Newbie, PLease help at DVinfo.net

Luke Oliver · August 15th, 2010, 07:28 AM

Okay guys ive sold my sony v1 for £1700 an looking to replace with a t2i and some kit.

I mainly shoot weddings and it will be used along with my sony z5, im going tripod with it so no need to zacuto stuff.

Im thinking, the body £650, 2 lenses , not sure what yet, a few cards, a zoom h2 and a new tripod.

Is there anything else I need?

do you think this cam beats the v1 image wise?

would love some feedback

luke

James Strange · August 15th, 2010, 06:58 PM

id say get the 17-55 2.8 for sure, its great, at its widest its wider than the v1, but it obviously doesn't zoom in as much, thats the biggest thing I miss from switching to dslr from myz5, zoom range in the in lense

I also have the canon 50mm 1,4, its great!

Sam Tansey · August 15th, 2010, 08:11 PM

If you often work in dim lighting, you'll need primes (lower then f2.8) to get enough light in. (iso 1600 is my limit) I have a sigma 30mm 1.4 which is a great focal length for running about with, (ie its not too wide, but I find I don't have to take too many steps back to change composition)

imo if you film ceremonies from the back your going to need something pretty long as well, only problem is the 70-200 2.8 costs a fortune.

I don't own one but the 5D is probably a much more practical camera for indoor work as you can push the iso further and have more freedom to use zooms.

Robert Turchick · August 15th, 2010, 09:43 PM

Well, first thing... The coolest part of the dslr is bokeh and using a follow focus is a heck of a lot of fun. To do this properly, you really should get a z-finder or similar. If you want a lock down camera, you would do much better to have a true video camera. To get the most out of the dslr you need to be hands-on with it.
They work great on shoulder mounts and smaller stabilizers like the blackbird or Merlin.
Use your camcorder locked down to capture audio and general wide shots and get up close and personal with the t2i.

Lens-wise, a 50mm prime is a great place to start. Love my canon 50mm 1.4. My next choice would be the 24-70mm 2.8l. Constant aperture is required if you want to zoom.
Since I'm recommending a change to how you plan on using the t2i, the third and last lens would be a super wide like the tokina 11-16 or canon 10-24.
In my plan there's no need for the 70-200 but I do have one which gets called upon for stills. I don't think I've used it for vid yet as my hmc150 has a longer throw and OIS which works great.

Everyone will have a different take on this subject so youve got a lot of research to consider. happy shooting!

John Stakes · August 15th, 2010, 09:57 PM

As others mentioned, a nice short lens, a nice prime, and a nice zoom will pretty much cover you. The 17-55 and 70-200 combination works great. Also, as Robert mentioned, the 50mm 1.4 is awesome so you would have your prime lens. Other than that just be sure you have something to stabilize it, and extra batteries. Zoom H2 provides good audio, here is a shootout done a few years back: Audio Recorder Shootout.

JS

Martyn Hull · August 16th, 2010, 01:01 AM

550D i only have the stock lens plus a tamron 28-300mm they are ok for me at the moment obviously you may need wider and beter low light lenses , regardng image i had a FX-7 similar to your V1, my FX had a slightly sharper picture but with more noise, the 550D has better color and overall look if set up properly,

Luke Oliver · August 16th, 2010, 02:25 AM

Thank you all for your responses

So will i need ND filters with each lens for sunny days? Also are all the cards you record on are they all fairly similar? Im assuming 32GB?

Sorry for being so ignorant.

Luke

Robert Turchick · August 16th, 2010, 02:16 PM

If you can swing it, go for the singh ray variable and get some step up or step down rings. it'l be cheaper in the long run. Or if you want to get fancy, go for a matte box with filters. Much easier than changing them from lens to lens.

All cards are not equal. I have lost footage on Delkin and have switched to SanDisk. I went with 16gb as they are cheaper and it's easy to swap to a new one. You can only record for 4gb (about 12min) at a time anyway so it's just a reminder to keep an eye on the time.

Luke Oliver · August 17th, 2010, 04:25 AM

cool , well i got it now, got eh 50mm 1.4, 17-40mm `L usm ( but im gonna change for the 24-105) and the 70 -200 Non is .

Does that sound ok?

Just figured out the log and transfer for FCP after 8 hours of reading and playing around with settings.

B.J. Szabicot · August 17th, 2010, 08:44 AM

Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but if you're filming a wedding & reception, you're going to need more than 1 battery.
So, make additional batteries or the AC adapter a priority.
The AC adapter is pricy, and ties you to the nearest outlet - a better choice is a batch of spare batteries. You can even spring for a vertical handgrip which provides twice the (standard) battery capacity by allowing you to insert 2 of the battery packs simultaneously. As an added bonus, the vertical handgrips include a cartridge that holds AA batteries, so you can always power your gear if the event runs long and your existing batteries are on their last legs (assuming you've got a pack of AA in your kit at all times).

With regards to SD card, a 32 GB is a nice idea, but that translates into about 1.5 hours of footage - if something goes wrong with that card you've just lost the bulk of the wedding or reception. A smaller card ensure you are only jeapardizing (sp?) a smaller portion of the stuff you have filmed. Additionally, smaller cards have quicker "read" times when it comes to transferring the files from the card to your editing platform. So, go for 8 GB if you want to play it reasonably safe or 16 GB if you want to fuss less with card swaps.

