This video is great for several reasons. First, it's coming from someone who's fairly new to shooting video on DSLR's. Secondly, it's coming from a 550D / T2i and the footage is amazing. Third, it's using all Nikon lenses with a Canon adapter, which goes to show, even with other lenses you can capture great footage. Great job on shooting this video Larry!
Little League Team: Canyon Creek Royals
Location: Alamo, CA
Music Credit: " A New Game"
Featuring: Julian Reyes
Shot with a Canon T2i w/ Nikon 85mm, 180mm & 16mm Fisheye.
Ebay reports this is one of the top sellers for the Camera category as of today. This eBay seller with over 48,000 feedbacks and 100% user feedback on sales. This 32 GB SDHC card 'Class 6' (yes Class 6), perfect for the T2i or 550D seems to be too good to be true for just $85 bucks. But as an eBay seller with that track record, it might be worth a buy for those long gigs that go on for hours and hours and hours.....
Wow, it's been a struggle trying to get a hold of one of these Battery Grips for the Canon EOS 550D a.k.a. T2i. This is the OEM Canon BG-E8 part number which I could not find in stock on Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo Video. Much props to the guys at Calumet San Francisco for tracking one down in their San Diego store and having it shipped. This grip definitely makes holding the Canon EOS 550D alot easier, especially since it's front heavy from a lens.
A must have piece of equipment if you own a T2i, not just for double the battery life, not just for the flexibility of using Eneloop batteries, but for the stability it can add to your shots. (Not to mention making it look a bit more like it's bigger siblings...). The problem is even on eBay you won't find USA sellers carrying this item. The best bet on eBay is to order the OEM versions from overseas. You can find the BG-E8 battery grip for the Canon EOS 550D / T2i available through this link - Click Here.
One of the decisions you'll need to make about buying your video DSLR is all the accessories you're going to need to help you shoot your projects. Compared to the $80 dollar OEM batteries for the 7D, the Canon T2i 550D batteries are chump change. I've already run low quite a few times with the single battery on the T2i, but after seeing these prices, it's time to place some orders. I've had some awesome luck with aftermarket batteries, so i'm thinking about trying these $6.99 Free Shipping aftermarkets on the T2i.
I posted about this Hague Mini Motion Camera Stabilizer earlier in my blogs, but I just thought I'd share with everyone what a Canon T2i looks like when balanced on the Hague. Now that high quality HD Video cameras are smaller, the Hague MMC is one good option. This stabilizer will only fly the weight of a Canon T2i with 18-55mm kit lens and nothing more. You can find the Hague MMC on eBay (click here)
Other Small Video DSLR Camera Stabilizers
If you're planning on Flying something a bit heavier, the next best option would be the Flycam Nano. You can see how well this stabilizer flies in this video (click here). This is what I feel the best bang for the buck. It can easily fly a Canon 5D Mark II or Canon 7D with a Tokina 11-16mm lens. You can find the Flycam Nano online (click here).
The Flycam Nano
One feature that the Flycam Nano lacks is what are called 'fine tuning knobs'. These knobs are available in some stabilizers for you to quickly and easily get your camera in balance. You simply turn the small knobs and the camera will shift slightly left / right, or shift slightly forward and back. If you need to be quick about getting a camera ready to fly, the Glidecam HD series are the best bet. For small cameras similar to what the Flycam Nano can fly, you'll want to look into the Glidecam HD1000 stabilizer. You can find one of my demo videos (click here). The Glidecam HD1000 is the smallest of Glidecam stabilizers under the HD2000 and HD4000 which can all be found online (click here).
Glidecam Stabilizers
If you're looking to beef up your Camera by adding a battery grip, LED light, or Microphones and need something to carry more weight, the next step up (price wise) would be the Glidecam HD2000-HD4000 stabilizers. You can find the different Glidecam HD models available here. They are all basically the same design, just different sizes to support different weight cameras. You can probably get away with the smallest one, but if you plan on adding something like an LED video light (like this one) , you might want to get the larger Glidecam HD2000 or HD4000. I personally own several different stabilizers, but here's a BTS video with the HD4000 (click here).
In your search for Glidecam stabilizers, you might run into the Pro versions. These will also work great and the difference in the Pro series of Glidecam stabilizers is mainly the lack of 'Fine Tuning Knobs'. They will balance fairly heavy loads and if you don't require the fine tune knobs you can find many of these used for cheap prices (click here). Getting back to the Glidecam HD series of stabilizers, you can find more information about how much weight each stabilizer can carry, along with prices following the links below.
Let's face it, many of us put the 5D Mark II on the back burner when the 7D and T2i came around. With poor audio quality, no frame rate options, and a high price tag, it wasn't much for video. The only thing it had going for it was the Full Frame. With the new Canon 5D Firmware out to improve on those limited abilities, the video above posted by David Dang makes me fall back in love with my Canon 5D Mark II all over again. Now go sell your 7D's and T2i's, then click here to buy the Canon 5D Mark II!
Props for Vimeo member Daniel Bochenski for rigging up his own version of the ' BodyPod DSLR stabilizer ' I posted up here::::
His video (Above) shows some fine examples of how a monopod, when used correctly, can support your camera weight and give you some super steady footage.
Well the T2i came in for me last week, and I really haven't had the chance to play around with it. Right off the bat, you'll get yourself stuck if you don't have Class 6 (speed) SDHC card required to shoot videos with it. Having the 5DM2 and 7D already those both only use Compact Flash. So get yourself stocked up on some Class 6 rated SDHC cards. Hopefully i'll get some video samples online for others to see soon.
Another problem I had with the camera was the weight. It's super light which could be an advantage in certain situations, but sometimes you need that extra bulk for better handling. I suggest that you pick definitely pick up the Battery Grip by Canon. Not only will it add more grip, it will add more available power, and increase the 'looks per hour' rating on your DSLR.
If you're looking to get Razor Sharp focus on a DSLR, this post is for you! I've posted about Loupes before, but this Hoodman is just jumping off as the best price + features.
If you're not familiar with a LCD Loupe, it covers the LCD on your camera so you can not only see better color and contrast, but it will magnify the LCD so you can see pixel for pixel what's in focus and what's not. Nothing like poor focus to ruin good video footage. Plus it adds 'more looks per hour' to your mojo.
I've been reviewing quite a bit of different LCD loupes and personally own the LCDVF. The LCDVF is a great looking product that ties in nicely with the color scheme of Canon L lenses, but it lacks some features found on the Zacuto Z-Finder. The Hoodman has been around for quite some time, but it seems they've been putting alot of emphasis on video DSLR's. The Hoodman HLPP3 Hoodloupe Pro bundle with Eye cup is a perfect bargain because it comes in cheaper than other Loupes, and has more options than the LCDVF. This Hoodman comes with a diopter for those who have 'less than perfect vision', and actually straps to the camera. The Z-finder and LCDVF use a magnetic frame which you can easily knock the loupe off the camera (i've done it many times). I wished I held out a bit longer now, but maybe I'll just pick up a second. Check out the link below and get your's while they're in stock. With the new T2i out, i'm sure it will sell out very quickly.
Cinevate Canon EOS to Nikon Adapter Ring 
