I already have a Rode Video Mic Pro, which camera should I buy? T2i or T31?

P

Procopia

New member
Hey everybody

I am looking into buying a new camera for both film and photography. I have had a T3/1100d mainly for photography, but when I got a Rode Video Mic Pro for filming I wanted to get a new camera. Now I'm not sure what would be the better option, T3i/600d or T2i/550d.

I want my audio to be be better, and I have had problems with the T2i/550d I tried and the Rode Mic due to autogain. I read that Magic Lantern should fix the problem, but haven't really tried it. I also read somewhere that Canon installed AGC-software in the T3i/550d, but I couldn't really find out if it works well.

I think my question is basically: Considering the use of Magic Lantern on the two, which one would give me the better options for video productions? And also, how consistent is Magic Lantern? Would I be able to count on it working?

I would much like to avoid to install more parts on my camera, and my demands for the audio quality is not extremly high, I just want to be able to record reasonable quality audio and consistent.

Any answers are much appreciated!
 
Yes, you can give yourself manual audio control on the T2i using Magic Lantern. You can also have on-screen audio meters (something that none of the Canon DSLRs have, even the ones with manual audio controls).

If you don't want to hack, the T3i is a better choice because a) it has manual audio and b) it has a swivel LCD screen which comes in handy depending on where you need to place the camera to get the shot you want.
 
The t3i has manual audio control (AGC disable), however it does not give you the kind of control that Magic Lantern does on the T2i.
According to the folks that develop ML, the 60D (and presumably* the T3i) allow manual control of mostly the digital gain only, leaving the analog gain controlled by the software. Magic Lantern can control both the digital and analog, as well as display meters when filming AND allow monitoring via headphones using the analog AV jack.

Yes, Magic Lantern is available for the T3i as well, however the T3i uses a new audio chip. We don't know much about this new chip yet (which is why I said "presumably" before- it is assumed Canon's manual control works the same as it does on the 60D), and it is NOT compatible with the audio controls of Magic Lantern.

So- in a nutshell, the T2i is my recommended option if audio is your biggest concern between these two models. I've used it, the headphone monitoring is excellent and the rest of the ML tools are priceless.

Meanwhile, the T3i's zoom crop mode and articulating screen are great- there is no camera that "does it all" yet, sadly. Maybe the next generation launching in a few months.
 
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