Canon Rebel T2i for film makers, the good and the bad

I recently purchased the Canon Rebel T2i (aka: 550D) and thus far I am pleased with it. It takes excellent photos, even in extremely low light with little noise or grain. Ask anyone who owns one and I'm sure they will all have similar reviews, as many of the other blogs and hubs I have read.

Now, my main reason for making the purchase was primarily to shoot video with it. Prior to owning the camera, I wasn't able to find out much in the way of performance strictly with video. And so I bought it, tested it out, got familiar with many of the features and even used it on a couple paid jobs. After owning it for a while, I have experienced a few things that would have greatly helped to know in advance. So perhaps I can put this out there now, and help others who may be looking at this camera for the same reason; to shoot video.

To start, I will cut through the obvious. It lacks the ability to get truly production quality audio in the standard configuration. Lacking any audio gain control (it's all automatic) and no ability to monitor it while recording. Some add-on equipment is out there (which I have not yet acquired) which will insert a constant noise to one channel, while you record to the other channel via an external microphone. This is done to "control" the automatic gain and keep it from bouncing all around when there is no audio, to the times when there is. None the less, it makes things more bulky and adds to your cost. I've either recorded audio from an alternate source like a 2nd camera with production grade inputs and gain control, or none at all and just used this camera for b-roll. It is also a bit difficult to shoot outside and see your picture on the giant screen with a lot of ambient daylight. So, getting some kind of viewfinder is definitely a must. Shooting hand-held as a still camera is just as it was on any SLR, but video is a new thing for this kind of system. So you will need to have a fluid head tri-pod, jib, or shoulder rig for nice smooth shots. This should be obvious to anyone who is familiar with video production at any level.

As for lenses, you'll hear almost everyone telling you to get more lenses because the kit lens is garbage. I don't think that's true personally, it all depends on what you are shooting. I've seen some really great footage shot with the standard lens. No doubt everyone should get a better zoom lens, a good wide-angle and most definitely the "plastic fantastic" 100mm prime. For me, I opted to get the next level up kit, which came with the 18-135 lens. It was a better bargain with the lens (better zoom), metal mount instead of the plastic on the standard 18-55, and it came with 2 batteries plus a UV filter. Plus my wife has the Rebel XSi and an array of lenses, which are compatible with my camera too. So when you're budget will allow, then rush out and stock up on glass.

So having said that, I'll now go over my challenges and things I couldn't find online. One thing about the lenses I wish I knew before buying, or at least I should have paid attention to while at the store... the ZOOM is very tricky to turn and get to work smoothly. Now I did know that it would be a hand-turn thing long before I got it, and I always preferred to use the manual zoom on any BETACAM or the Panasonic HPX-170 type cameras. Many pro videographers will tell you it's amateur to shoot while zooming, but this is subjective and I'm not here to argue one point or another about that. So my conclusion is to either get a different lens with a smoother operation, or be prepared to shoot with the zoom at a fixed position. There are some good follow-focus knobs out there, but I have yet to see anything for controlling the zoom smoothly. Most importantly, beware the zoom if you're used to a servo controlled button with the W and T on it. So be prepared for a very different feel to zoom control than you're used to on a video camera.

This next point is well covered, but I feel I should include it here just in case you're new this idea and thinking about buying this camera for film making. Be sure you get SD cards that are Class 6 or higher, as the lower class cards are too slow for video. They cost more, which is a bummer. But as time goes on the price will come down like anything else in technology.

And finally, quite possibly my least favorite thing so far with this whole thing; is over heating. I've been out shooting during this past summer, and I got the dreaded thermal icon before it shut off. Not knowing this would happen had cost me some great shots that I wish I could get, so now I know. This is a great feature for protecting the camera, since it seems to be totally fine after it sits on the bench for a few minutes. Be sure to rest it in the shade and it will cool faster. So knowing that, give some thought as to what kind of projects you plan to shoot with it. If you are doing weddings, seminars, or any project that would be on-going for more than about 10 minutes continuously then you're best bet is a dedicated video camera. As a 2nd camera, b-roll, or to get all those super-sharp depth of field shots it is well worth the money.

I still love the camera and it's great for portraits, stock photos, and short films when the shots are short and involve lot's of planning in between (giving the camera lots of rest periods). It also mounts nicely on my helmet for skydiving, and I can't wait to get in the air with it. Once I do, I'll post my experience with that for those who are interested in how rugged this camera is. Over-heating will not be an issue at 12,000 feet!

So I hope you find this informative and a valuable resource when making the decision to shoot HD-SLR with the Canon T2i.