Canon T2i for film/video
September 23, 2010 11:10 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking to purchase a camera for narrative filmmaking purposes, and am considering the Canon T2i. Does anybody have experience with this camera?

Drawbacks? Advantages? Things to keep in mind? Does it play nice with FCP? I realize I'll have to get a separate audio recorder.

Any help/suggestions would be great. Also, alternate camera recommendations are welcome.
posted by brundlefly to Technology (8 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Video mode on dSLRs is able to do amazing stuff, especially considering the possibility of interchangeable lenses. And the T2i is a great still camera. Keep in mind, though, that the sensor just isn't optimized for motion, and you'll get a lot of artifact when doing certain shots.

Check out this blog about film on dSLRs, and articles like this specifically talking about the disadvantages.

If it were me, and I didn't want to take a lot of stills (i.e., if video were the primary goal), I would get the price-equivalent dedicated video camera.
posted by supercres at 11:21 AM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


I recently made a movie on a Canon 7D. Most people say it came out well (dig around in my profile if you're interested); I didn't get any "artifact" on any shot.

The price-equivalent video camera will probably be a fixed-lens toy suitable for shooting church picnics, frankly. DSLR movie-making is an amazing breakthrough for independent filmmakers- because of the ability to change lenses, the portability, and the ability to operate the camera without a huge crew. A lot of network TV shows are actually shooting with Canon 5DmkIIs now.

The footage that comes out of the camera is H264 codec, which Final Cut doesn't love for editing. However, I used a free program called MPEG Streamclip to convert them to Apple ProRes, and then it was easy. (There are specific Canon plug-ins that claim to do this, but they did not work for me.)
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


A few caveats and costs you may not have foreseen though (I didn't):

You will need a lot of batteries, and the knock-offs are iffy. I found three authentic Canon batteries enough for a day of shooting though (movie shooting, where the camera is stopped/off most of the time).

You will need a lot of big memory cards. I bought 5 high-quality 32GB CF cards for about $75 each.

The camera, if it is anything like the 7D, will overheat if you use it for too long at once, especially in hot air temperatures.

It's still well well worth it for the quality you get, but it's not like a video camera where you can hit "record" and expect it to just go for an hour. It needs a bit of babying.
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:01 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


One thing you may want to consider when you decide to buy is if you want the default lens that comes with it, or if you want to buy just the body and get a lens specifically suited to the kind video/ film work you are going to be doing.

My 30D came with a perfectly serviceable 17-55mm which I still use regularly and I picked up a 75-300mm for distance work, but a co-worker went body only and picked up a wonderful 18-200mm IS for a bit more money, and ended up with a more generally adaptable lens as a result. She doesn't have to switch optics nearly as often as I do for going between close and distance work.

Good luck, DSLR video is going to change everything in terms of independent film quality.
posted by quin at 12:09 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


Make sure your lenses have true manual focus.
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:38 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


The price-equivalent video camera will probably be a fixed-lens toy suitable for shooting church picnics, frankly.

You have more experience than I do in this arena, but still... whaaaaaat? The T2i kit is $900. To start seeing the advantages of the dSLR, you need at least one more lens... say, 35mm prime. That's another $300. That neighborhood is kind of a dead zone in terms of professional/prosumer camcorder, but if you jump up to the $2k range, the options start looking pretty nice.

Of course, judging by the other responses, my understanding of dSLR video technology may be out of date. That's actually an excellent thing-- good to know.
posted by supercres at 2:27 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


You're going to have to capture all of your audio separately and sync through use of plural eyes.
You're going to want/have to transcode everything to prores, and yes the canon plugin works.
Backup everything on set. Twice really, if it's important.
Control your light - literally it clips one stop over key.
Buy the 50mm $80 lens.
posted by filmgeek at 4:27 PM on September 23, 2010 [2 favorites]


Drawbacks? Advantages? Things to keep in mind?

The only camera I would ever consider for this currently is the Canon 5D Mark II. You need the full frame to make it look right. Even then, this would have to be exclusively shot with IS lenses and/or a steady cam rig.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:42 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


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