Need T2i accessories help badly
 

I bought a T2i for myself and my Mother, but I'm starting to get into the groove of shooting and wanting accessories. First up I'll tell you what I own right now:

-EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR Kit w/ EF-S/18-55 IS
-Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 EFS IS LENS
-Canon Starter Kit:
A Canon 200DG Deluxe Gadget Bag for storage and protection
An extra LP-E8 battery pack so you can enjoy extended shooting time
A Mini-HDMI cable so you can connect to a television for larger screen viewing of your images and videos

-Hoya 67mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Filter
-Hoya 58mm Ultraviolet UV(0) Haze Glass Filter
-Delkin Devices Snug-It Pro Skin
-SanDisk Extreme SDHC Card (16Gb, Class 10)


Some things i know i already want but need specific recommendations:
1-Lens hood: What brand? Are there styles? One for each lens etc.
2-Tripod for basic picture taking and video. Good build quality is a must.


3-Shotgun Microphone: Currently it looks like "the" one to buy is the "Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount" however I'm slightly inclined to want the smaller version: "VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone" but I'm curious if because of its smaller size, you lose performance compared to the standard one?

4-I have read that because of the T2i's size (small) its nice to own the battery grip. I was curious is one brand battery grip better than the rest? Is the Canon brand one "the" one to buy?

5-I have read about Macro photography, where you take a picture super up-close to something (like a bug) and it makes it (the bug) look huge while on a leaf. I was curious how do you do that? Do you need a special lens? When i zoom in/get that close to something small, i cant focus on it.

6-Flash unit

I know the T2i doesn't have auto focus when recording video (which sucks), so I'm curious how do you guys combat that?

And lastly if there's anything I've missed that you think is a "must have", feel free to inform me of it.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

1) Hoods are specific for each lens. A matte box will work for multiple lenses, but a matte box setup is large and expensive.

2) Video tripods are terribly expensive for good quality. The Vinten Blue is the ideal tripod for a DSLR in that it has good quality, can handle the low weight of a DSLR, and is... wait for it... inexpensive for a good video tripod.

3) The VideoMic Pro has additional gain. It's THE on-camera mic to have. The problem is that the on-camera mic position is never good for dialog. What kind of video do you shoot?

4) Battery grips aren't important for video. A shoulder rig is more useful. You can cobble up a shoulder rig from aluminum at Home Depot. All you need is a hand drill and a hacksaw. Use BMX handgrips. It won't be adjustable, small, or easily portable, but it can improve handheld video as well as a $1,000 shoulder rig.

5) The Canon 100/2.8 Macro is about $400 used. It's a great, sharp lens! It's good for narrative filming too, when you want to show a hand, a letter, a newspaper article, or random clue. It's a must for corporate product shots.

6) I use fast lenses, rather than flash. But flash can be handy. Get something you can bounce off the ceiling. You could also consider a continuous LED light for on-camera mounting. It can help fill a face for video interviews.

For use with a handheld rig, you want a loupe. (I like the Hoodloupe with the 3x magnifier at its price point.) You can also get a follow focus to make focus easier to control, but they tend to be expensive. A loupe is a must for handheld use.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

You asked it a few times so il just answer it first. I am very much so a amateur photographer. The video i shoot is home video type stuff, the pictures i take range from scenery, family shots, sport shots and car shots. So im looking for accessories to improve where my T2i falls short, not to build a semi-pro rig.

1) Ok, well heres currently what iv got Lens Hood wise: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=wishListDetail.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=348366&is=REG and http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/70568-REG/Canon_2639A001_EW_60C_Lens_Hood.html The second one is fully round and im not sure if that matters or not.

2) Thanks il look into that one. Yeah im definitely a purchaser with the mindet of "best bang for buck".

3) So i presume by you saying the "Pro" has addition gain, that you are confirming just cause its smaller, doesn't mean it performs to any less quality? Microphones main purpose would be for getting a better audio of people (typically family) talking. On vacation 2 weeks ago i noticed when watching the videos on the computer that the Mic pics up the camera-man's audio (vocals) very loudly and the subject whos being shots voice very quietly.

4) I was asking about the battery grip more for regular use and for pictures-and-video. I bought the camera and use it casually, and my mom uses it casually, Even if we had a tri-pod it would be rare we would use it, let alone a "shoulder rig" would never be used. Dont get me wrong i bet it would improve shots etc, but who gets out the shoulder rig to take 10 shots of your niece riding a bike for 5 minutes.

5) Thanks, that was something i was curious about, and for $400 used it will continue to be something i wonder about, not experience lol. But that answers my question on how you get a Macro photo so thank you.

6) Again your recommendations are a bit past what is planned on being done. For example we took 3 videos while camping, one of my niece talking at the site (hence the need for better audio), one while on the Ski-Boat (hence the need for better audio [and would get windjammer], and tri-pod) and another video that could have used all that stuff again.

