Just getting started. DSLR advice?

[evopanop]

So far, I think I've narrowed it down to the NEX-7 with SpeedBooster, the GH3, or the D7100. Pros and Cons? Advice? I'm currently using an original Canon Rebel XT and want to get into videography.

Thanks in advance! :)

[Julian]

For both photography and video? mostly the one or the other or 50/50?

Video quality of the GH3 and D7100 is much better than the NEX-7 so if you are serious about video i'd skip the NEX-7.

 

Best all-rounder with focus on video: I'd say GH3 (1080p60, swivel screen, EVF, mirrorless so you can adapt almost any (cheap) lens)

 

Best all-rounder 50/50 or focus on (pro) photography: D7100 (best photo quality, great autofocus for photography, very good video quality - better in low light than GH3. Downsides for video: no swivel screen, less lens choices, no 1080p60)

[evopanop]

For both photography and video? mostly the one or the other or 50/50?

Video quality of the GH3 and D7100 is much better than the NEX-7 so if you are serious about video i'd skip the NEX-7.

 

Best all-rounder with focus on video: I'd say GH3 (1080p60, swivel screen, EVF, mirrorless so you can adapt almost any (cheap) lens)

 

Best all-rounder 50/50 or focus on (pro) photography: D7100 (best photo quality, great autofocus for photography, very good video quality - better in low light than GH3. Downsides for video: no swivel screen, less lens choices, no 1080p60)

 

Thanks for the quick reply, Julian!

 

Yes, it would be 50/50. I currently enjoy Photography as a hobby, and would like to add Videography to that list. :)

 

I guess the D7100 it is then! Any other options I should be looking into other than the Nikon? I had considered the 5D Mark II and the 7D, but I think that the D7100 has them handily beat. Am I correct?

 

Thanks again! :)

[Julian]

The D7100 definitely beats the 7D in image quality. It's 4 year old tech against brand new. Both for photo and video.

 

The 5D Mark II is interesting if you are looking for that 'full frame' look. Put a 35mm f/1.4 on it and you'll get an image you won't ever get with a aps-c-camera like the D7100. I like the full frame look for photography, not fond of it for video because the extreme shallow dof is hard to manage with moving images and can be distracting.

 

You could look into the D5200 as well. Image quality on par with the D7100, still very good autofocus, but in a more consumer grade body. It does have a flip screen though and is cheaper.

[evopanop]

The D7100 definitely beats the 7D. It's 4 year old tech against brand new. Both for photo and video.

 

The 5D Mark II is interesting if you are looking for that 'full frame' look. Put a 35mm f/1.4 on it and you'll get an image you won't ever get with a aps-c-camera like the D7100. I like the full frame look for photography, not fond of it for video because the extreme shallow dof is hard to manage with moving images and can be distracting.

 

You could look into the D5200 as well. Image quality on par with the D7100, still very good autofocus, but in a more consumer grade body. It does have a flip screen though and is cheaper.

 

Any true down side(s) to going with a D5200 vs the D7100? If they're that close in performance, then why not save some money? :) lol

 

I just want to make sure I do as much research and fact-finding as possible, because I really don't want to make a mistake and buy the "wrong" camera. :(

[evopanop]

Hm... So, in comparing the two:

http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-D5200-vs-Nikon-D7100

 

I think I'll have to choose the D7100 - hands-down; because:

• It's Weather Sealed
• Almost double the battery life
• 2 Storage Slots vs 1, which sounds like it'll definitely come in handy
• Built-in Focus Motor
• The shutter speed is 2x faster

That sounds like a real winner to me! :)

 

Anyone know of any other DSLRs that compete with the D7100 that I should be considering?

 

Thanks again! :)

 

Update: Any input on the Sony A77 vs the Nikon D7100? The Sony looks like an interesting option. Pros and Cons?

[JBraddock]

I was on the same boat actually and I bought D7100 from the USA. I upgraded from D5100.

 

Given the price difference compared to the UK as well as picture quality of it, it was a clear choice for me. Otherwise I'd have chosen GH3. Right now, I have Kowa 8Z, 85mm AIS F2 and 35mm F1.8 AF-G. I will buy a manual 50mm and a wide angle lens later. In regards to why I didn't buy D5200? Well, weather sealing, metering with old nikon lenses, more robust body and more control over functions with layout buttons were among the reasons. Except weather sealing, other features you've listed were not really important for me. Why? Because, I could easily carry spare batteries or SD cards. Built-in motor is only useful if you have lenses without focus motor, which I haven't. Again, it all comes down to your personal preferences and budget. 

