Things Best Said

Three months with the Canon T2i/550D

Disclaimer:  I am no expert. As much time as I have behind a viewfinder, doing either video or photography, there is so much still I do not comprehend — all those subtle nuances of lighting, exposure and framing in my photos are sometimes, more often than not, a happy accident (see the Stages of a Photographer chart for reference). So, with that caveat, let us begin…

My original Canon AE-1

Sometime ago in the foggy past -

I once had both a dark room and a Canon AE-1. I was madly in love with photographing life in black and white. While I never did any of the film processing I was pretty good at making prints and doing enlargements. At this time (around 1996) it was still too expensive for the average hobbyist to own a negative scanner and a powerful enough computer (can you say 66Mhz?) for truly detailed work. So, in the darkroom I learned enough to dodge, burn and vignette my own prints.

Because of cost, interest or other life events, the enlarging room was forgotten (and soon thereafter razed when the house I lived in became two houses on a zero-lot-line piece of property) and that AE-1 went into my camera bag and never came out again. Sad? Sure. Film is an irreplaceable medium. And the thrill of looking at prints develop, trying out different paper types in combination with filmstocks is truly art and alchemy.

Canon Elph S200 & SD750

My so-called digital revolution -

Fast forward only a few years I received my first in a long line of Canon Elph pocket-sized cameras. The S200 was a great camera for candid snaps. It fit easily in your back pocket and took respectable (2 megapixel!) photos. I took that camera, and the yearly succession of Elph updates, all over the world.

I’m not alone when I say that technology is the biggest drain on my bank account. However, as I’ve gotten older, I scrutinize the options more than I ever have. Call it a spending whiplash reaction to Moore’s Law or because I work in close proximity to technology that not only goes in and out of fashion but may be overtaken by the newer, faster, more-amazing-er version any any moment. So, I stopped looking at cameras, and waited.

Round-abound a year ago I heard a lot of ruckus about a whole new crop of digital SLRs. There was a whole West Side Story thing going on between Nikon (Sharks?) and Canon (Jets?). But, while both companies make fine cameras, the real news was on Canon’s 5D MKII. The masses said “someone has finally integrated video with a great still camera!” and there was much rejoicing.

Just get on with it already…

I looked at the 5D and played with it. Solid build, amazing images but very pricey for the hobbyist. Remember that whiplash thing? A little birdy in my head said to wait. And wait I did. About a year later out came the 7D. Smaller sensor, similar rugged build, less $$. And, I played with that one, too. It was also very nice. But, my cheapskate gene kicked in. Parting with $1700 for the 7D make my debit card wince.

A few months later Canon announces the T2i –the same sensor size as the 7D, less than half the price of a 7D, not-quite-so-rugged, also shoots video but with 24P built-in! Sold!

On launch day I stood at the Best Buy counter surrounded by poor sods hoping (praying?) to find an Apple iPad behind the counter. They looked at me incredulously when I said I wasn’t there for the Jesus tablet. Don’t worry, I assured them, an iPad would make it to my technological stable sooner or later. My new camera in hand, I was off on a vacation to Florida.

That week was full of time to play with settings and take, what I thought would be, lots of crap pictures. But that turned out not to be the case. The T2i was amazing! It’s light, quick and easy to use but with enough of the deep menus and settings a developing pro might want.

Canon T2i/550D

So, now three months in, does the $800 T2i stack up against the bigger and more expensive 5D and 7D? Yes and no. Here’s my ultra-pragmatic punchlist…

Picture Quality: Yes, as long as the subject matter is good. All three cameras perform well in low light, bright sunlight and are very capable of capturing colorful imagery. the T2i and 7D are 18megapixel cameras whereas the 5D is a 21megapixel — which is better? Whichever your wallet says. All three cameras will output RAW, JPEG or a mixture of both type images.

Lens options: Yes. All three cameras will accept EF mount lenses but the 7D & T2i are actually EF-S mounts to use the smaller sensor inside. That means when you use an EF lens you should multiply the focal length by 1.6 to get a realistic length. For example, a 50mm lens for a 5D is truly 50mm but on the T2i it’s actually an 80mm (50 x 1.6). And, as always the case with cameras with removable lenses, good glass matters…but it’s expensive.

Weight: No. The T2i is far too light. But, after adding a dual battery grip  and a heavier lens (see list below) that will make up some of the difference.

Video: Yes. Still pictures are dandy, and I take a lot of them, but now I use my T2i for video shoots. More of a hallmark of DSLRs than of the video recording itself, a shallow depth of field makes the images and subjects pop, bringing them right up front in the action. The video recording for the T2i allows for 1920×1080 @ 24 & 30 frames per second, 1280×720 @ 60fps and 640×480 @ 60fps. Right now, depending on your workflow, the editing process can be cumbersome because all three cameras export video as an H.264 file which can be quite unwieldy in editing apps like Final Cut Pro.

Overall: Since the T2i is smaller, it’s less conspicuous than the other models but it’s still far from the pocket Elphs. However, depending on the lens (or other accessories) it can look like any pro camera out there. From first-hand experience I can tell you that dressing the T2i up or down can get you access where smaller cameras won’t.

The T2i is rugged enough to get a little wet, a little bumped around and still perform admirably. Would I give it to a 6 year old to play with? No.

Would I buy it again? Yes. Why spend more money on a 5D when you get nearly everything for ~$1700 less? That money you saved can be used to get a few extras…or, just sock it away for the successor to the 5D. Because digital cameras come in so many price points (and features) they’re a great way to work your way up the skill ladder a few $ at a time.

Of course, as any gear hound will tell you, a camera like this might need a few upgrades. Here are mine  –

Additions:

• Tenba camera bag
• SanDisk SD cards (class 10)
• Satechi intervalometer
• Sigma 18-50mm lens
• MeiKe multi-power battery grip

And now, some pictures: