New To Forum And DSLR's Confused And Need Guidance

[Auto_Doc]

Hey all,

New to the forum and wanted to sign up to get help from who I would consider to be the most knowledgeable people about DSLR and video. I've been doing documentary (automobiles mostly) for a while now and use a GoPro for a lot of work. I can get some amazing footage from it but it always has that "video" feel and I want that "cinematic" look that I've only found with real lenses that you can adjust. When I first started looking I came to different Indie filmmaker forums and kept seeing the Canon 60D as a great workhorse. I've hardly seen anything bad about it at all and so I set my mind on getting it. I walked into the store and then was told by a seemingly knowledgeable person that I "should go with" the T5i since I'm doing mainly video. So I had to start all over with comparisons which leads me to where I am now, confused on what to get.

I've narrowed it down to 60D, T5i, and as of yesterday the 70D. I know it seems like a no brainer on the 70D but when I started I did have a budget lol, but if that is the best option so be it. I'm not trying to produce the next Hollywood movie, I just want to do my auto documentaries and interviews to get that professional feel and honestly I feel like any of these 3 will work, but I'm having trouble with a couple of things and thought you might be able to help. Here are my thoughts:

The 60D: (999 with kit lens, 699 body only)

Awesome workhorse, all round high quality great camera, just old and not too many features.

The T5i: (699 with kit lens, 699 body only <- wtf? )

Awesome camera that is full of features. Same quality output as the 60D but with touch screen, auto focus for video (which sucks imo) and stero mic vs. mono on the 60D. Problem is it just feels "cheap" to me. I mean for 700 bucks it shouldn't feel like a camera half that price should it? I don't know maybe it is just me, but it feels chinzy in my hands and that just plain bothers me, but maybe it shouldn't?

The 70D: (999 body only, not sure with kit)

The "Mac Daddy", basically if the 60D and T5i had a baby and the kid got all the rugged genetics from the 60D and all the amazing features of the T5i. Seems like a no brainer, but would like to spend as little as possible if it is a smart thing to do in this case.

I honestly can't decide, I have walked into the store twice to buy, once the 60D and next the T5i and both times just couldn't pull the trigger but I'm not sure which to get, then the damn 70D got thrown in the mix yesterday

Anyway any help from you knowledgeable people would be much appreciated. EVERY question I asked the lady behind the camera at the dedicated camera store in town knew nothing about either one and even less if possible about anything video from a DSLR, it was frustrating which lead me here. I feel like I know just about everything on the 60D and T5i there is to know and just can't make a decision, I'm throwing the 70D in there b/c it is only a few hundred more.

I should add that I could care less about the "kit" lens, as I'm getting a 50mm 1.8 prime as my main documentary lens if that matters at all.

 

[brunerww]

...does the T5i do that as well, just curious?...

Yes - sadly, all Canon DSLRs below the $3000 5D Mark III have a moire challenge.

But as others have said, you can avoid it with pre-planning.

Best of luck with your new camera!

Bill

 

[A.D.]

Thanks a lot AD, will do. I think I remember seeing a video on that, it was on a roof, definitely annoying but since the 70D does it too and I wanted a Canon I'll have to live with it. Hopefully it won't be an issue, does the T5i do that as well, just curious? Thanks for the welcome.

Basically, all digital cameras that interlace suffer from moire (the digital zoom on the Canons eliminates it, as it ends up using 1 sensor pixel per output pixel, so no scaling present to cause it). Moire is not exclusive to Canon by any means, and pretty much any large sensor camera that isn't designed specifically for video can/will be affected by moire.

Just google it if you want to know more. There's plenty of info out there to keep you up at night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlaced_video

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern

 

[Jack Lynt]

Another possibility is this, if you're willing to shell out another 300+ dollars (after taxes and shipping, I'm guessing).

The clip limit does suck, if you're shooting live events or interviews. On the other hand, for other things, Hollywood lived with an ten minute "clip limit" for decades and got along well enough, it seems.

Enjoy and have fun with your new camera.



.

 

[A.D.]

If the clip limit is a problem you can try Magic Lantern. It offers all sorts of jiggery pokery to control bit rates and stuff, and can be used to extend/decrease the limit (it's actually limted to 30 mins or 4gb file size, whichever is reached first).

The default settings create a 12min barrier, but you might be surprised at how much more you can eek out of it without it affecting the quality. Conversely, whacking up the bitrate to even 3x CBR doesn't get you the increase in quality that you might hope for. The IQ pretty much codec limited basically.

The only way to record longer than 30mins/4GB is to use external HDMI recorders.