It's very surreal to waltz through my local big-box store and think "Wow, I could make a real movie with that Canon." It was even more surreal to see some of that same gear in the Black Friday ads. As we've seen with the "DSLR Revolution," the democratization of filmmaking comes from amazing imaging devices becoming accessible (cheap) to the masses. Well, this year the revolution continued, as they say, as there were a lot of filmmaker-relevant deals going on for Black Friday. But what about a roundup of (still ongoing) Cyber Monday deals? Griffin Hammond of Indy Mogul provides a nice video of his "MEGA DEALS" after the bump:
I have to agree with Griffin's perspective on all the Canon camera packages. Basically, Canon's doing their "Hey, it's the holiday season throw in some kit lenses!" deal they've done in the past. The Canon 7D, the Canon T4i, and the Canon T3i deals are all solid. I found the T3i a bit cheaper on Amazon, though. I'm also with him on the Marshall Monitor. I've had good experiences with Marshall, and the price is pretty great. That deal ends November 30th, though if you're in the market for a monitor, SmallHD's new offerings look pretty appealing as well, but they're a bit pricier. Griffin also mentions the RØDE/PluralEyes 3 deal I covered previously. (So that's a blogger and a vlogger mentioning a good deal... why aren't you getting it already?!)
At 1:51 Griffin recommends the the older Canon T3i over the T4i. He suggests saving that extra money toward a new lens, and I have to agree. Sure, you'll have the range of 18-55mm with the kit lens, but you should get at least one fast prime, even the ultra-affordable Canon f/1.8 50mm if you have to. Both are stellar cameras with similar features, but if you're going to be using them for motion picture purposes, the benefits of the T4i really don't outweigh the better price of the T3i in my opinion (and if you're interested, take a gander at the specs comparison from Snapsort). Of course, maybe I'm just a cheap skate...because hell, I'd even opt for the T2i just for the 1080p24 video.
I will say that I don't recommend some of the other offerings Griffin lists, like the Transcend SD card or the Coby handycam. I am more of a GoPro kind of guy, but I've seen quality results out of the Contour (and that is a bargain price). Even if I don't purchase any of the items he lists, Griffin's video introduced me to the price-comparison web app InvisibleHand, which I am now interested in trying. Again, most of these deals are ongoing past Cyber Monday, which isn't surprising.
Has anyone seen any other awesome ongoing Cyber Monday deals for filmmakers out there we should know about? Please comment below!
Link: Best Cyber Monday Deals for Filmmakers! : Indy News November 26, 2012
Check Out: Today’s Deal Zone Deals – these great deals are valid for just 24 hours – usually discounted by over 50%, so it’s always worth a look !!
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12 Comments
The T3i is actually a touch better IQ than the T4i. The T2i IQ is essentially identical to the T3i and 7D. They are all 1st gen DSLR video with lineskipping/moire though. The Digital zoom the T3i adds over the T2i takes away moire but is very low IQ with false color, glitches etc. and fairly worthless. But audio recording is better. The T4i video AF is primitive. Sony's RX100 does far better run-n-gun video though its IQ isn't as good as a Rebel.
The 5d3 is the minimum you really want for pro dual-use video/stills...and the 1DX worth the premium over it if you can deal with the size and weight. Rebels are good for learning though, and you can take excellent stills and OK video on them when your skills are developed. The better lenses will retain value.
November 29, 2012 at 8:45AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
I agree that the T3i is a better deal for videographers than the T4i, purely in a price/performance comparison, though I hadn't heard that the T4i was actually worse than the former.
Also, with the addition of Magic Lantern, the T2i is able to do all that the T3i can do, minus the swivel screen and 100% crop features. The T2i also works with the audio monitoring features of Magic Lantern, while the T3i isn't compatible with those functions.
November 29, 2012 at 10:36AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
I'd say the 7D and the 5D 2, used, are the cheapest ways to get prosumerish footage. The 7D has an HD signal for monitoring, which is a godsend, and it has magic lantern and the dual processors give it a slightly cleaner image than the rebels (in addition to larger number of readout channels it has)
November 29, 2012 at 1:27PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
The Magic Lantern team actually revealed that the 7D doesn't gain any benefits from the dual processors during video, as it only assists in stills mode.
Also, a channel readout of 8 vs 4 means nothing for video as well, as it is purely a function for high speed stills mode. There is no deviation of bit-rates or resolutions between the two, so no matter how fast the sensor information transfers to the image processors no change in quality.
In the end, the T2i, T3i, 60D, and 7D will all have the same IQ. All are producing a 2MP video from a 18 MP sensor, no witchcraft at work. The only benefits between the models are build quality and flip screen.
http://www.magiclantern.fm/whats-new/104-releases/140-first-7d-alpha-rel...
November 29, 2012 at 11:04PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Our rig and follow focus bundle is like a continual cyber-monday deal since the price is as low as we can make it... we sell a 15mm rails rig with carbon rods and a follow focus for $139 all the time. Made by me right here in Montana. http://www.hondogarage.com/fdff ~cheers
November 29, 2012 at 8:58AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Word up, Wiley. I'm a fan of what you guys are doing, was very happy with my FDFF for my GH2 (which I heard about right here on NFS!).
November 29, 2012 at 10:34AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
I own a wonderful t2i, but when recommending cameras to newbies I am still confused about the t3i's AGC. I understand that camera allows for manual audio levels but have also heard that is still has AGC AND that Magic Lantern is unable to disable it. In all the reviews/articles/forums there seems to be some confusion on this issue. Any t3i users or renters that can clarify this? Thanks.
November 29, 2012 at 11:17AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
I use a T3i with a JuicedLink CX231, and the recorded sound is virtually noiseless. The T3i's audio meter notch is turned all the way down to the 1st increment and the JuicedLink gain is increased to desired levels/dbs. Very constant and clean results.
November 29, 2012 at 12:10PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Thanks for sharing my video, Benjamin! I'm a big NFS fan, so when I saw your post about the Rode VideoMic deal, I made sure to include it!
November 29, 2012 at 3:18PM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Thanks Griffin! I'm glad to have helped. And of course, thank you for doing the video roundup!
December 3, 2012 at 6:10AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
I bought the Marshall monitor and returned it because it apparently does not scale DSL video. The image size from my 7d was not much bigger than the camera back.
December 19, 2012 at 7:00AM, Edited September 4, 7:54AM
Aunt Pam - Krissy told me about this purse she got and her explanation sure didn't do it jisutce!!! How cute! I didn't think she carried a purse that much but I'll be she does NOW! Love it!
March 16, 2014 at 5:13PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM