5D HD rocks but need cheaper system for son.

My son has shot hundreds of videos which he posts on his website but none have been as gorgeous as the ones I just shot with him on my 5D SLR camera. (He used to use on XL1 which was excellent for its time.) But I can use my fab Canon L lenses on the 5D and get remarkable quality video. He needs a new system. Should I get the Canon Rebel Ti which takes interchangeable lenses -- or should I get a dedicated HD video camera. I know more about SLRs. I hate to give up the quality of interchangeable prime lenses. Opinion? This is going to be a major investment not matter what!!!

One thing, the 5D doesn't do video. You mean a 5DII (mark II) of course.

What sort of videos does he do? If he does sports stuff (skating for example) I'd go for a dedicated video camera. If he does independent films, the 5DII can't be beat (set shots on a tripod).

Need more information.


Buy the way, I own a XL2 (which I still use, it's very good for a SD camera, which I need 80% of the time) and a 5DII and I make my money from making videos (among other things). I also have a degree in Film and TV... So I can probably help a little.

The 5DII has a time limit really. If you want to shoot long things (like events) a tape or HDD based camera is best. AFAIK you can't output a 5DII to a computer to capture for long periods of time (and I'm not sure what recording on it for an hour or so would do to its sensor.

The 5DII controls for zooming etc. suck big time. The main advantage is the pure IQ and the ability to get background blur. Making it better for set shots (on a tripod for example).

For anything fast paced a normal camera is much better. The AF will work quickly and the zooming will be smoother. Also the built in microphones on dedicated camera is much better.

What Canon should do is bring out a video camera that uses a DSLR sensor to capture footage. That would be perfect for the independent film industry. They'd sell so many!

You've got basically two options:

1) Retain the 5DMkII as the core of a very good HD Video system and invest heavily in the necessary peripherals to maximize it (rails, rigs, grips, batteries, focus pulling units, fluid heads, heavy duty tripods, viewfinders, off-camera audio, etc...) Less money up front but a ton of "fives and tens" on the back end.

2) Invest in a proper 3-chip video camera. Much, much more money up front but less on the backend and you also do not have to 'work around' the limitations of the dSLR form factor.

Jay is right, but seriously you don't NEED all those things. A good tripod with a decent fluid head and a decent mic setup will do for most people. Focus puller can be made from one of those things that people put on pipes...
(Pic here):
http://www.pipehosecla​mp.com …eclamppipeclamp​_74541.jpg

It sorta works.

The 3-Chip cams are good, but with those you'll need an expensive 35mm adaptor DOF thingy to get the same effect as a 5DII's DOF. So it depends what you want to do with it.

Stealthy Ninja wrote in post #9382611
Jay is right, but seriously you don't NEED all those things. A good tripod with a decent fluid head and a decent mic setup will do for most people. Focus puller can be made from one of those things that people put on pipes...
(Pic here):
http://www.pipehosecla​mp.com …eclamppipeclamp​_74541.jpg

It sorta works.

The 3-Chip cams are good, but with those you'll need an expensive 35mm adaptor DOF thingy to get the same effect as a 5DII's DOF. So it depends what you want to do with it.

And, I do believe you'll find that cameras like the XL series are roughly a 7X Crop!

The 5MkII does have the advantage of being "Cinema Full Frame"

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #9383101
And, I do believe you'll find that cameras like the XL series are roughly a 7X Crop!

The 5MkII does have the advantage of being "Cinema Full Frame"

That's right, my XL2 is about a x7 crop!

The "kit" lens that comes with it is something like 5-120mm. It's a 42.3 - 846mm lens in 16:9 mode (it's got a 16:9 sensor).

Thank you so much for all the replies. I have been offline -- at camera stores no less. Your advice was very helpful. My son invested in two XL1s just before Canon released HD cams in a reasonable price range. So, unfortinately, he can't shoot HD on his expensive gear. That's why we're exploring other options. He shoots travel videos in foreign countries. In third world countries, he needs to have smaller equipment which is less visible.

I am going to see if he can use the lenses from his XL1s on newer HD bodies which could save some money.

Truly sorry to have taken so long to thank everyone!!!