Canon 5DM2 or Nikon 7000D

D

deislandgirl

Member
Hello,
I am trying to make a decision to purchase either a Canon 5DM2 or Nikon 7000D body. I have mostly Nikon lenses and accessories so Nikon would be the natural choice. However I do shoot video quite often and while I'm not expecting this SLR to replace my main video camera, I would like the HD video I shoot to be as good as possible so that it is not, once again, obsolete in a few years. From what I understand, the chip on the Nikon is still smaller than Canon's so the video recorded is still going inferior to Canon. If I were to buy the Canon, I'd get the Nikon lens adapter and slowly start switching over the Canon lenses.
Can anyone advise that has used both for stills and video footage?

Many thanks,
Jen
 
5D MkII and some Novoflex adapters. Video codec on the D7000 is inferior, 720P vs 1080P, and framerates are all inferior on the Nikon.

Nikon has not fully brought itself to bear or to the game in the HDSLR's. I am a Nikon user since 2003 or 2004; i have a LOT invested in Nikkor glass. For low light stills and flash work, i always pick up a Nikon. For video, its always a Canon, usually with my Nikkors attached. For the record i prefer Nikons for stills (plus i am used to them).

Frankly, i shoot Nikons with Nikkors, and my girl shoots Canons with my Nikkors and adapters; no need to switch lens brands. The Nikon video codecs are a bit dated, low bitrate, have (from what i understand and have seen) more CMOS jello/skew, and are only 720P.

In your position, which is similar to my own, the clear choice is Canon bodies with Nikkor lenses and adapters. If Nikon ever gets their HDSLR work in gear, then you will have a full arsenal of compatible lenses at your disposal. For now, with the 5D MkII and a few adapters, you will have a killer full frame HDSLR with a full compliment of great glass at your disposal, without the pain and costs of switching brands.
 
the d7000 is 1080 man. low bitrate but 1080. have to see raw footage to know if it has b-frames.. so im witholding judgment till it comes out. but i do expect mud
 
D7000 has a lower bitrate . . . . but how it is implemented seems to have it punching above it's weight, I've seen lots of nice footage.

"From what I understand, the chip on the Nikon is still smaller than Canon's so the video recorded is still going inferior to Canon"

A smaller chip does not necessarily mean inferior video quality.

The larger chip in the 5D2 will allow you to shoot with a shallower depth of field (with suitable lenses) - will give you better results in low light and suffer less from noise.

A smaller chip (like in the D7000) will change the FOV on your Nikon lens collection - so (depending on the crop factor of the D7000) will effectively change - for example - your 50mm lens into a 80mm.

"If I were to buy the Canon, I'd get the Nikon lens adapter and slowly start switching over the Canon lenses."

I have a 550D and a 5D2 and pretty much all my lenses are Nikon, I have only one Canon and a Canon mount Samyang 85mm - the Nikons work great on the 5D2 (albeit as manual lenses).
 
Great. Thanks for all this. What about the autofocus feature on the D7000? I heard this is one of the main challenges of shooting video with shallow DOF on the SLRs - trying to keep your subject in focus.

I've heard rumors that Canon Mark III will be coming out next year? Do you know if any of these are valid? Worth waiting for since the MII is now 2 years old?
 
dcloud said:
the d7000 is 1080 man. low bitrate but 1080. have to see raw footage to know if it has b-frames.. so im witholding judgment till it comes out. but i do expect mud
Click to expand...

Initial research suggests to me the bitrate isn't that low - possibly up to 23mbps, but as has been said, the implementation is important. I haven't checked out videos from the D7000 posted online, but I am hearing they are not bad at all. No articulated swivel LCD which is a minus point, but pretty high ISO settings are available, at least with stills, which is a plus assuming they transfer well to video mode. Stereo mic socket too and options to adjust mic sensitivity. I think Nikon are at last making a serious effort to catch up on the video side of things. As a PAL user the option to shoot 720 in 25p makes it an alternative to the GH2, which apparently doesn't unless Panasonic come up with some firmware updates.
 
deislandgirl said:
Great. Thanks for all this. What about the autofocus feature on the D7000? I heard this is one of the main challenges of shooting video with shallow DOF on the SLRs - trying to keep your subject in focus.

I've heard rumors that Canon Mark III will be coming out next year? Do you know if any of these are valid? Worth waiting for since the MII is now 2 years old?
Click to expand...

Nikon claims the camera has continuous focus in movie mode, but we have yet to see how effective it is. Check out the d7000 info on the Nikon site. I don't know about upcoming new Canon cameras. It's the old problem, at what point do you stop waiting and buy the latest camera. I would recommend keeping an eye on vimeo for D7000 footage over the next few weeks and compare it with the alternatives.
 
OK...maybe I went about asking this question the wrong way. I am not limited to the D7000 and can certainly go up to a higher level Nikon body or a Canon. I am also open to waiting for a better model to come this way if it will be here in the next 6 months.

Here's my priorities as I upgrade -
- I have a handful of nice Nikon lenses and accessories and want to keep using them
- I want a camera that will primarily be a great still camera (ideally full frame) as well as allow me to do some video in controlled settings. I mostly work on documentaries but understand the limitations of doing video on an SLR and am not looking for this to replace a regular video camera where one can do more hand held doc style footage.
- I've heard the autofocus feature for video might be quite helpful in maintaining focus on your subject and some of the newer models will have this feature though few know how well it will actually work but maintaining focus on moving subjects is definitely a concern
- I will mostly be shooting 1080p so the option of having both 24P and 30P would be great
- getting great results in low light with low noise is always preferable

So...what should I buy?
 
So...what should I buy?
Click to expand...

Now you're on a fool's errand! You've already gotten some wonderful feedback here. This, together with other threads on the forum and your own research to date should give you all the info you need to make a decision. Take Stephen Mick's wonderful suggestion in another thread to heart:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=225106

You didn't provide your budget, the specific Nikkor lenses you have, or the details of your intended use (besides a generic statement about documentaries). I'm not saying you should provide these details now, but there are obviously way more variables needed to give you a precise recommendation - and you're not paying any forum members enough for that service anyway. ;)

We're all (or most of us, anyway) in the same boat: waiting for the 5D Mk III, which may or may not come out mid-2011. If you can wait, then wait. If you can't, follow Zissou's advice above and go get the 5D Mk II! Buyer's remorse is just an excuse for indecisive people. ;)

Cheers!
 
One other suggestion. You mentioned low light shooting being important so look at the Nikon D3s (it's the flagship camera, and heavy and expensive but fantastic capabilities in low light conditions), but maybe there will be a successor early to mid 2011 with improved video functionality (perhaps called D4). Also don't dismiss the new Panasonic GH2. Nice and compact in comaprison to big DSLRS and low light shooting has apparently been improved over the GH1.
 
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