GH2 or D7000

S

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Well-known member
I'm really trying to dig up info on the D7000. All of the major forums are awash with the GH2 right now, but there seems to be far less testing and commenting on the D7000. I must admit, from the videos I've seen I really like the look of the D7000. I've read that the D7000 has a greater dynamic range than the GH2, but the GH2 is probably a better all round option for video.

I have a GH1, which is great for most things except low light. I was going to get a GH2 and use the GH1 as my b camera.

But I just had a thought. Why couldn't I get a D7000 and use that for my low and available light camera, and use the GH1 for the detailed exteriors etc...

I'm sick of hearing people saying light your scenes correctly etc... I've been using lights for years and I'd much rather shoot with available light if I could. One day I'd like a camera that matches my eyesight! (though I hear the mark canon 1 iV does pretty well).

I have a set of Nikkor AI maunual lenses, which I can use on either camera - so glass is not a biggie for me.

Could someone point me in the direction of a comprehensive review? or offer some suggestions
 
I use a D7000 and GH1 on a wedding video shoot a week ago. They cut together pretty well. I had to do a neutral grade first though. Still experimenting with them and probably don't have much useful stuff to offer you.

D7000 does have a problem---you can't change the aperture in live view if you're using the newer G lens. Since I always decide on the aperture before switching to live-view, I don't have a problem with that.
 
The D7000 looks nice.
The body is about $1200
I have a Nikon D200, The Canon T2i and now the GH2.

The GH2 is blowing me away.
I have only had it a week but so far very impressed.
I have a mix of lenses and have a Nikon to Micro 4/3 adapter.
Look at this vid I shot with it.
Download the 1080p
http://vimeo.com/18442487
 
I'm starting to like that idea more and more. when i've shot film i've always decided upon the f-stop and obviously shutter beforehand, and then lit to match. if i can use that workflow and fine adjust iso it would be great. any idea how much the look changes per iso-stop and how much you can adjust before it looks different? noise, saturation, contrast, black level?
 
mattsand said:
I'm starting to like that idea more and more. when i've shot film i've always decided upon the f-stop and obviously shutter beforehand, and then lit to match. if i can use that workflow and fine adjust iso it would be great. any idea how much the look changes per iso-stop and how much you can adjust before it looks different? noise, saturation, contrast, black level?
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I think 1.5 stops either direction would cut no problem. I haven't really tested it, but it seems like the noise level (and saturation of the noise) is the only thing that changes when dialing through the ISOs, until you get to the high settings, which are Nikon's way of saying "reciprocity failure."
 
Zim said:
Some nice video coming from this camera (nikon D7000)
http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=3087
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I looked at all the videos available on nikon's website, and they all look a little ugly in terms of skin tones and contrast. Maybe they were mostly shot in available light under mercury vapor at iso 6400, with picture style settings that were not tested or adjusted properly, but do not inspire confidence. I've seen at least seen one or two videos that seem compelling from this camera, which makes me think maybe there it is possible to get a nice product if the operator sets up the camera properly and knows how to use it for video. All of the info I've seen seems to say the sensor is the best out there, but it looks like the data off the sensor is really truncated and messed up when shooting video. Anyone have any insight about whether good images can be gotten out of the camera? All I see are crushed blacks, blown whites and nasty skin tones in most of those videos.
 
Footage from the camera looks great. I've been shooting clips here and there between photos and the video is just spot on. I'd say most of the crappy video you see out there right now is due to overzealous color correction or just generally bad exposure. Im gearing up to shoot a micro doc very soon with the D7K and will hopefully have it done within the next month or two.
 
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nyvz said:
I looked at all the videos available on nikon's website, and they all look a little ugly in terms of skin tones and contrast. Maybe they were mostly shot in available light under mercury vapor at iso 6400, with picture style settings that were not tested or adjusted properly, but do not inspire confidence. I've seen at least seen one or two videos that seem compelling from this camera, which makes me think maybe there it is possible to get a nice product if the operator sets up the camera properly and knows how to use it for video. All of the info I've seen seems to say the sensor is the best out there, but it looks like the data off the sensor is really truncated and messed up when shooting video. Anyone have any insight about whether good images can be gotten out of the camera? All I see are crushed blacks, blown whites and nasty skin tones in most of those videos.
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There is a video on this forum that is really good and most who own the camera are really loving it. I think the Nikon color right out of the camera is great, even in video mode....the stuff on Nikon's web site including photos looks off for some reason. I wouldn't judge by it.
 
