T2i , anyone disappointed ?

G

glenurse666

Member
so on saturday i bit the bullet and bought the T2i with the kit lens
well i have to say i mainly bought the camera as i was excited for hd video in a small light camera.
i like the design of the camera, but the kit lens is beyond useless, im new to dslr's so forgive my ignorance here
what is it called when you use the zoom on a lens whilst filming and the picture flickers, its awful.
also forget about using autofocus for video the noise of the motor is very very loud, and will drown out anything being recorded.
another thing, you simply cannot zoom and record steadily by hand without, shaking, and i like to think i have a steadyhand.

so coming from my beloved dvx i was really unhappy by frankly terrible results.

i played with all the settings, put them back to default and played again, and still i could not get a good outcome.

so i have 15 days to return with a 15% (ouch) restocking fee.
i want to like it and had hoped to sell my dvx down the line
am i expecting too much from this camera, i filmed a gig and it overheated during a ten minute recording. i filmed inside in regular light and outside in bright light, all junk.

what lens should i get, preferably a zoom that will improve my experience a whole lot, because as of this writing i ll be sending it back

ps i really cant spend a whole lot, my wifes patience is wearing thin !
thanks for listening
-
 
thanks for your reply, i like the camera, except for the overheating (which was unexpected) battery life wasnt as great as i'd hoped , i want to keep the camera as i see the potential in it, its really nicely put together.
is the kit lens flicker whilst zooming normal ?
as i said im new to dslr's but i am aware the lens is interchangable, thanks.

does anyone have any useful replacement lens suggestions, i want to keep it below $200 bucks.
 
Welcome to shooting video with a camera that wasn't designed for that job. If you're coming from a DVX, the learning curve is going to be steep and the irritation factor will be high.

None of what you're experiencing is the fault of the t2i, it's endemic to shooting on any and all of the DSLRs.

No, you're simply NOT going to be zooming or using autofocus while filming video with any of the Canons. If you want that, get a GH1 instead; its lens was designed specifically for that. So if your shooting style demands that you be able to zoom during video, or that you need autofocus, go ahead and return it.

The DSLRs have two major things going for them: shallow DOF, and dirt-cheap price (especially the t2i). Consider that a DVX is about $2500, so about 3x as expensive as the t2i, and that should help you see it in better context.

When you go to record audio, say goodbye to your lovely XLRs and phantom power and line/mic settable and manual audio levels and your headphone jack for monitoring, too.

I've said it before, and will continue to -- a DSLR makes a lousy replacement for a video camera. They just don't do the same job at all. Limited recording times, awful shooting ergonomics, terrible audio capabilities, no timecode, overheating, no power zoom, no real ability to zoom at all, no autofocus -- it just isn't a video camera. It's a still camera that can also shoot moving image sequences.

However, the DSLR does make gorgeous shallow-DOF cinematography that the video camera simply cannot touch (at least, not without an expensive lens adapter and a lot of additional light). So for certain purposes it has clear advantages, and for other purposes it's unsuitable. But its main advantage is providing access to shallow-DOF cinematography at unheard-of prices. DVX+Letus = $4,000; t2i = $799.

To the O.P. -- I think what you really need to do is re-evaluate what you shoot, and whether a DSLR is the right product for you. Just because it's popular or there's a lot of buzz about it, doesn't mean it's the right product to do the job that you want done.
 
Last edited:
It sounds like you might not be ready for DSLR cinematography, which especially with the Canon line can be something of a b#!$U!

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by flicker while zooming, but I don't tend to use zoom shots on these as much as would on a normal camcorder. You can forget auto-focus. Good glass is not cheap. There is massive potential, for sure...but it's a whole can of worms...

EDIT: Barry posted at the same time, and said it perfectly, as usual.
 
The "flicker" is due to the cheap kit lens and its "non-constant maximum aperture." Basically, when you're full wide open the f-stop can go as low as 3.5, but when you zoom, it "shifts" to 5.6. What you're seeing is the aperture changing with the focal length. You get this with cheaper zoom lenses, while more expensive zooms typically have a fixed maximum aperture.
 
Try setting your f-stop at 5.6 or higher before zooming. That should eliminate flicker.

My question for you is did you ever use a DOF adapter with your DVX?

Those of us who came from the DOF adapter camps quickly fell in love with HD-DSLRs. With a DOF adapter you can't zoom, you can't go handheld without a good rig, and you have to manually focus. Some might call it limitations, we just called it our workflow. HD-DSLRs shoot great footage within a specific style of shooting. If you want handheld, zoom, and autofocus, stay with your DVX. If you want a "film look", beautiful image, and better low light performance, than learn how to shoot on a DSLR.

