How much more can I improve video quality on my T5i + 50mm?

[zijin_cheng]

I’ve been using the Canon T5i with a 50mm pancake lens (F1.8) to film footage of phones, tablets, etc for my youtube channel. Take a look at the footage above, the “UMi Super Review”. Video quality at 1080p isn’t that bad, but I want to step up the video quality on my videos to what people would call “crispy”.

Now take a look at the footage below, this is another tech channel that uses a Panasonic GH4 and standard lens. Do you think my current setup (T5i + 50mm) can achieve the same level of video quality at 1080p playback? (ignoring 1440p/2160p of course, 4k isn’t on my bucket list just yet) Or have I maxed out the capabilities of this combination?

[Waddizzle]

"I've been using the Canon T5i with a 50mm pancake lens (F1.8) to film footage of phones, tablets, etc for my youtube channel."

I'm not certain which lens you are using.  There is a Canon 40mm pancake lens, but no 50mm pancake lens.

As for the quality of your videos goes, how are you focusing the lens.  Your camera does not AF while capturing video.  I would not rely on the AF system to achieve critical focus, most especially with a cheap lens.  Sorry, but it sounds as if you're using one of the least expensive lenses Canon curently sells.  Use Live View, magnify the view, and then focus the lens.

[zijin_cheng]

Sorry, I'm not well versed in camera terminology. What my lens actually is "50mm f/1.8 STM" prime lens. And for critical focus, I do digitally magnify to make sure it is perfectly focused, the results are what you see in the first 

[Waddizzle]

I'm not going to watch the entire 10 minute video without knowing what I'm looking for. 

The first scene shows a dog in the background, and a hand holding a smartphone in the foreground.  The dog is somewhat out of focus, OOF.  Is the OOF dog the issue that you're referring to?

[EDIT]  Do you know what DOF, Depth Of Field, is?

[zijin_cheng]

Yes I know what DOF is, I'm referring to the very first shot of the phone in the first scene, when the phone comes into frame, the phone itself isn't "crispy". I want to improve that. It's already at critical focus using the magnify technique. 

[Waddizzle]

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@zijin_cheng wrote:

Yes I know what DOF is, I'm referring to the very first shot of the phone in the first scene, when the phone comes into frame, the phone itself isn't "crispy". I want to improve that. It's already at critical focus using the magnify technique. 

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I am not sure what "crispy" means to you.  The phone seems to be in reasonably good focus.  You could always try to use a better lens, if you think that may improve image quality.  But, you can only get so much resulotion from a single video frame.

[kvbarkley]

Could it have been composited?

[zijin_cheng]

No it's not