Got my hands on a Canon T2i over the weekend, any tips?

[psyconic]

As the title states, any tips for using a T2i for shooting video? Consider me a total film noob. I know the T2i isn't the greatest camera but, it's a hell of a lot better than using my phone.

[CaptainCloud]

I have owned one of those bad boys for about 2.5 years now and they are one of the best dslrs for the price. First things first, depending on the lens your shooting will change. The kit lens is descent (18-55) but I would reccommend a 11-22 tokina fisheye because its still wide, but not too wide of an angle. I usually shoot in 720@60fps for the smooth slow motion but still has great quality, you can always change the setting to 1080 but it only has 24fps and 30fps which doesn't get as smooth slow mo but still good for regular motion. Try to shoot with a high shutter, it smooths out the motion. Use whatever color setting you want, but for quick use I like the langscape preset because it adds just a bit more color and depth to the video. I hope you have editing software that is DSLR friendly. I use Adobe Premiere CS5.5 and have had no problems at all. I know some people who use Final Cut and have had problems with GoPros and other DSLRs but I have not personally used it.

Summary:
Manual focus (auto is just terrible)
High shutter (150+)
Landscape or neutral color preset
720 for smooth slow-mo, 1080 for higher quality
Pick a utility lens, one thats not too wide, but nothing longer than 50mm.
Hope that helps!

[al dolega]

The T2i is a great camera but to get really good video out of it you'll need some basic accessories, like a tripod, loupe, microphone, handle, lenses and the computer/software to handle the footage, so I hope you have a bit of a budget to work with.

I would reccommend a 11-22 tokina fisheye because its still wide, but not too wide of an angle.

Do you mean the 11-16 f2.8? That's a wideangle, not a fisheye.

I usually shoot in 720@60fps for the smooth slow motion but still has great quality,

I would only shoot in 720/60p when you have to (when you must have super slo-mo), as it has horrible aliasing and moire, and the resolution is terrible.

Try to shoot with a high shutter, it smooths out the motion.

No it doesn't. A higher shutter speed will make each frame sharper, which will actually make motion look jerkier or stuttery, especially at lower frame rates. You want some degree of motion blur for the video to look fluid. Of course, too slow of a shutter and there will be too much blur and things will look soft or smeary- it's all a balancing act. Personally, for skating, a 180-degree shutter is the slowest I go, but I try to top out at around two stops or so faster. So in 24p that's between 1/48th and 1/200th.