T2i VS T3i - Toy Advice

[Michael C. Ray]

Couple simple questions:

Looking to pick up a new toy: T2i or T31 - will be used mainly to mess around with the video side of the camera / I will be shooting BASS fishing outings on a 20 foot bass boat. Casting / wicked hooksets / movement from side to side of boat. The distance from camera to subject will be no more than 18 feet apart, with the need to obtain some close-ups of baits.

All weather conditions and lowlight to bright light


Based on what I've researched the 3 is less prone to overheating / swivel monitor / audio input / remote flash capable - Seems the wise choice ??

Lens - Oh boy opinions / opinions / opinions vary so darn much .... ???

Will set it up with a battery grip, few extra battery's, uv lens cover, that should cover me quite well ....??

any help is sought and appreciated .....

[Jon Fairhurst]

Easy decision: the T3i. The T3i shoots 1080p at 24, 25, and 30 fps. The T2i shoots 20 fps. If video is important to you, scratch the T2i from your list.

Having said that, I'd love to have a T2i for shooting action. You can't undercrank Canon DSLRs to 22 or 20 fps for slight fast motion. But you can use a T2i for those shots and speed it up to 24p in post. :)

So, unless you are shooting fake fight scenes, the T3i wins. :)

[Michael C. Ray]

Yeap video is the only reason I'm getting it ... No fight scene's, just people fishing on the front of a boat, which is pretty fast on hook sets and landing them, but nothing like fighting.

T3i then it is ....

Any advice on a lens?

Not getting fancy just shooting some solid fotage to play with ....

[Chris Barcellos]

Whoa Jon....I think you got T2i mixed up with the its predecessor. T2i shoots 24p, 30p and 720 60p. I think you are referring to the T1i.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Good catch, Chris! It never clicked with me that there were three Txi cams.

Here's the T1i with 20 fps.
Canon unveils EOS 500D / Rebel T1i DSLR: Digital Photography Review

And the T2i with 24/25/30...
Canon EOS 550D / Rebel T2i Review: 2. Specifications: Digital Photography Review

Thanks for setting me straight! So it's the T1i that I want for fight scenes. :)

[Taky Cheung]

I owned 3 T2i.. sold them and replaced them with 3 T3i. So my advice is .. T3i

Two things T3i won me over T2i.

(1) Swivel LCD screen. Gives you more shooting angle, other than eye level.

(2) The 3X crop zoom. It uses only the inside 1920x1080 pixel from the entire 18 megapixel sensor. So there will be no moire pattern, as well as, equivalent to the 3X zoom distance. So for a 18-55mm lens, it will filmed like a 54mm-165mm lens.

(3) T3i - no overheat problem.

Now about batteries, you can consider our 1400mah LP-E8 battery (We are DVInfo sponsor). It's higher capacity than the stock 1120mah battery.
LP-E8 1400mAh High Capacity Canon Compatible Battery | L.A. Color Online

And with a battery grip, it gives you double the run time, plus the option to use AA batteries too.
BG-E8 Canon Compatible Battery Grip for Canon 550D 600D T2i T3i | L.A. Color Online

Then, for video purpose, you would want to use a fixed aperture lens. I use Canon 18-55mm F2.8 and Sigma 17-50mm F2.8.

Also, it's a must to install Magic Lantern for the Focus Peaking feature to make sure you get accurate focus. It's not easy to focus with only a 3" screen.

[Matt Thomas]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

Also, it's a must to install Magic Lantern for the Focus Peaking feature to make sure you get accurate focus. It's not easy to focus with only a 3" screen.

I find that the focus peaking can be quite a bit inaccurate though.

[James Donnelly]

Originally Posted by Matt Thomas

I find that the focus peaking can be quite a bit inaccurate though.

When you say innacurate, do you mean un-reliable?

I find that while it has it's limits in terms of what subject matter it works well with, I have never encountered any innacurate behaviour. Perhaps you have.

[Brett Sherman]

I have both T2i and T3i. The rotating LCD and 3X crop zoom on the T3i makes it so I can run around with one lens and be able to get all the shots I need(Canon 17-55 2.8) and I don't need to worry about it overheating. For your closeups, you'll find the T3i 3X crop zoom immensely useful. Manual audio level is also important for getting decent quality audio. However, if you are going to use Magic Lantern, the audio quality can be better with the T2i since you can disable the preamps (you'd need an outboard preamp). Also you can monitor with headphones with the T2i and Magic Lantern. The Magic Lantern "Magic Zoom" also doesn't work on the T3i. So my recommendation is the T3i with some small caveats with Magic Lantern.

Also let me recommend the GGS Perfect Viewfinder. Solid Attachment, flips up or down when your eye can't be right on the camera.

[Taky Cheung]

Brett, you pretty much sums up how I like T3i used at weddings =) The 3X crop zoom is sweet.