guys, i just got $300 as a gift and i am in DESPERATE need of a new camera. a few people have suggested the T3i and it looks like an amazing option, i have also heard about the Panasonic gh2 and that looks interesting as well. i am one of the most indecisive people you will ever have the pleasure of talking to so here is the deal, i can currently afford the gh2 but i do not know if i should hold out for the T3i or if i should go cheaper and spend the rest on sound. as i progress i am constantly going to be adding new equipment for my camera, such as a better microphone and lenses. i just need a camera asap. opinions?
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- Thread starter Duck & Dog Productions
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GH2, hands down. I've got a hacked GH1, and I love it. The nice thing about the GH1/GH2/GH3's are that you can use virtually any manual lens with them, with the right adapter, since they're mirrorless. I've started a nice little collection of vintage glass with mine.
The T3i has significantly higher resolution, much more lenses available, better color depth, better image quality, a larger sensor, longer battery life, more dynamic range, slightly less noise at high ISO, and most of all - significantly cheaper. That leaves you with more money for glass and audio. That is something members here will stress all the time.
I'd have to disagree. Video resolution is the same for both. There are more lenses via adapter available for the GH2. And I find the GH2 image quality is much better, particularly when it's been hacked. There are tons of video comparisons out there that show this. Here's a good one (which also shows the Sony A65): https://vimeo.com/33927560
The T3i has 17.9 MP, whereas the GH2 15.9 mega pixels. (10% more detail captured). Higher true resolution.
I made a mistake. I meant higher screen resolution. It has 1040k dots, whereas the GH2 has 460k dots.
Also, that video did not say what lenses were used. The different lenses on each camera could have been cheaper, more expensive, sharper, softer, brighter, darker, etc.
Both cameras have their strengths and weaknesses (one of the T3i's biggest is moire). But I figured the T3i would be a better pick because of the price. OP said that he has about $2000 dollars to spend in another thread, and I figured he could save some money by getting a T3i with a nice zoom, and investing the rest in audio and lighting, as well as a decent NLE if he does not have one.
I am absolutely terrible when it comes to software and hacking, so unless the hack for the gh2 is relatively simple and cheap, there is a decent chance it will end up terrible for me. as for the $2000 budget, i am still looking into that, i just received 300 as part of that initial goal and was wondering whether i should buy the camera and put the rest to sound and glass, or save for the T3i and dedicate a little less to other accessories
The hack is super easy. There are tons of step-by-step guides out there. On the GH1, at least, it takes about 10 minutes.
Why not wait until you have all of your money pooled, instead of trying to shoehorn in items as it trickles in?
Better yet, why not try to make friends with other people who have gear? Why spend $500 on basic/sub-par sound-gear for someone else to hold (likely unexperienced, to boot), when you could have a dedicated sound guy with "the goods" in your rolodex?
Same idea for a camera. If you're only going to be shooting sporadically, you could rent some sweet gear & lenses for less than the cost of buying a lo-end starter camera that will gather dust & be obsolete in 6 months anyway.
If you're shooting everyday, sure, that's a different thing.
Options, options, options.
No good decisions are ever made, when coming from desperate places. Slow down, take a breath & chillax. Your film ain't get made without ya. Planning, preperation & a methodical mindset will produce a better final product than slapping sh*t together higgeldy-piggeldy in a rush to have a camera now.
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Those numbers are for stills. These cameras all downscale to 1920x1080 pixels for video (if you're lucky), which is equivalent to about 2MP, so maximum sensor resolution is not really relevant for video.
It is the downscaling algorithms and the video processing that are important, and as Andrew Reid from EOSHD said in his review of the T3i/600D back in 2011, "In stills mode the 600D has the edge especially at higher ISOs. But it loses a lot of the advantages of a better sensor, because it’s video image processing is so primitive."
Here is the side-by-side he shot between the 600D and an unhacked GH2:
http://vimeo.com/22318115
And here are identical films shot on both cameras:
Hacked GH2: http://vimeo.com/39955014
T3i/600D: http://vimeo.com/39050472
It's pretty clear which camera has the best resolution. But that doesn't always mean "better". Some people like the Canons' softer look. I'm not one of them.
I am not a Canon hater, I started with a T2i. But I sold it and bought a GH2 because the GH2 had almost no moire, a useful crop mode for lossless 2.7x telephoto, a swiveling LCD, video autofocus that actually worked, its viewfinder continued to work when I shot video (Canon DSLR viewfinders go blank in video mode - the mirror blocks them), and it had essentially no video clip length limit (the T2i, T3i, 5D Mark II and 7D all stop after 12 minutes of continuous recording and must be restarted).
Canon has slowly fixed these deficiencies - they added the swivel screen and crop mode with the T3i, they added rudimentary autofocus and extended the max recording time to 20+ minutes with the T4i (but took the crop mode away), they added the crop mode back in with the T5i and finally added real autofocus this year with the 70D.
But they still have the moire problem, they are still limited to 30 minutes of continuous recording and they still lose their viewfinders in video mode.
People make beautiful videos with Canon cameras despite these challenges, but for me, dealing with these limitations was too much work and I stuck with the GH series when it was time to move on from the GH2.
If you want the best value for your money, and can still find a new or used GH2, I recommend you snap it up. If you can't find one, or can't afford one, the T3i is an adequate second choice, as long as you know its limitations going in.
Cheers,
Bill
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I would LOVE to rent, but i live in Idaho so i'm not to sure i could find a place that would rent cameras out to me. the only thing close to a photography store here (that i know of) is best buy or a photography store in the mall that sells accessories.
Also, could someone tell me the main difference between the T2i and the T3i. I know they both are compatible with Magic Lantern and one of the biggest differences between the two is the flip out screen on the T3i but is there anything else that would make the T3i a better choice than the T2i?
Not really. But that flip screen is incredibly helpful. If you want to gets shots from above, below, or put your camera in a place where you cannot see anything, the flip screen will help you. I can't tell you the amount of times I've had to use it