T2i or T3i? That is is my question.

[GreatBiscuit]

In January, I directed my first short film and the cinematographer I hired brought his own gear. He shot on a Canon T2i and by the end of the three day shoot, I was full on in love with that camera. So much so, that I am planning to purchase my own.

The question I now face is, do I go with the T2i or upgrade to the T3i. Looking over the many sites I have come across, the differences seems minor. The problem for me is, no store here has both so I can’t lay hands on them and do a true comparison. Thus I thought I would throw it out to some fellow DIS’ers and see if anyone has ever used both or tested both.

I am not a total photo noob so I do realize that much of the quality we got was in the glass (the film was shot mostly with a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8) and our fairly respectable lighting & grip package. However, I also know that the body makes a difference and I am trying to see whether the cost difference between these two very similar models is justified.

My usage for this camera will probably be about half video / half photos with most of the video being in a studio environment and most of the photos being personal shots of family and trips. (Hopefully to Disney.)

Thanks so much!

Some of the screen caps of a couple of shots our cinematographer got:

 

[WDWAtLast]

I just got my T2i in the mail Tuesday! The reason I went T2i instead of T3i was for the price, there just weren't enough upgrades on the T3i for me. (flip screen and you can control a remote flash) Plus, until May 5, there are still some great rebate/bundle packages for the T2i. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Donald Duck888]

I too recently purchased a T2i and love it so far.

To my knowledge (and I admit I am pretty new to DSLR) what WDW said pretty much sums up the most notable differences between the 2 cameras.

If you are going to be doing alot of video though perhaps the swivel screen on the T3i would be worth the extra money for you.

In my humble opinion they are both very nice cameras.

 

[photo_chick]

They have the same sensor so the image quality is the same. It comes down to the bells and whistles and if you think you need them. dpreview.com has a good side by side comparison of those.

If you plan to shoot a lot of video the articulated screen on the T3i comes in really handy.

 

[reimero]

I've got a T2i as well. Based on what I've seen and read, the main difference is the articulated screen on the T3i. I've also read that the T2i is somewhat smaller and lighter and has a faster startup time (you go from "on" to "ready to shoot" in about 1/3 the time of the T3i.) But, as Photo_chick said, that articulated screen may be the deciding factor if video is a major consideration. I mostly shoot stills, and I think the T2i is the right camera for me.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I went "from" a T2i directly to the 60D. I skipped the T3i mainly because I wanted a bigger body and one that wouldn't get upgraded likely quite as quickly. Plus, with the 60D, I got the added benefit of an articulated screen anyway.

I still own both.

For video, I wouldn't say that I would even flip a coin for the difference EXCEPT for the articulating screen, which is a huge advantage when shooting videos from low and high angles.

For still work, the 60D wins hands-down, but only by a slight margin but on most all points. Bottom line is that I tote the 60D now and my wife often carries the T2i. Works out well for me because I always have either at arm's length and usually make sure they both have completely different glass on them.

You probably owe it to yourself to throw the 60D in the mix INSTEAD of the T3i if money is no object, relatively speaking.

 

[bob100]

In January, I directed my first short film and the cinematographer I hired brought his own gear. He shot on a Canon T2i and by the end of the three day shoot, I was full on in love with that camera. So much so, that I am planning to purchase my own.

The question I now face is, do I go with the T2i or upgrade to the T3i. Looking over the many sites I have come across, the differences seems minor. The problem for me is, no store here has both so I can’t lay hands on them and do a true comparison. Thus I thought I would throw it out to some fellow DIS’ers and see if anyone has ever used both or tested both.

I am not a total photo noob so I do realize that much of the quality we got was in the glass (the film was shot mostly with a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8) and our fairly respectable lighting & grip package. However, I also know that the body makes a difference and I am trying to see whether the cost difference between these two very similar models is justified.

My usage for this camera will probably be about half video / half photos with most of the video being in a studio environment and most of the photos being personal shots of family and trips. (Hopefully to Disney.)

Thanks so much!

Some of the screen caps of a couple of shots our cinematographer got:

]

for value/performance the T2i (550D) - around $500 with the 18-55IS lens at the Canon store. But the 60D has more features and is a good value at $637 (Canon CLP program)

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations! I really appreciate it. In the end, I went with the T2i for a couple of reasons. Since we already have an external hotshoe monitor for studio work, the articulating screen would only have been beneficial when doing home videos. Also, time is money on the set and even a short delay each time you turn the camera on can add up during the day when you are doing over 50 takes a day. Since image quality is the same on both, I finally decided to stick with the cheaper model and use the difference in price as seed money for the lens fund.

Thanks again! I appreciate it!

As a side note, I learned the hard way NOT to listen to the sales dude when it comes to SD card selection. After having half my photos and ALL my videos show up as “Cannot Show Image” & "Cannot Play Movie" on the camera, and not opening at all on the computer, I was freaking out. Some web searches on that error showed the SD card the store recommended (PNY 32gb) is apparently notorious for this error on the T2i. Swapped it for a SanDisk of the same class and life is good.