Rebel Shooters

Analysis on the Supposed 4k firmware for the Rebel...

2010-12-30T12:25:00.000-08:00

Bah.

List of features for new Magic Lantern firmware

2010-12-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

If you haven't played with the Magic Lantern firmware updates, and are feeling brave, there's a fantastic new version of the firmware that really unlocks a TON of new features for the camera. My friend James Thorpe has a full list of them on his blog here: http://jamesthorpe.com/blog/?p=381

For those not familiar with Magic Lantern, you should be. Alex and the community at Magic Lantern are developing their own firmware for Canon cameras, and they've been able to unlock a lot of features to make these cameras more useable for the video pros. Check it out!

More new firmware

2010-11-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

New firmware for the T2i/550D Here:

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eosdigital7/firmware.html

To 5D, or not to 5D, that is the question...

2010-11-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

So, when I started this blog, I was literally starting from scratch. I had never owned a DSLR camera before, so everything was new to me. I was moving from a more traditional video camera - shooting the likes of the HVX-200 and the Canon HV30. The price of the 5D always put it just outside of reach for me as a personal purchase.

Then, it all changed with the Rebel T2i. Here was a sub-$1000 camera that shot similar quality, and left me enough money in my pocket to start building up a selection of lenses, rigs, and other gear. I picked up a Rode VideoMic, a 50mm f/1.4 lens, a Tamron 11-16mm F/2.8 lens, and started saving for a 70-200mm Canon lens.

Just as I was getting proficient in all this gear, a funny thing happened - CS5 came out. As most of you reading this know, I work for Adobe, focused on the video tools, and Premiere Pro CS5 has some wonderful advantages over the competition when working with DSLR clips. So, it became a focus of my job to be an expert in all things DSLR for video. I love it when it all comes full circle like that. :-)

So, what's the problem? Well, Canon provided everyone on the team with a 5D Mk ii on long-term loan to play with! Believe me, I'm not complaining! However, it has caused me to focus a lot less on this blog. I'm unclear if the world needs another 5D blog, as there are a ton of guys out there already that have covered that camera.

What would YOU like to see RebelShooters evolve into? I've got some upcoming blog entries coming that talk about audio with the Rebel T2i, and my experiences using both the Rode VideoMic and the Zoom H1n. But, long-term, would you like to see some 5D tips appear here?

New Firmware now available

2010-07-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

There's a new firmware release for the Rebel T2i/550D available here:

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eosdigital7/firmware.html

7D Slo=Mo using Premiere Pro CS5

2010-06-11T07:21:00.001-07:00

DSLR Slow Motion in Premiere Pro CS5/After Effects CS5 from Jason Levine on Vimeo.

Great blog posting on shooting "House" on 5D Mk II cameras

2010-06-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

Adam Wilt has a great article here on the making of the season finale with Canon 5DmkII cameras:

http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/awilt/story/tattersal_talks/

Philip Bloom Reviews a TON of DSLR cameras

2010-06-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

Philip Bloom has a new blog post up, and it reviews just about every video-shooting DSLR out there:

http://philipbloom.net/2010/06/06/whichdslr/

Other blogs of note...

2010-05-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

I just discovered HDSLRshooter.com and give it 2 thumbs up. :-)

New video from Jason Levine on DSLR work in Premiere Pro

2010-05-16T09:34:00.001-07:00

DSLR Workflow in Premiere Pro CS5 - Keying, Time Remapping & Stills from Jason Levine on Vimeo.

Camera RAW support for CS5 is here

2010-05-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got the opportunity to moderate a chat session for one of Scott Kelby's Webinars. It was a great experience, but I missed the boat on one question. People were asking about RAW support for the Canon 550D/Rebel T2i. Since I've been using betas for a while now, I didn't realize that the shipping Camera RAW 6 didn't include this support.

Making things even more confusing was that there was already a Camera RAW update for CS4 a few weeks ago! CS5 uses a new rev of the Camera RAW engine, version 6, and the 5.7 update won't work with CS5. So, there was a period of a couple weeks where CS4 could support the camera and CS5 couldn't.

