Looking for Advice - DSLR Films - Canon, Nikon? Beginner

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Drackk

New member
I am looking for the best DSLR and lens for film.

I have read the Canon T2i is better than the Canon T3i and 60D for film quality. But I have no idea - the fimls I have watched on Vimeo are all good.
Nikon have more lens options but I don't know much about them.

I am so lost I need help.

I do films for fun. Mostly of my kids in sports and the athletes that train at my facility, fishing with buddies, ski trips, etc. I am a hobbyist and want a camera that will work while my kids grow.

I want a DSLR camera capable of FUllHD 24FPS.

I want to spend around 900 - 1200 to get started.

I am leaning toward the T2i but the swivel LCD screen option is nice on the T3i.:2vrolijk_08:
Camera/Lens for Kids sports etc.

Thanks

Lost
 
What do I need?

What do I need?

I have researched the GH2

they seem to be on back order.

I am not sure what lens i need to start. Sports - kids, family etc. Like to have a solid multi purpose to start then get what I need moving on. I am a newbie.

The GH2 video quality looks fantastic but I have read the camera is hard to use unless you know about ISO etc.

The Canon seems more user friendly and cheaper.

I use I movie to edit. Not sure if the GH2 footage is compatible.

Can I learn how to manipulate the Gh2?













 
First, stay away from Nikon. Kick-a** cameras for still photography, but lousy for video. They have the worst rolling shutter artifacts of any DSLR.

Drackk said:
I have read the Canon T2i is better than the Canon T3i and 60D for film quality. But I have no idea - the fimls I have watched on Vimeo are all good.
Click to expand...

The T2i, T3i, 60D, and 7D all have the same image sensor. They all* produce the same image. The differences are in the menu features and the physical design (T3i and 60D have swivel LCD monitors, 7D is weather-sealed... 7D has dual processors while T2i/T3i/60D all have single). *The 7D offers internediate ISO settings, which the others do not.

So there's nothing valid behind the argument that the T2i is better than the T3i and 60D. They're all, essentially, the same camera with some slightly different external features. The 60D has manual audio control, which the T2i does not. Though recording sound to a DSLR still isn't as good in the end as recording to a separate audio recorder, the manual control feature is huge. This can be accomplished on the T2i by installing the Magic Lantern hack software, and ML also offers several handy features like zebras, more shutter speeds, and more. (Magic Lantern may be the reason people say the T2i is better.)

So between Canon and the GH2... well, the GH2 has better performance when it comes to things like moire and rolling shutter, but there may be some Canon features that you find more practical.

As for lenses, you might be better off getting something like a constant-aperture zoom from Tamron (17-50 f/2.8). And since you mention sports, you'll probably want something longer as well (like 70-200). That should get you started... I wouldn't worry about prime lenses just yet.
 
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Thanks for the advice

Thanks for the advice

I have narrowed it down to the 60D and the GH2.
:happy:
 
Nikon sucks. D7000 is ok but half the bitrate of the Canons (woho, double recording time! Zzzz...), and we most agree by now that the Canons are blown away by GH2 in terms of video quality, sooo really no reason to join the Nikon camp. GH2 is probably the easiest one to use of all of them, it's a cool little camera. Too bad the rolling shutter is x2 times worse than Canon's, cus with them it's "kinda" ok, but GH2 really is not recommended for any handheld action pieces. It will look like you shot it with your cellphone.

Actually, I wouldn't use GH2 for any handheld at all. It looks like this:

jello_15023821.jpg
 
Alex H. said:
First, stay away from Nikon. Kick-a** cameras for still photography, but lousy for video. They have the worst rolling shutter artifacts of any DSLR.



The T2i, T3i, 60D, and 7D all have the same image sensor. They all* produce the same image. The differences are in the menu features and the physical design (T3i and 60D have swivel LCD monitors, 7D is weather-sealed... 7D has dual processors while T2i/T3i/60D all have single). *The 7D offers internediate ISO settings, which the others do not.

So there's nothing valid behind the argument that the T2i is better than the T3i and 60D. They're all, essentially, the same camera with some slightly different external features. The 60D has manual audio control, which the T2i does not. Though recording sound to a DSLR still isn't as good in the end as recording to a separate audio recorder, the manual control feature is huge. This can be accomplished on the T2i by installing the Magic Lantern hack software, and ML also offers several handy features like zebras, more shutter speeds, and more. (Magic Lantern may be the reason people say the T2i is better.)

So between Canon and the GH2... well, the GH2 has better performance when it comes to things like moire and rolling shutter, but there may be some Canon features that you find more practical.

As for lenses, you might be better off getting something like a constant-aperture zoom from Tamron (17-50 f/2.8). And since you mention sports, you'll probably want something longer as well (like 70-200). That should get you started... I wouldn't worry about prime lenses just yet.
Click to expand...

Yes, the reason folks recommend the T2i as one of the better options for video is Magic Lantern. There is nothing about the sensor or anything physical that make the quality any different from the other APS-C sized cameras.
ML will (hopefully) be ported to the t3i and 60D making this a moot point, but for now it is only available on the t2i and 5D flavors.
BTW, Alex, ML also allows intermediate ISOs as well as manual Kelvin values, both things originally missing from the T2i.
 
If you are going to do sports you might think about what glass you are going to use and work backwards from there. Digital camera bodies go out of date fast. Glass is the bigger and more long term investment.
 
And if you are doing sports, you might benefit from the 2x crop. The GH2 is sharp, think NFL coverage. The 60d is filmic, think hollywood.
 
Sports - kids, family etc.
Click to expand...
DSLRs really arent best suited to fast moving objects or signifcant camera movement at all. DSLRS are best when treated like a motion picture film camera. if you plan to use it like a family camcorder or for kids sporting events. i think youre set out on a journey of hassle and disappointment. especially for someone without traditional SLR camera experience.

not that it cant be done reasonably well. but its not like shooting with a video camera...
 
OP, I'm curious to know why you want a DSLR for the purposes you've described.

Is it because you want one camera that does everything? Or simply because you've heard DSLR's are "better" for video?

For shooting things like kids, sports and other fast live-action scenarios the DSLR's are totally inappropriate. Particularly if it is just for causal stuff, you'll find a dedicated camcorder much easier to use.

The DSLR's have no (usable) autofocus for video, and really should be used only in manual exposure mode.

If you really do want a single camera for stills and video, then the GH2 would be the way to go. It has continuous autofocus in video mode, and the 2x crop factor will make it a little easier to find longer lenses for shooting sports.
 
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