T2i equipment list

[Noah Kadner]

Get the 60D- perfect DSLR for video camera.

Noah

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[Michael Sacci]

Get the 60D, it will be the best $200 you spend, the T2i is a fine camera but the 60D has a lot of improvements.

For low light you need at least 2.8 lenses if you are going to get zooms but I would be looking at a 50mm 1.4 also. For lenses the questions are always, do you need wide angle, do you need telephoto, if so how much, do you have time to change out lenses or do you need the quickness of reframing with a Zoom.

[Mark Roberts]

I know the #1 thing that made the experience better for me was the Zacuto z-finder. Of course I’m a clueless newbie so take it for what it’s worth 🙂

I’ve still not settled on what lens I want to use for 90% of whatever video I shoot but I know that It needs to be a 2.8 or faster and since I’m using a crop sensor, it needs to be 16mm to 28mm. I have a 50mm 1.8 lens that takes pretty good video but it very tight. I have an 18-270 tamron that is fine at 18mm in daylight but it only opens up to 3.5 so light becomes an issue.

[Jonathan Ziegler]

I just picked up a really nice Vivitar Series 1 35-85mm f2.8 lens with a nikon mount (converted to EOS – they had this in an FD mount, but those don’t convert well to EOS so I went Nikon which does) on ebay for $150. Very, very happy with this lens – I can ZOOM NOW! I also have a 35mm f1.8, 50mm f2, and now a 105mm f2.8 – all prime nikon lenses I got off of eBay. Add that to a small, growing list of specialty lenses like Lensbaby, a couple “multipliers” I’m experimenting with to get wider, and a franken-lens I created from a dead canon lens and a super-8 zoom lens (it doesn’t work great, but it’s awesome for macro).

While I agree that the 60d looks like a better camera, the extra you’ll pay will mean fewer lenses. You will need to balance that out, figure out exactly what you’ll need and make the judgement call for yourself. Also, if you are not real cozy manually adjusting f-stops, don’t go with the manual lenses I talked about above. Instead, get cozy with the came-with-the-camera lens. Use the hell out of it. After you shoot absolutely everything for a month or more with the lousy lens that comes with the camera, you will know what lenses you really need and what you don’t. Example: you do a lot of closeups – get a portrait lens (85mm or 105mm) or you do a lot of low-light work – get a faster lens with a steady F-stop.

Dunno what you might want? Rent a couple lenses and see if you will actually use them and it’s a whole lot cheaper than buying one you never use.

Check this site out: https://nofilmschool.com/dslr/ – DSLR Cinematography Guide

Jonathan Ziegler
https://www.electrictiger.com/
520-360-8293

[Bob Zelin]

I just got my T2i, and I only have 1 1/2 days experience of using it. But based on the 60D tests I saw on this very forum, the low light capability of the 60D seems better than the T2i already. The T2i is amazing for my non professional (non client) applications, but I can already see noise in the blacks in low light (which you don’t see in the YouTube demos).

Is the T2i fun – you bet it is ! But the other pro cameras will have better response. And nothing beats the 1D MK IV for low light.

Bob Zelin

[Noah Kadner]

also one lovely thing about the 60D is it has a swiveling viewfinder. If you’ve ever used a camcorder and then switched to a DSLR for video you may find the fixed display maddening to work with.

Noah

Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D.