Thankfully, there's now a Camera RAW 6.1 update up on labs, and one of the things this addresses is support for the Rebel T2i. So, enjoy!

Jason Levine covers using Premiere Pro CS5 with DSLR's

2010-05-12T07:36:00.001-07:00

Using Premiere Pro

2010-05-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

This new version of Premiere Pro is unlike anything you've seen before, both in stability and performance. And, there are specific new features geared toward DSLR Filmmakers.

To start with, there are new editing presets geared towards DSLR filmmakers. If you are shooting on the 1D, 5D, 7D, or 550D/T2i, these presets are very easy to use.

Then, the use of the Media Browser makes it very easy to view and even edit footage prior to even adding it to the project. I can even edit clips together directly off the memory card, without having to copy to a hard drive first.

Lastly, the performance of the Mercury Playback engine in Premiere Pro CS5 makes it really easy to edit, even on my older MacBook Pro laptop, without any transcoding necessary. The Mercury Playback Engine is 64-bit native, and this makes the decode of H.264 footage much more efficient, making it possible to edit direct without the transcode step.

Now, I'm a tried-and-true Premiere Pro user, but for those of you that prefer FCP or Avid, Premiere has the ability to transfer an edit over to those platforms as well, using AAF for Avid and XML for FCP. I've had some long-time FCP users tell me they are now using Premiere Pro as a "rough cut" tool, to show onsite rough cut dailies to clients, and it works great - insert memory card, drag clips to timeline, rough out the edit, preview it to client, save XML out, and import over in FCP later.

Premiere Pro CS5 is actually shipping now, so it's worth checking out. However, please note: The trial version does NOT ship with all the codecs that the full version ships with. This is due to licensing costs, and keeping the trial version free. In My opinion, you're better off contacting a local dealer, and playing with an actual copy in a store! That's the only way you'll get the full experience!

On DSLR's and Premiere Pro CS5

2010-05-07T13:23:00.001-07:00

This blog has been super quiet lately. That's totally my fault. I've been just overwhelmed with stuff to do around the launch of CS5, and this blog has taken a back seat.

In the next day or so, you'll see a pretty long posting about my findings with CS5 and the Canon Rebel T2i. It's pretty amazing, both feature-wise and performance-wise.

Does the Rebel T2i shoot "Professional-Quality" video?

2010-04-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of articles from the higher end of film and TV production like this one:

http://www.xdcam-user.com/?p=704

People like Alister are asking the right questions about the limits of hdslr shooting - there are limits, and just as a lot of Vimeo clips show off the strengths of the camera, you do need to be aware of the limitations.

Are these limits going to make me stop shooting with the camera? NO. Every camera has limitations - The HVX200 I used to shoot on is horrific in low light, and shoots in DVCPROHD, which is not true 1080p. (It's not even true 720p, but works best in that mode.) That didn't stop me from using it. It's the same with every HDV camcorder I've ever touched. It's a matter of finding the RIGHT TOOL for the RIGHT JOB at the RIGHT PRICE.

Don't factor out price when comparing. Trying to match the features of a Sony F35 on a sub-$1000 camera is insane. If you can afford the F35, and want to deal with the form factor, then do it.

Right now, my Rebel rig is in the sub-$2000 realm, and it's the best camera I've had in that price point. The cost and the capabilities will go up as I buy more glass for it, but the great part about that is the glass will come with me if a better camera comes out. I can use $2000 glass on my little $799 camera today, and as I'm making money, I have the option to upgrade.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.7 Update is LIVE

2010-04-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Lightroom_2.7

Support for RAW stills from the Rebel T2i!

Using the Rebel T2i with CS5

2010-03-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

I am still sworn to secrecy with a lot of stuff about CS5 until April 12th. All will be unveiled then. Let me just say, right here, right now, that the Adobe Mercury Engine is in Premiere Pro CS5, and it absolutely ROCKS with DSLR footage. How? Well, you'll have to wait til April 12th to hear all the details. All I can say now is, if you're transcoding the footage first, before you start editing, you're wasting a lot of time.

