Nikon AI-S lenses ( for what still body )

B

Baddgsx

Well-known member
Hey buddies ,

I have a nikon 50mm 1.4 ai-s lense and will get a 28 and 85 soon. I have been playing with the sgblade and love the footage.

My question is , whats a good still camera for these lenses? What do you guys recomend for a good low light DSLR. Doesnt have to be the latest and greatest. If it does great low light video footage , that would be great too.

Thanks,
Chris
 
well, the nikons will mount on all nikon bodies regardless of age. so for pure easy of use, go for a nikon body.

now, if you want video you are going to have to get a current body. The D7000 that just came out looks to be the best Nikon offering, video-wise.


Now, I would prefer a Canon, but that is cause I am a Canon guy, haha

The T2i is a steal, and with a cheap adaptor, the nikons you have will work very well on it. I own a Nikon 85 AIS 1.8 myself and love it. Probably my favorite lens.

Now, it is my understanding that the Nikon lenses can also be adapted to the mirco 4/3's mount, which is the GH1 series. But this provides a 2x conversion factor, which makes your lens line-up very long.....

Of course, if all you want is stills, your options open up tremendously. Any Nikon DSLR and any Canon DSLR would all be viable options.

I would suggest looking at keh.com for used bodies.

Also, what is your budget? that has a ton to do with what body I would suggest.

look at reviews at "the digital picture," they have some good reads over there.
 
JPM , thanks for the response buddy!!!

I didnt know that my nikkons will fit the Canon DSLR's. I was looking into the Nikkon 7000 but Im not seeing good video from it. I perfer a Canon DSLR. I have a Canon XH-A1 with an SGblade but wanted to add a DSLR that 1080p very well in low light , better than my xh-a1. I dont want to retire the XH-a1 for the XF300 but I still feel that the A1 holds its own.

Dont get me wrong. The XF300 gives beautiful shots but i dont feel its worth the extra $4000.00. I could do alot with the A1 and post production software. But the A1 with the SGblade cant hold its own in super low light.

I think adding a canon dslr would be strong. I like thr footage from them.
What canon do you recommend? Do i need an adapter ring to mount the nikkons on to it? I dont mind spending up to $2000.00 if Im getting alot of performance for that price. Ill have to check the site to see what models are out or coming out and compare them to the last model. you know the deal.

I definetely would like your recommendation.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Alright, so currently there are several bodies that are in your price range that have video. Now, I will warn you that in order to use the cameras properly you will probably need a follow focus and rails, at least to start. Maybe a shoulder mount as well.

I use the Canon T2i (~799, body only) and love it, it produces amazing footage (the video is practically identical to the 7D (~1400, body only)).

The 7D has ALOT of improved features, but most of them are for stills:
-8FPS vs the T2i's 3FPS
-MUCH better AF
-a larger form factor (it is a bigger camera)
-different (most think more ergonomic) controls
-wireless flash control

And a couple that would be handy for video:
-1/3 stop ISO adjustment (even though they aren't real 1/3 stops, but that is a whole other discussion)
-dedicated button for movie mode (it is on the top dial on the T2i)


Now, those two cameras were the basis of most DSLR film making along with the 5D mark ii, which is out of the price range you provided. (~2300, body only)

Canon's newest body is the 60D (~1100, body only). It is largely considered to be the "Super Rebel" as it is in between the T2i and the 7D. It should shoot almost identical footage as the T2i and the 7D as it inherits the same sensor and the same video quality settings. The things that it does have that would be very handy for video are:
-SD cards (the T2i uses them, but the 7D uses CF I believe
-An articulating screen. THIS IS HUGE!!!!!!
-Manual audio gain control. This is big, but the audio quality will still not be amazing because of the nature of the preamp in the camera (it is pretty bad). But it is WAY better than the auto gain control of the T2i and the 7D.

If you have that budget and don't want to do stills (or very few stills), I would recommend the 60D or the T2i. If you want to do a lot of stills with some video as well, I would recommend any of the three. They are all great cameras, but the 7D doesn't really have that much of an advantage over the T2i, video-wise, to make it worth it.

I hope that helped. Please let me know of any other questions you may have!

JPM
 
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also, yes, you will need an adaptor ring. This is basically just a piece of metal, and you can get them from any sort of places, including eBay.
 
Good luck with that camera.

I used it for the first time DPing a music video this weekend and it was fantastic! I may upgrade from my T2i, if just for the awesome screen and 1/3rd stop iso values....

Have fun with it!!
 
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