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DSLR Comparison... T2i Vs A33

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MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
So I am getting a dslr soon and was looking around the stores here. I had it set in my mind that I would go with the T2i, but then I saw the SOny A33. It is slightly cheaper and has a few features i find appealing. It shoots 1080p at 60fps, has a continuous auto focus while shooting, and does 7fps with photos. But I know the canon series is somewhat the standard for DSLR filming. If any of you have an opinion about these cameras in comparison, advice would be appreciated.!

Here is a link to a side by side comparison for anyone who wants to see

http://http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_Rebel_T2i-vs-Sony_SLT-A33
Feb 16 2011 12:53PM
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MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
Just wanted to ad that alot of the reviews i googled recommended the sony, but i figured I would ask the people shooting the same things I am
Feb 16 2011 12:56PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
Continuous autofocus is a gimmick, not that legit especially for sports filming.

Also, the a33 does not shoot 1080p60p, it shoots 1080p60i and doesn't shoot 24p, which might not matter to you but IMO is a big drawback.
Feb 16 2011 2:59PM
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MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
Oh okay i guess i misread that. 60i is nothin special. and yeah 24p would be nice for shooting narrative and things other then skiing.
Feb 16 2011 3:22PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
oo if it's 1080p60i then that's worthless, and no 24p does suck. i agree with eheath on that for sure.

but evan, are you sure that the continuous autofocus is a gimmick? i'm actually pretty impressed by it. sure it's not as good as the autofocus on a real video camera, but it's a far cry from nikon's 'continuous autofocus.'
Feb 16 2011 3:23PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
I just didn't want the kid thinking he was gonna get the a33 and never have to focus.
Feb 16 2011 3:40PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
ah, gotcha.
Feb 16 2011 3:41PM
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MatRich
Posts: 4789 - Karma: 1,812
Actualy its better than a regular cam according to my sony rep
Feb 16 2011 3:48PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
really? interesting. i mean that could just be the rep trying to hype it...

but it is impressive, especially considering how crazy the dof can be with a dslr. so maybe it is better. one thing i don't like though is how fast it will snap focus. looks really unnatural.
Feb 16 2011 3:52PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
Ha, ill believe it when i see it. Auto focus is for soccer moms anyway.
Feb 16 2011 3:56PM
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MatRich
Posts: 4789 - Karma: 1,812
Thats what i used to say until i saw it and i can tell you its realy effective
Feb 16 2011 4:27PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
Define effective? I don't even use auto focus on my VIDEO camera...
Feb 16 2011 4:51PM
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2814
Posts: 292 - Karma: 10
Autofocus is almost completely useless for VIDEO.

However, it can be quite useful for run-n-gun photography.


It really depends what you will be using the camera for. If you lean more towards video, then go with the Canon. If you prefer photography....then still go with the Canon. It really is a better Camera IMO.
Feb 16 2011 5:40PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
how is it almost useless for video?
have you seen it in action? if not, then i will tell you right now that it is nothing like nikon's 'continuous autofocus.'
Feb 16 2011 5:41PM
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2814
Posts: 292 - Karma: 10
In fact I have used it in action. The simple fact is that the system is not very reliable, especially for handheld work.

If you're any good at it, pulling focus manually always provides the best results.
Feb 16 2011 5:48PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
it seems like it would be most useful when doing follow cams with a super deep depth of field, so that no major adjustments would be necessary. i would definitely never use it for shallow dof/handheld stuff
Feb 16 2011 5:51PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
Well if you were doing follow cams, id how you'd have a wide lens on, stopped down to at least 8 and have the focus at infinity...
Feb 16 2011 5:56PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
yep, wide and stopped down....therefore super deep depth of field.

i like to keep the background a tiny bit soft though, so i probably wouldn't have the focus at infinity. hence the reason why i think some autofocus might be nice. really hard to keep focus while using a glidecam
Feb 16 2011 6:01PM
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2814
Posts: 292 - Karma: 10
If the cont. autofocus on the A33 worked that well, I might consider using it myself. However during all my tests (and other's) the focus jumps slightly when you are tracking subjects a little more than 10 feet away.

The jump is only minor, but definitely noticeable.

I have little doubt that continuous  autofocus is the future of the industry, and will likely replace the follow-focus; but its going to take some time. The A33 is only the first generation of this feature - give it some time.
Feb 16 2011 7:52PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
i don't think it will replace follow-focus. follow-focus is completely different. that's more of a tool for when you want to do something like rack focus, which would be impossible with autofocus alone (you wouldn't need autofocus at all for that type of thing).
Feb 16 2011 7:55PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
What did I tell you about "infinity focus?" Hell, the moon is too close for infinity focus...
Feb 16 2011 9:53PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
what did you tell him?
Feb 16 2011 10:03PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
Hahah well i mean obviously i wouldnt set it to the infinite focus on the lens, but the infinite look where everything is in focus, which is near infinity.
Feb 16 2011 10:12PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
= hyperfocal distance!

Feb 16 2011 10:18PM
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eheath
Posts: 61157 - Karma: 118,856
indeed my friend. but, what if i want to shoot the nebulas? i need true infinite focus!! haha
Feb 16 2011 11:28PM
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Travapple.
Posts: 6787 - Karma: 88
Canon glass> sony/minolta glass.

get the canon
Feb 17 2011 12:59AM
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