Is the T2i overrated?

Ewan L

Ewan L

Active member
I'm a big fan of Canon's cameras, and I've played around with a couple of them and love the image/video quality. I was looking for a DSLR a while back and every shop I went to they recommended the T2i. Now don't get me wrong, I know this camera is fantastic. I'm going to get a DSLR around Christmas time and was wondering if I should get the T2i...

So is this camera just a bit overrated or is it totally worth it?

Thanks!
 
Every camera has it's advantages and disadvantages, including the T2i.
That being said, with any modern camera in 2012, the limiting factor to achieving a high quality product is the user, not the camera.
 
It's worth it. Get the camera, get comfortable, then add Magic Lantern. Get a $20 viewfinder on ebay. You're set. I wouldn't trade my T2i for anything.
 
If you're familiar with Canon DSLRs, especially the Rebel line, you already know the form factor and most of the functions. Add to that the video, which you already know the quality of from this forum, and you have the T2i. So it's not overrated if that's what you're expecting. I use a 7D thanks to a couple of advanced photography features, so I can't be any more specific than that.
 
Ewan L said:
I'm going to get a DSLR around Christmas time and was wondering if I should get the T2i...

So is this camera just a bit overrated or is it totally worth it?

Thanks!
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I own it. It is pretty sweet. If you are really waiting till Christmas then I recommend the, not yet released, T4i.
 
Thanks everyone for the info! I think I might stick to it after all.

kgimedia said:
I own it. It is pretty sweet. If you are really waiting till Christmas then I recommend the, not yet released, T4i.
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I think the T4i might be a bit much, I don't want to go over $1000.
 
my biggest problem with my t2i is overheating. i shoot a good bit of live stuff and run and gun stuff so i have to be moving really quickly. I am on the brink of trying to trade mine in for a gh2 but I'm invested in a lens or two that wont adapt, a boat load of batteries, a grip and a pretty custom rig i made for my follow focus to fit. at this point if i had the money or oppertunity to trade my t2i and gear for a kitted out gh2 then i think i would do it.

Keep in mind however that my opinion is based on somebody who does a lot of run and gun live work and its specifically due to the overheating issues i have.
 
I have both the t3i, and gh2. The gh2 destroys the canons in every way but still photos. I'm not saying I dont like my Canon, I do, and I use it for certain things, it's another tool in my box. But if I were you I would get the t3i over the t2i any day. It's much better if you dont plan on hacking, well... actually it's still much better if you do plan on hacking, the swivel screen, is 100x better than non swivel. And if anyone argues that, they clearly haven't used the swivel yet. I think the t3i, is a bit beefier, and has better options.
 
maranfilms said:
I have both the t3i, and gh2. The gh2 destroys the canons in every way but still photos. I'm not saying I dont like my Canon, I do, and I use it for certain things, it's another tool in my box. But if I were you I would get the t3i over the t2i any day. It's much better if you dont plan on hacking, well... actually it's still much better if you do plan on hacking, the swivel screen, is 100x better than non swivel. And if anyone argues that, they clearly haven't used the swivel yet. I think the t3i, is a bit beefier, and has better options.
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Actually, if anybody argues with that they just have a different point of view to you. Nobody is right or wrong, it's just personal preference.
 
maranfilms said:
I have both the t3i, and gh2. The gh2 destroys the canons in every way but still photos. I'm not saying I dont like my Canon, I do, and I use it for certain things, it's another tool in my box. But if I were you I would get the t3i over the t2i any day. It's much better if you dont plan on hacking, well... actually it's still much better if you do plan on hacking, the swivel screen, is 100x better than non swivel. And if anyone argues that, they clearly haven't used the swivel yet. I think the t3i, is a bit beefier, and has better options.
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Thanks for the advice. The swivel screen would definitely be a good feature for me. It might be an extra bit of money thrown in but I'll invest in it if I know it's going to do me good.
 
Will Turner said:
Actually, if anybody argues with that they just have a different point of view to you. Nobody is right or wrong, it's just personal preference.
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Gimme a break dude, I will say it agian. If you prefer a non swivel over swivel, than you clearly haven't used a swivel.

To the op, I had the t2i, then replaced it with the t3i, The swivel screen makes it so much easier to get shots, especially low ones, where you would have to literally lay down on the ground to look throught the lcd on a t2i. A little common sense goes a long way. As you see. Anyways, good luck with your purchase, there's tons of content on here, just spend a few weeks reading misc threads when you have the time.:thumbsup:
 
Had a 60D, switched to 7D. Don't really miss the swivel. It's personal preference, I think. Maybe I'm weird. My girlfriend tells me that almost every day.

Below $1000, you can get even a used 60D right now. I seem them going for about $700 with extras right now. But again, depends what you want from your camera, etc. I liked the build quality of the higher up line, so went with a 7D ultimately. If you like the swivel screen and the crop zoom, T3i is probably your way to go. GH2 is cheaper and has the swivel screen, but less lens options (until you add an adapter). There's a lot of options out there, just depends what you value more in your camera. Make a list of what you MUST have in your DSLR and pick the one in your budget that has all of those features. If anything, find a shop where you can rent a body for a day and give each a test run to see what you like better.
 
Also, with Christmas being a good 9 months away, all these tips will probably be moot. There will be a new line of cameras, everything will drop in price, etc.
 
