Tag: 5D

Canon 7D, 60D and t2i Video Zoom recommendation list


Going back to October 2009, I released a recommended zoom list for the Canon 7D. Here is the 2010 Update for all of the Canon crop cameras

Wide:
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX
Tokina
Why: Still the best wide-angle constant aperture zoom lens
Why not: Hard to find in EOS Mount


Normal:
Tamron 17-50 VC f/2.8 XR Di-II VC LD Aspherical (IF)
Tamron
Why: Great Price with rebate right now, not limited by EF-S mount for future camera use (reason why Canon 17-55 is not recommended, though it is a better lens)
Why not: Varying build quality from lens to lens
Alternate: Purchase without VC to save a few dollars



Telephoto:
Budget
Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 II EX DC HSM Lens
Sigma 50-150
Why: Lens is just as sharp as 70-200 for video, great price for a 2.8 constant aperture telephoto zoom lens
Why not: No Image stabilization

Better
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon
Why: Classic lens that has been superseded by the newest version of the 70-200. IS works very well. EOS mount means that you wont be limited by camera body choice in the future
Why not: Expensive for just video purposes



Maybe we will have a few more choices next year, but for this year, the picks remain the same. When the next next 5D has a crop mode, you will be thanking me that you didn’t purchase any Canon native EF-S lenses, as the lenses above will all work perfectly on a cropped full frame sensor.

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$6.44 for two mini-HDMI cables – Perfect for 7D, 5D or GH2

Target is clearing out Flip Cam HDMI cables for extreme discounts right now.

For $6.44 you get two perfect DSLR HDMI cables. One is 2ft long, perfect for onboard monitoring, and the second is 6.5 feet long, which is great for a close client monitor or steadicam sled.

Both cables terminate in both Type A and Type C HDMI connectors.

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Hacked Panasonic GH1 vs the world

It is now late 2010. We’ve seen all the new HDDSLRs (vDslrs) for the year. As usual, we continue to see the same old problems come up in new models, and even other new problems arise as well. Here’s why the Hacked GH1 is still your best bet.

Hacked GH1 vs GH2

Admittedly we’ve seen very little sample footage from the new camera. But what we have seen hasn’t been encouraging. Even though the bit rate has been increased and the codec has been fixed, the samples that are available show the following:

1. Codec falling apart in pans

2. Crippled HDMI by blinking record icon

3. Serious amounts of edge enhancement

Sure, these may be fixed in the retail model come December, but at this point don’t count on it.

Hacked GH1 vs Canon 60D.

The 60D is a perfectly viable choice if you don’t have the cash for a 7D.  The image quality is good, and is exactly the same video picture that is present in the t2i, 7D and 5D. That is to say, in 1080p mode your really only getting a little better than 720p resolution, and compared side-by-side in video mode, all of the Canon cameras look blurry compared to the Hacked GH1.

Hacked GH1 vs Nikon D7000

Again we’ve only seen a few samples from this camera, and 2 years after the D90, Nikon has finally caught up to Canon in resolution, and moire. The D7000 and the 7D are very similar looking in video mode, which is great for Nikon to catch up, but there is certainly no reason to upgrade to this camera for it’s video function over say a Canon t2i. (We are not talking photography specs here, video modes only)

Hacked GH1 drawbacks

The GH1 has no been around for over a year, and people know things can get pretty ugly.

– In the dark, FPN takes over the picture and makes it unusable outside of Neat Video.

– There is no hacked Live Video monitoring option as of yet (not holding my breath that it will ever happen)

– Audio input into the GH1 is a joke, but I think it’s insane that people would try to use the camera alone for EPK stuffs anyway

– No Digital Aperture control for whiny Canon EOS and Nikon G lens owners

Still, even with these drawbacks, I dare you to compare the 1080p and 720p modes of the hacked GH1 to any other still camera available today.

Oh and I expect the AF100 to walk on water and perform all sorts of miracles, but for that we still have to wait a few months, unless Panasonic sends one our way for testing.


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