DSLR vs HD Camcorder for video
Discussion
I realised that I really enjoy filming my travels. 
I made this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky5-IvieHTs&fea... on little Canon S120 and Sony Action cam
But of course since I love buying new gear, I'm thinking of upgrading.
My main gripe with the S120 is battery life. I'm in Greenland at the moment and even not being that cold (minus 4 was the lowest I think) 2 months old original battery lasts around 2mins of HD recording!!! It's a joke.
So I ended up using the action cam for some footage but the video quality is much worse.
Then we get to DSLRs - I've recorded some stuff on my 5Dmk3 which I always carry with me when travelling but since the default lens on it is a fisheye, that's not ideal for video. So I carry 24-105 or 70-200, but it's a PITA to carry and swap lenses. Hence my idea of buying a 70d as a second body (I have a 1D at home but that's a) even more likely to give me a hernia b) not good for video)
So, I'm happy to spend let's say up to a £1000 to make my videos better
I know nothing about HD camcorders, all I know is I need image stabilisation and good battery life. Can't stand shaky videos, even for a price of slightly worse image quality and stabilising videos in PP works nowhere near as well as optical system, I've tried that. So I was thinking that 70D with a 24-105 on it would work very well, but how is that compared to dedicated camcorders? The good thing is, I already have good lenses and 70d is only around £600. I don't need 4K, 3d etc. 1080p is more than enough.
What are your views?
I made this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky5-IvieHTs&fea... on little Canon S120 and Sony Action cam
But of course since I love buying new gear, I'm thinking of upgrading.
My main gripe with the S120 is battery life. I'm in Greenland at the moment and even not being that cold (minus 4 was the lowest I think) 2 months old original battery lasts around 2mins of HD recording!!! It's a joke.
So I ended up using the action cam for some footage but the video quality is much worse.
Then we get to DSLRs - I've recorded some stuff on my 5Dmk3 which I always carry with me when travelling but since the default lens on it is a fisheye, that's not ideal for video. So I carry 24-105 or 70-200, but it's a PITA to carry and swap lenses. Hence my idea of buying a 70d as a second body (I have a 1D at home but that's a) even more likely to give me a hernia
b) not good for video)So, I'm happy to spend let's say up to a £1000 to make my videos better
I know nothing about HD camcorders, all I know is I need image stabilisation and good battery life. Can't stand shaky videos, even for a price of slightly worse image quality and stabilising videos in PP works nowhere near as well as optical system, I've tried that. So I was thinking that 70D with a 24-105 on it would work very well, but how is that compared to dedicated camcorders? The good thing is, I already have good lenses and 70d is only around £600. I don't need 4K, 3d etc. 1080p is more than enough.
What are your views?
As camcorders go I think you could do a lot worse than a Panasonic HC-X900. Paid circa £400 for one. I believe it has now been superceded but there may still be some new old stock. Very good image stabilistation.
A lot of this was filmed by 12 year old girl using it !
I do a bit of video on a Canon EOS 600 and the big benefit is lens choice. 18-135mm general purpose, 50mm F1.4 prime and a 70-300 telephoto. The DSLR is hassle in that you have to make an effort to take it with you. A little gopro is exactly the opposite all be the images are what they are, wide angle.
I made this over Christmas and the New Year. A bit of everything in there !
Henry
A lot of this was filmed by 12 year old girl using it !
I do a bit of video on a Canon EOS 600 and the big benefit is lens choice. 18-135mm general purpose, 50mm F1.4 prime and a 70-300 telephoto. The DSLR is hassle in that you have to make an effort to take it with you. A little gopro is exactly the opposite all be the images are what they are, wide angle.
I made this over Christmas and the New Year. A bit of everything in there !
Henry
Dave 500 said:
After reading the spec, I thought that was going to be a lot more expensive than £600!Seems good value!
NinjaPower said:
After reading the spec, I thought that was going to be a lot more expensive than £600!
Seems good value!
That's what I thought but after reading reviews I don't think it is for me. Seems good value!
While researching I've found Sony RX10 http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_cybers...
which looked like it could be exactly what I need to accompany a 5D with a fisheye in my travel bag, but I've read in few reviews big complaints about codec used and bad video quality due to that. Nothing can ever be perfect heh...
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