T3i vs 5DMK2 (Video Only)

[Tariq Peter]

Hi Guys,

i know the 5DMK2 has great video quality but is it worth that much more than the T3i (600D) for shooting just video? I can't seem to find out why the larger companies always use the 5DMK2 for video if the T3i is just as good with a good piece of glass. What am I missing?

[Charles Newcomb]

Take a 24mm 2.8 lens and put it on a T3i. Make a note of how wide of an area it covers. The put the same lens on a full frame 5DMII, and make note of the area it covers. You'll see you're getting more real estate in the 5D. I have both, love both for different reasons.

[Nigel Barker]

What you lose on the wide end you gain with a telephoto. There is a 1.6X crop factor with the Canon APS-C sensor DSLRs compared to the full frame 5DII. Therefore a 24mm lens on the 600D is the equivalent of a 38.4mm lens on the 5DII whereas a 200mm lens on the 5DII is an effective 320mm on the 600D.

Video from the 600D & the 5DII is indistinguishable except in low light where the larger sensor of the 5DII means less noise at high ISO. There is also a shallower depth of field with the full frame camera which makes focusing at wide apertures more difficult but may be the look that you are seeking.

[Kin Lau]

DOF and ISO is a pretty huge difference.

I would add choice of fast wide glass to the list, 20/1.8, 24/1.4, 35/1.4 are not easily found in APS-C. It's also hard to find a 50/1.2 or 85/1.2 equiv in aps-c.

Many of those lenses cost as much if not more than a 5Dm2, so for a production company, the cost of the body isn't that big of a deal.

Another factor may be the CPS (Canon Professional Services) eligibility, the 5Dm2 qualifies but not the T3i.

[Chris Barcellos]

I have the T2i and the 5D. There is no doubt in my mind that at any given ISO, the T2i is noisier than the 5D. With the 5D, exposed right, you can get into ISO 2500. With the T2i, ISO 800 is about max I want to go. The other problem with the T2i is the ISO. They use 100, 200, 400, etc.. up the progression, which are ISO that have gain added, in my understanding. In Magic Lantern you can set t2i at 160, 320, 640 etc., and avoid that. The 5D gives you that benefit without resort to Magic Lantern.

Despite that, I was considerting stepping up to the T3i because of the LCD, and because of the digital zoom which should be helpful in nature shooting. However, the Sony VG -20 announcement has paused my consideration a bit.

[Tariq Peter]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

Video from the 600D & the 5DII is indistinguishable except in low light where the larger sensor of the 5DII means less noise at high ISO. There is also a shallower depth of field with the full frame camera which makes focusing at wide apertures more difficult but may be the look that you are seeking.

Would a light led panel not help stopping the need for me to increase the ISO if I am shooting indoor weddings? I am trying to find an example anywhere of the 5D vs the 600D DOF just so I can have a "Ohhhh I Seee" moment.

[John Wiley]

Both are great, and each has their points for and against.

Pro's for the 5dmkII: More fast, wide primes available, better lowlight sensitivity, can get shallower DOF, better build quality.

Pro's for the T3i: Rotating LCD, no overheating, 50p/60p, more zooms to choose from, cheaper lenses, 3x crop mode.

[Vishal Jadhav]

Interesting discussion here

I actually use both these cameras and do love the quality of the 5D more , its simply due to me shooting more in the Forests where mist, rain is a normal situation and 5D gives you that additional ISO without affecting the videos that much. T3i has issues with ISO above 800 in lowlight.

the use of T3i for me is the 3X zoom and the LCD since i shoot more wildlife the 3x with crop sensor and the 800 mm helps. This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as that level of zoom even captures your breath on the video frame as a shake :)

I am very new to ML and installed it only yesterday and trying to explore it.

5D i can bet on anyday with any conditions to perform, its built for performance and can handle most of the conditions very well.
Finally it boils down to money and if you have the extra money anyday the 5D will give you more value for it anyday.

[Nigel Barker]

The advantages of the 5DII over the 600D/T3i as noted above apply to all the APS-C Canon DSLRs i.e. 7D, 60D, 550D/T2i I own both the 5DII & the 600D & couldn't justify the extra cost of the 7D or 60D when the same issues apply & the video is no better. In fact the 3X HD crop mode vs. the 640x360 3X crop mode of the 60D & the manual audio gain controls vs. the 7D in my opinion make it a better camera for video & I would still have bought a 600D even if it wasn't cheaper than either of these models.

