Upgrade from a 400D so I can shoot video

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Hi all, looking for some advice on the best upgrade path from my 400D. Current kit list is as follows:

Canon EOS 400D
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II (Kit Lens)
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II (Nifty Fifty)
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f1:4-5.6 IS
Canon 430EX II Speedlite Flash with Sto-Fen Omni Bounce Flash Diffuser

The 400D is getting on a bit now and I would like to upgrade so I can shoot video.

I was thinking of going for the 600D body over the 550D due to the manual adjustment of mic levels, articulating screen and remote triggering of a speedlite.

However the next question is which lens....!

How good is the 18-55 kit lens? The kit lens on my 400D wasn't great...

I like to be able to shoot down at the 18mm range as it helps get dramatic shots of car's which is my main subject, plus also landscapes. Have a look at my site for the sort of images I like to produce http://coops-photo.co.uk

I was thinking maybe 600d body only and get the 15-85 lens separately, but thats pushing the budget quite a bit...

Other thing I wanted to get was an external mic as I'll be shooting a lot of car videos recording exhaust notes etc.

Its such a balancing act with the cash that I'm struggling!! Max budget I want to spend is £1000, but going this high means I would need to sell the 400D to help a little, ideally I would like to keep it as a backup (I'm a bit of a hoarder!)

Will the 15-85 lens give me that much more over the kit 18-55 lens for the extra £££ ? Any recommendations for external mic's for the 600D?

Thanks! And apologies for the rant.... :nuts:
 
I've been reading up on this the recommendation seems to be primes most say start with the 50mm. Lots of resources on the net I found most of the info using google. I've been plying but I'm no expert.
 
For video the two i would look at are the 600d and the 60d, the ability to zoom in on the 600d would put it slightly ahead of the 60d for video use.
Digitalrev via there site or ebay have good prices as do panamoz
 
pablo_paul said:
I've been reading up on this the recommendation seems to be primes most say start with the 50mm. Lots of resources on the net I found most of the info using google. I've been plying but I'm no expert.
Click to expand...

Already got the 50mm 1.8 and its a cracker for the price :D

bloater said:
For video the two i would look at are the 600d and the 60d, the ability to zoom in on the 600d would put it slightly ahead of the 60d for video use.
Digitalrev via there site or ebay have good prices as do panamoz
Click to expand...

I started looking at the 60D, then got tempted by the 7D and then realised I was getting carried away and it would be better spending the extra cash on better glass and an external mic?
 
I upgraded from the 400d to the 600d about 6-8 months ago, it was a bit different but a good change, I upgrade the firmware to magiclantern too and that made a big difference... I'd recommend it, I have a lot of the same gear as you too :)
 
kentdiscos said:
I upgraded from the 400d to the 600d about 6-8 months ago, it was a bit different but a good change, I upgrade the firmware to magiclantern too and that made a big difference... I'd recommend it, I have a lot of the same gear as you too :)
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The MagicLantern firmware looks great, thanks for the advice!

What lens do you have?

I want to shoot video, but my primary focus will remain as still photography.
 
I have the kit lens (18-55 is), the canon 70-200 l f/4, and the 50mm f/1.8
 
Been looking at the Tamron 17-50 non VC f2.8 lens as a replacement for the kit lens. Its only £260 and a big improvement on the kit lens. Also receives very good reviews. Does anyone have any experience?
 
Heard on another forum that the 17-50 is recommended for video which is good news.

So the decision so far is to go for the 600D body with the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 lens.

I'm now toying between the Rode VideoMic Pro and the Zoom H1.

The main thing I'll be filming is supercars and motosport as they roar past the camera into the distance. I'm thinking the H1 would be good to capture of sound of them going from left to right, but the Rode would be good at focusing on the sound and blocking out surrounding noise....?! So many choices! :LOL:
 
If you are looking at video you won't be able to get much better than the 600D. The Tamron 17-50 F2.8 (and the Sigma equivelant - 18-50 F2.8 Macro) are excellent lenses and will give you a big IQ increase over the kit lens, plus constant F2.8.

For video work a lot of people use old M42 and Pentax PK lens on converters as you have manual aperture and smooth manual focusing - plus lenses can be picked up for peanuts! The only problem is a lack of wide angle lenses on for APS-C. I have a Pentax 50mm F1.7 and it is sharper than my old Canon 50mm F1.4 USM, it really is a stunning lens for the money (£10 off ebay!)
 
DaveKing said:
If you are looking at video you won't be able to get much better than the 600D. The Tamron 17-50 F2.8 (and the Sigma equivelant - 18-50 F2.8 Macro) are excellent lenses and will give you a big IQ increase over the kit lens, plus constant F2.8.

