So I have $1300

at that budget, I would get a t2i/t3i with the kit lens. Then pick up a 50mm f/1.8 (they run for about $100), and add on a Tokina 11-16 f2.8 for follow cams, etc. I personally own a t4i, with all three of these lenses and love the tokina and 50mm.

Keep in mind you will still need money for sd cards, tripod, camera bag, etc.

I have a GH2 with the kit lens + 3 extra batteries and one extra charger and a few sd cards I'll sell fi you're interested in m4/3

$1300 is just enough to get you a GH2 setup. Don't even bother with a Canon DSLR - overpriced garbage.

GH2 body - $400
Vintage Primes - $120ish each
Cards, cleaners, adapters, cases, accessories - $outstanding

^lol

My advice would be to plan to end up well below your budget and then you MIGHT not go over it. There's so much shit other than a camera that you'll need or want.

If I were you, I'd buy this set up:

~$550 - T3i w/ kit 18-55 - A GH2 would work great too, and so would a Nikon, but Canon's are the most popular for a good reason.
~$450 - Tokina 11-16 - again, there's a good reason why it's so popular.
~$100 - Rode VideoMic Go. Much better than the on-board mic a DSLR will have. If you want a little nicer, get the pro version, but that'll cost you a bit more.
~$20 - a small, portable, cheap tripod from walmart. I bought one for $12 and have used it a lot skiing. Trust me, unless you're trying to make a professional edit, you're not gunna want to carry around a full size tripod. I can literally fit mine in my pocket and forget it's there. It extends to something like 4 feet too.
~$100 - a couple quality SD cards. Don't bother getting the 700 terabyte per second bullshit $400 ones. Just a class 10 is all you'll really need which you'll be able to find 16gig ones for about $40 and 32gig for a little more.
~$40 - Canon 200EG camera backpack. Hard to find any other bag in this price range that even compares. No, it isn't an F-Stop bag, but it gets the job done just fine.
~$40 - DSLR handle stabilizer. Trust me, going full handheld sucks, even though this is no glidecam.

Would you look at that, that"s exactly $1300. I honestly wasn't aiming for that either... I would've given you that list had you said anywhere from $1000 to $1500. I guess with tax it'll put you over, but I think I deserve some credit here haha.

If you have some extra cash, I'd also recommend getting an old zoom lens. I picked up a 80-200 off NS for $25 and love getting ski shots with it and use it a lot for photography. You can find em online used for well less than $100 pretty easily.

Bottom line is to budget your money accordingly. Some things you can manage to cheap out on and others you simply can't. Saving up to upgrade your equipment as time goes on can be pretty fun, so don't even feel inclined to buy that Tokina, for example, right off the bat. You can always buy it later on when you find yourself really wanting/needing it and have plenty of money for it.

Okay, sounds good, but where are you finding that cheap of a gh2? Could you send me a link

That's the going rate for a used one, last I checked (which was a while ago. Probably cheaper now). DVXuser is a great place to buy used camera gear.

CheddarJack~$550 - T3i w/ kit 18-55 - A GH2 would work great too, and so would a Nikon, but Canon's are the most popular for a good reason.

This is so far from the truth. I would recommend a gh2 over any canon dslr.

CheddarJackCanon's are the most popular for a good reason.

Lots of people shop at Best Buy, so it must be a good deal!

pussyfooterThis is so far from the truth. I would recommend a gh2 over any canon dslr.

well yeah I'd recommend a 5d mark iii over a T3i but that's not exactly in his budget...

CheddarJackwell yeah I'd recommend a 5d mark iii over a T3i but that's not exactly in his budget...

Ha 5DIII video is shit compared to GH2.

CheddarJackwell yeah I'd recommend a 5d mark iii over a T3i but that's not exactly in his budget...

Ha 5DIII video is shit compared to GH2.

CheddarJackwell yeah I'd recommend a 5d mark iii over a T3i but that's not exactly in his budget...

dude a used t3i costs almost as much as a used gh2... your comparison is whack

Yeah I am seriously considering jumping over to m43, although for tight and wide photos like I like to do it might not be my best bet, and nutz, bailing on the gh2 already? I saw some dope stuff from you.

cydwhitYeah I am seriously considering jumping over to m43, although for tight and wide photos like I like to do it might not be my best bet, and nutz, bailing on the gh2 already? I saw some dope stuff from you.

Got a 3 for about the same price :) i might just keep the two as a backup though

CheddarJackA GH2 would work great too, and so would a Nikon, but Canon's are the most popular for a good reason.

i'd like to hear what that reason is

cydwhitfor tight and wide photos like I like to do it might not be my best bet

I don't understand the paranoia with MFT UWA abilites. My Tokina 11-16 at 11mm is ridiculously wide, to the point where it's too wide to shoot most skiing. It's not as wide as FF 11mm, but I feel that all the problems with FF video aren't worth the negligible FOV gain.

nutz.dude a used t3i costs almost as much as a used gh2... your comparison is whack

My bad, I wasn't aware. I was thinking new, and in that case, rebels are much more affordable.

erikKi'd like to hear what that reason is

Because they're affordable, easy to use, shoot better video than comparable Nikons, and it at least seems like there are way more EF lenses out there than any other mount out there.

I'm sorry but why is everyone so angry and anti-canon all of a sudden? Seems like NSG isn't the only forum that summer is hitting hard this year...

CheddarJackBecause they're affordable, easy to use, shoot better video than comparable Nikons, and it at least seems like there are way more EF lenses out there than any other mount out there.

I'm sorry but why is everyone so angry and anti-canon all of a sudden? Seems like NSG isn't the only forum that summer is hitting hard this year...

No more affordable than anything else. Easier to use compared to Nikons, but that really is not saying much, compared to a video camera they're still a nightmare. They definitely don't shoot better video than Panny/Nikon/Sony either. When the t2i and 7D were pretty new Canon had an edge on Nikon but Panasonic had the GH13 which was always better imo. They haven't improved anything since whereas other companies have minimized moire and gotten 1080/60p in pretty much every model amongst other things.

You can obviously still make a great product on a Canon and if someone wants to shoot photos as well as video on a budget they're still a better deal than the older Nikons which were very crippled. I just don't think people who only want to shoot video should be getting into a Canon

CheddarJackMy bad, I wasn't aware. I was thinking new, and in that case, rebels are much more affordable.



Because they're affordable, easy to use, shoot better video than comparable Nikons, and it at least seems like there are way more EF lenses out there than any other mount out there.

I'm sorry but why is everyone so angry and anti-canon all of a sudden? Seems like NSG isn't the only forum that summer is hitting hard this year...

Gh2's have been outperforming similarly priced dslrs (omg it's not actually a dslr!) for years. I'm actually kind of amazed you haven't caught on

CrutchKillerGh2's have been outperforming similarly priced dslrs (omg it's not actually a dslr!) for years. I'm actually kind of amazed you haven't caught on

Oh I'm aware they're better. I just think rebels do a perfectly good job for someone starting out.