DSLR with 1080 for around $1000?

[IamDavid]

Is it possible? I want to find one for a friend who is going on a trip. I love my Sony SLT-A77V but its out of the price range.

I have no idea what any of this stuff means. I received mine as a gift.
Thanks

 

[Throckmorton]

Even the lowly Sony A35 has 1080... But I think it's 1080i. Possibly 1080p30. The manual is really unclear and I have only taken 1440x1080 videos.

 

[Anteaus]

The Nikon D5100 can do 1080P and can be had 700-800 usually.

 

[jonny13]

Use the Canon CLP program and get a 60D and 18-135mm lens for $832, plus tax and shipping. All you need to do is get a old banged up broken Canon off of ebay or craigslist and follow the instructions on the website. I've gotten the Canon XS and 60D from this and both were brand new (overstock). Great way to get a nice camera and save some cash.

http://slickdeals.net/f/212129-Canon-camera-trade-up?

 

[RampantAndroid]

A D7000 has the same sensor as the D5100 while being a high end enthusiast rig.

 

[elitejp]

If your main interest is video then Canon would be better than both sony or nikon. However if you are more interested in picture quality Sony and Nikon cant be beat (Nikon gets its sensors from Sony)

Otherwise in the Canon lineup the rebels xxd take pictures just as good as their bigger brother counterparts xxd. The difference's between the two have to due with fps, ergonomics etc, not with pic quality.

With the Nikons it seems that the cheapest of there lineup still have just about all the features of their more expensive counterparts. (people who know nikon can chime in better than me) Nikon has really been putting out some impressive cameras lately.

 

[Sp12]

Canon is held as superior for video because of Magic Lantern, but that basically applies to studio and production work. For your average and even above average person looking to shoot video with a DSLR your best bets are with Sony for the in-body-IS and functional AF in video.

Though really I would say neither and get an NEX-5n.

 

[elitejp]

I still disagree. If you read the reviews of Canons newly released 5d3 compared to Nikons newly released d800 Canon wins in the video area while nikon wins in dynamic range and picture IQ.(im too unfamiliar with sony to know how well their video is on their dslt's) And its been this way in the previous generations as well. However buying a dslr mainly for videos isnt what I would recommend. Agaim I think we would need to wait for the OP to return and actually add some inisght into what he needs/wants. But i think he has left the building. Without any additional info its hard to recommend anything. It like me asking what kind of vehicle i should buy and forgetting to tell you that I need it for hauling timber, or driving 6 kids to school everyday.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I still disagree. If you read the reviews of Canons newly released 5d3 compared to Nikons newly released d800 Canon wins in the video area while nikon wins in dynamic range and picture IQ.(im too unfamiliar with sony to know how well their video is on their dslt's) And its been this way in the previous generations as well. However buying a dslr mainly for videos isnt what I would recommend. Agaim I think we would need to wait for the OP to return and actually add some inisght into what he needs/wants. But i think he has left the building. Without any additional info its hard to recommend anything. It like me asking what kind of vehicle i should buy and forgetting to tell you that I need it for hauling timber, or driving 6 kids to school everyday.

The bolded is absolutely right.

You buy a DSLR for photos. If you have video functionality, fine, but it's a toy and no better.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I recently bought the D5100 kit Costco is selling and it was just over $1K out the door.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc..._Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

 

[IamDavid]

Thanks everyone! I ended up going with the D5100. It may not hae the best quaity but it seems perfect for what they'll use it for.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

If you read the reviews of Canons newly released 5d3 compared to Nikons newly released d800 Canon wins in the video area

Hey, shoot me a link to a good article. I haven't really read much about the video differences.

JR

 

[Cattykit]

The bolded is absolutely right.

You buy a DSLR for photos. If you have video functionality, fine, but it's a toy and no better.

Yet, we see majority of professionals, from indie to top end, using DSLRS for video. Look up how many indie to major block busters were shot using DSLRS. Read what major DPs and directors like Shane Hurlbut and George Lucas said about DSLRs' video mode.

 

[Throckmorton]

Yet, we see majority of professionals, from indie to top end, using DSLRS for video. Look up how many indie to major block busters were shot using DSLRS. Read what major DPs and directors like Shane Hurlbut and George Lucas said about DSLRs' video mode.

Which DSLR shoots at high enough res for cinema? Heck, 1080p isn't enough res for HDTV because you can't crop.

 

[Cattykit]

Anyways, here's my recommendation: Panny GH2.

