[Bill Doyle]

Ted,

Do you have a microphone plugged in? The wind filter is only accessible when using the internal. Because of that I would get a small Rode or Sennheiser with a quality windscreen (not foam).

Bill

27″ iMac i7 quad-core, 16Gb RAM, Final Cut Pro 7.0.3, OS 10.6.7, 23″ ACD

[Bill Doyle]

Chris,

As a Canon shooter, I’ll restrict my thoughts to the models you mention. There are, of course, a lot of factors to determine your “best” camera, including where it will be used primarily– indoors v. outdoors, video only or photos as well, budget, subject matter (landscape v. wildlife), etc. That said:

60D v. 7D- I’d go with 60D. Same sensor and crop factor, but the 60D gives you the articulated screen, higher resolution viewfinder (about 10%), longer-lasting battery and significantly cheaper. Since it’s “all about the glass”, you’ll have more money to spend on lenses. On the other hand:

7D- main winning factors here are better weather-sealing (if you’ll be shooting in the elements) and the hands-down winner for photos (much faster frames per second, quicker focus, more focus points)

5DII- this is a different beast altogether. With a full-frame sensor your images will have an entirely different look with better low-light capabilities, more depth of field and the look that only a full-frame can give (you’ll have to borrow/rent both to really get a sense of what you like). Not as feature-rich for video as this is where it really all began. Keep in mind that the full-frame sensor won’t give you the lens “reach” of the 60D/7D so your 200mm on the 5D will be a field of view equivalent to a 320mm on the 60D/7D.

5DIII- the 5DII, but with significant upgrades for video. If you have the money, don’t bother with the Mark II

Hope that helps,

Bill

27″ iMac i7 quad-core, 16Gb RAM, Final Cut Pro 7.0.3, OS 10.6.7, 23″ ACD

[Bill Doyle]

Alex,

For you, I would start with a few zooms. They will give you reasonable apertures and a lot of flexibility in the field so that you don’t have to change lenses or have a second camera body with a different lens. It sounds like you could go without a wide angle at this point, like the Tokina 11-17 and get the EF-S 17-55 (only good for cropped sensors) or 24-70 , and the 70-200. As you’ll see, this is where the money gets spent, but a top lens can last you 10-20 years. For the 70-200, you’ll have to decide on the f/2.8 or the f/4 (there is a huge price difference), but if you’re indoors the 4 might not be enough. If you’ll be hand-holding the shots, you’re also going to have to spring for the stabilized version. I would advise against the variable aperture zooms. They’re OK for photos, but a real pain for video; if you zoom while shooting, you’ll see the exposure change and if you simply rest the shot, you’ll still have to adjust for a new exposure. If you’re unsure, check out Lens Pro To Go and rent one for a week before you buy.

For the sports stuff, especially, I would recommend a monopod with legs and a fluid video head, like the Manfrotto 561BHDV-1.

You can then add prime lenses, sliders and the all the other great stuff that’s out there.

Hope that helps,

Bill

27″ iMac i7 quad-core, 16Gb RAM, Final Cut Pro 7.0.3, OS 10.6.7, 23″ ACD

[Bill Doyle]

Alex,

We’ll need more info on exactly what your primary focus is before you’ll get some solid suggestions. Are you looking for primarily a DSLR for photos or video. If you’re shooting sports photos outdoors, for example, the 7Ds shots per second and great weather-sealing would give it a strong edge over the 60D. The 60D has the articulating screen and the money saved can go where it belongs– lenses. If you don’t plan on upgrading to a full-frame sensor like the 5D any time soon, you can look at lenses like the EF-S 17-55 f/2.8, but it would be a waste of money if a cropped-sensor camera was yours for a short time.

Primes v. zooms is always a big consideration, but it depends on whether you’ll be doing controlled shoots in a studio-type environment or whether you need the quick-change ability of zooms. If you’ll be shooting primarily events indoors, even a f/2.8 zoom might not give you enough light.

If your focus is video, you’ll need an external digital recorder for audio and a good on-camera microphone and I’d highly recommend a viewfinder.

Bill

27″ iMac i7 quad-core, 16Gb RAM, Final Cut Pro 7.0.3, OS 10.6.7, 23″ ACD

[Bill Doyle]

Edwin,

I don’t have any experience with the GH Series, but I know they have a loyal following. If there’s any way you can try out both with some meaningful shooting tests, that would be ideal.

Bill

[Bill Doyle]

Edwin,

I sold my T2i for the 60D and could never go back. In addition to the articulating screen, don’t forget the extra ISO settings, second multi-function wheel (like the 7D), fine control over white balance, longer battery life, more rugged body and, in my limited testing, better ability to avoid overheating.

Although a stills feature, rather than video, you’ll also appreciate the ability to fire an external flash without having to buy a wireless transmitter.

Bill

[Bill Doyle]

Ali,

The reviews for the non VC lens have been good and I believe there is a rebate on it currently. The main difference will be the lack of image stabilization, but if you keep that in mind while you shoot it shouldn’t pose that much of a problem at those focal lengths (not a sacrifice I’d be willing to make on something like the Canon 70-200).

In general, I would always advise doing the most research on lenses as opposed to bodies. Most of the good lenses have a shelf life of at least 10 years.

Bill

[Bill Doyle]

Ali,

You might want to consider the Canon EF-S 17-55. As Noah advised, it will avoid the hole of the 11-16 (I have that lens also), it has a constant aperture of 2.8 which is decently fast and great for video and also image stabilization. The one drawback is that it is made for the cropped sensor cameras like yours, so if you’ll be moving to a 5D, it’s not the way to go.

Bill

[Bill Doyle]

Tom,

I bought the FCS Maintenance Pack and narrowed it down to a set of Digital Anarchy plug-ins. Once I disabled them, all was well. Thanks for the info and all your help.

27″ iMac i7 quad-core, 16Gb RAM, Final Cut Pro 7.0.3, OS 10.6.7, 23″ ACD

[Bill Doyle]

Tom,

I trashed the prefs, along with the .plist and cache files– same problem.

If I want to re-install, how far back do I have to go with the install disks (I have everything from version 1 on).

27″ iMac i7 quad-core, 16Gb RAM, Final Cut Pro 7.0.3, OS 10.6.7, 23″ ACD