Archive for category T2i
Going Monopod & Quickrelease Head for all handheld work
Still testing T2i and 200mm f2.8L in manual mode assisted by live view and magnify. 
Focus directed to the street sign vs. the shops along the walkway. With longer range lens and the heavy load capacity the more costly pro support unit is needed to handle the extra weight. This is not an area where you can cut costs because all support must be able to hold up under heavy load conditions, time & time again.
Perfect for shifting the focus to the desired shot feature like the fountain spray vs. the tree in front. In both cases a monopod would have helped to steady the weight of both camera and lens. Will be going with a Manfrotto quick release head and a Manfrotto automatic release pedal Monopod. The cost is more however if you need to get the shot in a hurry both are a most have.
FD 50mm f1.4 on T2i with adapter
Posted by 2011wd in Canon f1.4, Canon FD Lens, T2i, Test on April 10, 2010
The FD 50mm f1.4 had to be adjusted to f11 as it was letting in far to much light. Adapter worked as it should.
Canon T2i & 200mm f2.8L
The T2i is perfect for long range lenses. The camera body is so light it reduces the weight of the total unit. 200mm f2.8 switched to manual focus, assisted by live view & magnify.
125 ft Tree top at 75 yards
Tree tops from 50 ft.
Canon T2i in live view & magnify mode, for enhanced focus of manual lenses
This is one of the main reasons we wanted to buy these new Canon video DSLR bodies in the first place & yet after reading the reviews and the operations reports it still seemed impossible to find both modes to use for manual lens focus. The big question is does it work and does it also work with an adapter. The answer in both cases is YES.
Why does this matter? If you have a hard time seeing the detailed focus of any shot by having your eye pressed up to the viewfinder, now you have an option to use the three inch LCD to focus your shots. Magnify that image by the power of 10 and you will see the focus as sharp as it can be seen. The manual mode then becomes the focus of choice.
Hopefully we can save you a few days. The live view mode button on the T2i is just to the right of the viewfinder. It looks like a very small camera. When you touch that button you will have live view of whatever you are wanting to shoot. Once in that mode the three inch LCD will show you everything that you can see from your viewfinder. It doesn’t stay on more than 20 seconds but that is long enough to set you focus with the help of the magnify play mode button which looks like a magnify glass with a + inside it. Now your focus will be spot on, however you will also see how much you shake the camera if you do not have a tripod. That shake in manual mode will cause the image to blur.
Will report on how hard it is to find the same buttons on the 7D and report back here. The one good thing about taking two days to find this info. is you do learn a little about the different buttons and features.
Take the main dial setting on the top of the camera. We like the P or Priority selection. If you hit the ISO button you can then change that setting with the control dial just above it. Very helpful to know.
We will be testing these features over the next week but first the Video Head must get here because while testing these features out you begin to see in great detail how much you shake the camera by simply holding it. If you don’t believe this to be true, go test either the 7D or the T2i in these two modes and see for yourself. Magnify the image by the power of 10 and watch the image shake all over the place.
Why Manual Focus? See… Five Reasons to Shoot in Manual Focus digital-photography-school.com
Images from T2i & 85mm f1.8 test in AF mode.
Posted by 2011wd in Lens Reviews, Primes, T2i, Test on April 6, 2010
We will be testing this lens in manual mode soon with the help of live view and magnify.
Images from T2i & 50mm f1.4 Manual Focus FD lens
Posted by 2011wd in Canon f1.4, Canon FD Lens, T2i, Test on April 5, 2010
Edit: These images were all shot without live view and magnify in manual mode. Also without a tripod. In short the old way we have been taking pictures for years. All soon to be over now, thanks to the 7D & T2i
Low light, early morning, produced images that the other lenses could not do in AF mode without flash. Tripod was needed as the shutter speed was slow. This did reduce the potential for hand held shooting. Hand held in Video would not be possible, nor should it have been done with this test, however the Video Head still has not arrived. The weight of the digital cine rig requires a pro level head which is far more expensive that was first projected. Load capacity demands are up to 17lbs. Glare from the early rising sun coming through the window was to direct on the box & glass. Blinds should have been closed to 1/2 but the indoor light was so weak the light was limited. Better on the 135mm lens shots. Missed on focus more times than was able to hit due to lack of practice shooting in manual mode. Will get better once the camera body becomes easier to understand. See Edit.
Images from 200mm, 85mm, & 50mm, 7D & T2i test.
Posted by 2011wd in 7D, T2i, Test, Used Gear to be sold on April 5, 2010
7D & T2i lens test. 200mm f2.8L, 85mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 135mm f3.5
Posted by 2011wd in 7D, Canon f1.4, T2i, Test on April 3, 2010
Started the test around 6:30 A.M. Site design and camera ready finished around 8. The FD 50mm f1.4 was the only lens that could work with natural light until 8:30. 60 images will be reduced to 15. The first posted here in a series of shots, plus comment. The small internet compressed files do not do any of the images justice, however they are posted to load as quickly as possible.
Focus was directed at the lens front glass letters. It is the FD f1.4 with adapter that makes the shot unique. With the DOF being very advanced at f2.8 only the front of the lens will be spot on. Everything else becomes secondary and lost to the DOF being reduced to inches. This is why great bokeh is required of all fast glass. This is manual Canon FD fast glass on an EOS mount AF digital body. The test proves even with the loss of perhaps 1 f stop, it still produces in low light without help from any flash or tripod better than the f1.8 or f2.8 with the same conditions. 
Focus directed at the 50mm 1.4 lens barrel reading.
Canon’s T2i 30 page review from DP Reviews is in.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos550d/
The T2i or 550D depending on where you are at the time, is a game changer, if you need a low priced, back up, video DSLR Body. So much so, we are a buyer, with or without, the mag. alloy body feel. We did not wait for the review. Instead we tested it to see if it had what it would take to produce. Video YES, that had been proven, to be sure, however it was still images that we wanted to check simply because the shooting burst rate had come under fire. Our quick review is this. It’s not an action camera for photography, which the 7D can do. If you are shooting action for video you will want to go to a file based pro level camcorder. Why file based? Because the memory cards are getting better every day, the T2i helps prove that with the SDHC or SDXC GB storage upside. For our needs with live events and digital cine it will serve well as a back up body until something better comes along for anything remotely near the T2i’s price tag. This body and most new file based Video bodies are taking different memory cards than the 7D & most older Video DSLR bodies. They are not the same size memory cards. This is important to remember.
Chances are if you get a co-production gear package from us this body will be added to the FAST GLASS. ENJOY
Our saying is, IT’s the GLASS that matters. Our glass will work on this body, just as it will on the 7D. The look and feel or not the same. The menu & display or not the same. It’s not a 7D but it will serve it’s purpose because it helps us to add more FAST GLASS while getting the JOB DONE. That is about the best review we could provide for any DSLR Video body.
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