For video work a lot of people use old M42 and Pentax PK lens on converters as you have manual aperture and smooth manual focusing - plus lenses can be picked up for peanuts! The only problem is a lack of wide angle lenses on for APS-C. I have a Pentax 50mm F1.7 and it is sharper than my old Canon 50mm F1.4 USM, it really is a stunning lens for the money (£10 off ebay!)
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Good to hear that about the 600D and the Tamron :)

Thanks for the suggestion about the pentax, I had a look on ebay but they were around £50, if I found one for a tenner I would snap it up now!!
 
i dont think there a stable version for the 60d yet for magic lantern as if like me you buy a new one it comes with 1.1.0 firmware and curret Ml is for 1.0.9 for 60d
 
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alix said:
you might have a prob if you get the 60d i had one a few months back and it comes with 1.1.0 firmware that aint compatible with magic lantern yet just w8ing on them to make a update for ML to support 1.1.0 :bang:
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Thanks, due to budget, I think I'm going to go for the 600D :)
 
just been checking and there is a update for 1.1.0, both the 60d and 600d are great cams got to play with both for a bit and you wont regret getting one (y)
 
personally, why would you want an SLR to capture video over a dedicated HD video camera, I've never seen the logic. It like the people with mobile phones staying it takes &*^% images with the built in camera, that's because its a $%£!@ mobile phone with a sensor the size of 1/2 a postage stamp, what do they expect.

If however, you are primarily using it as a camera with the occasional video, probably that set up works. If you were looking for the best canon DSLR with HD video, then I would always pick the 5D MKII over either the 600D or 60D, but obviously depends on budget.

Personally, though, I would buy a dedicated HD video camera over an DSLR for video
 
pete.rush said:
personally, why would you want an SLR to capture video over a dedicated HD video camera, I've never seen the logic. It like the people with mobile phones staying it takes &*^% images with the built in camera, that's because its a $%£!@ mobile phone with a sensor the size of 1/2 a postage stamp, what do they expect.

If however, you are primarily using it as a camera with the occasional video, probably that set up works. If you were looking for the best canon DSLR with HD video, then I would always pick the 5D MKII over either the 600D or 60D, but obviously depends on budget.

Personally, though, I would buy a dedicated HD video camera over an DSLR for video
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Hi Pete, thanks for your input. I will be using the DSLR as a camera probably about 75% of the time and would like the ability to take vidoes. I fancy an upgrade of my 400D so this seems the best path to take.

I have always lusted over the 5DMKII, but unfortunately that totally blows my budget :(
 
Coops said:
Hi Pete, thanks for your input. I will be using the DSLR as a camera probably about 75% of the time and would like the ability to take vidoes. I fancy an upgrade of my 400D so this seems the best path to take.

I have always lusted over the 5DMKII, but unfortunately that totally blows my budget :(
Click to expand...

Same situation with the dosh and fully accept your situation, I want a new lens, unfortunately the 500mm f4 just a tad outside my price range too :LOL: :crying:
 
Took the plunge today and bought the following:

- Canon 600D Body
- Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di II LD
- SanDisk 32GB 30MB/s Extreme HD Video SDHC Card
- Zoom H1
- Kaavie Dual Nuts Hot Shoe 1/4" Screw Adapter
- GEM SLR Camera Backpack to keep it all in

Can't wait for it to arrive so I can get shooting!

Thanks for all the advice
 
Coops said:
Took the plunge today and bought the following:

- Canon 600D Body
- Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR Di II LD
- SanDisk 32GB 30MB/s Extreme HD Video SDHC Card
- Zoom H1
- Kaavie Dual Nuts Hot Shoe 1/4" Screw Adapter
- GEM SLR Camera Backpack to keep it all in

Can't wait for it to arrive so I can get shooting!

Thanks for all the advice
Click to expand...

you wont regret it cracking cam and its bigger brother the 60d (y)
 
So it finally all arrived: Canon 600D with Tamron 17-50 f2.8 lens and a Zoom H1 plus a few other bits

Here are the first two test shots:

IMG_0047.jpg


IMG_0056.jpg


And a HD video with HD sound of the same Ibiza Cupra shown above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkSKuV_MHM0

And a few shots of how the new camera looks :)

_MG_6371.jpg


_MG_6377.jpg
 
pete.rush said:
personally, why would you want an SLR to capture video over a dedicated HD video camera, I've never seen the logic. It like the people with mobile phones staying it takes &*^% images with the built in camera, that's because its a $%£!@ mobile phone with a sensor the size of 1/2 a postage stamp, what do they expect.

If however, you are primarily using it as a camera with the occasional video, probably that set up works. If you were looking for the best canon DSLR with HD video, then I would always pick the 5D MKII over either the 600D or 60D, but obviously depends on budget.

Personally, though, I would buy a dedicated HD video camera over an DSLR for video
Click to expand...

A sensor half the size of a postage stamp is bigger than most sensors on dedicated video cameras. DSLRs have HUGE sensors compared to most (a 600d has a sensor not far off that of a red one). Plus you have a huge range of lenses available without needing a 35mm adaptor. Plus its smaller / lighter than a video camera. And memory cards are cheaper than P2 cards / film. Plus they're cheaper to buy. Etc, etc. The futures bright, the futures HDVDSLR.
 
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