T2i (or T3i) shooting weddings

[Taky Cheung]

I have been using three T2i on weddings. It's the same thing about the limitations...

1. bad audio
2. only 12 minutes at a time. Make sure you have more than 1 cam rolling.
3. prepare for lots of SD cards
4. need fast lens
5. indoor, ISO between 400-800 only. Anything over 800 is very noisy
6. prepare for overheating (that's why you need more than 1 cam)
7. Install battery grip to double battery life. It makes the T2i won't look much like a toy
8. Get LCD loupe. Otherwise, you will get lots of out focus shots you don't even know until it's too late
9. Install the focus ring gear for better control of focusing. I don't use follow focus but the gear helps a lot

I will update the list if I think of more later =)

[Jim Greene]

I've been using my T2i with the Magic Lantern firmware from a developer named Alex who has been rapidly making changes that go way beyond the "official" ML firmware, even making changes on a daily basis. The features I love are the ability for the camera to restart after the 12 minute (4GB) limit combined with turning off the LCD screen. Now it becomes a lock-down camera that can record for over 80 minutes. Yes, there is a 2-3 second gap for each 12 minute restart, but you would get this issue if you were to manually restart. The LCD off is key to not overheating, otherwise the camera overheats at around 20 minutes.

Here is the latest build:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/ml-d...s/5yhzpBgXyBoJ

[John Wiley]

Magic Lantern the t2i suddenly makes wedding work with DSLR's, even single handed, a very realistic possibility.

Apart from now having all the great exposure/focus assist options and imporved audio capabilites, they can now be used as b-cams un-manned, though I'd do a fair bit of testing on this before i started relying on them not to overheat, even when the LCD is switched off.

[Dave Partington]

Forgive my ignorance on this & the 550D / T2i, but do you need Magic Lantern installed on all the cards with the card made bootable, or does Magic Lantern actually install on the camera? If it needs to be on all the cards, does it auto boot in to Magic Lantern or do you have to do the firmware update every time to turn it on?

[Jim Greene]

Testing:
I've done a fair amount of testing to determine that it won't overheat for at least 80 minutes. However, this timeframe might be shorter when the humidity rises here in New England, which seems to make overheating worse. The reality is I'm not convinced that the trigger for the overheat indicator really has much meaning as the camera seems to work fine during this warning -- we'll see. But most wedding ceremonies are 20-40 minutes long. The ones that go longer are usually the full Catholic services where we can stop the recording during the Communion. Greek Orthodox can also run longer than 60 minutes. We are replacing a Panasonic HMC-150 for the unmanned back camera, which IMO, the image sucks when compared to that of the DSLR.

Usage:
Yes, in order to use ML every card that you put into the T2i must have the autoexec.bin file on it which is loaded everytime the camera is powered on. This boot load takes a few extra seconds than without ML. If the card doesn't have this file, then the camera will operate with just the normal firmware from Canon with no side effects. The only "permanent" thing to make this happen is a bit flag setting in the Canon firmware that tells it to load the autoexec.bin file on boot. This flag setting is reversible. If you place this card into a non-ML camera, that camera will operate normally (without ML). You just have to be sure NOT to format the card or else the autoexec.bin file will be removed and you will need to copy it again. Instead, either use the camera's "Erase Images" menu operation or delete the files via computer.

Unrelated to ML:
If you want a cheap way to be able to see the LCD when shooting at ground level, and you don't have the T3i or 60D swivel screen, just get this $39 prism viewfinder from Genus: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/702537-REG/Genus_GL_GVISTA_LCD_Viewfinder.html

[Dave Partington]

Thanks. We're currently using 60D, 7D and 5D2 and I built an IR device to start stop them automatically, but it would be nice if the camera did this automatically itself. Even with a 1 second break, it would be acceptable and probably get around the European laws for continuous record!

Originally Posted by Jim Greene

Testing:
We are replacing a Panasonic HMC-150 for the unmanned back camera, which IMO, the image sucks when compared to that of the DSLR.

Something I can agree with 100%. We just sold all four of our HMC151s after starting to shoot DSLRs. Depth of field for longer lenses is an issue (e.g. f2.8 @ 200mm), but for wider shots it's no big deal at all. Interestingly, we always 'man' the rear camera and it's the front camera that has to be unmanned in a church (especially a small church), since they don't like you stood in front of the B+G. In civil weddings it's different, but varies from place to place.

[Jim Greene]

Oh, I understand about front cam restrictions as well. Some of the stricter Catholic priests and some Jewish Rabbis don't want anyone up front, so an unmanned cam there is great as well. I just did a Jewish ceremony where this was the case, we all were required to stay 100 feet back, so I stuck the T2i with ML midway up the right aisle on a tripod right next to the loud speaker and the Rabbi didn't even notice it. It worked for 40 minutes flawlessly. But we still want an unmanned back cam for the safety shot because we reposition the other cams all the time. So we will sell the HMC and replace it with a 2nd T2i with ML. The HMC was just that, a safety shot that we would cringe when needed in the edit. Now we will have four usable cams -- you can never have too many angles.

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Jim Greene

......Now we will have four usable cams -- you can never have too many angles.

So true. I really don't know how these guys go about shooting with a single camera, especially if (as happens so often) you aren't allowed to move at all during the ceremony.

BTW - how long do the standard Canon batteries last (in terms of video record time) ? I just ordered a 550D to play with. Can any one recommend a good third party battery?

[Jim Greene]

The Canon LP-E8 is $42 USD, but Pearstone makes an equivalent for $24 USD: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/685434-REG/Pearstone_LP_E8_LP_E8_Lithium_Ion_Battery_Pack.html
I just ordered one so can't say how well it works. But I did use the Pearstone LP-E6 for my Canon 5D and it seemed to work the same as the Canon brand (and it works with the camera battery level indicator). Their chargers are not good though, so stay with Canon brand chargers.

As for battery life, I have the battery grip with two LP-E8 batteries and the T2i recorded for at least 80 minutes with the LCD off, so not sure how long 1 battery will last with LCD on.

[Taky Cheung]

We also offer Canon compatible LP-E8 battery and LC-E8 charger. Price is very competitive

LP-E8 Canon Compatible Li-Ion Battery | L.A. Color Online
LC-E8 Canon Compatible Charger for LP-E8 Battery | L.A. Color Online