General 7D vs. 60D for documentary work

C

custerc

Well-known member
OK, so perhaps I am an idiot, but after doing my research and googling both these cameras, it seems the ONLY differences are that the 7D has a sturdier body and that it can shoot successive pictures in a row faster, or something (I am not a photographer so I didn't really understand). But they both shoot 24p HD video, yes? Is there any difference in quality between them?

It seems like there isn't, but the price difference is so substantial it's hard for me to believe those little things are the ONLY differences. What am I missing?

ALSO, for the film I'm shooting, we're going to be taking this camera all over China, may get banged up a bit and will certainly be doing some traveling. How much more important is the stronger body of the 7D. Would that be a reason to spend an extra couple hundred dollars on the 7D over the 60D?

I would love input, especially from people who own either or both cameras, on how well they hold up to wear and tear. Our budget is tight, so I can't have something that's gonna break.

(And no, I'm not planning to shoot a whole doc on a DSLR, I know people have done it but I wouldn't want to. Our main cam will be an HMC150, the DSLR (7D or 60D probably) will be there for extreme depth of field shots, and to have two angles when needed.)
 
the reason for the price difference is many more features as a PRO stills camera. These featurers are what stills pros utilize everyday and make the 7d one of the better pro cameras. Remember these are still cameras first and foremost. The video functions are basically the same. If i was doing video alone i'd opt for the 60d or the gh2.
 
GH2 is even cheaper...does it have the same low-light sensitivity that the 7d (and presumably also 60D) have? That's one of the reasons I want a DSLR to complement the HMC.

Additionally, I still want to know about their relative sturdiness and likelihood to hold up under lots of travel, etc. That's as important to me as anything else really, and if the 7D really is a few hundred bucks sturdier it might be worth the extra dough...
 
7d has nice 720 p out to a monitor
a big plus if you use a good one of 720 or higher res like the SmallHD

the 60d has
a much better onboard monitor
both res and positionability
non AGC sound (still no monitoring)
a lockable mode dial which is handy

i think they are both tough, and both breakable

the magnesium body of my 7 cracked so I would not rate that over plastic which bends

no monitor? get the 60d

S
 
Well i have the 7d and its a rock! So that can travel wherever whenever. I've never held or seen the 60d...so others can tell u. However from what they say its much sturdier than say the t2i which is like a toy (i have held it). The gh2 seems pretty good in low light from what i have seen from Philip Bloom. however he was using a fast lens http://vimeo.com/17245744 The gh2 is def smaller than the 7d though ...it looks tiny from what i've seen. sure is a good camera though.
 
I have poor eyes and need proper external monitoring, from a full camcorder or a dslr. Among the canons, only the 7D can provide hd during recording from hdmi.
You'll need a proper monitor especially for Shallow DOF shooting.
 
jambredz said:
or zfinder (or any hoodloupe that magnifies the image)
Click to expand...

Yes, this can do, I also have a finder. And maybe its all you need for now.
As for me, I need the monitor when I use a dolly, a jib, a mini skater, and also in situations that you can't be near the cam. If your project wont use a jib or dollies then the lcd finder will suffice.
 
Yeah this is a run-and-gun doc....definitely not going to be using any jibs. Anyway, I know the 60d monitor can be tilted a bit, is it any better in terms of resolution? I thought they were the same except for the tilt thing, but moragn_moore seems to be implying they're not.
 
The 60D monitor is great in how if flips out, but if reliability and sturdiness is your concern, this is a definite weak point. The hinge for the flip out monitor will not take a lot of abuse, so if you have it out and it gets a good hit, it is gone. I like having the flip out monitor, but I don't put my camera to a lot of abuse, so it isn't a concern for me.

morgan_moore is referring to the HDMI output, which stays somewhere around HD for the 7D, but is somewhere around SD for the 60D, so if you are using an external monitor, the 7D has an advantage there. The actual screen built into the 60D is pretty wonderful, but it is small and the resolution is not good enough for fine focusing with a shallow DOF.
 
jambredz said:
t2i which is like a toy
Click to expand...


A volcano climb to 3,000 meters is a long way up to carry gear, water etc. and the light weight of the 550D is an advantage. These cameras all produce about the same HD quality, in this case the 550D is best for the day.
 
IMO the 60d oonboard monitor is better than the 7

not only the movement but It feels like higher res

Maybe cos its 16/9 so more of the screen is used

S
 
60D or 7D have the same specs in terms of video (I own a 7D). If you're shooting anything handheld, you'll want a loupe for focus (like a Zacuto Z-Finder). If on sticks more often than not, you'll probably want an external monitor, thus the 7D is better. It's hard to focus using the built in screen unless you zoom in, at least on the 7D.

The GH2 resolves better, but it has a smaller sensor. There are more (Canon) lenses available for the 7D, by far, than Panasonic (or compatible) lenses for the GH2. You'll get greater DOF with the larger 7D/60D sensor, which may suit you artistically. Or not.

I've seen a few amazing docs shot with 7D or 5D, on my 50" plasma, they looked better than most other documentaries I'd ever seen. They were on Arte HD here in France, at 1080i. Thus the resolution issue might be moot for you. But from what I've seen, there's no doubt that the GH2 has better resolution.

The 7D and 5D also have proved themselves on high-end productions like "House", the GH2 has not done that yet, since it's such a new product.

You can adapt many 3rd party lenses to either camera, but won't be able to go as wide with the GH2 (but you could zoom more!).
 
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