Must-have accessories for the T2i?
 

We all know the $800 price tag for the T2i body is a bargain. But that's just the beginning.

What are the first things you're getting to complement your T2i?

Either Zacuto Z-Finder or Hoodman Loupe has to be the first thing. Have not confirmed from Hoodman whether it fits (even sent them an email with my "official press person" sig). Z-finder requires a little modification but Zacuto has provided instructions.

I think battery grip is worth the $159 US.

And a wide lens-- whether a prime, Tokina 11-16 or Canon 10-22 (but I would prefer the faster Tokina).

Of course, I have to buy the camera first and am holding off for more first-hand reports. I'm more concerned about video than still but from everything I am hearing so far, image quality is equivalent to the 7D.

Well first and foremost I would love to be able to have 3-4 LP-E8 Battery Packs and the BG-E8 Battery Grip, but neither are available yet. =(

Lots of (class 6) SD cards 16-32GB. I have been using Trascend and Delkin with success.

As far as lenses go a 50mm 1.4-1.8 prime (got em), Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC LD, and a Sigma 30mm 1.4.

Being a cropped sensor I don't really have a current need for real long glass, as wide to closeup shots are most important for me. I will be using the camera more for video for events (wedding establishing shots, prep, maybe reception), and studio interviews. If I needed more reach for shooting wildlife of sports from a distance then I might look into a Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Autofocus.

I already have flashes and plenty of lighting and sound equipment form doing video.
Speaking of sound on DSLR's, don't bother, as the camera has AGC audio and will pickup and camera adjustment noise as well. You're better off getting your audio off camera if needed via recorders and mics like Zoom H4n, Edirol R44, Zoom H2 etc., and sync/edit in post.

If redundancy, sync is desired then maybe send a wireless feed to your camera.

But overall being AGC audio, and not having much control over levels and camera noise alone is reason enough for me not to bother, as spoken word is best with this camera for onboard audio. Also keep in mind that the camera will only record 4GB files at a time, which is 12 min. of video. So you have to start the camera recording again to start a new file, as the file recording is not continuous on Canon cameras. As such you will have audio breaks in your footage, and not good for critical audio.

So if I was shooting with this camera in a club recording a band then, I woudl place a small recorder in a good area for my audio, and just use the onboard audio for ambient crowd reaction. The mix in post. Pretty easy actually.

I'm getting mine today and I just don't know if I'm going to get a Z-Finder or not. I hate shooting through the eye piece with my Z7U, much prefer the LCD screen.

I'm going to put a 7" LCD on my mount and see if I can work that way before getting a Z-Finder. It's just so expensive for something I know I'll hate using. :D

But, maybe it is just the way you've got to shoot with these things. I've never used a DSLR for video before, it's all new to me.

As for gear, I've already got a DVRig Pro so I'll be working with that right away, and I've got a rails system from Red Rock so I'm looking at some Follow Focuses to put on there. Already have an outboard Sony recorder for audio, hopefully that firmware update that's out there for the 5D to remove auto-gain will make it's way down to this camera, would love to avoid the external audio recorder option.

Zoom H4N
 

Definitely going to pick up the Zoom H4N for better audio recording. The only beef I've heard with this device is that it doesn't do well when recording from a line source, but for basic stereo interview recording or 4-channel using a lav or other mic, the audio quality is just too good to pass up at only $300.

I've got one Zoom H4n and 2 H4's, and should have included the Zoom very high in my priorities. Must shoot dual audio. I have the all of the DVTEC mounts and probably will use the MultiRig Pro but also intend to try it with the DVRig Jr.

I also have a number of 16gb and 32gb SanDisk SDHC cards.

this is my HDSLR setup.
might be helpful a little bit.
Separated audio device is a must for clean audio.
I used to be a LCD guy with my Canon XH-A1, but after I got 7D, I find using Z-Finder is very helpful for accurate focusing, especially at wider f stop causing shallow dof.
my T2i will have almost exactly setup as my 7D.
Just got my Z-Finder this morning and fits just fine.

The Zfinder great viewfinder I'm sure, but for those of you who don't want to spend HALF the price of your camera on a magnifying glass, I would suggest the Hoodman loupe, or (if you don't need glasses) the LCDVF. Both are much more reasonably priced and get the job done.