August 15th, 2010, 07:28 AM	#1
Luke Oliver Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Guernsey , Channel Islands Posts: 242	Newbie, PLease help Okay guys ive sold my sony v1 for £1700 an looking to replace with a t2i and some kit. I mainly shoot weddings and it will be used along with my sony z5, im going tripod with it so no need to zacuto stuff. Im thinking, the body £650, 2 lenses , not sure what yet, a few cards, a zoom h2 and a new tripod. Is there anything else I need? do you think this cam beats the v1 image wise? would love some feedback luke

August 15th, 2010, 09:43 PM	#4
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	Well, first thing... The coolest part of the dslr is bokeh and using a follow focus is a heck of a lot of fun. To do this properly, you really should get a z-finder or similar. If you want a lock down camera, you would do much better to have a true video camera. To get the most out of the dslr you need to be hands-on with it. They work great on shoulder mounts and smaller stabilizers like the blackbird or Merlin. Use your camcorder locked down to capture audio and general wide shots and get up close and personal with the t2i. Lens-wise, a 50mm prime is a great place to start. Love my canon 50mm 1.4. My next choice would be the 24-70mm 2.8l. Constant aperture is required if you want to zoom. Since I'm recommending a change to how you plan on using the t2i, the third and last lens would be a super wide like the tokina 11-16 or canon 10-24. In my plan there's no need for the 70-200 but I do have one which gets called upon for stills. I don't think I've used it for vid yet as my hmc150 has a longer throw and OIS which works great. Everyone will have a different take on this subject so youve got a lot of research to consider. happy shooting! __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

August 16th, 2010, 02:25 AM	#7
Luke Oliver Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Guernsey , Channel Islands Posts: 242	re Thank you all for your responses So will i need ND filters with each lens for sunny days? Also are all the cards you record on are they all fairly similar? Im assuming 32GB? Sorry for being so ignorant. Luke

August 16th, 2010, 02:16 PM	#8
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	If you can swing it, go for the singh ray variable and get some step up or step down rings. it'l be cheaper in the long run. Or if you want to get fancy, go for a matte box with filters. Much easier than changing them from lens to lens. All cards are not equal. I have lost footage on Delkin and have switched to SanDisk. I went with 16gb as they are cheaper and it's easy to swap to a new one. You can only record for 4gb (about 12min) at a time anyway so it's just a reminder to keep an eye on the time. __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

August 17th, 2010, 04:25 AM	#9
Luke Oliver Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Guernsey , Channel Islands Posts: 242	re cool , well i got it now, got eh 50mm 1.4, 17-40mm `L usm ( but im gonna change for the 24-105) and the 70 -200 Non is . Does that sound ok? Just figured out the log and transfer for FCP after 8 hours of reading and playing around with settings.

August 15th, 2010, 06:58 PM	#2
James Strange Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Posts: 309	id say get the 17-55 2.8 for sure, its great, at its widest its wider than the v1, but it obviously doesn't zoom in as much, thats the biggest thing I miss from switching to dslr from myz5, zoom range in the in lense I also have the canon 50mm 1,4, its great!

August 15th, 2010, 08:11 PM	#3
Sam Tansey Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Australia Posts: 59	If you often work in dim lighting, you'll need primes (lower then f2.8) to get enough light in. (iso 1600 is my limit) I have a sigma 30mm 1.4 which is a great focal length for running about with, (ie its not too wide, but I find I don't have to take too many steps back to change composition) imo if you film ceremonies from the back your going to need something pretty long as well, only problem is the 70-200 2.8 costs a fortune. I don't own one but the 5D is probably a much more practical camera for indoor work as you can push the iso further and have more freedom to use zooms.

August 15th, 2010, 09:57 PM	#5
John Stakes Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 558	As others mentioned, a nice short lens, a nice prime, and a nice zoom will pretty much cover you. The 17-55 and 70-200 combination works great. Also, as Robert mentioned, the 50mm 1.4 is awesome so you would have your prime lens. Other than that just be sure you have something to stabilize it, and extra batteries. Zoom H2 provides good audio, here is a shootout done a few years back: Audio Recorder Shootout. JS

August 16th, 2010, 01:01 AM	#6
Martyn Hull Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: England Posts: 444	550D i only have the stock lens plus a tamron 28-300mm they are ok for me at the moment obviously you may need wider and beter low light lenses , regardng image i had a FX-7 similar to your V1, my FX had a slightly sharper picture but with more noise, the 550D has better color and overall look if set up properly,

August 17th, 2010, 08:44 AM	#10
B.J. Szabicot New Boot Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: North Bay, ON Posts: 21	Extra power, SD card size Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but if you're filming a wedding & reception, you're going to need more than 1 battery. So, make additional batteries or the AC adapter a priority. The AC adapter is pricy, and ties you to the nearest outlet - a better choice is a batch of spare batteries. You can even spring for a vertical handgrip which provides twice the (standard) battery capacity by allowing you to insert 2 of the battery packs simultaneously. As an added bonus, the vertical handgrips include a cartridge that holds AA batteries, so you can always power your gear if the event runs long and your existing batteries are on their last legs (assuming you've got a pack of AA in your kit at all times). With regards to SD card, a 32 GB is a nice idea, but that translates into about 1.5 hours of footage - if something goes wrong with that card you've just lost the bulk of the wedding or reception. A smaller card ensure you are only jeapardizing (sp?) a smaller portion of the stuff you have filmed. Additionally, smaller cards have quicker "read" times when it comes to transferring the files from the card to your editing platform. So, go for 8 GB if you want to play it reasonably safe or 16 GB if you want to fuss less with card swaps.