Canon T4i video performance

[Danny247]

Hi everyone. I'm a complete noobie when it comes to photography, and I only have some experience in videography (only with camcorders). I just finished reading through all 5 pages of this thread: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...311987-dslr-videos-old-time-dilema-again.html

I learned quite a bit about cameras from it, but I wanted to ask for everyone's thoughts on the Canon T4i.

I would be using it to record YouTube videos, primarily of just myself talking in a video blog format. I would need it to be able to focus on me in the foreground of the video, but I wouldn't need it to really focus on much else. In the future I might use it to record a short film, but that isn't happening any time soon.

In addition, I want a nice camera to take pictures this summer of my road trip to California, my trip to New York, and my trip to Yellowstone National Park. I'm planning on getting a zoom lens (below) because I want to be able to photograph things like the Statue of Liberty from far away.

Here's what I planned on buying, and the corresponding prices:

Canon EOS Rebel T4i w/ 18-55mm EF-S IS II Lens - $650
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens - $100 (because of $150 off w/ camera purchase)
RODE VideoMic - $150

For a total of $900, I think this would have me covered for everything that I want to do with my camera. For the same price, is there anything I should do differently to suit my needs?

Thanks for any input

 

[brunerww]

Hi Danny - welcome to the forum! As long as your vlogs are shorter than 20 minutes (the T4i's clip length limit), that's a great setup that should meet your needs.

But, for the same price, you can get a 30 minute clip length limit and more still photography features for your trip (e.g., 12fps, auto-HDR, auto-panorama) with a $749 Sony A57 bundle of the camera body, 18-55 and 55-200 lenses (plus accessories).

Whatever you decide on camera bodies - you don't really have a fast lens on your list. For either one of these cameras, the 18-55 will need some help indoors. If you're shooting indoors, you might want to budget a couple of hundred for some lighting and backdrops.

Best of luck with your vlogging and your trip,

Bill

 

[Danny247]

Thanks for the advice Bill.

So with the A57, I wouldn't be sacrificing any quality for those additional features would I?

I'm not too terribly worried about the lighting, I have a few lights if I need them but my house has really good lighting as it is.

 

[brunerww]

Thanks for the advice Bill.

So with the A57, I wouldn't be sacrificing any quality for those additional features would I?

I really don't think so, Danny. If you're talking about image quality:

Here is what the T4i can do: Flickr: The Canon T4i / Kiss X6 / 650D Pool

Here is what the A57 can do: Flickr: The Sony ?57 SLT Pool

Either camera will produce great images.

If you're talking about product quality, all of the DSLR/DSLT/DSLM manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, Samsung) produce reliable, high quality camera bodies, lenses and software.

And they all have world-class service networks (although Canon and Nikon are the clear winners here).

For me, it comes down to ergonomics, features and value-for-money. For your specific use-case and budget, the $749 A57 bundle looks like the winner on feature-set and value-for-money.

Again, hope this is helpful!

Bill