Camera Labs

I need help in deciding whether or not it is better to but the new t3si and get a camera upgrade and and video component or spend the same amount of money for a HD camcorder

Assuming by t3si you mean the Canon EOS 600D/Rebel T3i, I think the question you need to ask yourself is whether you want an HD camcorder that can take stills or a camera that can record HD video. Perhaps the easiest way to decide is to determine whether you're more likely to be doing photography or filming - some compromise is usually made to give additional functionality.

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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

Ahhhh! You are correct... I'm a Photographer than would like HD Video capabilities.

While I am not into mixing video and DSLRs, I get that the market is going clearly in that direction. My daughter's new D3100 takes some very impressive video to be honest -- so I see no reason to not go with the DSLR if you are a photographer first and an aspiring videographer second.

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Olympus e-620 / 14-42mm / 40-150mm
Metz 48 AF-1
Kata 3-N-1 20, LowePro Orion Mini, LowePro Nova 2
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I think many Canon DSLRs (T2i, T3i, 60D, 7D, 5DmkII, and one of the 1Dsomething) can beat pretty much any camcorder in image quality. On the other hand, even a 200$ camcorder would probably be easier to handle, so it depends how much effort you are willing to put into it.

A lot of Hollywood producers are making the move towards HDSLRs, because the image turns out better than their million dollar video cameras. But then again, they often mix and match the two together because both have advantages.

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Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Canon S90
Lenses: Tamron: SP70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, Canon: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, and EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Retired camera: Fujifilm Finepix s700

I wouldn't say it can beat any camcorder but even for the camcorders a video capable DSLR is technically superior to, that better quality doesn't come out of the box - like you said, you have to spend a lot of time practising with a video capable DSLR to get really fantastic results - the arguably less practical focusing of such DSLRs puts them at a disadvantage against most camcorders, especially for subjects than frequently and quickly move out of the DoF. Sometimes, an easier to use product can deliver better results.


I don't think I could disagree with you more on that. There are camcorders that have larger image sensors and can shoot in a much higher resolution such as 4k camcorders, not to mention at higher bit rates. The most likely reason why some filmmakers opt for video-capable DSLRs is that they arguably offer a better compromise between price and video quality.

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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