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Need a cheap video cameras? Nikon D7100 Refurbs, $499


M Carter
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This is a killer price for a really capable DSLR for video and stills. Really pretty video, superb stills, takes 30 + years of Nikkor glass.

I bought my D7100 as a refurb in Sept. of 2013 and it's going strong (Nikon refurbs come "as new", complete accessories and sealed package). It lacks 1080p @ 60FPS, and of course it's not 4K, but the image holds up very well in todays' world.  A lot of camera for the money.

Saw it on Adorama, probably at other vendors as well.

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Guest Ebrahim Saadawi

For video, the D5200 is the same image but with an articulating LCD. Both have a shadow banding issue, a killer problem in their Toshiba 24mp sensor. The D5300, D7200 on the other side with Nikon sensors are gorgeous image makers! 

I did side by sides and really really advice going for the later models for video use. 

(The D7100 is a beast of a stills camera btw for that price! extremely tough, durable, pro controls, FAST, best-in-class raw images)

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I've shot dozens of corporate videos and some celeb interviews with the 7100 - over time I started to notice a lot of busy horizontal noise, but turned out to be the flat profile I was using. I switched to (I think) the portrait setting and tweaked it a bit and it's back to great video, though I bring a lighting package (usually 400 HMI softboxes for interviews) and tend to shoot around 400 - 800 iso.

I rented a 5300 for a multicamera shoot and liked the image a lot and the color intercut fine with the D7100; I didn't like the lack of a wired remote (use these on cranes a lot, often the crane is used as sort of a floating tripod) so that, and the screw-drive for older AF lenses (to set initial focus from the back of the crane) were huge for me. But I also do a lot of stills gigs where the extra 7100 features are nice, esp. since I have several screw-drive lenses.

The 7100 feels a little "old tech" video-wise, but the actual image is really a beauty, and it will be my main stills cam til it dies. Switched to the NX1 for video and really freaking pleased - though I need a newer phone to run the remote VF software which seems like the best crane solution. If I were trying to decide on a sub-$700 DSLR for stills and video, I'd have a tough time choosing between the 5300 and the 7100 (but I have enough monitoring gear that I don't need an articulating screen and before the NX1 with OLED and peaking I always used a loupe). But for someone shopping around the $1k mark, there are many more choices out there.

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is 1080p detailed? What are the differences between d5300 and d7100 for stills and video?

I can't tell you exact technical diffs, other than the 5300 gives you 1080p@60 (the 7100 only 720p), so if you need a 60p level of slow motion, that's a big factor. People that have seen shadow banding claim the 5300 is cleaner, too.

"Detailed" is one of those words like "tasty" or "sexy" I suppose - there are likely plenty of sites with pixel-peeping tests I imagine. Good glass and the ability to focus and light a shot, and I've had very crisp video (the lack of the low pass filter made a diff for video, I thought it was a big jump from the D7000). I mostly shoot in controlled situations with DSLRs, kept backgrounds a little soft, etc. I never worked on an edit and thought "where's all the detail"? Beautiful sensor up to 1600iso or so. I've even pulled some respectable keys with it - best keying DSLR I've used in fact, up til now, stray hairs held up very well.

Shooting with the NX1 gives a new meaning to "detailed" - it's an amazing sensor, and shooting it with a 200mm 2.8 Nikkor wide open, I can count eyelashes while having a luscious soft BG - it's really phenomenal, even downscaled to 1080.

That said, there's something about the D7100/5300 color that's very appealing to me - there's a coolness to the blacks with a warmth to the mids and highs that just gives a cool, 3D sense of depth. It's subtle but really lovely. They're usually rentable online (lens rentals, etc) but for a $500 cam, that may be overkill, $70-ish for renting and postage.

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Guest Ebrahim Saadawi

 I switched to (I think) the portrait setting and tweaked it a bit and it's back to great video, though I bring a lighting package (usually 400 HMI softboxes for interviews) and tend to shoot around 400 - 800 iso.

The horizontal banding is simply there at any shadow area. It's there at 100 ISO but is magnifies enormously with each ISO push, after 800 ISO you simply can't have any dark area. It's very bad and didn't exist on the older sensor on the D7100/D5100 (16mp one). 

