Best Prosumer HD Camera

[Bret Williams]

Most of the stuff I’ve been getting from shooters off the 7D (and the T2i and 60D is the same video system fwiw) is much better than previous P2 footage. There is one aspect to the DSLRs that seems to improve footage. You can’t do a bunch of pointless zooming. The lack of easy panning and zooming without extra gear tends to make the videographer shoot more like a still or cinematic shooter. The shots I’ve been getting aren’t full of zoom adjustments right in the sweet spot of the shot. Pans and tilts are much more planned out. And full 1080p shot with some prime lenses and that shallow depth of field ain’t too bad.

Maybe DSLRs are like the XL1 rage back in the day. They’re cheap, until you add the xlr audio package, the shoulder mount, the eyepiece/lcd add ons, etc.

My current DSLR still camera is the earlier Rebel XT. What would be the T2i today. It doesn’t shoot video. And with 2 little kids I’d love to shoot quality 1080p video of them. My iphone 3Gs videos and DV camcorder videos just aren’t going to look that great in the future. So to get a t2i or 60D body and keep my same lenses would be a good deal for me. I wouldn’t have to train the wife how to use the T2i since the controls are the same. But the 60D has that flip out screen and 7D features. Looks like the sweet spot. Shane, was that your thinking too?

[Trevor Ambrose]

Wow! What a lively thread!

I usually like to respond individually to every reply-er but there’s a bunch of you this time.

Thank you Shane, Steve, Raphael, Thomas, Jason and Bret.
You’ve really helped me focus up on what I might really need. I think I’m leaning towards an actual photographic camera. Quality at a low cost is everything. There’s a certain Guerrilla brilliance to that principle.

Thanks guys! This is my favorite site on the internet.

Trev.