I have a T2i and I love the little camera. I have upgraded to a FS100, but I still use the T2i a lot. Overrated, no way. I mean it is an $800.00 camera, and is not perfect, but when I think about the image capabilities of the camera, in video mode, for that price, it blows me away. The T2i is the only DSLR I have owned, even though I have shot with 7D and a 5DMII before, so I can't really comment on the differences between it and the other low end DSLRs, but I still think that it is an amazing camera, for the money.
 
I would suggest T3i over T2i. The swivel screen is a big plus. Then there is manual audio selection. The 3X crop zoom give filming video with extra power. Also, T2i gets overheat very easily. T3i will not.
 
I'm seeing a lot of guys saying the t3i will not overheat but i have shot side by side with guys who are on the t3i and it has overheated. The swivel screen is a very n ice feature and it opens up the back of the camera so that it helps dissipate heat. That is a great big help for overheating but it can still happen. I saw a guy putting stick on heat-syncs on his sony NEX-7 and it was a huge help for overheating. You could put some under your screen and just always use it opened up. I would be pretty careful transporting it though.
 
Thanks for the replies again!

I think I'm getting tempted to actually but the T3i now judging by your posts. I can imagine a lot of situations that I'll be shooting where the swivel screen will come in handy. I understand that prices will probably drop around Christmas time for a large range of cameras, including these in some places. That'll be good and it hopefully shouldn't be too much of an issue with pricing when it comes down to buying it around that time.
 
I am a T2i owner. I have also used most of the other Canon DSLRs out there, as well as a variety of other cameras over the years.

Personally, I think the T2i is great. I would not use it without Magic Lantern though. The reason for this is that without Magic Lantern, you can't get access to the cleanest ISO values (160, 320, 640, 1250). I believe the same probably goes for the T3i as well.

The swivel screen can be nice. I've used it before on the 60D when doing Steadicam type work and it was useful in that case. Other than that, I'm not sure we used the swivel screen at all on my latest short film, despite having it available on the 60D.

The thing to keep in mind here is that with the rapid pace of innovation and change is that DSLR camera bodies are more or less disposable. Whether you buy a T2i, T3i, or a 5DmkIII today, something better is going to come along in a year or two, and by then the camera will be worth a lot less and you'll want to upgrade again.

What I do is spend more money on things that don't depreciate (lights, manual focus lenses, microphones, C stands), and try to get the cheapest camera body that will do the job. I'm just going to replace it in two or three years anyway.

Given that the T2i and T3i don't have a huge difference in price, I think either one would probably work just fine.

Personally, my biggest problems with the T2i (and this applies equally to all of the current generation of Canon DSLRs except the new 5DmkIII) are the moire and aliasing. I'm very interested to see if the T4i will fix this, since it will probably use the DIGIC 5 chipset. Having said that, I just shot a short film where we simply pre-screened the wardrobe and location choices before committing to film them, and were able to avoid moire almost entirely this way. It still snuck through in the background on a couple shots, but nothing that can't be worked around in post and editing.

The bottom line is that any of these cameras are capable of making great images, at a price point that was totally unimaginable only a few years ago. The fact is that it's usually the skills and resources of the cinematographer now that are the limiting step, and not the camera. A T2i in the right hands will look better than an Alexa in the wrong hands every time.
 
robotsound said:
I am a T2i owner. I have also used most of the other Canon DSLRs out there, as well as a variety of other cameras over the years.

Personally, I think the T2i is great. I would not use it without Magic Lantern though. The reason for this is that without Magic Lantern, you can't get access to the cleanest ISO values (160, 320, 640, 1250). I believe the same probably goes for the T3i as well.

The swivel screen can be nice. I've used it before on the 60D when doing Steadicam type work and it was useful in that case. Other than that, I'm not sure we used the swivel screen at all on my latest short film, despite having it available on the 60D.

The thing to keep in mind here is that with the rapid pace of innovation and change is that DSLR camera bodies are more or less disposable. Whether you buy a T2i, T3i, or a 5DmkIII today, something better is going to come along in a year or two, and by then the camera will be worth a lot less and you'll want to upgrade again.

What I do is spend more money on things that don't depreciate (lights, manual focus lenses, microphones, C stands), and try to get the cheapest camera body that will do the job. I'm just going to replace it in two or three years anyway.

Given that the T2i and T3i don't have a huge difference in price, I think either one would probably work just fine.

Personally, my biggest problems with the T2i (and this applies equally to all of the current generation of Canon DSLRs except the new 5DmkIII) are the moire and aliasing. I'm very interested to see if the T4i will fix this, since it will probably use the DIGIC 5 chipset. Having said that, I just shot a short film where we simply pre-screened the wardrobe and location choices before committing to film them, and were able to avoid moire almost entirely this way. It still snuck through in the background on a couple shots, but nothing that can't be worked around in post and editing.

The bottom line is that any of these cameras are capable of making great images, at a price point that was totally unimaginable only a few years ago. The fact is that it's usually the skills and resources of the cinematographer now that are the limiting step, and not the camera. A T2i in the right hands will look better than an Alexa in the wrong hands every time.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, really helpful! Brilliant bit of advice at the end about Alexa/T2i.
 
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