Help me trade my buck for bang, please. (Video needs)

andrewdoeshair · Jun 9, 2016

I'm about to do a series of videos for YouTube and as a part of the videos I'll be taking photos of my model. I shot one of these videos so far and realized I may need another camera. I use a 5Diii and my wife owns an SL1, so I ended up filming with the 5Diii and taking pics with the SL1, but having no camera 2 made for a boring video.
I used to own a T5 and I regret selling it now that I need something cheap to cover this small need. I've been browsing eBay and Amazon where I've found used T5 bodies as low as $200 and used SL1 bodies as low as $275. I'm willing to spend more, so long as it's worth it (hard to say what my exact budget is, but for simply using as "camera two" in this videos I'd spend up to $400). Im not interested in anything that can't make use of my EF and/or EFS lenses.
I know I can get "good enough" video from a used T5 for $200 but if there's something that will have better AF (I guess the T5 doesn't offer continuous AF in movie mode), or can offer some other value I'm not thinking about, I'm all ears. The SL1 seems like a smarter buy for me, but I'm just asking and searching first because I already have one of those, so I just want to see what else there is out there. Maybe I'm hoping you guys have seen 5Dii bodies for $400. I'm looking forward to also having this purchase serve as a beater camera that I won't be afraid to take to the beach or leave in my car.

I don't know anything about T5i, T3i, or any of the other Rebel cameras, or how their specs may meet my needs or (hopefully) exceed them. I'm hoping you guys know... Thanks for reading!

jeffW · Jun 9, 2016

Doubt you can find it in your budget, but I would look for a used 70D. I think those Rebel models are great cameras just not sure they are built tough enough to trust buying a used model - also if someone is selling a 5dm2 for that low shouldn't you be suspect?

andrewdoeshair · Jun 9, 2016

Thanks.

I wrote the original post late last night and when I read it today I realize I wasn't super clear about my needs and concerns. What I know is that from the T5 to the SL1 I get a little bit better ISO performance and AF performance in video mode, but what I'm wondering is if the next leap (I believe the T5i is next) or few leaps offer better performance (More sophisticated AF, better buffering, etc, maybe a better sensor?) or if they just start adding on tilty screens, wifi, and GPS. I'm not dead set on buying used, but I'm just trying to get something that will either gold its value (in case I sell it after the project), or will offer enough value that I'll end up keeping it around for other needs after this project. I'm sure I'm just really bad at the Internet, but I'm having a hard time finding a simple yet comprehensive list of canon's cameras. I'm looking for a cheapie to use as a beater but all the stuff I'm finding is worded for people seeking a first camera, so half a page into a review I'm reading about the difference between a cross type and regular AF point but still unsure if the camera has a sensor that's about to be discontinued or one that canon most recently developed. I don't know what I'm saying, I just need to keep doing my homework or buy another SL1 (which I know works for the job) and if I take a loss log it into life lessons