[James Donnelly]

Originally Posted by Vishal Jadhav

the use of T3i for me is the 3X zoom and the LCD since i shoot more wildlife the 3x with crop sensor and the 800 mm helps. This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as that level of zoom even captures your breath on the video frame as a shake :)

But this is nothing to do with the camera, as it would apply to shooting the same FOV on any camera, so I can't see how it's relevent in the comparison between the 2.

Originally Posted by Vishal Jadhav

Finally it boils down to money and if you have the extra money anyday the 5D will give you more value for it anyday.

If you need the extra latitude, then an all round value discussion doesn't apply here. In such a discussion, you have to take a rounded view and weigh up all the features in a range of situations.

If you took a poll, I would be amazed if more than 10% considered the 5D better value, at least if they were properly informed about the relative merits.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Vishal Jadhav

the use of T3i for me is the 3X zoom and the LCD since i shoot more wildlife the 3x with crop sensor and the 800 mm helps. This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as that level of zoom even captures your breath on the video frame as a shake :)

Originally Posted by James Donnelly

But this is nothing to do with the camera, as it would apply to shooting the same FOV on any camera, so I can't see how it's relevent in the comparison between the 2.

The 5DII does not even have the 3X HD crop mode. I have just been filming some birds in the garden with my 600D using a 70-200 F/2.8L with 2X teleconverter & 3X crop mode which added together is the equivalent of a 1920mm F/5.6 lens on the 5DII. I am using a tripod so there is no shake.

[David Aronson]

Originally Posted by John Wiley

Both are great, and each has their points for and against.

Pro's for the 5dmkII: More fast, wide primes available, better lowlight sensitivity, can get shallower DOF, better build quality.

Pro's for the T3i: Rotating LCD, no overheating, 50p/60p, more zooms to choose from, cheaper lenses, 3x crop mode.

Where did you hear that the T3i didn't overheat? I used one for 30 mins and then it overheated. A 5D right next to it was fine for the entire day. Also, the 5D has lower noise overall compared to the T3i If I set them both to 1600 ISO, the 5D will look much better than the t3i.
Another thing you get for the cost is durability. The T3i is made of cheap plastic; the 5D is made out of magnesium. Also, The shutter life is much higher on the 5D.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

Where did you hear that the T3i didn't overheat? I used one for 30 mins and then it overheated. A 5D right next to it was fine for the entire day. Also, the 5D has lower noise overall compared to the T3i If I set them both to 1600 ISO, the 5D will look much better than the t3i.
Another thing you get for the cost is durability. The T3i is made of cheap plastic; the 5D is made out of magnesium. Also, The shutter life is much higher on the 5D.

That is the very first report that I have seen of the T3i/600D overheating. I have used one extensively alongside 5DIIs & never had it overheat. It is somewhat dependent on ambient temperature so my use of it in a British summer is not a real stress test.

The 5DII is the only full frame Canon DSLR & is a special case for low noise at high ISO although the 1D Mk IV (APS-H 1.3X crop sensor) is said to be even better. If you compare the other APS-C cameras they are all the same with regard to noise whether it's the 7D, 60D, 550D/T2i or 600D/T3i.

[John Wiley]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

Where did you hear that the T3i didn't overheat? I used one for 30 mins and then it overheated. A 5D right next to it was fine for the entire day. Also, the 5D has lower noise overall compared to the T3i If I set them both to 1600 ISO, the 5D will look much better than the t3i.
Another thing you get for the cost is durability. The T3i is made of cheap plastic; the 5D is made out of magnesium. Also, The shutter life is much higher on the 5D.

This is also the very first report I've heard of the t3i overheating.

Can you please confirm that it was definitely a t3i and not a t2i?

[Keith Betters]

Originally Posted by David Aronson

Where did you hear that the T3i didn't overheat? I used one for 30 mins and then it overheated. A 5D right next to it was fine for the entire day. Also, the 5D has lower noise overall compared to the T3i If I set them both to 1600 ISO, the 5D will look much better than the t3i.
Another thing you get for the cost is durability. The T3i is made of cheap plastic; the 5D is made out of magnesium. Also, The shutter life is much higher on the 5D.

Yep, this is the first I have heard of this too! I have used my t3i all summer in 105 degree texas heat shooting outside weddings and music videos and have never seen it once. I think this maybe the t2i you are referring too. I have 2 of those and they overheat all the time. Sometimes only after 10 minutes in direct sunlight. I'm trying to get rid of them but I do like using magic lantern on them for long events, because I can turn the bit rate down and record longer clips! Of course in a cooled environment when overheating is not so frequent.