 

I think feature-wise the only thing that might cause problem is the lack of focus peaking and live histogram. Right now, I don't have a budget for a monitor so I'll try to use my Galaxy S4 as a monitor and see how it performs. If I can get live histogram and focus peaking out of it, then that's frosting on the cake. 

 

I will get the camera this sunday and I am happy to answer your questions as much as I can but bear in mind that I am not a professional. I've just started learning.

[evopanop]

I was on the same boat actually and I bought D7100 from the USA. I upgraded from D5100.

 

Given the price difference compared to the UK as well as picture quality of it, it was a clear choice for me. Otherwise I'd have chosen GH3. Right now, I have Kowa 8Z, 85mm AIS F2 and 35mm F1.8 AF-G. I will buy a manual 50mm and a wide angle lens later. In regards to why I didn't buy D5200? Well, weather sealing, metering with old nikon lenses, more robust body and more control over functions with layout buttons were among the reasons. Except weather sealing, other features you've listed were not really important for me. Why? Because, I could easily carry spare batteries or SD cards. Built-in motor is only useful if you have lenses without focus motor, which I haven't. Again, it all comes down to your personal preferences and budget. 

 

I think feature-wise the only thing that might cause problem is the lack of focus peaking and live histogram. Right now, I don't have a budget for a monitor so I'll try to use my Galaxy S4 as a monitor and see how it performs. If I can get live histogram and focus peaking out of it, then that's frosting on the cake. 

 

I will get the camera this sunday and I am happy to answer your questions as much as I can but bear in mind that I am not a professional. I've just started learning.

 

Thanks for the input, JBraddock! I look forward to hearing your findings and initial impressions.

 

I think I, too, will go with the D7100. The only concern I have, so far, is the lack of 1080p60. Should this be a major concern? The Sony A77 looks to perform similarly to the D7100, but does have 1080p60; but, I've ready some not-so-nice things about the A77 - like Sony dropping some accessory support for it, etc.

 

Can anyone chime in, in regards to the A77?

 

Thanks so far for all of the input, everyone! Very much appreciated. :D

[Ben Prater]

Consider that if you want to get into doing video, you need more than just a good camera system. You'll need rigging, lights, ND filters, etc. You also need to consider the lenses that go with the system you choose, such as M4/3 versus EF.

 

If you can swing the GH3, go for it. The 1080p60 is going to give you some fun, sexy slo-mo that no other camera in its price range can give you. Also, don't minimize how useful a swivel screen is when you want to get a slo-mo of a grasshopper on your front lawn and you don't want grass stains from sliding around on the grass. (Also, it has a headset jack -- this can be huge for minimizing the amount of kit you have to drag around.)

 

Other gear you should consider if you want to toy with video: get a variable ND filter, otherwise it sucks to shoot outside. Get a shoulder rig or decent tripod/head. (I recommend a rig for beginner's -- it forces them to learn framing/composition, Amazon has a great $50 one.) If you don't have a fast lens, get at least one. 

 

If you are absolutely new and want to invest money in stuff that isn't going to be deprecated by next year, focus on some decent kit/gear. Go with a cheap Canon Rebel body like the T2i/3i/4i, get a 50mm/f1.8 lens, variable ND filter -- then find a couple decent LED lights, some stands -- maybe a small audio kit (Zoom/Tascam plus shotgun mic) -- and then a good tripod/handheld rig. 

[JBraddock]

For me, 1080p60 was not a deal breaker but I can see that for some people it is really important. Would I like that feature? Of course I would but I guess it is not really possible to find a camera that does everything well, which forces us to compromise. For me that compromise was not really hard. One thing you might check is how the image quality of GH3 is compared to D7100? Is it something you could live by?

 

I also agree with the above post. There are so many other things that you might have to buy. For example, right now, I don't even have a solid tripod, ND filter or a rig/rig parts, which I have to buy if I want to shoot something serious. One might need to consider all these costs as well. Thank God, I didn't have to pay cash for my camera as I bought it by instalments. 

 

I'll share buy impressions when I get the camera.

[evopanop]

Consider that if you want to get into doing video, you need more than just a good camera system. You'll need rigging, lights, ND filters, etc. You also need to consider the lenses that go with the system you choose, such as M4/3 versus EF.

 

If you can swing the GH3, go for it. The 1080p60 is going to give you some fun, sexy slo-mo that no other camera in its price range can give you. Also, don't minimize how useful a swivel screen is when you want to get a slo-mo of a grasshopper on your front lawn and you don't want grass stains from sliding around on the grass. (Also, it has a headset jack -- this can be huge for minimizing the amount of kit you have to drag around.)