More to come...

2010-03-25T10:22:00.001-07:00

I'm on my way to Colorado, to do some training at Tyler Stableford's facility there. I was supposed to be there last night, but travel cancellations and now delays are keeping me from getting there.
On another note, if you haven't seen the first episode of the Zacuto shootout, go to Zacuto.com and check it out. Zacuto put DSLRs up against 35mm film in some side-by-side tests. The results were very impressive, to say the least. The first tests don't include the T2i, because it wasn't out yet, but they do have the similar 7D, and the T2i was added to some later tests.

Philip Bloom 1st short on the Rebel T2i

2010-03-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Salton Sea Beach from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

As I posted in the comments on his blog, I'm really interested to know how hard it was shooting in such a dusty, hot environment. If the camera held up, I may consider taking the precious with me to Burning Man this year.

Bloom mentions some recording troubles, and some overheating after 2 hours of solid shooting with the camera.

Read the whole article here.

Zacuto DSLR Shootout!

2010-03-19T10:36:00.001-07:00

This looks really interesting....

Next week...

Low Light 6400 ISO shooting

2010-03-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

Mark Lee does some test shots, including some at 6400 ISO:

6400 iso with 550d from marc lee on Vimeo.

Rack focus testing on the 50mm f/1.4 Canon lens

2010-03-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Rack focus testing on the 50mm f/1.4 lens. from Karl Soule on Vimeo.

This was shot handheld, just following the action at a friend's house as they discuss the amount of sugar in an energy drink. Lighting is all natural.

I've been very surprised how easy I've been able to pull focus with the Zacuto Z-finder in place. I would definitely rate this as a "must-have" for serious video work with the camera. I still need practice, but I'm getting more comfy with the camera each day. The Z-finder gives the camera the traditional 3-point contact with the body. With 2 hands on the camera/lens, and my eye in the viewfinder, the action is amazingly stable.

More pretty footage from the T2i

2010-03-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

Just some ducks, but some nice, clear shots, ungraded:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/z-s-k/4428645816/?likes_hd=1

What You Need to Know to shoot "Film-Like" images on the T2i...

2010-03-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Okay - most of this is out there in other forms, but I thought I'd take a moment to gather all of this information together in one easy-to-find posting. The Rebel T2i is a fantastic camera for the price, and a good camera regardless of the price for shooting motion images. However, if you are new to the world of DSLR's, and have only shot full-auto on most camcorders, here are a few basic things you need to understand, especially if you want to shoot "film-like," narrow depth-of-field images, and play with focus.

Aperture. also referred to as f-stop. This is the number on the lens of the camera that usually looks like f/3.5, or a range, like f/3.5-5.0. The thing to know is that the lower the number, the wider the aperture, and the narrower the depth-of-field will be. On a nice lens, the f-stop is a single number. On a cheaper telephoto lens, the f-stop has a range, and the first number is the f-stop at the widest angle, and the second number is zoomed all the way in. To get that really narrow depth-of-field, you want to be shooting at an f-stop lower than f/4. F/2.8 looks really nice, and is probably a good, practical number for motion shots. I've been experimenting with f/1.4, and it's fun, but a bear to keep moving people in focus.

Shutter Speed. This represents the time the sensor is "exposed" to light each frame. The number in the viewfinder usually looks like a number between 30 and 4000. "30" means 1/30th of a second, and "4000" means 1/4000 of a second. High numbers mean no motion blur in a frame, which is great for sports photography, but doesn't look like motion picture film. Lower numbers provide some motion blur, which we want to get that film-like look. Normally, 24fps feature film is shot at 1/48th of a second. The only exception to that rule is typically found in Ridley Scott action sequences - go watch the opening battle of "Gladiator," or look for it in many scenes in "Blackhawk Down." You'll see scenes that have a very "stuttery" appearance, like the motion is faster than it should be, but it's not sped up. The shutter was running at 1/125 or 1/250th of a second in the camera, creating that "look."

