Sick of my T2I , looking for alternative suggestions

[fixxxer76]

Let me start by saying I am a hobbyist who likes to make short skits/films for fun. I do a lot of research and spend a lot of time reading about filming, lighting , using NLE's etc. I currently have a T2I (magic lanterned) with a nikon prime 35 f2.8, Canon 17-55 f2.8 and canon 50 f1.8. My problem is I cannot get great looking images. I have problems w/ sharpness resolution, and aliasing. I have the canon 17-55 which is supposed to be L series glass but I'm just not getting what I want. I know the h.264 codec for canon sucks so I'm asking What other people can suggest. I keep reading the GH2 (with hack) is great but that means I have to get a micro 4/3 converter or new glass, is that worth it? Should I spring for the Mark III? I feel like I would still have resolution and codec problems. Should I save up for the FS100? I'd like to stay under 5K. Any suggestions. Thanks

[paulhouston]

Get a GH2 which seems to meet your requirements of sharpness resolution without aliasing. Also get some Panny and/or Zuiko lenses. Altogether they will be under $5K

[ulisses]

Gh2

[fixxxer76]

Forgot to comment on the fact that there might be a gh3 coming soon? should i wait for an announcement on that

[maranfilms]

never wait for a camera. Its a waste of time. If you feel your canon is holding you back, then get a gh2 and call it a day. Even if there were a gh3 coming soon, you better believe you will be waiting for a while before you can even get your hands on one. This is how pani does it, it was like that with the gh1,2. It took me three monthes to get a gh2 after it was released. What is it about the Canon you feel is not good enough? What do you shoot? and do you have the ability to light your scenes or whatever. just curious as to why a hobbyist is hitting the wall with a very good camera.

[fixxxer76]

I have led lights and shoot outdoors. However, when i bring my 1080p image into after effects and premeire it just doesn't look crisp or anything like what i see on vimeo from 5d's and Gh2's. At first I thought it might be my focusing , but I have since bought a viewfinder and use magic lantern for focus peeking. Nothing is sharp even though i use an L glass lens, shoot with enough light at low iso and sharpen in post. Maybe there is something wrong with my camera. Maybe I am missing something else. Yes, I am a hobbyist , but I would like to get the most out of doing it and not waste my time with images that I don't like.

[unadog]

Love my Canon T3i and T4i. Beautiful images, great quality.

I lost a long post when my browser crashed.

Have a look at this, and read it through a few times. Then test, test, test:

http://philipbloom.net/2011/09/18/pictureprofiles/

Basically you should be shooting using the AdobeRGB color space, not sRGB.

Use the "Neutral" or "Faithful" Picture Styles, or one of the special Styles covered in the Bloom article: Flaat, Cinestyle, etc.

You want: no sharpening, low contrast, low saturation. Turn off the Canon "scene auto compensation" or whatever it is called if yiu have it.

Exposure should fit toward the right of the histogram without clipping, and without going too far to the left for the shadows (very little data at the "bottom")

You are trying to capture as much data as possible, then massage that in post to get the "look" you want. You are trying to avoid throwing away or damaging data in camera.

It would probably pay to spend 2-3 months mastering that camera and crating a look that you can love. Even if you do swap out later, you will learn a lot about customizing the image and working with color spaces and digital data.

If the pros can make the 7D work for TV, you should be able to get usable images from the T2i.

Good luck!
Michael

[unadog]

Bloom has a rundown on most of the cameras. I'll link to it, but this is part of his take on the T2i:

Canon Rebel T2i/ 550d

The new kid on the block and a damn impressive one too.... This baby ups the game and is the first consumer DSLR that Canon have made with full HD and full manual control. It’s killer. With an image of almost comparable quality to the pro 7D it has taken the market by storm and rightly so.

http://test98362.philipbloom.net/2011/03/17/whichdslr/

[Gillvane]

Here's some sample footage in a head to head test of most of the good cameras out there:

http://www.zacuto.com/shootout-reven...otout-part-two

A lot of it is subjective so really depends on what you like as far as a look. Also, from watching this you can see that about 80-90% of the "look" is done in post and with the right post production tools one camera can look pretty darn close to another.

Also, try this. Go screen something with a bunch of people, not film makers just people that watch movies, and then ask them to critique the cinematography. See if any of them actually notice the things you're talking about.

[fixxxer76]

Unadog, thanks for the info. I do shoot cinestyle and try to slightly underexpose my image. I also love phillip bloom and have read his guides for t2i's. I don't know. Maybe its the way my computer is interacting with my monitor. I use a nvidia graphics card hdmi out to sony bravia 32". I will try to view my footage on other monitors/tvs and see if that helps. Gillvane , I have done what you suggested and the common person thinks the stuff I made "looks like a movie" So maybe I am being to critical. That's a good thing though, I guess.