New: Canon Rebel T2i Digital SLR

[Randy Panado]

That's not entirely true. My 7Ds do not overheat all the time. I've shot an hour long ceremony with 3 7Ds running and not one had the red light indicator come on. Same with the 3 hour long reception.

Now have my cameras overheated? Yup. 3 out of the 4 times it was in 30P. I shoot in 24p so it's not as much as an issue to myself.

These cameras are great for weddings. Sure there is a file limit, but work around it. Stagger your recording times. Set up a wide safe cam. Use external audio. It's not a big deal. ;)

I haven't got a chance to read the previous pages but if the t2i has a longER recording time at 30 mins, definitely will pick one up.

[Chad Nickle]

Originally Posted by Matt Daviss

Don't forget that these cameras can overheat. A colleague has switched to DSLR from HVX (lucky he didn't sell it!). Leave them on, shoot lots, and the li'l red thermometer starts flashing, and if you don't do anything about that, the camera will. It shuts down. The end. No switch back on until IT is ready, not you.

Luminaries such as Dan Chung and Philip Bloom mention it in passing, but that immediately will discount DSLRs from some shoots - half way through speeches?

Got a spare body for that moment? Not even that would really work.

Remember, Philip Bloom shoots only 15% of his work on DSLR. For videographers, it's an additional, special effects, crashcam, arty GV, sneaky stolen shot, night-time camera. It gives good 'interview' too. But long form? I'm glad I've got two EX1s for that.

Where do you get that number from? Maybe his corporate gigs, but I guarantee he is shooting most of his personal stuff on DSLR's, every time I have seen him in person, he has had a DSLR cam, not an ex1, etc...

[Matt Davis]

Originally Posted by Chad Nickle

Where do you get that number from? Maybe his corporate gigs, but I guarantee he is shooting most of his personal stuff on DSLR's, every time I have seen him in person, he has had a DSLR cam, not an ex1, etc...

The number comes from a couple of recent podcasts he's done with Chris Jones (Living Spirit Films).

And for some of us here, shooting corporate gigs is what we do for a living.

The point I'm making is that DSLRs are not the best solution for every shoot, and have disadvantages (like overheating, shot length limits, audio, yada yada yada) that mean that enthusiasm to ditch one's A1 or EX1 or whatever and forever bathe in the glory of DSLR video should be tempered with a little understanding that these are not exactly perfect and have gotchas.

Of course Phil will carry a DSLR more often than an EX1. So will I. And I'll use it on my corporate gigs for the special effects it's good at. Just not recording long-form stuff, chromakey stuff, video-look stuff, quite a lot of run and gun stuff, and so on. It's not an 'All or Nothing' thing, and just because they're NOT used on corporate gigs as much as some would think doesn't mean they can't be used or should be used.

Most of Philip's work doesn't go onto his site for corporate reasons. But from what I've seen, they are beautifully told stories and the fact that some don't use DSLRs does not detract from them. We see a lot of his DLSR stuff as that's the stuff he does between the actual money-earning stuff.

[Jon Fairhurst]

I just did a corporate gig for my employer with the 5D2 that included green screen stuff, and the keying was no problem at all. I shot it all with a shoulder rig, mostly with the 24-105/4 IS.

This particular video was a product demo/lifestyle example. I used AE for motion tracking a fake user interface on various screens. By keeping the aperture at roughly f/4, the DOF was reasonable - not hard to deal with, but with some softness on backgrounds. On one shot I used the 50/1.4 and an ND to direct the eye with a rack focus. I rented a four light kit, so lumens were no problem.

While a DvSLR would not be the weapon of choice for recording live speeches and presentations, it's perfect for promo stuff, HR training films, and product demo/lifestyle stuff. Just make sure you have enough light to stop things down a bit. Artistic, razor-thin DOF isn't generally appreciated in the corporate world.

[Colin Rowe]

Originally Posted by Darrick Vanderwier

how the heck does anyone shoot a whole ceremony with one of these!?

You use two. At this price its a no brainer. Cam 1 shoots the first full 10 or 11 minutes, while cam 2 is b cam, and takes infills of the congregation/close ups etc. Switch to cam 2 on B & G for the next long shot, And cam 1 becomes B cam. Sync them up with Plural Eyes. Simple.
(Sorry, I know it should be in The Weddings forum)

[Paul Nixon]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Because your HF100 is a camcorder and is defined as such.