ISO. This is the sensitivity of the chip in the camera. Lower numbers mean less sensitivity to light. Higher numbers mean more sensitivity, but typically higher noise. You'll hear discussions about the best "usable" ISO, meaning where does the noise become unacceptable. In daylight, numbers like ISO 80-200 are talked about, while shooting indoors, or at night, you may have to go as low as ISO 6400.

To get that "film-like" look, you need to be aware of all 3 values while you shoot. Ideally, a wide aperture, low ISO number, and a shutter speed that mimics film would be ideal. But, let's talk specifics to the T2i.

First off, the kit lens for the T2i does not have the right range of f-stop to easily shoot what we want. Go and invest in a better lens. If you're on an extremely low budget, grab Canon's 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. It's enough to get started. I splurged a bit and got the next step up - the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens - it's about $350, but is built much nicer.

Unfortunately, the T2i does NOT have a 1/48th shutter speed setting - it jumps from 1/30th to 1/40 to 1/50th. I've been playing with going from 1/40th to 1/50th, and I haven't made up my mind yet. But, this is the range we want to play in.

The ISO range when shooting moving pictures in the T2i is locked to a range of 200-6400. ISO 200 is where I typically start. This is fine for brighter indoor sequences, cloudy, shady days, dusk, etc. You may go to a higher sensitivity, like ISO 800 or 1600, depending just how dark it is. Just keep an eye on the noise. Different people have different thresholds for noise. I'm amazed just having the option to go to ISO 6400. This camera still shoots decent images at that level. However, noise-wise, I'd prefer to shoot at no higher than ISO 1600.

Here's the first big problem you'll face - ISO 200 is TOO SENSITIVE when shooting in full daylight. Ideally, we'd need to drop to ISO 80, but that's not an option on the T2i. At ISO 200, 1/50th shutter speed, and f/2.8, in bright sun, everything will be extremely blown out.
How do we solve this problem? Well, in-camera, the only solution is to increase the shutter speed - jump the number up until the amount of light in the image looks right. For bright daylight, that could be as high as 1/4000 of a second!
Unless you like the "Ridley Scott action sequence" look, you'll need to invest in another item - a Neutral Density filter, or ND filter.
An ND filter is like sunglasses for your lens - it screws into the front of your lens, and evenly lowers the amount of light that gets in. These come in a range of density - the higher the number, the less light gets in. I have a 0.9 ND filter, and it helps a bit, but it's not enough for full daylight - you need at least 3.0, maybe up to an 6.0 ND filter to shoot broad daylight. I just ordered a couple kits of filters here, and I'm hoping to stack them and find the right value I'll need.
Another, slightly more expensive option, is to use a "Dial-an-ND filter" like the one sold here. 2-8 stops is definitely enough for all daylight situations.
Be wary of cheap ND filters - they all affect color in some way (even though they are supposed to be neutral) and you may end up with an unwanted green cast to your video. Invest in good ND filters.

2010-03-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

JJ at Orange Wedding Films has another video, this one checking on overheating of the T2i. There have been some overheating issues with the 7D when continuously shooting for over 20 minutes, and JJ checks to see if the same issues arise in the T2i:

T2i vs 7D overheating test from Orange Wedding Films on Vimeo.

I think this isn't that big of a deal in the indie film community, but anyone shooting live events needs to be aware of it. With the battery life, and the limit on continuous takes, the Rebel doesn't really meet the needs of the live event shooter, IMHO.

More test shots

2010-03-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

So, I'm starting to get comfy with the camera a little bit. I'm still absolutely fascinated with the low or natural light aspects of shooting with this thing. Last night, I presented at the SF Cutters user group in San Francisco, and during Chris Fenwick's wonderful presentation on file organization, I shot some scenes of the crowd. Keep in mind, this was in a darkened room while Chris was on stage presenting.

