Advice On Purchasing A HDSLR

[Kuato_Lives87]

A thousand pardons if this is the wrong place to post this or it's been posted a million times over. I figured you guys were the ones to talk to about this. I want to buy an HDSLR in the sub-1,000 price range, wondering if anyone had any good suggestions, warnings, etc. about what camera's are best and how the price range may limit me.

Thanks for the input dudes and dudettes

[unadog]

Advice: WAIT!!

Seriously. In the sub -$1,000 range, the best options would have been Canon 3Ti, Panasonic GH2, Nikon 3200, Sony NEX-5 (?), etc.

There is a new Canon 4Ti that should ship by teh end of this month for $850. We need to get hands on and see how it performs, but it looks promising.

There may also be other options announced in the next few weeks. So do your evaluations, look at what's out there, pro's & cons, but I'd give it a couple of weeks if you can.

That said - do you have any existing kit? Especially lenses that would make you favor one make over another? What do you plan on using it for? Everything? To supplement a camcorder? Etc?

Let us know more. It is a good time for a re-evaluation.

Cheers!
Michael

[Kuato_Lives87]

Right on Michael, thanks for the response. I'm not in an insane rush to pick it up so I can definitely sit by for a few weeks and troll around for the best buy. If I could afford something like a 5d I would go for that because I want to do digital filmmaking with good cinematic quality to it. As of now I don't have any lenses that would sway my decision on purchasing. I make most of my bread and butter through editing so almost all my funds have gone into that system, but I'm trying to snag an HDSLR so I can get into my own shooting again. For now, it's baby steps. Any freelance work I can get for shooting I want to take so if there is a particularly versatile camera I would probably lean towards that.

[Philip Goetz]

GH2 with the 14-42 kit lens is $799.

This video outlines some good setting to get started shooting video:

https://vimeo.com/40906846

[MarcoPolo]

If a flip out screen isn't a big deal to you, the T2i's are selling for $500 and under online and used/refurh 5D MKIII's are selling for around $1500. The 60D is probably the best value around the $1000 mark.

[unadog]

I will also have a Canon 3Ti to sell for not much more than $500. More with an 18-55mm kit lens, less without the lens.

I have only had it for a couple of months. I bought it as a Canon refurb for a project for my son. It had 157 exposures on it when I got it. It is still Mint-/Excellent+, with under 2,000 exposures. It still has the LCD protector on the rear LCD that it shipped with.

I have a 4Ti on order. I will post the 3Ti for sale here soon in for sale. Not really trying to sell it here, just an FYI on pricing, etc. for comparison.

The 3Ti will stay in the Canon lineup for now.

Best,
Michael

[Stephenh]

If you want a cinematic film look to your shots I would not recommend a Panasonic GH series camera. Any of the canon Ti series, 7D, 60D etc. would be a better option.

[Samuel H]

I'd say: wait until more info about the T4i, if it doesn't have aliasing/moire it will be a very interesting option. If it hasn't solve that, then choose between GH2 (clean, sharp image), T2i (cheap, lovely images, but with aliasing/moire), T3i (a bit more expensive, but has swivel screen), and NEX-5N (very cheap too, I just bought one for $450, to replace my T2i; in a few weeks I'll know if it is actually any better)

[David W. Jones]

If you want a cinematic film look to your shots I would not recommend a Panasonic GH series camera. Any of the canon Ti series, 7D, 60D etc. would be a better option.

Sorry but this is nonsense!
I own both Canon and Panasonic cameras and either are capable of making cinematic images as long as the operator has the ability.

[Michael Carter]

The biggest controversies you'll find right now are the Panasonic GH camp vs. the Canon camp. It's all-out warfare sometimes.

I shoot Canon when I want DSLR footage, but I usually have a D7000 with me for stills and I'm getting quite fond of the video look it provides. Color is really nice.

As for moire - I've never had a client complain; I have them bring alternate wardrobe, give them some pointers about texture and stripes, and bring a "real" video camera in case something won't work. I bought a T2i a couple years ago to see what the DSLR thing was all about, and have never bothered to upgrade to a pricier Canon. It's essentially the same video as the 60D & 7D. Lately I've been using the Canon as my main camera and using my (much more expensive) HMC as an audio recorder. If you know your way around the camera, it produces dynamite images that commercial/business clients love. In fact, all of the current DSLRs do, even the Nikons. Last week's shoot for a national restaurant chain, T2i, no sharpening or grading:

MVI_3163.jpg