New t3i or new lens

[Steve Bleasdale]

Has anyone bought the t3i/600d for its zoom capabilities with an average lens, rather than buying a new top of the range lens? If so has it worked or do you lose picture quality at say 3 to 5x digital zoom... Am i right in saying a new t3i, £600, then a new lens say a 17-55 lens would that be better/cheaper on the t3i with its new zoom capabilities, than an expensive 70-200 2.8 canon? Or is there no comparison....

[Justin Molush]

No comparison The 70-200 will give you a completely different look. You cannot fake telephoto compression with digital zoom.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Mmmm thanks Justin!! I am getting different reviews everywhere? Some say a t3i with a decent lens around 17-55 range would be better than a longer focal lens due to the cameras digital zoom feature...??
But it would be easier shooting a wedding with one lens and using the zoom, rather than changing lens would it not... I am sure its been covered here?

[Kin Lau]

I bought my T3i mainly for it's 3x zoom (5x is just too soft), I use a 50-500 tho.

Using a 50mm with the 3x zoom is a quick and cheap way of getting the focal length, but you will also lose some contrast and sharpness. Because of the smaller sensor sized used in 3x, you will end up with the FOV of a 150mm but the DOF of a 50mm, which can be an advantage (less pulling focus required) or disadvantage (deeper DOF means perhaps more distracting/ugly backgrounds).

It's often a good trade-off, but only you can decide whether it's good enough for you.

[Keith Betters]

As much as this pains me to say this, I have been noticing some quality dropoff using the digital zoom even at 3x. It seems that it is not as sharp, and I'm noticing more noise then my other cameras during the ceremony.When I'm cutting to the t3i from my t2i's, I can clearly see a difference in the footage. Colors are still very close, but again its just softer, and a little more noisier.

Trust me I really hate to admit this, because the last thing I want to do is buy any version of the 70-200, but I think if what I'm seeing persist, then I will have to start making reservations to buy one. I mean it is still an option if money is an issue, but if you are a stickler for top notch quality, then buying a lens for that focal length will probably be the better thing to do.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Cheers guys, thanks for your input, there are a lot of people now saying that very same thing... A reduction in a little quality would mean a reduction in a liittle buisness? Got to be safe, thanks guys

[Nigel Barker]

The 3X HD crop mode is not a perfect substitute for a proper telephoto as it is a softer image but it is awfully convenient not having to swap lenses. I use my 600D with the Canon 17-55mm F/2.8 IS so I effectively have a 51-165mm F/2.8 IS for free. It's a hell of a lot lighter than using the Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS too.

[Pete Carney]

I'm not a buyer that the quality of the 3x is sofrter or less contrast. It is all in the lens. If you use higher quality glass, the 3x gives incredible results that are nearly indestinguisable from a longer lens of equal quality. A slightly different look, but not poorer quality.

With an EFS 17-55 f2.8 and the 3x you will have incredible results. If you use the kit lens you will have horrible results.

I have compared the 3x function with a number of lenses including a 17-35L f2.8, 70-200L F4, 100-400L, and a 600mm Nikkor ED AIS. While it has a different look due to total and complete elmination of moire and aliasing it is more than a simple "cheaper" way to get closer. After having used the 3x function since the T3i came out I can say that it is one of the finest features ever put in a DSLR.

On a side note there is a huge advantage to using the 3x vs. a longer lens of higher apurture. A 50mm f1.8 on the T3i with the 3x is equivalent to having a 240mm f1.8 on a 5DmkII. It's something you simply can not have with any conventional lens/body for light gathering and percieved depth of field.

When comparing value for money, the T3i blows away all options in this respect assuming you have at least one high quality piece of glass to use with the 3x function. Even a $30 vintage 50mm f1.8 will suffice for this purpose :)

Cheers,
Pete

[Chris Hurd]

Dang... hats off to Pete Carney, that was The Post Of The Day! Thanks for contributing some excellent advice, Pete.

[John Vincent]

I have a question RE the T3 (I own a T2i) - does it record 3X at HD quality, or 480? The T2i is 480 (meaning the long lens would be the obvious answer for that particular camera).

One other issue not addressed - good glass is forever (assumming you don't drop it). A camera body is a 3, maybe 5 year machine at best. If you're interested in Canon's new, soon to be announced lineup, I'd say buy the glass.

[Kin Lau]

The 3x is recorded at full 1080p, whether there's 1080p's worth of info being recorded, is another question.

Even at 10x, it's still recording at 1080p.

As for glass lasting forever, that's not completely true. The IS, USM motors do wear out, and parts do run out. Many 17-55/2.8's are already dead for this reason.

[John Vincent]

Well, maybe not forever, but almost certainly longer than a camera body - this even more true it the lens is manual to start with.

And given that all the current Canon DSLR's are looking to be replaced very soon, I'd buy the glass if it was between a 60D and a zoom.

'Course, if it was totally up to me, I'd just wait to Nov. 3rd and see exactly what all the fuss is about.

[John Wiley]

Originally Posted by John Vincent

One other issue not addressed - good glass is forever (assumming you don't drop it). A camera body is a 3, maybe 5 year machine at best. If you're interested in Canon's new, soon to be announced lineup, I'd say buy the glass.

I personally would adhere to this school of thought. However, I've not used the 600D crop mode so I can't comment on the quality.

It also propably depends on the lenses being discussed and their price point when considering what option is best for you. I love my 70-200 f/2.8 and would never swap in for a 3x crop of a 50mm lens. On the other hand, I certainly can't afford a 600mm f/2.8...

If the 600D crop mode worked for 720p50 mode as well I would buy one, seeing as the main thing I would use it for is surf films. Unfortunately it apparently only works in 1080p so I would not be able to shoot any slow-mo stuff.

[Daniel Browning]

Originally Posted by Pete Carney

On a side note there is a huge advantage to using the 3x vs. a longer lens of higher apurture. A 50mm f1.8 on the T3i with the 3x is equivalent to having a 240mm f1.8 on a 5DmkII. It's something you simply can not have with any conventional lens/body for light gathering and percieved depth of field.

Unfortunately, that's not correct. In every way that matters, the 50mm f/1.8 on the T3i at 3X is equivalent to a 240mm f/8.6, not f/1.8. That's not just for depth of field, either. They have the same *intensity* of light (since both are f/1.8), but light gathering (noise) depends on the intensity *plus* area. And since a real 240mm f/1.8 and 5D2 has way more area, it would also have significantly less noise. For example, you would get the same noise with T3i 3X, f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 100 as you would from the 5D2, 240mm, f/8.6, ISO 1600. I've demonstrated the principle here:

Image comparison

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

[Taky Cheung]

If you know how the crop zoom works, you should know it's just not using the entire 18 mega pixel but only the inner 1920x1080 pixel. In that case, you won't get a darker picture. There is no light loss.

I posted another thread about this feature a while back. There's another member keep saying there's light loss in final video. You can read about it here

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...omparison.html

The crop zoom has the same lens focal length, aperture size and everything. Same depth of field too. The difference is a narrower Field of View.