Best entry-level DSLR for video?

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Theobags

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Theodore
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Hi guys,

I really want to buy a "good" camera so that I can make better videos, I've been looking around for quite some time but I only got more confused..

My budget is $600 (€500), please do not suggest more expensive combos cause I'm over my budget already :/

The last ones I've considered are the Nikon d3300 or d5200, Canon 600d or 700d, plus a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens (suggested to me from Brandon Lee).

I'm open to consider any other camera as long as it is within the budget including the prime lens ($125).

Once again, it's mostly for videos.


Thanks.
 
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Have you video'd with a DSLR before? It's not the 'best' videoing experience that there is although the quality is great. What sort of videos will you be making? Tripod and tracks would be great, handheld with a 50mm wouldn't be.

If I was going for a DSLR primarily for videoing I'd probably go for a Sony as it has much better autofocus capabilities or so I'm led to believe.
 
WelshNoob said:
Have you video'd with a DSLR before? It's not the 'best' videoing experience that there is although the quality is great. What sort of videos will you be making? Tripod and tracks would be great, handheld with a 50mm wouldn't be.

If I was going for a DSLR primarily for videoing I'd probably go for a Sony as it has much better autofocus capabilities or so I'm led to believe.
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I want to make videos of unboxing or first looks, reviews, plus some b-roll etc, so I'd probably put it on a tripod anyway.
You mention Sony, which model if I can ask? Something like a Sony SLT-A58? Even though it is DSLT.
 
Theobags said:
some b-roll
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As you're writing in $ I presume B roll has a different translation!

Theobags said:
which model if I can ask? Something like a Sony SLT-A58? Even though it is DSLT.
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I'm not up on the Sonys but it's the fact that it's DSLT that makes it better.

If you're doing unboxing videos the 50mm will be quite long on a cropped body (80mm) and you'd probably want an external mic aswell.

Personally a DSLR seems a bit overkill for unboxing videos, there must be tons of cameras out there that do HD video. - Fuji XF1? f1.8 £129 quid - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...ompact-digital-camera-black-19140074-pdt.html
 
WelshNoob said:
As you're writing in $ I presume B roll has a different translation!



I'm not up on the Sonys but it's the fact that it's DSLT that makes it better.

If you're doing unboxing videos the 50mm will be quite long on a cropped body (80mm) and you'd probably want an external mic aswell.

Personally a DSLR seems a bit overkill for unboxing videos, there must be tons of cameras out there that do HD video. - Fuji XF1? f1.8 £129 quid - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...ompact-digital-camera-black-19140074-pdt.html
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Hmm, what does it mean where you're from? Something dirty? Lol.

What do you mean the 50mm will be quite long on a cropped body? External mic would be nice to have too.

I really don't want to buy a cheap camera just cause they do 1080p, I'd rather spend more and get a good one with good lenses etc..
 
Theobags said:
Hmm, what does it mean where you're from? Something dirty? Lol.
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Bog Roll!

Theobags said:
What do you mean the 50mm will be quite long on a cropped body?
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Herin lies the problem of wanting a "good camera" with a "good lens"


Theobags said:
I really don't want to buy a cheap camera just cause they do 1080p, I'd rather spend more and get a good one with good lenses etc..
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Totally hear you, you can buy a keychain HD camera from ebay for £15, I wouldn't expect the same results as a DSLR. What I'm trying to get at is there are 'video cameras' which are fantastic for videos and DSLR's which take great pictures and can video aswell.

You know that DSLR's have a limit on the file size/recording time of videos?

I don't know about video cameras but I'm guessing you can get a pretty decent one for the $725 budget you've got.
 
I wish that was my budget! It's just $600, I meant that I'd like to have a f/1.8 lens which costs $125 by itself (the cheapest from Canon).

I don't really mind the time limit for videos because mine are shorter anyway. For the size, it should be about the same as a Camcorder, isn't it?

By the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-roll
 
Theobags said:
For the size, it should be about the same as a Camcorder, isn't it?
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4gb FAT limit on alot of the DSLR's (I'm sure there may be exceptions to this now) - Not the same as video cameras in my understanding.

Why not slash your budget and go 2nd hand? The 50mm lens that you keep talking about very regularly sells for around £45-£50 bodies are the same you can pick up some real bargains.
 
WelshNoob said:
4gb FAT limit on alot of the DSLR's (I'm sure there may be exceptions to this now) - Not the same as video cameras in my understanding.

Why not slash your budget and go 2nd hand? The 50mm lens that you keep talking about very regularly sells for around £45-£50 bodies are the same you can pick up some real bargains.
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I don't think there are problems with 4Gb limit on cameras, i use a 8Gb SD Card on a compact camera so..

I'm really not into used stuff, at least not my first camera, if there's any problem I could not notice or notice too late. I prefer buying a new one.
 
Theobags said:
I don't think there are problems with 4Gb limit on cameras, i use a 8Gb SD Card on a compact camera so..