Beyond that I would suggest at least one fast prime in the 28mm to 50mm range, and a zoom, or if only one lens is what you can afford I would say a fast f2.8 zoom in the 17mm to 50mm range.

For audio the Zoom H4n does the trick pretty well, though you'll still need a shotgun mic or lavaliers do get some decent sound.

My 2 cents. Happy shooting!

Hey guys, I apologize if this has been posted somewhere, but, I'm upgrading from a canon 20d. Are the lenses compatable?

Would have to second (third) the vote for the Z-Finder. Mine arrived before the camera. Tried others at a recent trade show, and although the Z-Finder, like all Zacuto stuff, is eye-wateringly expensive, the comfortable and generous eye cup makes it into a crucial 'contact point' whether I'm wearing specs or not. It transforms the DSLR into a camcorder.

A Nikkor adaptor for older Nikkors (newer G lenses need a rather more expensive version).

One can never have enough batteries. But if you're doing docco or talking heads, a mains adaptor is a must-have according to 7D owning colleague. Not available yet. Sigh.

I'm waiting to see how I get on with the camera before deciding between a GlideTrack or some scaffolding. Though I know already that I really mean 'both', as inevitably I will have to mate the 550D to my matte box soon (having learned the importance of 'Nuns Knickers').

The lens set I have in mind is: 10.5, 11-16/2.8, 17-55/2.8, 70-200 IS/2.8.

But got to keep all this fetishisation under control. The 550D was originally intended to be a 'GVs and Wide Shots Only' device...

If you are shooting outdoors & don't want to stop down & lose that cool, arty shallow depth of field then a variable density filter is essential. A Fader ND is a quarter the price of a $400 Singh Ray & just as good. Fader ND Filter ( ND2 to ND400) 77mm Neutral Density - eBay (item 140361506629 end time Mar-21-10 07:41:07 PDT)

Depending on your style of shooting an HDMI monitor may be a better means of focusing than any loupe that magnifies the LCD & is cheaper than a Z-finder. At a resolution of 800x480 this is not HD but is better than the on-camera LCD & at 7 or 8 inches far easier to use for focusing. Lilliput 7" HDMI XGA TFT LCD Car Monitor 669GL-70NP/C - eBay (item 260557812705 end time Mar-24-10 11:56:44 PDT)

Is there a cheaper option for the zoom h4 but that still uses XLR? I need to record the audio seperate (obviously) but I need something cheaper than $300.

Any idea on small 1meter rails? Would really like a rail you can put on a tripod, but don't know where to look for quality/good price.

Short answer is no.
You can get the original Zoom H4 for less, but it's not worth the price savings, as the H4n is far and away a better all around unit. Zoom recorders are about s budget you are going to get. Everything else goes up from there Tascam, Edirol etc.

Take i from someone who has a background in audio and video production. I have tried the Zoom H4, when it came out, and not use the H4n and Edirol R-44 (4-track recorder) for my XLR aduio needs. The H4n is a much better unit and worth the extra money. That being said the H4n will work form most video needs, but there are even better units than the H4n out there, but they will cost you much more coin.

Try to remember that you are investing in your video and optics, so DON'T skimp on the audio end. You don't have to go top pf the line, but remember you get what you pay for.

Also remember the recorder is only one part for the equation, as you also have to identify mics that will work for your particular production. Then tehre's also audio adapters, pre amps etc. Audio is a whole other end of video.

could get an old portable DAT for cheaper! But realistically, the Zoom is a tested, reliable piece that does exactly what you need and it's very inexpensive. If you must have XLR, that's your options unless you build in a small mixer.

I just wanted to remind people that it's not worth spending everything on image quality, if you're gonna have bad sound. If anything, sound is MORE important in a production (unless it's a music video) than picture is. Why? Because bad image with a few grungy effects can be considered art. Bad sound with hissing noises will always annoy people.

And speaking of the H4n, I was wondering, if I only need one track, is it worth getting it over the much more expensive Edirol R-44? I'm sure you get what you pay for, but I wanted to buy the R-44 and I realized I don't really need all those features. And how about the Tascam DR-100?

Alex, if you only need one track of audio then the R-44, which is a fabulous recorder will be overkill. Units like the H4n or Tascam DR-100 would work great for field run and gun use. they are small and rather robust for their price range.