T2i Low Light, cycling through ISO values from Karl Soule on Vimeo.

In the first clip, I cycled through the ISO values. One thing I love is that all the controls can be played with live, during recording. At the end, I got some nice candle shots.

I'm really looking for a focus ring for the 50mm lens, with a post on it. I used to be pretty good at rack focus, but I'm dependent on having a post to manipulate. Turning the ring isn't as accurate for me.

Stu Maschwitz on the 7D

2010-03-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

If you don't know about Stu's blog, it's linked in the upper right. Stu is a fantastic resource for DSLR filmmaking. This is an older post of his that still does the best job I've seen in setting up the 7D, which is extremely similar to the Rebel T2i:

"A frequent concern about shooting to a heavily-compressed digital format—something the DV Rebel often finds herself doing—is the degree to which the footage will be “color correctable.” Will the shots fall apart when subjected to software color grading? Or will you be able to work with the footage as fluidly as you tweak your raw stills in Lightroom?"

Read the whole article here.

Stills or Video - that is the question!

2010-03-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

One unfortunate side effect of owning the T2i now is that I'm falling back in love with shooting stills. I haven't owned an SLR since the mid-90's, and that was a film camera. For the most part, all pix I've taken have been on little point-and-shoot cameras. I've been traveling the world on business the last 2 years, and carrying both a video camera AND a big SLR just wasn't happening.

As I begin to trick my T2i out for video production, I'm concerned about modifying it too much, so that I can't quickly pull it out of a rig, and just shoot some stills with it. Does anyone have experience with the Z-finder, and how the camera operates with the proximity sensor covered?

I'm also fighting the urge to shoot some stills at some events, when I should be focusing on moving pictures. Anyone else run into that "creative issue" when switching to a vDSLR? :-) It's not really a bad problem to have - one camera that's flexible to do both. You just have to have the discipline to stick with your medium, still or moving.

DSLR News Shooter Review

2010-03-09T08:32:00.001-08:00

Canon 550D / T2i production video - Zhongguancun gadget city from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Check out the article here.

Initial thoughts after 48 hours...

2010-03-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

Good stuff
"Images so good you can lick the screen!" Yes, it's compressed. Yes, the rolling shutter can cause problems. But most of the time it blows away what I'm used to shooting on. For anyone in the DVCPROHD / HDV world, this is a big step up in image control. I'm really liking the potential.
I'm also liking the overall ergonomics of the camera. It's small enough I'm going to take it everywhere, but not too small. I'm used to shooting with an HV30, so this isn't too different, control-wise. Stick it on a monopod, and you can do amazing things with it.

Bad Stuff
Viewfinder, or lack thereof. You'll notice that I haven't uploaded any more clips yet - Most of the shots are pretty bad. Pulling good focus is impossible without a viewfinder. So far, the Zacuto Z-Finder seems like a must-have for daytime shooting.
Also, unless you like all your motion to have that high-shutter, "Ridley Scott Battle Sequence" look, invest in some good quality neutral density filters. Trying to shoot at f/1.8 or even 2.0 in daylight pushes the shutter speed up into the 1/250 range. You need to be able to step that down. Chris Fenwick recommends a dial-a-range ND filter on his blog.

Nice Stuff
As you may know, I work for Adobe, and I'm testing out some new, experimental software for Premiere Pro. It's called the Adobe Mercury Engine, and it's lightning-fast in all kinds of ways - check my other blog for details. Anyways, I'm editing the footage right off the camera with no transcoding, several layers, real-time color correction, and more. Stay tuned for more details, but what I see so far, Mercury + Rebel T2i = WOW.

More thoughts forthcoming, as well as additional clips. I've scripted a short film I hope to shoot in the upcoming weekends, called "Hyperspace." Anyone remember the video game "Defender"? :-)

First test shots.

2010-03-07T07:33:00.001-08:00

I'm using the 50mm f/1.4 prime lens from Canon for these first two test shots. I literally took the camera out of the box, charged the battery, threw the camera in Video mode, and shot these two scenes. The ISO is on automatic, and both scenes were shot in low light - one indoors, and the other on my porch.

2 simple test shots from Karl Soule on Vimeo.

2010-03-06T18:49:00.001-08:00

So, I picked up my camera this afternoon, along with the Canon f/1.4 50mm prime. Shooting some test footage of freight trains tonight.

2010-03-06T18:47:00.001-08:00

Test message from my phone. Not sure how often I'll use this, but it's nice to be able to update from my phone occasionally.

The comments keep coming in....

2010-03-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

Jay Friesen just had this to say on his blog:

"So there you go. I’m hooked. I love it. Every bit of it. It’s addicting, makes me feel good, looks amazing, and most of all, it’s freakin’ cheap as hell. Get a T2i, record some video and have some fun."

Read it all here.

feature-for-feature comparison of the T2i and 7D

2010-03-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

This is the most comprehensive side-by-side review I've seen yet:

http://www.cameratown.com/reviews/canont2i_vs_7d/index.cfm

It reiterates that the majority of the feature set differences are all on the still side. So, unless you want the larger, more robust body, there's only a few small differences between the 7D and the T2i for video.

I think the weatherproofing could be an issue. It's been raining nonstop here in Northern California, and I've been thinking about the weatherproofing. However, the short film I'm scripting doesn't involve wet weather. Also, even the robustness of the 7D can't withstand the dusty hell that is Burning Man, where I'm likely to take the camera to. The dust out at BM just eats cameras, and all the pros I've talked to say that gear brought to the event almost has to be considered 'disposable' afterwards. Playa dust is so fine it gets EVERYWHERE. I'd rather pay the lower price for the T2i, and have the option of buying a new camera after the event. ;-)

uncompressed output via HDMI?

2010-03-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

Jay Friesen is reporting on his blog that the HDMI output of the T2i is an uncompressed feed. He's doing testing with an MX02 Mini HDMI capture unit, and his blog post talks about the quality.

How to avoid the high cost of gear...

2010-02-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Chris Fenwick for tweeting about this - always a big fan of finding ways around the high cost of production gear. If you're looking at buying a mic boom pole, check out this link:

http://www.neilslade.com/Papers/pole.html

Love stuff like this. still thinking through solutions for audio record on the T2i, and I'm strongly leaning towards separate sync sound. Just not looking forward to the post-prod hassle.

Fitting the Z-Finder to the Rebel T2i

2010-02-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

JJ at Orange Wedding Films, I owe you a drink for all these wonderful early vids of the T2i. This one discusses the mod needed to fit a Z-Finder to the Rebel:

Z-Finder for T2i from Orange Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Custom White Balance on the T2i

2010-02-25T22:27:00.001-08:00

I am completely jealous of people like JJ, who have their T2i already. Right now, I feel like the lady in the old Mervyn's ad, going OPEN OPEN OPEN. Hasn't arrived yet, but it should very soon.

In the meantime, here's another video from JJ, showing how to set a custom white balance for video from a still image:

Custom White Balance on T2i (550D) or 7D from Orange Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Great comparison of the 7D and T2i

2010-02-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

7D vs. T2i Comparison Video from Orange Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Read the whole review here.

Tutorial on how to shoot for max dynamic range

2010-02-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a tutorial for the 7D on how to set up the camera so you have maximum dynamic range in post:

This raises an interesting point - does the T2i offer picture profiles like the 7D? I can find no mention of it in the manual. We may be stuck with the profiles built-into the camera. :-(

UPDATE: Thanks to Stan, my fears have been assuaged. P91-94 of the manual shows how to create "Picture Styles," which are the same as the profiles mentioned on the 7D.

James Miller Test Footage

2010-02-24T22:29:00.000-08:00

More test footage - this shot in ISO 800 and 1600 with a 24-105L lens at f4.

Canon 550D / Rebel T2i Production Camera First Tests from James Miller on Vimeo.