This problem makes shooting high dynamic range with this camera a complete no-go. If you try to reduce contrast to -4 as I always do on all Nikon/Canon DSLRs, the shadow areas show the noise. How you I could help the problem using the picture profile is by using the Standard picture profile at default (which is gorgeous but with high contrast = crushed shadows = less banding), and it also works with the Portrait PP at default or with a +1 contrast push. 

Overall, I adore the Nikon image. My favourite below the C100, even over the A7s/GH4/NX1! 


Just avoid the models with the Toshiba sensor, the Nikon D7100 and D5200. 

The subsequent Nikon-designed sensor keeps the same image but eliminates the noise issue entirely. This is the sensor inside the Nikon D7200. D5300, D3300, D5500. 

is 1080p detailed? What are the differences between d5300 and d7100 for stills and video?

Yes 1080p is pretty detailed and takes sharpening very well. It's comparable to the GH3 sharpness which was famous for detail. It's also very similar to the Canon 5DIII with Sharpening. Both the Nikon & Canon contain a lot of detail but have the ability to turn sharpening completely off resulting in a great image with detail yet soft look, and also can take sharpening. The lack of aliasing and clean codec help with that. The detail is identical on all the Nikon models, the D5200/D5300/D5500/D7100/D7200/D3300/D750/D810. Good solid 1080P. I'll post a few grabs tomorrow showing the D5200 resolution and banding issue.  

Thanks I meant if it's 2009 Canon like fake HD....

It is quite a bit more detailed the the 550D/60D/70D Canon APS-C 1080p, due to the hideous aliasing and overall small mushiness. This is better, more like the GH2/GH3/5DIII

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Unless you're a sports photographer that needs the extra FPS I would not recommend the d7100 over the similarly priced d5500, which has a better grip and IMO better controls despite having fewer dials and buttons. I speak from experience having shot a lot with them over the summer. And as has already been said, it has 60fps. Also the new Flat profile is great and gives very similar dynamic range to my c100 ii. The colour is also very nice. 

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Saw today the refurbished D7000 go for a crazy low price of US$349, very very tempted to get one myself!! But I think I'll keep on rocking along with the D90 for stills. And resist the temptation to upgrade for at least another 6 months.

Obviously not so great for video, but if you're a Nikon stills shooter that is one hell of a deal!

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Saw today the refurbished D7000 go for a crazy low price of US$349, very very tempted to get one myself!! But I think I'll keep on rocking along with the D90 for stills. And resist the temptation to upgrade for at least another 6 months.

Obviously not so great for video, but if you're a Nikon stills shooter that is one hell of a deal!

the 7100 (to me) is a quantum leap from the 7000 for stills - I'd definitely spend an extra $150. Losing the OLPF was a major jump for Nikon.

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Guest Ebrahim Saadawi

Heh, I've got a photographer mate who says the exact opposite and says the leap from D7000 to D7100 is only very small! & I know him to be a bit of a nerd, pixel peeper even (relative to me that is).

I find the video image out of the 16mp D7000 sensor actually better than the D7100 due to the horrible shadow lines defect. I prefer having aliasing vs that, as I mostly shoot with a shallow DOF. For stills however, the D7100 is quite a leap. Both in image quality and speed of shooting/operation. It's a beast of a sports/action/beat-up model. I'd definitely get one at that cost even just for Nikkor glass.

You still can't change the lens aperture while using videos right? That's a big downside.

Yup everything below the D750 has this flaw. 

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Ebrahim! You're almost making me change my mind again about not getting the D7000 right now...

hmmm...   must resist temptation! For now ;-)

 

You still can't change the lens aperture while using videos right? That's a big downside.

nah it isn't the huge deal people make it out to be. Pretty simple to do and quickly becomes automatic muscle memory.

But I certainly agree it would be a wonderful "nice to have" if only Nikon would do this. But I strongly doubt they'll go to the extra cost (it requires an extra part built into the body) in a low end camera body  just to serve a small niche of their customer base.

I'd have hoped however it would be in their headline 4K cameras! Such as the D500. Wait and see, maybe it is!

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