 

Other gear you should consider if you want to toy with video: get a variable ND filter, otherwise it sucks to shoot outside. Get a shoulder rig or decent tripod/head. (I recommend a rig for beginner's -- it forces them to learn framing/composition, Amazon has a great $50 one.) If you don't have a fast lens, get at least one. 

 

If you are absolutely new and want to invest money in stuff that isn't going to be deprecated by next year, focus on some decent kit/gear. Go with a cheap Canon Rebel body like the T2i/3i/4i, get a 50mm/f1.8 lens, variable ND filter -- then find a couple decent LED lights, some stands -- maybe a small audio kit (Zoom/Tascam plus shotgun mic) -- and then a good tripod/handheld rig. 

 

Thanks for the info, Ben! I am really leaning toward the D7100, but the lack of 1080p60 is driving me crazy. So many choices, and so much give-and-take, that my head is spinning! lol

[evopanop]

For me, 1080p60 was not a deal breaker but I can see that for some people it is really important. Would I like that feature? Of course I would but I guess it is not really possible to find a camera that does everything well, which forces us to compromise. For me that compromise was not really hard. One thing you might check is how the image quality of GH3 is compared to D7100? Is it something you could live by?

 

I also agree with the above post. There are so many other things that you might have to buy. For example, right now, I don't even have a solid tripod, ND filter or a rig/rig parts, which I have to buy if I want to shoot something serious. One might need to consider all these costs as well. Thank God, I didn't have to pay cash for my camera as I bought it by instalments. 

 

I'll share buy impressions when I get the camera.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. Still definitely leaning toward the D7100, because my primary focus is still Photography, but I'd like to get something that I can do and learn Videography with, as well.

 

So many choices, though. It's really making my head spin! lol

[Julian]

Nikon D7100 video quality is much better than A77.

 

Sony Alpha mount is very limited too, almost nothing you can adapt to it and less lenses available.

 

A thing you should keep in mind for the D7100: it has an annoying 'feature': you cant change the aperture on electronic lenses while in video mode (you have to go out of video mode, change the aperture, go back into video mode). Using manual focus lenses with manual aperture control fix this problem.

[evopanop]

Nikon D7100 video quality is much better than A77.

 

Sony Alpha mount is very limited too, almost nothing you can adapt to it and less lenses available.

 

A thing you should keep in mind for the D7100: it has an annoying 'feature': you cant change the aperture on electronic lenses while in video mode (you have to go out of video mode, change the aperture, go back into video mode). Using manual focus lenses with manual aperture control fix this problem.

 

Thanks for the additional info, Julian. :)

 

I think I'm like 99% set on the D7100 at this point.

 

Thank you to everyone for all the extremely helpful info! :D

 

Oh, another question - can anyone recommend, as Ben pointed out, a good Variable ND Filter, and a good stabilized shoulder rig?

 

Thanks, everyone! :)

[evopanop]

Would you all consider this to be a decent shoulder rig?

[MOONGOAT]

Probably not. One of the biggest lessons I've learnt when buying gear is not going cheap. You'll more than likely end up $200 poorer with a crappy shoulder rig that sits in a box collecting dust. Also ask yourself why you really need a shoulder rig if you're just starting out.

[evopanop]

Probably not. One of the biggest lessons I've learnt when buying gear is not going cheap. You'll more than likely end up $200 poorer with a crappy shoulder rig that sits in a box collecting dust. Also ask yourself why you really need a shoulder rig if you're just starting out.

Thanks for the info, Moongoat. :)

Reasoning for the shoulder rig is that for my first "project", I plan on shooting some video on a boat. What would be the best way to stabilize the video? What should I be looking at?

Thanks in advance! :)

[MOONGOAT]

I'd have to know the details of the project, but my first thought is just going handheld with a wide, optically stabilized lens.

 

Here's a thread on Creativecow you might find useful.

 

http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/142/871512

[evopanop]

I'd have to know the details of the project, but my first thought is just going handheld with a wide, optically stabilized lens.

 

Here's a thread on Creativecow you might find useful.

 

http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/142/871512

 

Thanks for the info! Just read through the whole thread. Lots of very useful info in there. :)

 

Thanks again!

[evopanop]

What do you guys recommend for some good starter lenses for video, especially since I'll be on a boat and need mostly wide-angle?

 

So far, I've been looking at the following: (all NIKKOR lenses)

20mm f/2.8D AF

24mm f/2.8D AF

28mm f/2.8D AF

35mm f/2.0D AF

50mm f/1.4D AF

 

Which of these lenses would be the best to start off with? It probably wouldn't be entirely out of the question to pick up all of them if you all think it's a good idea. I just need to make sure I have all of my bases covered (Photography and Videography).

 

Thanks again for all of the help so far, everyone! :)