Plus with both you can record 1-4 tracks of audio, so they're versatile, and sound pretty good as well.

Must-have accessories
 

Hi guys,

Just noticed that you are talking about must-have accessories for the new Canon Rebel T2i / 550D.

I wrote a review / shot a video ("February") with a pre-production 550D earlier this week that you might have seen.

I've just started a new series on my blog talking about essential accessories for this camera, especially considering if you're on a budget. I started out with lenses:
On a budget? Pimp your new Canon EOS Rebel T2i / 550D with essential accessories! Part 1: BASIC LENSES | Nino Film - Blog - Nino Leitner

Looking forward to feedback! Please write me if you feel I missed a lens that is a "must-have"! Thanks!

Absolutely. I'm actually surprised to see you ask that though, the 20D isn't new which means you've been an SLR user for a few years already. Crop bodies like the 20D and T2i/550D are compatible with the whole range of EF and EF-S lenses.

Nigel this is awesome.. is there a thread on how to mount and power this thing?

Scott there are lots of posts all over the internet on these thing right now.
You can poser them via 12v if needed.

And the monitor itself has a 1/4 thread at the bottom of it so it should be easy to mount on a noga arm or such.

I am thinking about picking one up and using an Ikan Sony battery sled attached to the back.

BTW, I'm excited that I was finally able to order some extra 550d batteries and the battery grip the other day, via Amazon. I should have it in a couple of days.

It's amazing that B&H doesn't have these in stock yet but some smaller shops do.

I've got some rails from my old Redrock M2 system that I'll use with my T2i. Where can I find ways (plates, arms, whatever) to mount things to the rails? I've never looked into this kind of thing before.

Redrock has some mounting plates, but would like to start looking at all that's out there.

Would be looking to mount a 7" monitor, wireless mic receiver, external audio recorder.

I don't even know the terminology to search for.

Canon Battery Pack Lp-e6
 

Does anyone know if you can use Canon Battery Pack Lp-e6 (For The Eos 5d Mk Ii) with the 550D?

As far as I know you can't use the older Lp-e6, but rather the new LP-E8, as well as the new batteries.

2 things-

1- I forget with of the two viewfinders I used on the 5D, but I found that it made focusing more difficult. It just seemed to magnify the pixels to a point where nothing was ever really sharp, so it was hard to tell what was "sharpest". When I'd yank the viewfinder off, I found it easier to focus just on the screen (which is totally counter-intuitive to me, but that's how it worked best.) Perhaps I wasn't using the more expensive viewfinder?

2- The H4N is great, but only takes 2 inputs. I have little use for the onboard mics and would rather have a similar device with no mics and 4 inputs; anyone have a suggestion? One that's comparable in price, I mean. I know what the high-ends go for.

If you're near-sighted like I am, you can just look over the top of your glasses at the LCD. Much quicker, better and clearer than any viewfinder setup. Of course you need a hood in bright sunlight.

In the LILLIPUT Touchscreen,7 Touchscreen,7 LILLIPUT Touchscreen,lilliput screen web site yopu can find a battery pack for about $60. I got it about two weeks ago, and it works fine. You can mount it deirectly in the back of the display, al little heavy, but it works. Just make sure that, when NOT in use, you unplug the cable that goes from the battery pack to the monitor...it will completelly draw the battery out!

Carlo Zanella
The Santa Fe TV Show

I'm thinking of getting a 550d next to my HV30.. but I don't know yet what to do with the audio. I don't need top of the line audio to record a band or something, and until now my sony external mic has always done the job. Now I've read a lot about the automatic gain control and that everybody is using separate audio recording devices like the H4N or the H2. It shouldn't be too hard to synchronize in post, which is probably true, but still takes a lot of time for 300 shots for a short film or something..
But I think the real problem is how to review your shots on location. It must be awful to try to playback audio and video at the same time, just to see whether a dialog is good. What are your experiences with this and is there an alternative? Is there a good workflow for this? Does the AGC make working with an external mic impossible? Is it worth waiting for a firmware update just like for the 5d?

Here's a very simple solution which I use with my video cameras all of the time.
Setup your recorder for the shoot with proper levels, mic placement etc.

Form the recorders "Line Out" (I use an Edirol R-44 (dual RCA Line Out) or Zoom H4n (1/8 Line Out), send a wireless feed from the recorders "Line Out" to your camera.

