Hi,

I'm new here, but I've learned a lot about the camera these past few weeks.
I'm a film student and an aspiring photographer and cinematographer.
I was looking for a good starter DSLR (right now I'm shooting 35mm film and regular PnS digital), and ran into the 550d.
So I'm going to buy the cam mostly for still work, but also would like to play around with the video function, maybe even start shooting my films with it.

This is the setup I'm buying (remember, I'm on a budget):
- 550d with 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens (this lens is for walk around mostly, but I do have some questions about it below)
- Canon 50mm f1.4 (I know about the FOVCF, but the only budget 30mm is the Sigma f1.4, which is APS-C only, meaning I will have to throw it out if I upgrade to FF)
- Two SanDisc 16gb class 6 cards (this is something I fail to understand, even after reading through this forum, is there a recommended card speed/manufacturer for HD?)
- One extra battery
- Tiffen UV protection, polarizer and ND 0.6 (2 stops?) filters for both lenses.
- USB extention cord (for monitoring on a laptop through canon utility, I hope it actually works)
- Case for everything above.
I already have a small but good YOGA mic with cold shoe mount.

I have access to (through my school):
Mics and recorders ("Zoom"s, DATs or just a DVX100)
Lights of most shapes and colors

I don't have money to spend on a rig or shoulder mount right now, this is something I'll be renting out acording to need. Some goes for firther ND filtering.

So, any suggestions? Am I "missing anything"?

About the zoom lens: I realize there are problems zooming while recording because of the F difference between wide and tele, but what if I set it to an F that's available at both ends (say 5.6, or 8)? Will I still get the exposure jumps mid-zoom? or do I HAVE to get a fixed F zoom lens to be able to zoom during filming? if so, can anybody recommend one (wide to mid/tele)?

Also, about monitoring, has anybody tried working with a laptop as client monitor? Is it fluid and reliable enough (with a good laptop, of course)?

Thanks!

Depends on the kind of standard you are hoping for production wise, but I don't know of anyone who shoots without any kind of stabilisation, even if it is just a loupe like the z-finder to give a third point of contact.

Just holding the camera in the air with two hands is likely to give you very unstable results.

As for your aperture question, it seems likely that the aperture will still change when zooming, even if you set it to a value supported at both ends of the zoom. For more information, see this recent thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eos-rebel-t2i-eos-550d-hd/480529-aperture-auto-adjusting-during-zooms.html.

On the Sigma, if you buy it second hand, you can claw most of your money back later if needs be as fast lenses tend to hold their value.

Thanks for the reply...

The zoom thing is like I thought... I will have to save up some cash for a good fixed L zoom lens... Till then - rental it is!

About the stabilization, I know - the size and wieght factor are a problem... I will be doing a lot of static tripod shots, so... but anyway, as I wrote, if I really need one, I'll rent one.
For now I haven't found any budget solutions that are worth it....

Yaniv, if you want stabilization, which trust me you do, take a look at the DVTEC products.
Besides being one of the best kept secrets in stabilization (the DVMulti Rig rocks), very affordable and well crafted, great customer support (Danny Natovich the owner is great and very helpful), they are based out of Israel, which is great for you.

Check them out at:
DVTEC - Home (http://dvtec.tv./)

Exetremly helpfull, Michael, Thanks!!

I still need to know about monitoring through a laptop... I've seen the youtube video, but has anybody tried this and has some thoughts about it?

You can monitor and even control from your laptop using the EOS utility that comes with the camera.

About the stabilization, I know - the size and wieght factor are a problem... I will be doing a lot of static tripod shots, so... but anyway, as I wrote, if I really need one, I'll rent one.
For now I haven't found any budget solutions that are worth it....

SpiderBrace home (http://www.spiderbrace.com) $79.95 or with Combo grip option $89.95 plus shipping

www.easybrace.com (http://www.easybrace.com) $50 plus shipping

I use the SpiderBrace 2 Combo