D-SLRs are not defined as camcorders, they are still-photo cameras. That is the distinction, and that is the reason why they are hobbled with 30 min. video recording, to prevent classification as a camcorder and therefore taxed higher (in the EU, but affects all cameras worldwide as there is only one model worldwide, and not a separate model for the EU). In other words, the limitation is there to keep the price down.

Guys, we're not going to debate the reason why the file size limitation is there, because that debate is not going to change anything... the fact is that the 4GB limitation exists, and yes it will be present even when recording to SDXC cards. For what it's worth, I've been told by more than one person at Canon USA that the reason is due mainly to the EU restrictions. Let's stop arguing about it please. Arguing about it doesn't change the fact that it's there.

Can someone please clarify something for me. I've had the Panasonic GH1 in my sights for some time but debating whether I could justify the cost. Now this T2i comes out, and I'm excited about the lower cost and larger sensor but also reading about 4GB file sizes and limits in recording time due to taxes, etc.

From what I've read the GH1 has no limit on record time other than the card size. Is this true?

Also, why would the 4GB limit be present when recording to SDXC cards when they don't use FAT32 but, rather, exFAT?

[Paulo Teixeira]

The GH1 doesn't have a limit.

[John Brinks]

Does the t2i finally have manual audio levels for the stereo inputs?.. this is the only thing stopping me from ordering a half dozen of these things!

[Manus Sweeney]

'The GH1 doesn't have a limit.'

(if its non EU version)

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by John Brinks

Does the t2i finally have manual audio levels for the stereo inputs?

No. It does *not* have manual audio level control.

[Michael Ojjeh]

Canon EOS 550D - Rebel T2i on Vimeo

I found this on Vimeo !!!

[Bob Krieger]

I am definitely looking at the T2i for its 1080p24 frame rate. I already have the T1i and do a lot of shooting in the 720p30 frame rate. The question is: the new T2i 720p60/50 frame rate; how will it work with footage shot with the T1i? Does the 60fps mean that it's for slomo only? If so, if I wanted slomo 1080p with the T2i, would I have to shoot in the 720p and blow it up in post?

Thanks!

[Khoi Pham]

I am definitely looking at the T2i for its 1080p24 frame rate. I already have the T1i and do a lot of shooting in the 720p30 frame rate. The question is: the new T2i 720p60/50 frame rate; how will it work with footage shot with the T1i? Does the 60fps mean that it's for slomo only? If so, if I wanted slomo 1080p with the T2i, would I have to shoot in the 720p and blow it up in post?

If you are going to deliver to Blu-ray then you can just stay with 720P, it is within BD spec, and will look much better than if you upscale it but if T2i 720P60 is like 7D then there will be a lot of aliasing. )-:

[J. Chris Moore]

This camera really looks like it could be a great deal for the money. I have been saving for a 7d but it looks like this 550d will be just as effective for video and I could possibly use the extra cash to get a slider or other gear. It will be interesting to see if it holds up as well in low light situations.

I had read earlier in the thread that people didn't like that it didn't have auto focus, but the canon site says it has "Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode, Face Detection Live mode; manual". Does that mean that you have to depress the shutter button slightly to autofocus or is it the auto focus we are accustomed to on standard video cameras?

Also, can any of you guys see the possibility of one of these DSLRs being totally optimized for shooting video? I am envisioning something that looks like a typical pro-camcorder but uses the large dslr sensor and interchangeable lenses. It seems to me like it's just a matter of time before someone releases a "hybrid" camera of this nature. Total speculation, but something like that would seemly be the best of both worlds.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by J. Chris Moore

this 550d

Actually it's a Rebel T2i to you and me. Our friends in Europe and the UK will know it as the EOS 550D.

Originally Posted by J. Chris Moore

Also, can any of you guys see the possibility of one of these DSLRs being totally optimized for shooting video?

Well, if it's totally optimized for shooting video, then it wouldn't be a D-SLR anymore -- since by definition a D-SLR has a mirror, a pentaprism and an optical viewfinder, all of which would be totally out of place on a video camera.

Originally Posted by J. Chris Moore

I am envisioning something that looks like a typical pro-camcorder but uses the large dslr sensor and interchangeable lenses. It seems to me like it's just a matter of time before someone releases a "hybrid" camera of this nature.

See my article as to why this idea probably won't happen this year:

APS-C or Full Frame CMOS Sensors? Not Happening in 2010