There are tons of great resources: Philip Bloom's blog, Cinema 5D's forum....even my own training videos on YouTube (http://youtube.com/nextwaveg)
 
stephenmick said:
The "flicker" is due to the cheap kit lens and its "non-constant maximum aperture." Basically, when you're full wide open the f-stop can go as low as 3.5, but when you zoom, it "shifts" to 5.6. What you're seeing is the aperture changing with the focal length. You get this with cheaper zoom lenses, while more expensive zooms typically have a fixed maximum aperture.
Click to expand...

Usually with non constant aperture lenses, the aperture doesn't actually physically change while zooming. Its the optical change which reduces the f-number. You should see a gradual loss of light, not a flicker. Check for yourself by looking through the eyepiece and zooming. Maybe the EOS lenses work differently?
 
I've only used constant-aperture zooms with my Canon cameras, but the footage I've seen with lenses like the kit lens certainly seems to "flicker."
 
so far I'm loving my t2i, its like having a 7D in a GH1 sized body

sorry you are having bad experiences, why not return the camera and order the body only instead?

get yourself a fotodiox nikon F > EOS adapter for $20 off ebay and a bunch of cheap AIS manual focus primes, start with a 50mm f1.4, I guarantee you will never look back
 
NextWaveG said:
My question for you is did you ever use a DOF adapter with your DVX?

Those of us who came from the DOF adapter camps quickly fell in love with HD-DSLRs. With a DOF adapter you can't zoom, you can't go handheld without a good rig, and you have to manually focus. Some might call it limitations, we just called it our workflow. HD-DSLRs shoot great footage within a specific style of shooting. If you want handheld, zoom, and autofocus, stay with your DVX. If you want a "film look", beautiful image, and better low light performance, than learn how to shoot on a DSLR.
Click to expand...
Yep, this is all excellent advice.
 
stephenmick said:
I've only used constant-aperture zooms with my Canon cameras, but the footage I've seen with lenses like the kit lens certainly seems to "flicker."
Click to expand...

Link? I haven't. Sure, a lot of people will be shooting with the kit lens and auto exposure. Thats not the lens flickering.
 
Actually I once rented a lens with IS and the image kept flickering. I returned the lens to the rental and after inspecting it they said the IS was damaged. Apparently the lens had received a nasty knock from whoever rented it before me.

Now your kit lens has IS does it not? It could be that the IS is faulty.

In my situation the flicker effect was like a very rapid exposure change. Like the iris was posessed or something.
 
Barry_Green said:
No, you're simply NOT going to be zooming or using autofocus while filming video with any of the Canons. If you want that, get a GH1 instead; its lens was designed specifically for that. So if your shooting style demands that you be able to zoom during video, or that you need autofocus, go ahead and return it.
Click to expand...

Barry, as much as I love the GH1 and its great kit lens, it is worth noting that it will also flicker while zooming.

However, it is also worth noting that right now the GH1 is $1200 with a pretty darn amazing kit lens, and the T2i is $900 with a piece of crap kit lens that Canon and Nikon throw into every low-end model that they sell at Costco.

The GH1's kit lens sells for $850 by itself. Which means that for $300 extra over the T2i with kit, or $400 over just the body, you're getting an $850 lens and a camera that is just as good in almost every department, and better in several.
 
thanks for all the great info, especially Barry's excellent explanation, theres no doubt i was hasty in not evaluating my personal need for the camera. i spent a long time drooling over the 7d vimeo footage posted.
its a shame as i do love the compactness and lightness of it, it feels pretty robust and pretty logically set out.
i guess i should have researched more before getting carried away ?
 
J Davis said:
so far I'm loving my t2i, its like having a 7D in a GH1 sized body

sorry you are having bad experiences, why not return the camera and order the body only instead?

get yourself a fotodiox nikon F > EOS adapter for $20 off ebay and a bunch of cheap AIS manual focus primes, start with a 50mm f1.4, I guarantee you will never look back
Click to expand...

You know what I like better than a 7D in a GH1 sized body? A GH1 in a GH1 sized body :D

Great advice. Get some cheapo fast Nikon primes ASAP. You will fall in love.
 
glenurse666 said:
thanks for all the great info, especially Barry's excellent explanation, theres no doubt i was hasty in not evaluating my personal need for the camera. i spent a long time drooling over the 7d vimeo footage posted.
its a shame as i do love the compactness and lightness of it, it feels pretty robust and pretty logically set out.
i guess i should have researched more before getting carried away ?
Click to expand...

Look on the bright side, at least you were able to impulse buy. Those of us who were trying to get the GH1 and to a lesser extent the 7D got to wait on backorder for a good long while and read the manual over and over and over, knowing that if we changed our minds on the camera and then changed them back we'd lose our spot in line.
 
shaocaholica said:
I don't think you can blame the camera for what it seems like a flaws with the lens. You do realize its an interchangeable lens camera?
Click to expand...
I think there's a lot of confusion about the difference between what it is a camera and a lens. They are distinct objects if someone here (or anywhere) didn't ever notice ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top