Looking to buy a DSLR for video.

brandondull

brandondull

Well-known member
I own an HVX200a but I really want a DSLR. I want to know whats the best fit for me. I make music videos right now. I am going to start doing weddings more often. I really have my mind focused on the 7D. That fits my price range. I read that the 7D is better for video... is that true? I would consider the T2i but I don't know much about that camera. I think the 5D is out of my price range. I want to be able to shoot in a variety of frame rates, I think I read also that the 5D only shoots at 30fps... Any help would be great! Thanks!

Brandon
 
long story short....if ur shooting stills as well get the 7d...if its only video ur interested in get the t2i. they shoot prettymuch identical for video.
 
First off, don't respond to yourself under an hour later because no one's paying attention to you. It comes off really rude.

For your question, the t2i is basically the consumer version of the 7D. The 7D has better weather sealing, more convenient controls, stills burst rate, and it's been theorized that the double processors allow for less noisy imaging. It also comes with a built in wireless flash transmitter, which for me is huge, it was one of the deciding factors. But almost all of those improvements are stills only. For video they should be pretty much the same, as with above. And the t2i is less expensive, meaning you can invest in the many other things that go into good video production. The 7D just makes you seem more professional to people who know what it is. Keep in mind both can only record in 12 minutes intervals, considering you mentioned weddings.
 
I'm sorry I responded to myself so fast. I am amped into buying one! Lol my next question was I have a glidecam 4000 for my HVX200a, would the t2i work with that or is it to light? 12 min. intervals, hmm how many cards would I need for 60 minutes? Keep in mind still leaning towards the 7D. Thanks.
 
Re: cards it depends on the size of the card. i have a 16gb card and can record around 45 mins to that. but u can only record in 12 minute chunks. after 12 mins it stops and u have to press record again. thats no biggie for me at all as i plan to do music vids...films ect... not events.
 
I own the T2i, but I believe the 7D has more control over the ISO. The T2i ISO settings are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400.

I am not an expert on the 7D, but my understanding is that the LCD on the T2i is sharper. The T2i uses SDHC cards and since my primary cameras are the HMC150s, I have a bunch of 16 and 32 gb cards. The 7D uses CF cards, but since you shoot with the HVX200, you probably do not have a large stock of SDHC or CF Cards.

CF cards are more expensive as is the 7D. Since I do not plan on shooting professional phtotgraphy it was an easy choice for me to go with the T2i and use the price difference on lenses, batteries and a camera grip.
 
If you're getting into weddings, I would then buy a couple of T2is, that way all your equipment is standardized with same batteries, memory cards, etc. You don't want to have to be juggling different batteries between the T2i and 7Ds. Also, the money you save buying T2is could be put to faster, better glass which is a better value proposition in the long run anyway.

And since the DSLR revolution is in its infancy, who knows, maybe in 6 months to a year, better models will come out which makes buying a 7D or a 5Dm2 just for video a bad financial decision.

Buy a T2i for $800-$900. Expect to pay the same amount for the accessories to go with that, eg. lcd viewfinder, shoulder support, external microphone, portable audio recorder, fader ND, etc. just to bring it up to parity with their video brethren.
 
brandondull said:
I own an HVX200a but I really want a DSLR. I want to know whats the best fit for me. I make music videos right now. I am going to start doing weddings more often. I really have my mind focused on the 7D. That fits my price range. I read that the 7D is better for video... is that true? I would consider the T2i but I don't know much about that camera. I think the 5D is out of my price range. I want to be able to shoot in a variety of frame rates, I think I read also that the 5D only shoots at 30fps... Any help would be great! Thanks!

Brandon
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I shoot with both the 7D and 550D side by side. I also just finished a project with an EX3 and a 550D as a b-roll camera. They cut pretty well together. The EX3 is higher rez but a camera at 1/10th the price that actually looks ok cut together is amazing in itself.
The only real difference is in the lenses you put on them. If budget is your concern get a 550 with a good lens and your set for a while. I'm recent convert to IS and for hand held work it does help.
 
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Thats what I am thinking about getting the t2i & beef of the camera with some extra bucks... but Does anyone know if the t2i works with the Glidecam 4000 pro? Will the accessories bring it up to a good weight for this? I already own one btw from my HVX200a. Thats why I am asking. Also what lenses should I buy? Any lenses that would work good for music video production? Does the canon t2i work well with Final Cut Studio?
 
I have the t2i and am very happy with it. The video functions are identical on both cameras but the 7D has a few features worth looking into. For one thing there's more iso stops than the t2i such as a 1250 between 800 and 1600 levels and you can dial your white balance in by kelvin temperature. Are these worth the $800 premium? It's up to you and your needs. If I were looking at a camera more expensive than the t2i, I'd look at the Canon 5D Mark II. It has all the features of the 7D (plus maybe a few more) it's more sensitive in low light, and most importantly it's full frame which means it's easier and cheaper to find wide angle lenses for it.

