The HD-capable DSLR race finds a great new entry-level
option.
By Jay Holben
When I was first invited to attend a special press meeting
about a new Canon product last year, I was bursting with excitement hoping that
it would be the new version of the Canon 5D with 24p capability. I wasn’t far
off, it was the Canon EOS 7D, and what an incredibly impressive camera that
was. I was excited for the 7D, the smaller than the 5D chip size didn’t scare
me – in fact, it was perfect, in my opinion. The APS-C-sized sensor was nearly
identical to the size of those in the RED, Panavision Genesis, ARRI Alexa, etc.
– a Super 35-sized sensor. The latitude and sensitivity (ISO 6400) of the chip
was amazing. When I had a chance to test it, I was blown away at the quality of
the images – ergonomics of using an DLSR as an HD camera aside.
When I read about the Canon Rebel T2i (also referred to as
the EOS 550D), I was perplexed. On paper, it seemed like a nearly identical
camera to the EOS 7D, but at half the price. I had to see for myself if this
too-good-to-be-true scenario had a catch, so Canon sent me a T2i to test
side-by-side with the 7D.
The end result was incredibly surprising. As soon as I got
it, I realized the immediate differences and, having been a Canon EOS Rebel XT
owner for years, I should have known. The camera is considerably smaller than
the 7D – almost uncomfortably so after working with the 7D for a while. It is
the same physical size as the Rebel XT, and it’s not a lot to hold on to. The
overall tactile feel is very plastic-y, for my taste, and very light.
As a DSLR, there is no comparison, really. The 7D is
physically larger (5.8” x 4.4” x 2.9” compared to 5.1” x 3.9” x 2.4”), more
comfortable and much more professionally-minded in its design and functions.
The Rebel T2i is, without a doubt, an entry-level DLSR. It is only capable of
3.7 frame per second motor drive, as opposed to the 7Ds 8fps. This is due to
two factors, a reduction in the size of the motor drives in the T2i to keep the
size down, and a reduction in the number of data processors from 8 to 4 to keep
the price down. The auto focus in the T2i has only 9 point sensor, as opposed
to the 7D’s 19 point. It does not allow the user to set manual Kelvin
temperatures in the white balance setting and has a slightly inferior 95%
coverage pentamirror with 0.87x magnification as opposed to the 7D’s pentaprism
100% coverage with 1x magnification. The LCD screen is actually slightly better
on the T2i with 1,040,000 pixels as opposed to the 7D’s 920,000. Beyond that,
the principle difference between the two is the recording medium, as the Canon
7D shoots to CF cards and the T2i shoots to SHDC cards.
And therein ends the differences. Seriously.
What does that all mean to the HD mode of these respective
cameras? It’s identical. Both cameras
have exactly the same 22.3mm x 14.9mm 5184x3456 APS-C 18MP CMOS sensor. Both shoot
1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60/50 fps) or 640 x 480 (60/50 fps)
video. The signal processing in HD, compression and final image are exactly the same. The lens mount on both
cameras (indeed the entire mirror box assembly) is identical, meaning that both
accept all of the same lenses. The LCD, as I mentioned above, is actually better on the T2i. 1920 x 1080 video,
shot side-by-side with the two cameras is absolutely indecipherable as to which
camera shot which.
With an average price of $899.99 with kit lens, compared to
the 7D’s $1,899.99 with a kit lens, if you’re purely looking to shoot HD video
with a DSLR, there’s really no contest. You get all of the benefits of the 7D
at half the price