It seems this is the week/month/quarter for news about new Canon cameras. Fresh off the heals of announcing a slew of new consumer video cameras and a new pro-level camera, Canon has also announced a new DSLR camera will be available by the end of March 2010…the Canon Rebel T2i.
For video enthusiasts, there are a few things interesting about the T2i.
First, like it’s predecessor, the T1i, it shoots full HD video (in addition to high-resolution images). But it does so more like it’s highly coveted big brothers, the $2,500-5,000 EOS Mark II/III/IV cameras, and more recently, the $1,700 EOS 7D.
The new T2i will shoot HD video at either 1080 or 720p. It can record to either SDHC or the new SDXC memory cards (it’s the first DSLR to support SDXC cards). It allows manual control when shooting video. It has auto-focus when shooting video. It comes with a built-in external microphone jack for recording higher quality audio. And of course, it still shoots high-resolution, 18 megapixel still photos.
Oh yea, the T2i will also have a street price of just $800 for the camera only and $900 for the camera plus an 18-55mm EF-S Canon lens.
So what are the advantages, video-wise, of a DSLR camera like the T2i? There are two major ones:
1. The ability to use different lenses, specifically the ability to achieve depth-of-field in your videos, meaning the subject can be in focus while the background is blurry…just like you see in film.
2. Low light shooting. You can shoot in very dark situations, without the video becoming grainy, unlike traditional video cameras.
Of course there are some drawbacks too. And there are two major ones:
1. You can only record, generally, 12 minutes of video before the memory card is full.
2. Although the cameras now feature auto-focus, it’s slower than traditional video cameras, so DSLR’s are not ideal for fast-moving video or video where you need to shoot something in a hurry.
In other words, I wouldn’t rely on DSLR cameras as your only video camera. However, if you have the time to setup your shots, they can be excellent tools to add to your camera arsenal. You can learn more about the Canon Rebel T2i here.
And you can see an example of DSLR video below:
1st 1080p from my Canon 5D MKII from Chris MacAskill on Vimeo.
Another drawback to these DSLR cameras is (1) “rolling shutter”. If you pan too quickly there’s a jello-like effect. Canon seems to be working on this issue. The newer 7D has less of this problem so I don’t know if the T2i has improvements as well. But definitely an issue to be aware of. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
http://vimeo.com/8380270