I picked up the 600D after deciding the benefits of the 60D just didn't warrant the extra cash. I have a Rode Videomic Pro on the way for audio and the budget 50mm f1.8 Canon lens as well as the kit 18-55. What in DVXUsers opinion are the essentials? I need at some point to grab a fisheye lens but that can wait a few weeks. I have a good tripod and Glidetrack, a couple of 8GB Class 10 cards and a spare battery.
So I bought the 600D.... now what do I need?!
- Thread starter gshort
- Start date
deltoidjohn
Veteran
If you do any form of extended shooting, then get 5 more batteries. I get mine from ebay for $6 each. You can never have too many, particularly if you shoot all day events like weddings.
Don't get a fisheye lens. Get a rectilinear wide-angle (eg the Tokina 11-16, Sigma 10-20, Canon 10-22) instead. They'll give you a super wide field of view without the extreme barrel distortion.
Get a LCD loupe of some kind - apart from letting you view the screen outdoors in bright light it will act as a extra point of contact and support when shooting handheld, helping to alleviate some of the shakes these cameras are prone to. You can get a cheap one on eBay for about $70, but I don't know if that particular model will work with the 600D's screen.
I'd look at upgrading the kit lens to something like the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 asap. Apart from the better lowlight and image quality, it's got much nicer build quality and is much easier to manually focus with.
Other than that the only thing I would suggest is a cheap audio recorder such as the Zoom H1. This will give you proper control over the audio rather than just the pre-recording adjustment on the 600D, and more importantly you can monitor the sound with headphones.
Don't get a fisheye lens. Get a rectilinear wide-angle (eg the Tokina 11-16, Sigma 10-20, Canon 10-22) instead. They'll give you a super wide field of view without the extreme barrel distortion.
Get a LCD loupe of some kind - apart from letting you view the screen outdoors in bright light it will act as a extra point of contact and support when shooting handheld, helping to alleviate some of the shakes these cameras are prone to. You can get a cheap one on eBay for about $70, but I don't know if that particular model will work with the 600D's screen.
I'd look at upgrading the kit lens to something like the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 asap. Apart from the better lowlight and image quality, it's got much nicer build quality and is much easier to manually focus with.
Other than that the only thing I would suggest is a cheap audio recorder such as the Zoom H1. This will give you proper control over the audio rather than just the pre-recording adjustment on the 600D, and more importantly you can monitor the sound with headphones.
ROCKMORE
Veteran
When you have a little cash trade up the 18-55 for a Tamron 17-50 2.8 non VC. Very sharp and versatile piece of glass and the price is affordable. I have a lot of other lenses, but this one lives on the camera most of the time. Since you have a the kit lens already you may want the Tokina 11-16 2.8. Try to stick to constant aperture lenses.
The fisheye is essential as I'll be shooting a lot of action sports so I have to go as wide as possible whilst keeping detail at the corners. The Tamron gets rave reviews everywhere so I think thats a definite. I like the look (and the price!) of the LCDEVF for an LCD Loupe, Philip Bloom seems to rate it as well and Im sure he has seen his fair share! Thanks for all the input so far!
+1 on the ND filters.
You will need these to keep your apurture down for a smooth DOF and your shutter speed at 1/60 of a second. These cams don't like shooting at higher shutter speeds and if you are anywhere near light colored concrete in the light of day the image is easy to blow out.
Cheers,
Pete
You will need these to keep your apurture down for a smooth DOF and your shutter speed at 1/60 of a second. These cams don't like shooting at higher shutter speeds and if you are anywhere near light colored concrete in the light of day the image is easy to blow out.
Cheers,
Pete
deltoidjohn
Veteran
If possible I'd try to test out a fisheye vs a rectilinear WA before you make your decision. Fisheye lenses used to be essential when shooting action sports with a camcorder, only because there was nothing else available that would get you anywhere near the same field of view. Now, HDSLR's have opened up the world of super-wide angle lenses so you can go really wide without also distorting everything.
