Thoughts after my first "real" shoot with the T2i.

[Marc Faletti]

Right. Prize for filmmaking. Isn't that why people are interested in DSLRs? It's obviously not for 1080p run-n-gun news shoots, right?

Honestly, I don't recall a DV film winning Sundance or SXSW, but I could be mistaken. And I don't think anyone sees these images as comparable to DV.

No technology will do the filmmaking for you, but clearly DSLRs are good enough to help you make a good film if you have a good film in you. Isn't that worth $800? Isn't that more than a toy?

Alister, it seems you might be a shooter with different needs than a DSLR can handle. At work, I'm in the same boat and went with the EX1R. But there *are* situations where it's a great cam at the price, and amateur narrative filmmaking is the best example. I certainly agree that there's aliasing and it's too soft for certain situations. So I fail to see why you can't agree that it's a viable cam when you can control the environment, like in narrative film. I mean, if it's good enough for the SXSW jury, it's good enough for me.

[Daniel D. Kim]

I think we ALL understand both the Con side and the Pro side.

Marc, I haven't seen the movie itself but that's exactly what it is. A movie. Scripted and planned film. Meant to have enough time to re-shoot (sometimes) or re-plan if somethings are not working out, like moire or aliasing. Not saying the T2i/550D/etc. are not capable or toy cameras but I do agree that it is HARDER and sometimes unmanageable to just plainly record away with lot of objects with details in them. This is where Alister's point comes in.. I think.. haha

I agree in both degrees but at the same time I don't think it should be considered a toy. I think it should be better termed as... an 'Experiment Tool.' Just like the HV20.

When it first came out, it was all the rage and 35mm adapters, flip hack, (on going.. but never knowing when) firmware hack, etc... to accommodate the HV20. Many experimentations, many successful ones, at that. Now, with all the high end video camcorders available why didn't people just get the better camcorders?

Price.

I think price is a big decision factor and allows many options for people to buy more accessories and play around with. Opens new doors for people who couldn't have, other wise.

This is where 550D/GH1/7D/5D or what have you, shines. Opens up new doors for experimentations.

I hope what I just said, made sense.... in some way. lol

[Daniel D. Kim]

Originally Posted by Marc Faletti

So I fail to see why you can't agree that it's a viable cam when you can control the environment, like in narrative film.

sorry, I meant to post my previous post long ago but didn't submit it and you mentioned 'controlled environment' which was my point of the 550D. That it's a sweet little camera in a controlled environment. Not that it's bad as a regular walk around video or anything but it's strength is in the staged circumstances.

[Jon Fairhurst]

If I want to shoot someone wearing a patterned shirt, or I want to show the textures in a piece of wood or fabric how do you do it?

You don't.

If I want a Panaflex Millennium to look at a driver's eyes with the camera between her and the steering wheel, how do I do it? Again, you don't. Maybe you remove the steering wheel and maybe the dash. Maybe you cut the front of the car off. Or maybe you use a smaller camera.

With a DvSLR it's similar. You've got to make adjustments if the scene and the camera aren't complimentary. Make sure that the details are not in the focus plane. If you can't do that, change the props, change the camera, or fix it in post. In some cases, taking a photo of a textured object and compositing it in with motion tracking software might be viable. For fabrics, masking and blasting with a blur filter will get rid of the moire.

And, in some cases, we live with imperfections. Composite analog video had horrible chroma crawl, and it had a solid run for more than fifty years, earning various industries hundreds of billions of dollars. On the web, we live with horrid compression artifacts and freezes, yet web video grows day by day.

One thing for sure: if you want perfection and don't have the desire or ability to make adjustments in production or post, DvSLRs will not satisfy.

[Alister Chapman]

I guess we'll have to wait and see what NAB will bring us, Canon's booth is almost as big as Sony's this year. Maybe they will release the camera I'm holding out for, maybe not, perhaps I'll have to wait for the s35 scarlet, or perhaps I'll have to continue to use my 1/2" and 2/3" cameras, but for me and the not always controlled shoots that I do, the current DSLR's just don't work. I'm not in the privileged position of being able to re-shoot stuff if it doesn't look right first time.

Perhaps "Toy" was too strong a description, in part I used it as I regard my 550D as a toy to be played with and experimented with, I often refer to my cameras as my "toys" as I enjoy playing with them seeing what can be done with them.

Regarding cost, you do have to consider that while the basic package is cheap enough, if you really want to get anything half decent out of it you will need some decent lenses, a loupe, some way to hold it etc which pushes the cost up.

[Stan Chase]

Originally Posted by Marc Faletti

The final reason I went with the T2i is that I think I need to be a better photographer to take my video shooting to the next level, and I'm a big believer in having one device that can do many things (see: iPhone). So it was the right fit for me.

To me, the big strength of owning this camera is that it's a still and motion picture camera and not a 'video' camera. It allows me to learn photography and cinematography at the same time, at a price point that isn't out of reach for serious hobbyists and semi-pros like myself.

If I want a video camera, Canon makes those as well. I owned a HF100 for a year and learned a lot from it but outgrew it's capabilities as far as what I want to accomplish with digital imaging.

Was there a film camera ever made that packed the features, performance, and portability of this 'toy' for under $1,000 in todays dollars?

[Robert Turchick]

cost though is worth it as the glass and mounts will remain viable for much longer than the body. For my $800 body, i've dropped almost $3K in glass and another $2K in accessories. (COUGH!)

No regrets as the gigs have already paid that off and clients are really liking the results so I'm busier than ever! Plus I have a kick ass still camera to learn the art of photography on!


We really are at the very beginning of this phase of video production and I think it's going to be around for a very long time. AND get better and easier to use!

[Jon Fairhurst]

Yeah, NAB could be VERY interesting.

Clearly, the camera companies are all interested in this video thing now. Before long, somebody will put a big camera sensor in a video body with the filters and processing that deliver alias-free video. And Canon will almost certainly respond, if they aren't the first ones there.

And, will Canon develop EOS+ lenses some day? These would allow electronic follow focus and electronic zoom. They might even support a passable auto focus for video some day.

It's only been about a year and a half since the D90 hit the shelves and kicked this whole thing off. It's only going to get better from here. :)

[Bryan McCullough]

Shot again with the T2i and the Z7U today. Was in an 85 degree room. T2i gave the overheat warning after running for about an hour straight. Stayed on for the next hour, warning on the entire time.

Having to change battery was a big pain, my tripod plate covers it up a bit. Will need to try and find a smaller one I guess.

[Bryan McCullough]

Also, I ran my T2i in Standard profile with the Sharpness all the way up to 7. I know, I know. But it looks much more like the Z7U, matched very well.

Just hurts a bit to have to force my sweet little T2i to perform like video. It wants to be so much more!!!

And I just hate the custom white balance. How I long for a dedicated button. I took the picture for my white balance but forgot to change it over to custom. Fortunately I had it on fluorescent so the color wasn't too off. A simple adjustment in post lined them up.

[Terry Lee]

Originally Posted by Bryan McCullough

And I just hate the custom white balance. How I long for a dedicated button.

Is this an issue for people who do mostly event videography? Because I am wanting this camera to do short films that will have staged scenes etc.. So I will have time to adjust the camera's settings.

[Bryan McCullough]

I had the time, I just missed the step. It's just more complex than I'm used to. Will not forget again.