Hi Guys,
I won't post a new Canon T2i review cause many sites and blogs already did it (see dpreview review at
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10020806canoneos550d.asp).
The point we are going to focus today is the pros and cons of making videos with a DSLR camera, like the Canon T2i, 7D and 5D mkII.
Why isn't it good for fast movements? Why is it cool for low light situations? These are some of the questions we are going to see today.
1) DLSRs uses CMOS sensor instead of CCD. This is well known. But do you know what is behind this technology?
I invite you to make a test with your DSLR in the movie mode.
Start recording a scene, any scene, and make fast pans from left to right and right to left.
Watch the result and see exactly what's the spot point.
The vertical lines looks skewed. This happens because the CMOS sensor reads the scene from top down, like a scanner.
The bottom part of the image is processed after the top part, making any fast panning a headache and causing the skewed images. CCD images are totally generated at once, avoiding this unwanted effect.
So, avoid filming fast sports with fast camera movements.
The same occurs if the camera is still, and, lets say, a train passes over the scene from left to right. You bet the lines will have the same skewed effect.
So, keep this in mind when shooting with DSLRs. Avoid these fast actions and make you creativity flow in another direction.
2) In the other hand, DLSRs CMOS sensor are much better due to the results shown in low light situations.
Another positive point is that sharp and clear lenses for DLSR are much cheaper than video Lens.
The results in ISO 1600 with a F2.8 lens are quite perfect for almost all situations. You keep low noise and a well balanced image in most cases. Kit lenses are quite good for the initial steps, but you'll want better lens in a short. They (the kit lens) are normally too dark and, a little bit of crispness arrives only when closing diaphragm to F9 or F11.
3) Have you ever heard about moire? I'm quite sure you didn't notice it while shooting photographs.
BUT, did you pay attention to the videos when shooting with DLSRs?
Moire is a serious issue that is almost impossible to fix in post.
Try to film some small lines, preferably those with hight contrast with the background.
You'll see colour changing and a clear moire effect that will ruin your scene in a big screen.
Compose your scene avoiding this small lines. They can be in a fiber pattern, door or even in you glasses.
4) The 12 minutes limit on the Canon T2i can be really disappointing in some situations.
When you're in the middle of an important speech or moment, can be quite frustrating having to stop and restart recording. Considering this limitation, only buy your DSLR for film making if you plan to shoot small takes (less than 12 minutes each). You can shoot video clips, small interviews, a short or even a longer film, but keep in mind that each scene will have to be 12 minutes long max.
5) In my first day testing the T2i, after a while i noticed the overheat warning in both of my cameras.
Unfortunately I did not measured how long I could film without this warning. The only thing I can say is that it was an almost 2 hour session. The next time i'll make real tests to know the limits of the camera in the movie mode. This, for sure, will be shown here in this blog.
Hope you like this first post.
Please comment. Your words are really important.
Best Regards and see you soon,
Daniel Farjoun