From what you've said, I get the impression he'll be using the cam taking random landscape videos. In that regard, GH2 is THE best thing since it doesn't suffer from aliasing/moire/false color problems unlike all the other current DSLR/DSLT/EVIL camera (beside 5d mk3.) GH2 also is the only cam that does actual 1080p. While all the others claim 1080p, their detail is only a bit better than proper 720p.

 

[Cattykit]

Which DSLR shoots at high enough res for cinema? Heck, 1080p isn't enough res for HDTV because you can't crop.

As I've mentioned previously, DSLRs 1080p isn't even proper 1080p. It's more like 720p yet it's widely mixed with 2K sources with fine results.

Since so many indie to feature films have been shot on DSLRs, I can't possibly name them all. Here's a few that pops up into mind: Act of Valor, Black swan, Iron Man series, Avengers, Red Tails.
I forgot the exact figure but it was said that more than 60% of films at recent Sundance Festival were shot using DSLRs.
Keep it mind this is not to say those movies are shot entirely on DSLRs. Except Act of Valor(70% shot with DSLRs), DSLRs were used as b cams. T.V industry is the same. Many shows also utilize DSLRs as B cams (Season 6 finale of House M.D was shot entirely with DSLRs.)

BTW, I used the general term DSLRs, it's 99.9% only Canon DSLRs that are used in film making.

 

[AkumaX]

While all the others claim 1080p, their detail is only a bit better than proper 720p.

I would love to see an article about this

 

[Anteaus]

Bottom line is that DSLR video is very good, HOWEVER they usually have poor autofocus and aren't really suited toward home video, though people use them for this.

They excel at amateur/semipro movie production where you're usually various lenses and have a camera man to do manual focusing. Also, they aren't designed to be operated for an extended period of time as the sensors will heat up.

To the person that said 1080P is only marginally better than 720P, thats just silly. Mathematically a higher pixel density means more sampling and thus a more accurate representation of the subject matter. From a subjective standpoint, a 1280X720 video will look as good as a 1920X1080 at their corresponding resolutions (i.e. the megapixel argument), but we are dealing in a world where people are viewing these videos on 1080P panels. If you scale a 720P video to 1080P, there is a loss of quality. Maybe it's not always noticeable to everyone, but it's definitely there.

 

[Throckmorton]

Bottom line is that DSLR video is very good, HOWEVER they usually have poor autofocus and aren't really suited toward home video, though people use them for this.

They excel at amateur/semipro movie production where you're usually various lenses and have a camera man to do manual focusing. Also, they aren't designed to be operated for an extended period of time as the sensors will heat up.

To the person that said 1080P is only marginally better than 720P, thats just silly. Mathematically a higher pixel density means more sampling and thus a more accurate representation of the subject matter. From a subjective standpoint, a 1280X720 video will look as good as a 1920X1080 at their corresponding resolutions (i.e. the megapixel argument), but we are dealing in a world where people are viewing these videos on 1080P panels. If you scale a 720P video to 1080P, there is a loss of quality. Maybe it's not always noticeable to everyone, but it's definitely there.

He said that 1080p quality from a DSLR is about the same quality as 720p.

 

[Cattykit]

He said that 1080p quality from a DSLR is about the same quality as 720p.

Thanks for the proper reading comprehension.

 

[LikeLinus]

Which DSLR shoots at high enough res for cinema? Heck, 1080p isn't enough res for HDTV because you can't crop.

Clueless as usual.

http://philipbloom.net/2012/01/19/lucasfilms-red-tails-trailer-finally-online/

http://philipbloom.net/2012/04/13/nab2012a/

 

[swanysto]

We are talking about $7000+ DSLR's(1Ds) though, when it comes to movies. Even with as far as DSLR's have come, I don't think I would buy a D5100 for mostly video in mind.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

If you read the reviews of Canons newly released 5d3 compared to Nikons newly released d800 Canon wins in the video area

"Wins" seems a bit strong.

"Kudos to Nikon for making a camera that is in some aspects the best of the bunch. The Nikon designers have given buyers choice – and choice is a good thing. Both D800 and 5D mkIII are fun to use and capable of beautiful results in the right hands." - Dan Chung

The big difference seems to be the D800 is sharper, but more susceptible to moiré.

http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2012/04/01/video-shootout-nikon-d800-vs-canon-5d-mkiii/

 

[Munky]

As has already been mentioned, what you want is a Panasonic GH2 - it's currently the best compromise between DLSR-like photo capabilities and video capabilities robust enough to replace a dedicated camcorder.

 

[Throckmorton]

Why would you choose the GH2 over a Sony with phase detect autofocus? Is the video quality better?