The Lens hoods would help prevent the water from having sprayed on the lens, and while camping taking night shots would probably vastly improve with a better flash unit than the one built into the T2i.
(Btw any recommendations for a "Lens cleaning Kit". Technically its the UV filter thats not clean (water sprayed on it while boating).

I totally get the use of a hoodloupe, the LCD is more detailed than the regular view finder, but with the sun (etc) hitting the LCD screen, you need to see it under certain conditions especially if doing video and needing too focus. However my question about focusing was more about HOW than why. I was curious if a camera that doesnt have video auto focus could get a lens or something that did. But it was more a curiosity considering im sure it would be expensive if there is a way, and im not in NEED of auto focus that badly.

I think the thing i need most above all is brand/model recommendations, and site(s) that have a lot of this stuff. Really the only site i know is B&H.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

Given what you're doing, I'd definitely recommend the "pro". I don't know that it's any smaller, but it will have less noise than the non-pro. With a camera mounted mic, the shooter's voice will always be louder than the person in the frame. That's just physics. You can adjust the volume when editing. To get better audio, you need a mic on a boom or a lavalier clipped to the collar of the "talent". For home movie shooting, just go with the VideoMic Pro. Aside from susceptibility to wind, it's superior to the older, standard version. Put some tape on the backside of the mic and use a furry when in windy conditions.

There are three main ways to get good video shots inexpensively - a tripod, monopod, or shoulder rig. A cheap tripod will do the trick if the camera will not move. If you want to pan and tilt, cheap tripods don't work so well. A monopod will give you some freedom of movement. Still, by screwing the camera to a board and a handle (budget shoulder rig) you can get decent shots with the most movement for the least dollars.

The loupe is critical for a shoulder rig. It gives an additional point of contact (the eye socket) for stability, shades the sun, allows the eye to focus on a screen two inches from your face, and magnifies the screen so you can see when you are and aren't in focus. If you can't see focus, you can't adjust focus. Along with that, you can twist the focus ring by hand or use a follow focus, which basically puts a focus knob on the side. For low budget shooting, twist the focus ring on the lens.

The #1 improvement that you can get is a better lens. The EF 50/1.8 is sharp and fast and costs less than $100 new. A used one will be even cheaper. Craigslist, ebay, KEF, and various photo sites are good places to look for used lenses. That lens will let you shoot video and photos in much lower light than you can with the kit lens.

To me the only advantage of a battery grip is that it's easier to hold the camera sideways in portrait mode. Video is never shot sideways, so it's not an important video accessory.

B&H is a great resource, and I recommend supporting the sponsors of DV Info.Sponsors at DVInfo.net

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

Yeah in the Pro's title is "Shotgun", the non pro is 100mm longer. Yeah that makes sense about how the fact is the person shooting is so much closer to the camera (in turn the mic) than the shot.

I think i will try to find a good tri-pod. I just dont feel myself or my mother are in that space of needing or using things like shoulder rigs. Maybe if i was doing a friends wedding outside (video), that would make sense but not with what we are doing, and how often (lack thereof).

So this lens http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-GREY/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html ?

Yeah battery grip is just really a curiosity. The thing im most curious about it, is if the $70 off brand versions are just as reliable and worthy of purchase as the $150 Canon one.

The things really on my "To buy" list that i would like to know most about are the specifics on the Lens Hoods (links in previous reply) , the Microphone which we have gone over, but i might wait a while to spend $200+ on something that will be used <15 times a year, and cleaning kit because the longer lenses UV filter is dirty from the water splashes.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

I am used to my Canon 5DII so my new 600D (aka T3i which is identical in size to the T2i) felt rather small in my hands. The addition of a cheap battery grip makes the camera feel more substantial & comfortable. There is an additional benefit as the LP-E8 batteries are small & compared to the 5DII get used up quickly when shooting video so having two in the grip means fewer pauses to change battery. The non-Canon battery grip that I purchased even has an LCD display clock & can be used as an interval timer for time lapse photography.

I have both the Rode Videomic & the Rode Videomic Pro. The latter is much more compact & better suited to mounting on the camera. Those with better ears than me tell me the sound quality is better with the Pro but to my ears they are both excellent.

This loupe is cheap & very decent quality. My colleague & I were comparing between one of these & his Zacuto Z-finder & could see precious little difference in optical quality. It's not the same build quality as the Zacuto but is a fraction of the price. 3" LCD Viewfinder for Canon 5D Mark II T3i T2i 7D 60D | eBay

The Vinten Blue is a lovely tripod but costs a lot more than the camera. A monopod like the Manfrotto 561BHDV is far more affordable & to be honest much more useful for the sort of video that you want to shoot.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

Yes, Nathan, that's the lens. It looks like the price went up since I last looked at it. It's a very sharp lens and can shoot in about 1/8 the light as your zoom at that focal length. It's perfect for portraits and 2-shots (two people in the shot.) By shooting portraits wide open, you can keep the faces in sharp focus while blurring the background.