So far, my annoyances with the D7000 as a video camera go like this:

  • No 1080p/25. Since I'm in PAL-land, this *is* an issue, just as it would be with a GH2. It looks like I'm going to end up setting all my cameras to 24p and reconforming everything to 25fps. Ugh.
  • Inability to change aperture while in Live View. You can set aperture, but the displayed stop isn't applied to the lens until you either cycle live view or fire off a still. The latter isn't actually a bad way of doing it, though it is a work-around. You can't change aperture while recording.
  • Workflow issues: the D7000 isn't supported by Log & Transfer in Final Cut, which is a pity because that's dramatically quicker than either Compressor or Magic Bullet Grinder at transferring to ProRes. If you're not using Final Cut you might have a smoother time of it.

But the real killer is:
  • No exposure meter in Live View. This is perhaps enough to cripple the camera for video, depending on what you're shooting and how you work, and I suspect is why buzz around the D7000 as a video camera is muted at best. I'd settle for the standard exposure compensation display with a pointer showing me how far out the camera thinks I am. As it stands you have a few choices; set aperture & shutter speed and let the camera choose ISO, or run fully-manual and eyeball it. Alternatively, before each shot, flick back-and-forth between manual and auto modes, shooting stills to change aperture between shots, and hope the light doesn't change while you're recording.

Compared to fully manual exposure with live histogram on my GF1, I can't say I'm impressed with the D7000 for video. I'm going to persist with it on a shoot tomorrow and see if I can come to terms with its foibles.

If I'd bought this primarily as a video camera I'd be bitterly disappointed, and I'd probably have returned it and bought a GH2 by now. It is, however, a gorgeous stills camera, and earns its place in my bag on that basis alone.
 
I have had the D7000 for one day and so far I am loving it. I have a DVX100a, and started shooting stills with the D40, the moved up to the D90. I have put my D90 up for sale and hope to get a second D7000. I can say after spending $3500 on the DVX five years ago there were disappointments with it also. After you get over it, you just get down to using it. Like Jonathan says as a still camera it is awesome. The Video looks great on my 1080 Macbook Pro. For me the DSLR handling is awkward compared to the DVX but the depth of field is so gorgeous. Im sure from the posts the GH2 is the way to go for video. Panasonic and Canon know video. Nikon is just getting into it. I am a happy owner of the D7000.
 
JonathanS said:
So far, my annoyances with the D7000 as a video camera go like this:

  • No 1080p/25. Since I'm in PAL-land, this *is* an issue, just as it would be with a GH2. It looks like I'm going to end up setting all my cameras to 24p and reconforming everything to 25fps. Ugh.
  • Inability to change aperture while in Live View. You can set aperture, but the displayed stop isn't applied to the lens until you either cycle live view or fire off a still. The latter isn't actually a bad way of doing it, though it is a work-around. You can't change aperture while recording.
  • Workflow issues: the D7000 isn't supported by Log & Transfer in Final Cut, which is a pity because that's dramatically quicker than either Compressor or Magic Bullet Grinder at transferring to ProRes. If you're not using Final Cut you might have a smoother time of it.

But the real killer is:
  • No exposure meter in Live View. This is perhaps enough to cripple the camera for video, depending on what you're shooting and how you work, and I suspect is why buzz around the D7000 as a video camera is muted at best. I'd settle for the standard exposure compensation display with a pointer showing me how far out the camera thinks I am. As it stands you have a few choices; set aperture & shutter speed and let the camera choose ISO, or run fully-manual and eyeball it. Alternatively, before each shot, flick back-and-forth between manual and auto modes, shooting stills to change aperture between shots, and hope the light doesn't change while you're recording.

Compared to fully manual exposure with live histogram on my GF1, I can't say I'm impressed with the D7000 for video. I'm going to persist with it on a shoot tomorrow and see if I can come to terms with its foibles.

If I'd bought this primarily as a video camera I'd be bitterly disappointed, and I'd probably have returned it and bought a GH2 by now. It is, however, a gorgeous stills camera, and earns its place in my bag on that basis alone.
Click to expand...


Yes you can change aperture while recording, you just need lenses with f-ring. And Nikon has millions of those... ;D
 
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