Which Canon body for HD video ?

Hi All,

I'm after some recommendations as to best Canon body to use with 600/4 for HD video ?? Something I'm just having an idea with at the moment, I presume AF is retained while in video mode ?? Any suggestions as to best body would be greatly appreciated.

May I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Regards

Rob

I use the 7D for video Rob and the quality is outstanding. The crop factor is an added advantage for wildlife filming, the same as it is with still photography. You won't go far wrong with a 5D Mk II either.
In video mode you need to either manually focus or auto focus prior to hitting the record button. There's no AI Servo for moving subjects as there is when taking stills.

You can get a superb guide to DSLR video HERE
In the above guide you'll see a section on Choosing a DSLR (for video), with a guide to the various Canon bodies and their strengths and weaknesses.

Rob

5d2 is very popular for DSLR video pro use - the lack of AF is a consideration, as is the good but not pro quality H.264 video codec that ships with most cameras at the moment. The phenomena know has 'rolling shutter' which can occur when fast panning side to side (following an erratic subject) and results in a 'wobbly' picture and momentary loss of vertical perspective. These issues are present to varying degrees in all DSLRs.

If your not aiming for full pro quality I'd recommend the 1d4 - the general image quality is very high plus you get a stills camera capable of up to 10 fps.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Chris

Hi rob I think the sony a33/55 and the nikon 3100/7000 DSLR are the only ones that AF with video, I think a 60d would be a good cheap way in to DSLR video for you.


Phil.

Prepare for a shock Rob. HD Video on the stills cameras is great , but broken . It's a very different game from stills.

There are a couple of big problems if you want to do anything to a decent (professional) standard:

- lack of continuous autofocus while in video mode. This is the single biggest killer for the format over stills.
- crummy lcd screens to manually focus with.
- crummy onboard audio/mic.
- getting stabilised and fluid camera movements with video.

All can be resolved... but by spending a lot more money .

- the AF issue can be resolved by using some expensive follow-focus/focus pulling gear, which in turn needs expensive extras to allow it to be mounted to the camera.
- for manual focus, you can buy either an external lcd screen to plug into the hdmi out, or you can bolt on an eyecup attachment that magnifies the built-in lcd.
- Audio... you can buy external mikes... but a better option is to abandon internal recording and go with an external mike and hd recorder.
- You'll probably end up getting a fluid head as things like handholding video, or using it with a sidekick or Wimberley, give amateur results.

Having said all that, it's great fun to play with and try out and you can get some great looking results.

The later bodies have improved some things, but most DP's still seem to pick the 5DII as the go-to camera of choice.

Hi Rob. I have two 5dMKII bodies & a 1D MKIV and I have a lot of fun with the video. On my safaris I tend to have one of the 5d's set up just for video with a 300 2.8, a Hoodman Loupe held in place by the Hoodcrane together with the vital Rode Videomic. I have used it with the 500 f4 & 1.4 or 2 x converter as well with good success. The sharpness is not as critical as a stll shot and the depth of field in video is amazing which is just as well as you need to manual focus whilst looking through the loupe. I edit using Apples imovie as it does all that I need.

The down side is the lack of autofocus and keeping the whole thing steady when using the big lenses. Also keeping track of fast flying birds like Peregrine's is a problem as is the depth of field showing up any dust on your sensor against a clear sky. But when you get it right it will definately impress your pals!!

Another issue is that you need to shoot in manual with the shutter speed set at 1/50th. As a result you need to be on the ball if you are alternating between stills and video!

I hope this helps

Bob

I started my photography experience with a semi-pro Canon L2 in the early to mid-90's. The 7D I now have is a totally different thing. There is no AF, big drawback! The LiveView screen for my eyesight is useless and had to go beyond a Hoodman to a Zacuto. It only hurts when you first have to pay for it! I try to keep the manual shutterspeed at 2 times the frame speed of the video you are making.

One big think for me was that my old computer wasn't fast enough and with enough RAM to edit the video and I had to make an expensive upgrade. I'm using Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection to edit.

I love it for making short animal behaviour videos. I have a few on Youtube under the name, ebkw.

Just my 2cents but over the 7D and 5D bodies I can see the 60D's swivel screen being quite useful for video, and of course the quality is close or same as the 7D (brilliant). But for stills I would go with the 7D as the AF system is far better, build etc..