I'm really not into used stuff, at least not my first camera, if there's any problem I could not notice or notice too late. I prefer buying a new one.
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What he means is that cards formatted to FAT32 (as they are with DSLRs) then there is an inherent maximum file size of 4gb - this limits the length of video you can take.

Nikon 1 system has pretty decent video and they can be picked up dirt cheap, only problem is that you can't really manual focus (you can for static subjects but using MF whilst recording isn't really an option). They will allow 20 minute scenes.
 
WelshNoob said:
As you're writing in $ I presume B roll has a different translation!
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B-roll is the output from the second unit, i.e. the cameras under the control of an assistant director who's been sent off to shoot some filler shots in a certain style.

Sometimes also called cutaways.
 
WelshNoob said:
4gb FAT limit on alot of the DSLR's (I'm sure there may be exceptions to this now) - Not the same as video cameras in my understanding.

Why not slash your budget and go 2nd hand? The 50mm lens that you keep talking about very regularly sells for around £45-£50 bodies are the same you can pick up some real bargains.
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The file size limit for video on DSLRs is not a technical problem (the camera would just start a second file with no frame drop).

The EU has different import taxes for Stills Cameras with a Video Clip feature vs. Video Camcorder - it's about 15% difference. They specify that anything that records more than 29mins 59 secs is a Video Camcorder.
 
Canon EOS-M - it's basically a mirrorless 650D, I picked one up for £200 with a flash and good little kit lens (18-55 EF-M with IS And STM, nice for video & better than the 600/700 kit lens) and there's cheaper deals out there I'm sure.

Stick it on a tripod, bung a shotgun mic on top (or get a half decent audio recorder and sync in post) and voila: nice 1080p/25fps footage in a tiny little package. It has it limits as a stills camera, but for budget video I love it. Mirrorless too, so plenty of adapter options out there, currently playing with Canon EF 35mm F2 IS on mine.
 
At this point I think the Sony SLT-A58 or a Panasonic G6 are the best choices for me, although the SLT-A58 is much cheaper and would let me buy a 50mm 1.8 lens with the same money.

With low light I'm not so sure about how low it has to be for video to look bad, I usually film in my room in the morning and on sunny days, so I guess there should be enough light?

Also, which one has better and faster autofocus, is it really important? If I want to film something on my desk won't it be fixed anyway? (I really don't know how it works)

Can I ask if the video quality of a Sony SLT-A58 can be considered the same of a Canon 700D (or any other camera I can get) in the same light condition? As I'm understanding the Canon cameras makes lower quality videos because it's upscaled from 720p ( or something like that?) and look a bit more blurry. On the other side the Sony SLT-A58 does not have this problem, thus produces better videos?

So.. resuming:

Canon t5i body only + 50mm f/1.8

Nikon 5200 body only + 50mm f/1.8

Sony SLT-A58 with kit lens + 50mm f/1.8

Panasonic G6 with kit lens

Should I add any combo? And which one is the best as of now?

Thanks.
 
I don't know why your obsessed with the 50mm 1.8 for filming when you haven't used one. IMHO, owning both I'd find the kit 18-55 more useful.
 
For what I understood it's a more wide-angle lens and with the lower aperture it's better for low light conditions, plus it should be good for close-ups and have shallower dof too if I'm not mistaken.
 
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Theobags said:
For what I understood it's a more wide-angle lens and with the lower aperture it's better for low light conditions, plus it should be good for close-ups and have shallower dof too if I'm not mistaken.
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Your understanding is lacking - I did try and point out to you earlier in the thread that a 50mm on a cropped body makes it quite long. It is not a wide angle lens. Think about it, if a 50mm is a wide angle lens and a kit lens is 18mm-55mm that would make a kit lens an ultra ultra wide angle lens when it's at 18mm, which it's not.
 
Is there a reason you are looking at a " Still" camera option for video? If your only aim is to produce video's, then you may be better off looking a a video camera, rather than a DSLR or similar. You tend to get better value as with most DSLR's the video option is secondary

Also bear in mind the audio on virtually all DSLR's is pretty poor. Even the Canon 5DMk3 can be very hissy

You may also want to look at mirrorless cameras, as you will be using the rear screen anyway. This may expand your options.

You also mention using it for "B" roll. Do I take it you already have another camera which you will shoot the "A" roll.
 
Hi,
I have shot on both camcorders and DSLR's amd the main difference is:
Camcordeers are easy to use and have everything you need built on (i.e:XLR audio inputs) however, for maximum quality DSLRs tend to give a far more cinematic and generally better looking picture than an equicalent priced camcorder.

I personally love mirrorless cameras (especially the GH4). They proivide a smaller, more versatile body than a dslr and often have better image quality these days than even the 5D Mark iii with 4K on the GH4 and 6 axis stabilsation on the Sony A7 ii.

I hope this helped!
 
sony cameras have evf so there is that, but some of them crop into the frame slightly for video

sal35mm lens wouldbe a better prime lens to go for

mirrorless my well be a better starting point, and you will need to budget for audio stuff
 
DSLR= Photo

Camcorder= Video

Therefore no contest, you need a Camcorder
 
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