The boxed footage at the end is shot in "crop mode," SD footage, using the chip to digitally zoom to 1:1 pixels. Looks amazingly good.

Where I'm coming from....

2010-02-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

I set up this site because it finally happened - there's a dSLR under $1000 that shoots full 1080p and supports the full range of EF lenses.

My background is mostly in web-based production work. I've shot mostly on cameras like the Panasonic HVX-200, Sony FX-1, and the like. Currently, I've been using a Canon HV30, and I've been looking (hoping and waiting) for a camera that could move me away from the HDV or DVCPROHD world, but not break the $1000 marker.

I'm very much aware of the limitations the H.264 format has. I know it's a compromise compared to, say, REDCode, or 4:4:4 uncompressed. However, economics being what they are, cameras with those types of output are WAY out of my price range. I'm looking for something that'll move me away from HDV. The low-light of the T2i BLOWS AWAY anything I've seen in the HDV space (or HVX-200, or Ex1, or, well, a LOT of fixed-lens cameras out there...)

The question I get a lot is, why compromise - just rent a RED? Unfortunately, that's not going to work for most of what I do. I shoot a loot of improv, unscripted, on-location stuff, often in natural lights, with only a reflector. Until a RED will fit in my carry-on bag, it ain't gonna happen.

The RED Scarlet is super-interesting to me. Even though we're talking $5k +, it's just the type of camera I'm looking for. I'll be watching their development closely. The Rebel is great for now, will let me build up a set of lenses, and, when the Scarlet FF35 is shipping, I can revisit RED.

I'm also closely looking at workflows with the clips from the Canon dSLRs, and I'm hoping to have some good news in the near future... Stay tuned...

More reviews coming in...

2010-02-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

This one from Aanarav Sareen:

"...It is a game changer for those that want to produce high-quality videos for a low cost..."

Read the whole article here.

Several samples on his site, but this one really shows the dynamic range available. Noise in the right side, but not bad. I'm wondering what settings and lens were used for this. If that's from the stock lens... wow...

UPDATE! Aanarav tells me that the Empire State shot was done at ISO 3200 using the stock lens (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens.) Imagine that shot at ISO 1600 with an f/2.8 lens...

Great review of the T2i/550D with great footage.

2010-02-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

Canon 550D / Rebel T2i test - "FEBRUARY" preview (pre-production model) from Nino Leitner on Vimeo.

Read the whole review on Nino's blog here.

Rebel T2i available on B&H's site

2010-02-23T22:55:00.000-08:00

Jay Friesen is reporting that B&H Photo has the Rebel T2i in stock and available to order. I just looked and found the body only is unavailable, but the kit with the starter lens is available here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/675618-REG/Canon_4462B003_EOS_Rebel_T2i_Digital.html

"Official" demo video for Rebel T2i / 550D

2010-02-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

Adding links

2010-02-23T18:03:00.001-08:00

I'm adding blog links to the sidebar. If you currently write about dSLR shooting tips, I'd like to know about it. Post a comment, and I'll link to ya. :-)

Hitler unhappy about the Rebel T2i

2010-02-23T13:32:00.001-08:00

I know the Hitler meme has been done to death, but this is really funny:

Hitler not happy about the 550d... from oliver walker on Vimeo.

New short featuring the Rebel T2i / 550D

2010-02-23T13:08:00.001-08:00

Okay - just so everyone's on the same page - the Rebel T2i and the Canon 550D are the same camera - The "rebel" moniker is only used in the US, while the rest of the world uses the 550D name. Clear?

Here's a great example of some low light work with the camera:

Circle - une vidéo réalisée en EOS 550D from Canon France on Vimeo.

Right-click and view on Vimeo to see it in glorious HD.

Just bought a Rebel T2i

2010-02-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, the order was placed. Now, just waiting on the camera.

Really excited about getting a Canon Rebel T2i - this is the first sub-$1000 camera I've seen that does full 1080p recording, and has interchangeable lenses.

More later.