And Nigel makes a good point about the monopod. An affordable tripod can hold your camera, but pan and tilt won't be smooth. And totally static camera shots can be boring and limited. For static camera shots, consider a bean bag. They're easy to carry, and can lead to creative shots.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

Yeah thats exactly what i was thinking about the battery grip. Do you know what model/brand you bought?
Thanks for the info on the Microphones, it helps.
Yeah i still dont know if i am in a position to get a Loupe but for that price, why not. However im not sure if it would work, i have a soft mold case Delkin Devices Snug-It Pro Skin DDSPROC550D-B B&H Photo Video
Which also has a plastic cover over the LCD.

Interesting about the mono-pod vs tri-pod. I thought good tri-pods were more around the price of ~$100, hmmm. I do see the advantage of a mono-pod in all the situations i mentioned about my vacation. Especially the boating. However now seeing the one you recommended is $300 lol...well...like i said, we do video maximum 15 minutes a year.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

Good tripods with a video head start at around $3-400 while very good ones like the Vinten Blue start at $1000. Any monopod is better than none & if you get one without a video head then you can get one for as little as $10-20 & at that price you would be mad not to get one

The loupe that I linked too incorporates an LCD protector as part of the mount so I guess that you would just use that rather than the Delkin one.

I have the Polaroid battery grip which is great.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

1-Lens hood: What brand? Are there styles? One for each lens etc.
2-Tripod for basic picture taking and video. Good build quality is a must.


3-Shotgun Microphone: Currently it looks like "the" one to buy is the "Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount" however I'm slightly inclined to want the smaller version: "VideoMic Pro Compact Shotgun Microphone" but I'm curious if because of its smaller size, you lose performance compared to the standard one?

4-I have read that because of the T2i's size (small) its nice to own the battery grip. I was curious is one brand battery grip better than the rest? Is the Canon brand one "the" one to buy?

5-I have read about Macro photography, where you take a picture super up-close to something (like a bug) and it makes it (the bug) look huge while on a leaf. I was curious how do you do that? Do you need a special lens? When i zoom in/get that close to something small, i cant focus on it.

6-Flash unit

I know the T2i doesn't have auto focus when recording video (which sucks), so I'm curious how do you guys combat that?

And lastly if there's anything I've missed that you think is a "must have", feel free to inform me of it.[/QUOTE]

Neil i try get some videos for you...

1) Try this for lens hoods. Not the best but works for temporary if your on a budget
2) i have the Vinetn pt525 (Vinten 5 Pro). Great tripod. Get some good sticks and get a 501 hdv video head. Dont skimp on tripod main feature for fluid shots.

3) For video buy a separate recorder like zoom h1 or h4n. Because you can really get in with the mic, otherwise video pro is far away eliminating noise is a bugger after. Then get a rode ntg1 or ntg2 (i have the 2 great sound). The H4N loads quite slow but has great sounding audio. Remember you can forgive bad visuals but you cant forgive bad audio, Look at the mek66 mic too. Rode ntg2 is great for the price.

4) Battery grips is not a must grab a few cheaper batteries or save for an anton bauer battery mount longer life than the t2i/t3i batteries. But can grab them on ebay (battery grip for cheap)

5) Macro photography check this >>> get macro rings/converters.
6) I dont know much about flash guns i used a few canons. But if you do get a reflector or white surface bounce card to bounce your flash from behind or side to get diffusion and softer light.

7) For actually manual focus everything is done that way. Nothing done with auto unless your doing really unplanned things where everything MUST be in focus. But auto focus is very inaccurate.

Best Tip. Get a bean bag throw them on the follow and guess the distance then measure you will judge distances better. Grab a follow focus a do focus marks and use tape to focus mark there feet. If all in shoot focus mark something close to the talent like furniture chair etc.

ALSO : READING ABOVE IF YOU GET AN L.E.D LIGHT DONT LIGHT SUBJECTS FRONT ON FLAT LIGHTING NO DIMENSION TRY TO ANGLE OR BOUNCE THE LIGHT TO GET SCULPTURE AND TEXTURE. WATCH OUT FOR FLICKER WITH CHEAPER LIGHTS TOO GOOD LUCK (YESS I HAVE LEFT CAPS LOCK ON/ OOOOPS HAHA)

hope this helps.

Please feel free to add me on facebook :) @ http://www.facebook.com/ollywood88 or twitter @ollywood88

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Regards

Ollie

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

The point about using a battery grip is not just to double the battery capacity but also to give the whole camera larger, weightier feel that feels more comfortable.
None of the Canon DSLRs have the sort of video continuous autofocus that you seem to be describing. The AF in fact is very accurate as it is used for still photograph & for nailing focus before you start recording. Once you start recording it's manual focus only.

Re: Need T2i accessories help badly
 

Yup i feel battery grips are ok if budget is lower i have one. Good for photography.

Better better life get the anton bauer with plate feels weighter on a rig, but yess battery grip for tripod or run and gun stuff.

Plus the AF you cant do, i do find the depth of field preview very helpful when working out coc and hyperfocal distance if you havent got charts on you.