This serves 2 purposes...
1. Redundant audio recording on camera for backup/sync purposes
2. Wireless feed from recorders lets you monitor what is "exactly" being recorded.

As I said I have used this method with my video recorders, for years and it has NEVER failed me. 90% of my audio is off camera anyway, except for (if setup to work with wireless and onboard mic) some ambient audio from camera.

Plus your wireless receiver into the 1/8 mic input on the T2i. In my case I am making sure that I have the "Line" output form the recorder padded in some way to balance my signal before it gets to my camera. In the case of my Sennhesier G2s,, I simply apply a -30db pad at the transmitter and this suffices. For some added peace of mind I might also apply a -10 DB pad on the receiver on the camera. I would rather the signal be a little soft than too loud.

Since I am relying on my off camera audio, I am not too concerned with the AGC in the camera. If needed I can tweak it in post during my edit.

New blog about ND filters: "A MYSTERY resolved: Depth of Field, Aperture & ND filters
 

Hey guys,

Check out my new blog on the depth of field and ND filters: "A MYSTERY resolved: Depth of Field, Aperture & ND filters", Nino Film - Blog - Nino Leitner | a video production blog

This is the 3rd part of my budget accessories series for the T2i / 550D, but everything is of course also applicable for other cameras.

Comments and suggestions always appreciated!

Cheers!

I did tests today with my older Zoom H4 and my wireless and it was fine when syncing with PluralEyes. I'd suggest buying PluralEyes. My free trial runs out next month and I'll have to buy this great piece of software.

But I agree with Michael, I have the G2 wireless and at Sundance this year, I merely plugged it into my buddy's 7D and set it to -30 and had no real problems.

Of course, we couldn't monitor the audio. I think that my old NADY's had a mic plug on the receiver, but the Senn one does not. I sold those clunky but effective NADY's, which is kind of a shame now, ha!

Anyone else just use the mini-plug and step down the mics? I've found that -20 or -30 on my mics is the best way to go with any camera. Sound has always been a problems for my projects.

On the subject of accessories, my indieFOCUSmini and my indieSLIDERmini Deluxe are out for delivery. Can't wait to try them out!!

files
 

When the files get to 4gb, how long until you can start recording video again, given there's still space on the card? Would there be problem recording for 8hrs?

Peter, you can start recording right away after the first 12 minutes, and you can record as long as you want, 8-10 hours as long as the camera doesn't overheat and you have plenty of batteries and you stop recording every 12 minutes.

Welcome to DV-info :)

T2i/550D battery grip
 

Hi guys,

I've posted a new blog post reviewing my new knock-off T2i/550D battery grip. I'm very happy with it, check it out:

T2i / 550D knock-off battery grip review | Nino Film - Blog - Nino Leitner

Your comments are always greatly appreciated!

Nino

DSLR viewfinder review & comparison
 

It's me again, this time I did a very extensive blog post on DSLR viewfinders, comparing Zacuto Z-Finder Jr, Z-Finder Pro 2.5x, LCDVF, Cavision, Hoodman HoodLoupe and an accessory by Redrock Micro.

Epic DSLR Viewfinder Review Part 5: Essential DSLR accessories | Nino Film - Blog - Nino Leitner

Perhaps you should have reviewed the Hoodman Cinema Kit Pro. It would certainly have been more comparable to the others you reviewed. It attaches the hood to your camera and swivels away to take pictures. I just used mine on a T2i at Seaworld in San Diego and it worked great.

Not to mention that the HoodMag improves the HoodLoupe greatly. With the HoodLoupe, you need to center your eye precisely or the image gets soft. Add the HoodMag and it's completely forgiving.

Sorry, would have liked to review that, but I had to work with what B&H could supply me with!

I will review the new Letus Hawk VF and LCDVF3/2 though, both manufacturers contacted me.

Bryan, have you been using them? What do you think of them?

I like them very much. I've not had other versions of either so I can't really speak to how they compare to the likes of RedRock or Zacuto, but I've been more than pleased.

The FollowFocus seems to be just fine and I love the snap gears.

I've gotten some cool shots with the slider. I can easily seeing spending more money to get a motorized slider or one with a crank, that would really be nice. But for the money it's great, I take it on all my shoots.

Now I'm waiting for them to make a crane. :D