UKC

Does what it says on the tin.

I'm preferably interested in Nikon and the cheaper end of the spectrum.

I have a D5000 but it does not always focus well

In reply to The Lemming:

D7200 would seem the logical step within the Nikon DX ecosystem. More AF points, 1080p 60fps and some clever exposure-smoothing going on.

What do you want to shoot? We use one for promotional videos, timelapses and where we need a shallow DofF for something a bit arty, but it's fairly heavy and needs a bit of re-learning if you're moving up from a 3 or 5-series Nikon.

In reply to richprideaux:



Punter stuff while out and about climbing or on holiday

In reply to The Lemming:

D7200 might be a bit heavy then. But even my D3200 would shoot 1080p 30fps, it just didn't like high ISO. Would a GoPro or decent action compact do?

AF in video mode for Nikon is always a little lumpy anyway. Shooting with a DSLR is tricky due to the Dof F and small viewfinder screen, and is much better when used on a tripod, or short static shots. Tracking and panning will often be a bit wobbly without extra kit.

The best way to make a DSLR behave like a broadcast-quality camera is to add things to it, like a shoulder rig, field monitor for focusing and external mic/light panel.

In reply to The Lemming:

Does it have to be dSLR ?

Some of the Panasonic mirrorless do pretty impressive video, and older GX7 would be a good choice.

Funnily enough I was just looking at second hand dSLR's on MPB.com, some pretty high end stuff for not a lot of money if you do decide dSLR.

In reply to The Lemming:




If you want to video stuff with autofocus and are looking for a new camera to do this then there are better options than a DSLR.

A DSLR is great for getting a 'film effect' with the potential for shallow dof etc, but manual focus and static or sliding shots bring the best results.

I have used a D5100 and have had very pleasing results when filming. Never used autofocus whilst doing it though.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

No, not really.

If I was to go down a dedicated punter video camera route what sort of camera would I expect to consider?

It would have to have some sort of image stabilising in it but I don't have a scooby.

Also how much cheese would I have to put on the table for a video camera that will give good stable results?

In reply to The Lemming:

Panasonic GH4 is the best video 'DSLR' I believe. If you're shooting handheld try an Olympus OMD as the stabilisation is fantastic.

In reply to Toerag:
Video from The Olympus isn't the greatest really, Panasonic better, I have seen some stuff done on the GX7 and it looked pretty good and has plenty of options for shooting modes.

For example:

vimeo.com/98666912

Been edited and graded but i think it looks very good, buy a dedicated film lens and and it would make a pretty good cheap set-up but this was all shot on the Panasonic 20mm so even cheaper