Gear Talk > EOS Bodies - For Video

Friends, help me choose a better one! Thanks

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tomfu:
hey! i am an actress and intrested in directing. i was planning on buying the t4i since i’ve been told that it is much better for videos. i am looking to shoot short films. now i talked to a friend today and he said with my budget, it would be better to buy the t3i and invest the left over money into the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens, rather then buying the t4i with the standart or 18-135 mm lens. what do you recommend? i dont understand sh** about cameras to be honest, but am really determined on learning. so i do want to do the best investment with my money in order to be able to progress in the directing field and be able to shoot some nice films. thanks in advance! Aga

JasonATL:
I agree with your friend. The image from the T4i appears to be no better than the T3i (and no worse, either). If this is your primary concern - which it sounds like it is - then I think your friend's advice to go for the lower price camera body and spend some money on a good lens makes a lot of sense. I am also assuming that your friend with whom you have discussed this knows more about your preferences and how you intend to use the camera than I, as a complete stranger, can understand from one paragraph. As you can read in other threads here, my advice could be different if you happen to really want a touch screen and autofocus (and perhaps have other preferences related to still photos). Regardless, the T3i is an excellent camera to start making your own films.

paul13walnut5:
Yep, for video ditch the medium variable aperture zooms and go for primes.

T3i body only (I got a canon refurb for silly cheap) get a Samyang 35mm f1.4 or Canon 35mm f2.0 + Canon 50mm f1.8

The macro is a good portrait perspective lens on a T3i, but it's going to be more limiting.  Also the design and your money is going more towards a dedicated macro lens, which will be of limited use for general video.

The Samyang lens is full manual, but for video this actually quite a good thing.  Be prepared for a steep learning curve, but don't be scared to come back for more advice.

HurtinMinorKey:
I'd seriously consider the Panasonic gh2. The body on it will be a bit more expensive than the t3i, but the lenses will be cheaper. Price aside, if you light things properly, it will make the t3i look like a toy, and offer a better image than the 5d3 in many circumstances.

Drizzt321:
As I'm sure you know as an actress, directing and dp/cinematography are different things. Do you have any friends that have a small video kit already? Camera + basic lighting? Can you see about borrowing it, or 'renting' it for a weekend and shoot a bit and see what you get?

There's a ton more about actually making good quality video, lighting, sound, etc. If you're in the LA area I'm sure you've got to have a few friends, or have friends that know people who do work for shooting video. See if you can tag along with them on one of their projects, or do some PA work and see how things are actually put together.

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