g6 vs gh3 vs nikon d5300?

[EvanPerkins]

Hey guys!

 

I'm looking to get into video work, and I'm trying to figure out which camera would best suit my needs. I'm looking for a camera with great stills as well as video. The 3 main contenders for me are panasonic's gh3 and g6 and Nikon's d5300. All of them offer full HD at 24 at 60fps, which is crucial for me. They also all have a 3.5mm jack for external microphone. These specs are similar, but Panasonic's seem to be better for video. If it was video alone, I would choose the Panasonic cameras. But, I'm also looking for great stills. Right now I have the sony a58, and I don't want anything under the quality of its stills. The d5300 has better dynamic range, AF, sensor size, and low light performance. I've heard that the d5300 is one of the best APS-C sensor cameras for video, but it's also one of the most annoying to use. I don't want to sacrifice any stills/video quality. Which would you guys suggest? 

 

Here's a post by eoshd themselves against the d5300. 

http://www.eoshd.com/2014/02/nikon-d5300-review/

 

I would really appreciate the help!

[DevonChris]

I use Nikon D5200's and a Panasonic GM1. I much prefer the image from the 5200.

 

The Super 35 format of the Nikon just looks right to me and the fantastic colours and dynamic range straight from the camera means that there is very little to do in post production, which is a big bonus. This saves a lot of time, which in commercial shooting is valuable.

 

The GM1 looks more clinical to me, particularly using Panny lenses. I can get a more Nikon feel to the Panny footage by using Nikon AiS manual lenses on it, but mixing the footage does cause colour correction issues in post.

 

Using a speed booster and Nikon manual glass with the G6 or GH3 may well create an image that satisfies the S35 aesthetic, however you still do not have those fantastic colours and DR that the Nikons deliver.

 

There are quirks with Nikon usability - the main one being that you cannot change exposure in live mode when you use Nikon G lenses which don't have aperture rings. When you use manual glass such as the brilliant AiS lenses then you can see changes to the lens aperture in live mode.

 

I shoot video and take stills with the 5200's every day and have got used to their usability. In fact I am so practised with the manual glass now that I prefer using manual lenses instead of autofocus, even when taking still life stills.

 

There is definitely far more to camera choice than specs!

 

Chris

[Inazuma]

If you don't want to sacrifice image quality then you simply have to go for the d5300. But you have to put up with the usability issues (small optical viewfinder, poor control scheme, no custom modes and in daylight the screen is unusable unless you have a loupe)

[dahlfors]

D5300 will definitely have the best stills quality of all of those cameras.

 

The key to the Nikon route is to find the right lenses. For video use, avoid the Nikon G ones. With other Nikon lenses you can change aperture at any time.

 

Since it's an APS-C Camera I'd recommend getting the following set for video:

AI-S 28mm f/2.8

50mm f/1.8 (either manual focus only AI-S or the autofocus version AF-D, both are great)

AI-S 85mm f/2

 

All of these have filter thread at 52mm, which makes it easier when using polarizers, ND's etc. Since you can buy all of these lenses used, it is quite affordable - and all of those lenses are great.

 

If you need an even longer lens, there are many good 105mm lenses.

 

The difference between Nikon G lenses and the others that fit on the camera (AF-D, AI-S, AI) is that the G lenses lack aperture ring; aperture has to be set electronically from the camera body. On the AF-D, AI-S, AI lenses you control aperture mechanically on the lens.

 

 

Also as Inazuma says - loupe is certainly needed on Nikon LCDs in sunlight.

[DevonChris]

 

 

The key to the Nikon route is to find the right lenses. For video use, avoid the Nikon G ones. With other Nikon lenses you can change aperture at any time.

Good advice and good choice of lenses. :)

 

I have the 28mm F2.8 AiS and the 85mm F2 AiS lenses and they are both really excellent - great for still life photos too.

 

My go to video lens is the Nikon 28 - 70 F2.8, which is fantastic for video.

[DevonChris]

 

 

On the AF-D, AI-S, AI lenses you control aperture mechanically on the lens.

I think you are incorrect about using the aperture ring on AF-D lenses on the D5200 and very likely on the D5300

 

The AF-D lenses have a distance chip (hence the "D" in the name) that communicates with the lower spec Nikon DSLRs like the 5200 and 5300 (I haven't got a 5300 so I am not totally sure) and requires that the lens is locked in its smallest aperture, otherwise you get an error message displayed.

 

Higher end bodies such as the D7100 can use the AF-D lenses properly and therefore allow you to use the aperture ring manually.

