want to drop it on a hard tile floor for sure.

Couple of things... I thought every camera had to be dropped once. Isn't that the rule?

And Hyun's story is just awesome.

SO no, these things aren't sledge hammers, but they're tougher than you might think.

john

It's a Hakuba baseplate mated to the Canon E-1 hand strap. The baseplate lets you use the excellent and comfortable Canon hand strap without needing the battery grip.


Did you find the Canon E-1 strap (with Hakuba baseplate) better or more comfortable than the Hakuba strap?

I did not find the Hakuba strap that came with the Hakuba baseplate comfortable at all. I found the Canon E-1 hand strap to be most comfortable, the Opteka was close second, and the Hakuba distant third.

When members talk about overheating on the T2i (550D), where does this occur, is it felt on your hand when holding the camera?

Brian

A warning flashes up on the lcd display screen, and sometimes the camera will also shut down.

If you could actually feel it, it would probably be hot enough to melt a component or two, and that would be a bad thing!

I've only had my T2i show the overheating warning when shooting outside in direct sunlight on an 85-plus degree day with humidity pushing 90%. Even then it didn't shut down, and a few minutes turned off in the shade got it right back up and running. (was using it as a B-cam with my Z1U, which had no problems with the heat at all...)