T2i exposure and AF vs prosumer/pro Canons

[Zissou]

I bought these cameras strictly for Magic Lantern in video mode, mostly for work, however decided to take ONLY the T2i with me to Athens and Istanbul on a recent trip for my brother-in-laws' wedding, instead of also taking my D300. I am mostly a Nikon shooter (D300 and D4), and i can comfortably say that both the exposure meters and AF systems are absolutely horrible in comparison. Dont get me wrong, correctly metered and with the right gear and knowing what you are doing, you can get great images and definitely better video out of them with ML, its just that maybe 1 out of 8 shots is wildly overexposed in their A/S modes. AF hunts and is slow, even compared to a circa 2004 Nikon D50 (50mm f1.8 Canon and 50mmf1.8 Nikon lenses). Manual mode isnt so bad, but the metering sucks. I usually use the histogram and false color/zebras on external monitors for exposure.

From what i understand, Nikons use multisegment RGB meters, whilst the T2i's use multisegment B/W meters. Flashes exacerbate the issue (580 EX II). I have never really used the T2i's for photography; always Nikons with SB-800 or SB-900's. This was a rather unpleasant surprise. Even a near-decade old Nikon D50 doesnt have these exposure/flash issues. WB was typically auto, ISO was manually set. I ended up using manual mode for most shots.

7D has both full HDMI output (but not a stable or fully featured ML release yet), and i use these T2i's for work, always full manual. My budget for cam upgrades is about $1,000 per camera (plus whatever i get for three T2i's). I have also read the 7D has multisegment RGB metering, but haven't used it with the 580 EX II yet. Has anyone else experienced these issues with a T2i? My girl has a 7D but she wont let me play with ML and her camera, so i wont let her use the flash (though i'll probably just give it to her). Flash work on Nikons is always spot on, and metering is always more accurate than my estimations. Any suggestions?

 

[Samuel H]

you're talking stills, right?
I had a T2i for two years, and if you don't count timelapses and lens tests, I don't think I shot a hundred stills in total

 

[Zissou]

yep, stills. i will say the T2i is sharper than the D300. not sure if i have a bad camera, but its always been a little soft.

 

[Michael Carter]

My Nikon took a spill and is in the shop - I've shot a couple low-profile still gigs with the T2i, but using Speedotron flash.

I notice even the best quality JPEGs look soft - the corresponding raw images look great though, but it did scare the daylights outta me on set.

I hate that I have to press a button before I can move the focus point - and how there's not a focus point anywhere near where a human face appears when standing in portrait orientation. I hate how few points there are. I hate that after I take a shot and it displays on the LCD, I can't zoom in without pressing "play" first (why is that? The image is already "playing"). The RAW files look great, it's mostly ergonomics and user experience. Maybe a 7D or 5D is better... I just want my Nikon back!