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Entry-level suggestion.
Hey, all. I’m at a crossing point in purchasing my first DSLR for video. My background and work is video, so it’s really only for that reason that I’m considering a DSLR.
I don’t want to put a whole lot of money into this, but I’ve seen two identical kits for the Canon Rebel t1i and Nikon D5000 – both with 18-55 and 55-200 lenses, and both within $50 of each other.
The fact that t1i can shoot 1080 is meaningless to me, as it’s only at 20fps. So it’s really the 720p performance and features I’m looking at. I like both 30 and 24fps.
Has anyone had any personal experience with one or both of these? Or would you recommend that I wait until I can afford a 5D MII-range camera (probably another year before I can comfortably do so).
Thanks for all your help!
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17 Replies
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Yeah, that looks great! And the identical kit only costs $100 more than the t1i!
I think Canon’s the way to go for several reasons. The newest I’ve learned about is Magic Lantern. That firmware looks fantastic, and it’s way more likely to come to the t2i than a Nikon (obviously).
Thanks for the suggestion! I think that’s the direction I may go in!
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Dont get the 18-55 or the 55-200 as they have variable F-Stops.
you need to look at lens’ with fixed F-stop
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Thanks for the tip!
I’m sorry to ask amateur questions, but how can I know the difference? And what is the reason for needing a fixed F-Stop?
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F-stop is part of the Lens specifications.
So you would look for something like a Canon 24-70mm f2.8 lens. whereas say the Canon 18-55mm you mentioned in your original post is f3.5-5.6 “Variable”
Having a variable f-stop when shooting video will cause the the brightness to change while filming.
Its like having ND filters going on and off randomly. -
Thanks for the answer! Is there a particular lens you’d recommend me to start with?
Is there no manual control of the iris while shooting video?
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I have the Canon 50mm f1.4 which I use a lot, if money is an issue look at the Canon 50 f1.8, it’s great value.
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That one looks great!
So, is there no manual control of the iris when shooting video with the t2i? Will it only function automatically, like the sound?
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No, the T2i definitely has manual control of the exposure during video (aperture, shutter, and ISO).
What “variable f-stop” refers to is that the f-stop isn’t constant over the entire zoom range. On the kit lens with the T2i, it varies from f/3.5 on the wide end to f/5.6 at full zoom telephoto. Therefore, you can’t zoom with it while recording.
Personally, I rarely zoom during a shot anyway, so it’s not an issue. Admittedly, the kit lens is pretty lousy. I use a 50mm f/1.8 prime most of the time, and only use the kit lens for occasional wide angles until I get a better dedicated wide angle lens.
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Thank you all so much for your extremely helpful answers!
I’m pretty sold on this camera – the question is the lenses, but the information y’all gave really helps in guiding that decision!
Hooray for the Cow!
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