joeyd Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Hi, i am about to make my first DSLR purchase. I want to start shooting video and become skilled in this. I was thinking of getting the 650d (t4i) however i am aware it is not that much better than the 600d, and it woudl not have magic lantern (how vital is magic lantern). I keep hearing about the GH2- but from videos i have seen on vimeo i still prefer the canon look. can someone please give me some guidance. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Read this: [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/4279/how-the-gh2-is-still-top-dog-for-video-quality"]http://www.eoshd.com...r-video-quality[/url] If you still want to go for Canon, the 650D doesn't add much extra imo. Unless you want to use autofocus. But if you want to get serious with video you probably want to use manual focus anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moebius22 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 T3i will likely be cheap as bricks this holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyd Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 can you recommend anywhere to buy the T3i cheap?? Im intrigued by the GH2 but question as to why its so less popular than the canon DLSRs- there just seems to be a lot more advice and support and knowledge for the canon video community- like magic lantern- or maybe i just dont know enough about the GH2... also- what about recording audio with the GH2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moebius22 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Canon's marketing is ubiquitous and their legacy large (though well earned). Canon being a big player longer has a bigger enthusiast base as a result. Less people know about the GH2, unless you're a camera enthusiast, you could very well be forgiven for not knowing about it. I should also add that some feel the stills ability on the GH2 is merely adequate versus other DSLRs, but I'm not a still person so I don't know. The GH2 gives you better image quality and better lens adaptability than the Canon, but I know many people who do professional work on a T3i just fine. Philip Bloom has also shown what you can do with the older t2i...that is with certain lenses. Example of t2i work by Philip Bloom: [url="http://test98362.philipbloom.net/film/salton-sea-canon-rebel-t2i-550d/"]http://test98362.phi...rebel-t2i-550d/[/url] You can probably get a good deal on one at Best Buy or anywhere with a kit lens either now, or probably better on Black Friday, but stock lens on any camera will not make your work stand out. Recording audio is the same as all DSLRs (it sucks). Get a separate sound recorder (for example H4n) for sound and some juiced link preamp or similar products. Juicedlink preamp: [url="http://cheesycam.com/juicedlink-preamp-tests-vs-beachtek-vs-zoom-h4n/"]http://cheesycam.com...ek-vs-zoom-h4n/[/url] Recording audio is a whole other universe, so you should do some research on audio accessories before making purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyd Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 sorry i forgot to mention that i live in the UK- it doesn't look like the juiced link preamp sells over here. Have you watched the digital rev review for GH2 v 60D- it doesn't seem to be that complementary... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6bzQfZ8OCQ So are lens' cheaper for the GH2?? can you recommend any in particular for starting out shooting nice video?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richg101 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 manual focs primes from olympus, nikon, canon, conatx zeiss etc. all can be used on the gh2 and are really good for video due to their smooth focus rings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moebius22 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 There are other preamps out there, but juicedlink is the best for the money. If you have a sound guy, you could just get a boom pole, recorder, and shotgun mic, but I assume you are shooting ENG. Depends on how they do the test, and what they shoot. Andrew has a test somewhere on this site too somewhere. Lens prices vary based on the two cameras. You can mount more types of lens on Gh2 than Canon, because of mount. Lens choices vary on what type of shooting you're doing and how much you're willing to spend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted August 27, 2012 Administrators Share Posted August 27, 2012 Trust me, the GH2 has a miles better image in video mode and more choices of lenses. It also has a hack so you can tweak the image and features of the camera further. The camera has manual audio control and on screen meters, you can also tweak audio quality with the hack. I see no reason for buying a 600D or 650D for video unless you need an optical viewfinder for stills and have a lot of Canon L glass you don't want to sell! Don't judge an image from Vimeo, download the original file. The 600D can look great in the right hands like any camera can, but the image is generally a smeary, moire affected, low detailed mess especially with wide angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelbb Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 [quote name='moebius22' timestamp='1346068213' post='16599']The GH2 gives you better image quality and better lens adaptability than the Canon[/quote]The GH2 gives you a different image quality whether that is better or not depends on personal taste. It certainly has a bit more resolution but lacks dynamic range & doesn't have such nice colour rendition. I prefer the colour & look from the larger sensor. The lens choice for Canon is still very wide as while you cannot use Micro Four Thirds lenses you can use just about any manual 35mm lens except ironically Canon FD lenses (last made about 20 years ago). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyd Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 I have a few questions- do i need to buy an adaptor for a canon 650d in order to use other manual 35mm lens? can anyone recommend one? When is the GH3 out? is it worth me waiting for that? and is this gh2 hack similar to magic lantern on the 600d? the GH2 is considerably more expensive than the 600d so im still not sure what to go with. Also- i know what you mean by the canon look is different to the GH2 look- but i actually quite like the almost softer look of the canon cameras- i think the panasonic looks too crisp and a bit wooden...but maybe i haven't watched enough.. im going to do a lot more research and am open to any more advice. thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4INKiller Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 It would probably be a good idea to wait for a bit; I'm sure we'll see interesting stuff at photokina. I was in the same position as you a few years ago. I made the mistake of buying a Canon 550D (t2i), which was more expensive at the time than the GH2 is now. I recall being very underwhelmed by the soft image and compression artifacts in the darker areas of the image. It's not like it was a detailed image with soft features or anything; it was just soft, period. Nothing filmic or cinematic about it. It wasn't until I bought a GH2 and had a look at the (unhacked) footage that it really hit home. I was awestruck by the amount of detail, and it was real detail, not digital sharpening. The only thing I would say that the Canon DSLRs have got going for them is the color reproduction. Canon colors look great, much greater than the GH2 when compared side by side. However, considering how much more I'm able to push footage from the GH2 when color grading versus the 550D, I'd say its a small price to pay. Another thing I'd like to mention is that even if you make use of the magic lantern hack in order to boost bitrates, it barely improves upon the footage from my experience. Even when using a Sandisk 64GB 95MB/s, there's only so far you can push it before it reaches full buffer. That has never happened with my GH2, and I use Driftwood's Mysteron setting that shoots Intra at 176 Mbps. The noise turns into fine grain, and the video mud is gone. But hey, do what feels right; perhaps you will enjoy the image coming out of the 600D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyd Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 do you mind sending me a link to some of your GH2 work? thanks for your help by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germy1979 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Here's a video I did for the 4th of July with a Canon T2i and a GH2. The T2i had Magic Lantern CBR 3.0 with a Sandisk Extreme Pro 64gb/95mbps card. I used Technicolor Cinestyle with a Nikon 85mm AIS f/2 lens. The T2i was used for all of the "Daylight" shots of the festival. When it crossfades to night time with the baloons, enter the GH2. The GH2 was the same Nikon Lens. 85mm f/2. Smooth -2-2-2-2. I used the Sedna AQ1 patch i believe.. It's in the notes. I like the Canon colors, and the Cinestyle "log" profile look i get with the T2i. The problem is the shitty codec. Point it at a dark corner and prepare for a neat video slumber party. I only wish the GH2 had a log type profile, and my T2i would collect dust. It really doesn't matter i guess, but i vibe better off of the Cinestyle look when i'm filming. Here's the link: http://vimeo.com/45535389 (i'm posting from a cell phone so it might be the mobile site.. Just look for Jubilee from Jeremy Woods) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyd Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 to be honest, i still really like your t2i footage more than the gh2. out of interest, what lens did you use on the t2i? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyd Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 can anyone explain the issue in the t3i/600d of only being able to record clips upto 12 minutes...? is this a big problem? does the 650d/t4i resolve this issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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