There just isn't a compelling reason for me to get the 7D but lots of reasons to get the 5D. Best of luck!
 
Thats what I am thinking about getting the t2i & beef of the camera with some extra bucks... but Does anyone know if the t2i works with the Glidecam 4000 pro? Will the accessories bring it up to a good weight for this? I already own one btw from my HVX200a. Thats why I am asking. Also what lenses should I buy? Any lenses that would work good for music video production? Does the canon t2i work well with Final Cut Studio?
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If you trick out the cam, it should work just fine on your Glidecam. As for Final Cut, I'm a Vegas guy so I can't say. Take an SD card to your nearest Best Buy and shoot some footage onto it there. Come back home and figure out your workflow and if you're happy with doing things however you have to do them. I did it twice before finally buying the T2i.

__________________
 
Chris Watson said:
I have the t2i and am very happy with it. The video functions are identical on both cameras but the 7D has a few features worth looking into. For one thing there's more iso stops than the t2i such as a 1250 between 800 and 1600 levels and you can dial your white balance in by kelvin temperature. Are these worth the $800 premium? It's up to you and your needs. If I were looking at a camera more expensive than the t2i, I'd look at the Canon 5D Mark II. It has all the features of the 7D (plus maybe a few more) it's more sensitive in low light, and most importantly it's full frame which means it's easier and cheaper to find wide angle lenses for it.

There just isn't a compelling reason for me to get the 7D but lots of reasons to get the 5D. Best of luck!
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I chose the 7D over the 5D for the 17-55mm IS USM lens and 720 60p.
 
I just bought the t2i. I want to thank everyone for the advice. I'm happy with the video it's gonna look nice with my hvx200a. I feel like I got my moneys worth. I got the stock lens & a canon 50mm-255mm telephoto lens with a 16 GB card. I have about $800.00 more on my budget I was def thinking about getting a shotgun mic. I want to be able to use it with my glidecam 4000 pro. Can anyone suggest some other lenses, cards, mics, or etc... For me to buy? Thanks again!
 
brandondull said:
I just bought the t2i. I want to thank everyone for the advice. I'm happy with the video it's gonna look nice with my hvx200a. I feel like I got my moneys worth. I got the stock lens & a canon 50mm-255mm telephoto lens with a 16 GB card. I have about $800.00 more on my budget I was def thinking about getting a shotgun mic. I want to be able to use it with my glidecam 4000 pro. Can anyone suggest some other lenses, cards, mics, or etc... For me to buy? Thanks again!
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A couple of things for sure that you should buy are

A) More Batteries and at least two-three 16gb SDHC ( Class 6 or better ) cards
B) Battery Grip, this gives the t2i added weight + bulk which is incredible!


Other than that if you have a lighting kit already than your fine, if not you need to invest in one. As far as lenses it just really depends on what you are doing. The 50mm 1.8 while not the best lens is actually razor sharp and is very good in low light. You only having the kit lens means you will need some kind of fast lens and the 50mm 1.8 is only like $80-$100.


Other than that be very careful with your money and do a couple of shoots first, then you will know exactly what you need. Also you better buy a couple of 1tb Hard Drives as well as they fill up pretty quickly because of this HD footage and large Pro Res files.
 
I already have two 2tb harddrives. I am good on the computer side of things. I was thinking about another 16 Gb card, 2 batteries, battery grip, & shotgun mic to add weight. I like the 2 lenses ingot maybe get a wide or fisheye. Any suggestions?
 
brandondull said:
I already have two 2tb harddrives. I am good on the computer side of things. I was thinking about another 16 Gb card, 2 batteries, battery grip, & shotgun mic to add weight. I like the 2 lenses ingot maybe get a wide or fisheye. Any suggestions?
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Forget about the SHotgun Mic as they all sound pretty nasty and not much better than the mic that comes with the camera.

If you want a wide lens, Excellent lens ( as many will agree ) is the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. It cost about $600-$700 though so it's pretty expensive, but people who have that lens and have used it say it is their favorite wide angle lens.
 
Fisheye lenses have curved lines - best to avoid it for video. A lens like the Tokina 11-16 is not fisheye, it has straight lines.

Make sure you have a good tripod for your 55-250mm lens. Everyone says that the Manfrotto 501HDV is kind of a minimum. I've heard good things about the Libec TH 950DV as the most basic tripod workable for video.
 
brandondull said:
I already have two 2tb harddrives. I am good on the computer side of things. I was thinking about another 16 Gb card, 2 batteries, battery grip, & shotgun mic to add weight. I like the 2 lenses ingot maybe get a wide or fisheye. Any suggestions?
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Battery grip and batteries can be found for cheap on ebay. There are some threads here about them. Down side is the after market batteries don't show % remaining (so I hear).
 
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