Shooting a feature with DSLRs

I recently ran into a friend who will be DP on a project that starts shooting in a couple of weeks. He's been shooting a lot with RED cameras, but evidently the budget wasn't there for a RED in this project, so they are going to be shooting using the Canon T2i.

He bought a T2i only a couple of weeks ago - he wasn't planning to use it so soon on an actual feature! - and he's running into a few minor problems getting the gear he wants:

• The T2i remains difficult to locate, both locally and online.
• Marshall announced a 5" monitor back at NAB which he'd love to have, but it's still not available. 
• He's not too happy with the Canon lenses. He bought a 17-55mm zoom lens (not an L-lens) and wasn't too happy with how smooth it was.
• He'd like to use the Zeiss CP.2 lenses, but no one has them yet (a problem shared by Nathaniel Hansen, who had been hoping to use them on his next documentary)

Despite these minor annoyances, he is confident he will have the gear together in time for the shoot.

Availability of the T2i remains tight. Right now, B&H is out of stock, while today Amazon says it will be in stock on July 2.

NotesOnVideo: Crowdsourcing: Nathaniel Hansen
B & H: Canon EOS T2i ($799.95)
Amazon: Canon EOS Rebel T2i ($799.99)