 

So AF-D lenses work like G lenses on 5200/5300? bodies - you have to change the aperture electronically. I have to do this with my Nikon 28 - 70 F2.8.

 

I guess this is one of the "nuances" of using lower end Nikon DSLR's!

 

Its best to use AiS lenses which are completely manual and allow you to see aperture changes in real time in live view.

[dahlfors]

I think you are incorrect about using the aperture ring on AF-D lenses on the D5200 and very likely on the D5300

 

The AF-D lenses have a distance chip (hence the "D" in the name) that communicates with the lower spec Nikon DSLRs like the 5200 and 5300 (I haven't got a 5300 so I am not totally sure) and requires that the lens is locked in its smallest aperture, otherwise you get an error message displayed.

 

Higher end bodies such as the D7100 can use the AF-D lenses properly and therefore allow you to use the aperture ring manually.

 

So AF-D lenses work like G lenses on 5200/5300? bodies - you have to change the aperture electronically. I have to do this with my Nikon 28 - 70 F2.8.

 

I guess this is one of the "nuances" of using lower end Nikon DSLR's!

 

Its best to use AiS lenses which are completely manual and allow you to see aperture changes in real time in live view.

 

I've shot with AF-D lenses on D200 and D800, and if I bump the aperture from the smallest aperture I can produce that error message in certain modes as well (at least on the D200). Yet it works fine to use the aperture ring in fully manual mode (M).

 

The error message should not affect the M mode, unless Nikon has on purposed disabled the lenses for Dxx00 series of cameras. The AF-D lenses work perfectly as mechanical lenses on older fully manual analog cameras, so I can't see why they would restrict them from being used fully manual on a D5300.

 

If you can verify that the D5200 doesn't function in fully manual (M) mode with AF-D lenses - then D5300 will likely behave like D5200. I haven't shot enough with AF-D lenses on Nikon's lower end bodies to know their behaviour.

[Guest]

I have the D5300 and the G6, both of which I use with manual AI-S and AF-D glass (and my Tokina 11-16 operates like a 'G' lens)

 

The problem with using the D5300 as a stills and video camera is you basically need a set of lenses for each function. G glass isn't very good for video, and manual glass is no good for stills (other than still life, as Chris says above). The D5300 has no metering for manual glass, focusing is impossible because the optical VF is tiny, there is no focus confirm for AI lenses, and live view is VERY slow for stills and focus assist. If you really need great stills quality I would actually buy G lenses and put up with the quirks for video. Coming out of live view to change aperture with G lenses isn't a huge problem if you use an ND filter to change exposure. The focus rings on some of the cheaper G lenses (e.g. 35mm 1.8) are pretty dismal for manual focus though.

 

Manual aperture on AF-D lenses is not available in any mode on D5200 or 5300, but you can easily get around this by putting a small piece of electricians tape over the chips on the back of the lens, or just by not fully clicking the lens into place when you put it on (it still holds pretty firmly). AF-D glass doesn't autofocus on the D5300. It does have focus confirm inside the VF but I don't find it very useable for stills at all. Because of the chips AF-D glass does meter though.

 

The D5300 is beautiful for video shots with shallow DOF or without too much detail, and pretty decent in low light, but wide shots of foliage etc are mushy and personally I'm not always keen on the video image in bright sunlight in general.

 

The G6 is much easier to use manual lenses with so I tend to use it for stills, but I'm not very keen on the quality. The D5300 is capable of far nicer stills, if you have the right lenses.

 

As everybody here knows, if you want a cheap hybrid camera you have to compromise somewhere. You need to decide what your priorities are ...

 

The GX7 seems to be the best cheap all-rounder atm. Better stills than the G6 and video quality closer to the D5300 (without the softness). My personal opinion is that Panasonics are very capable of producing lovely, organic video, they just take time to figure out and you have to put the right glass on them...

[Joshua Stancea]

Did I really just see people recommend a d5300 over a gh3 and g6 for VIDEO?

I've used both and I can testify than Nikon has absolutely no detail. Good luck filming a wide shot and expecting the leaves to look like leaves.
Point is the d5300 is far superior for photos and the g6 and gh3 have video that is sharp and full of detail. d5300 for video? It's absolutely terrible for wide shots which is why you'll never find test footage that isnt all close-ups in video mode.

[IronFilm]

Zombie thread from 2014 returns to life....

[Inazuma]

Haha well it's a funny thing really. I had a D5200 and then a Panny GX7 and now I have a D5500 (and still have my GX7).  I wouldn't say the Nikon is far superior for stills. And I wouldn't say the GX7 is far superior for video. Both have different looks. The hard part is choosing which one you want