Camera Labs

Hi I am hoping someone can give some advice, I bought a Canon 400d a couple of years ago and love it, brillant at taking photos and i am able to get the photos I want out of it. I also own a Canon camcorder which in the technology world is quite old now its an MV900 but I am going away and wanting to tape a light show at night and take some photos. So I thought that i would upgrade to a HD camcorder to discover that the canon 550d does this, I was wondering would it be worth my while upgrading to a 550d or would I be best off buying a seperate camcorder to achieve what i want? and if so does anyone have any recommendtions which don't cost a fourtune.

Thanks for you time
Sez

If you're recording from a fixed position, it should be relatively easy to record a light show with the 550D. It's when you or the subject moves frequently in and out of the depth of field that things become tricky with the lack of continuous autofocus.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

Also don't forget that maintaining a steady image while manually zooming is much more difficult than zooming with a power/servo zoom (on a camcorder).

Don't know if you'll be zooming a lot for a light show, but just FYI - Mark

Thanks for the advice, I decided to go for a camcorder and bought a canon legria hf M406,

You have to think about how you naturally hold the camera. Straight out the box, a camcorder is usually going to be far more comfortable to use than a stills camera.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

Not to poo-poo your assertion but I had no discomfort using my 550D for video recording compared to my dedicated camcorder. It's certainly different but using my dedicated camcorder wasn't "far more comfortable". Straight out of the box comfort is hardly a one size fits all; it's much more of a Your Mileage May Vary.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

The screen is fixed, so low angles means you have to bend down. On my sony camcorder, I can just tilt the screen to whichever angle I require. There is not always focus assist and the built in microphone often picks up handling noise. I much prefer a camcorder and it feels much more ergonomic.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

I don't really get why you can still buy the 550D. The 600D isn't really much more expensive and it got some upgrades like the rotating screen, which can come handy in many situations.

The one big disadvantage of a filming DSLR ist the not existant autofocus in the video mode. Maybe the noise and the "not smooth enough" zooming can be added but on the other hand the image quality is just amazing.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

The video quality is good maybe if you have decent lenses and the camera's fps rate is up to scratch, and your computer and memory cards are fast enough to handle it. The ergonomics of it are nothing like a camcorder, and my sony handycam is lighter.



It remains part of the series (first camera to join the line) for those that want a fixed screen and don't like the look of the 600D. The button layout is horrible and ugly, small cursors and funny shaped keys. Enough to put me off the brand.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

Have you actually recorded video with the 550D using the kit lens? Even with the kit lens, the results can be really good. In my experience the problem with the kit lens is its slow autofocus rather than the quality when it comes to video recording.


What have the camera's FPS and the hardware requirements of your computer and memory cards got to do with ergonomics? That almost sounds like you're clutching at straws for your argument. The reason why there are those requirements is that the recording bandwidth is much greater than the majority of consumer-grade camcorders i.e. there's a greater potential for better quality video. I hate to sound assuming here or take things for granted but I'd imagine that if somebody considered purchasing a DSLR, I doubt they'd be so mean they wouldn't have a computer with a decent spec nor do I think they'd be too tight to spend a few extra quid getting Class 10 cards.


While the ergonomics are undeniably different, that doesn't make them factually superior with a camcorder. The argument of being lighter isn't necessarily a plus point - not to say people want a heavy, hulking and cumbersome camera but they may like something a bit more substantial so it's arguably less prone to the shaky cam effect.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

Sound is most definitely a problem as the built in mic pics up handling noise, meaning sound needs to be recorded externally and more hardware and zooming is harder. I found the footage can sometimes freeze for a split second or so whilst viewing in quicktime. Without installing magic lantern, there are no controls over it and ergonomically it doesn't feel great held out.

If I was using a tripod with an adjustable or external screen or eyepiece and an external sound recorder, I think my experience would feel more comfortable.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

Errr....OK but so does my camcorder. Maybe not when focusing but it picks up handling noise just as much. I fail to see the point of this argument.


But insurmountably so? Debatable but in my experience, not really.


That would usually happen if your computer's graphics performance isn't up to scratch or if the codecs aren't up to date. That's not a problem with the camera.


No controls over audio, yes but there are still controls you don't get on a lot f consumer-grade camcorders such as aperture control or being able to choose the point on which to focus.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

Zooming an external lens makes noise, moving a smooth rocker on my camcorder can't be heard.

The freezing could be a problem, whether it is with the camera or computer, it still happens. Videos are typically viewed on a computer.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

I'm not arguing with you for the sake of it nor am I arguing because I think that DSLRs are better for recording video. I'm arguing because I don't think the debate is 100% one-sided.


There are consumer-grade camcorders with optical zoom where the motor can be heard during zooming. On my 550D, I get no noise when zooming because I zoom smoothly - it's only if you zoom in a heavy handed fashion, quickly from the wide angle to fully zoomed in and vice versa that you'd get noise.


"It still happens" because of inadequate hardware. One of the prerequisites for any external hardware you plan to hook up to your computer or content you plan to run on it is that your computer has sufficient performance to do so. That's like having bought an entry-level desktop from three or four years ago then complaining about it not running the latest game in 1080p resolution at 60fps despite the fact that the minimum and recommended system requirements are stated on the box, both of which will probably exceed the spec of the old desktop - the game is completely devoid of "blame" for the poor performance on the old computer and it's the same situation with videos that don't play back smoothly on your computer.


Yes, I've also heard that the sky's blue, the Pope's a Catholic and that bears defecate in the woods.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

Yes, very valid points. I based it on my experience and what works for myself.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II