time for new DSLR around $1100 - whats new, whats hot???

gutterball321

Well-known member
I am selling my 7d because for video I get no better quality than I do from my panasonic gh2 that is half the price. I was thinking of getting another GH2 but realized I havent kept up with new cameras over the past year and a half and was wondering if anything new has come out that would be a step up for video for around $1100?

I saw the GH3 and was interested but realized the Panasonic G6 looks about just as good for cheaper so that is what I am thinking of going with. Any better cameras recently come out or coming out soon? I would be willing to wait a little longer and save up a little more.
 
Canon 6D. Price is good and the low light in high ISO is amazing. I can film at ISO 12800 and still obtain very usable footage?
 
footage looks great but a little out of my price range... I also really want a swivel out screen and I like that that panasonic cams dont have a recording limit.
 
G6, GH3, Nikon D7100, D5200, and the BMC Pocket Cam are the newest in that price range.

G6 - will have similar quality to the GH2, but with 1080 60P, better ergonomics.
GH3 - A step up in quality from the GH2 with the new codecs and build. Does have more issues with aliasing than the GH2/G6 sensor
D7100/5200 - Very little moire/aliasing, good DR, clean HDMI out. Still has the funky lack of changing aperture in live view...has to be set before filming, sensor has a bit of fixed pattern noise.
BMC Pocket Cinema Cam - 13 stops of DR, great 10 bit 4:2:2 Pro Res recording out of the box, and raw later via firmware, will take your GH2 lenses natively. Cons are some aliasing, and for some the S16 sensor. Ergonomically it's also quite small.
 
NOTE: The Panasonic G6 has NO HDMI output while recording, so you can't use an external monitor while filming.
 
NOTE: The Panasonic G6 has NO HDMI output while recording, so you can't use an external monitor while filming.

Dang didnt realize that... I am probably going to choose between the GH3 and the G6. Are there any other features that make the GH3 better than the G6? I could save a good $500 towards a better lens by getting the G6. I really want to get the 12-35mm Panny lens in not too long.
 
With that budget, today, I would choose between the D5200/D7100, the pocket BMC, and the GH3.
The Canons may come back to the front line if ML allows RAW recording, but that's only an option for cameras with a CF slot, so, for this kind of price, only the 50D (which has lots of aliasing/moire but a pretty decent image otherwise) and the 7D (which seems to have some problems because of the dual processor design).
 
Are there any other features that make the GH3 better than the G6?

I think we need to wait for head to head shooting comparisons to pop-up, because how things work on paper vs how things are when actually shooting could be quite different.

The G6 looks really interestings, but the no HDMI while shooting is a big minus for paying work. ( I park my clients behind a 22 inch Samsung 1080 HD LED TV set while shooting, which they appreciate big time )
 
I can always use my monitor with my GH2 to show off for clients because anything I have time to set up my monitor will probably be a 2 camera shoot. After doing some more research, if the G6 footage is up there with the GH3 I will probably get that. But im going to wait until some test footage comes out which shouldnt be long now!
 
GH3 is weather sealed, G6 is not. Also GH3 has headphone input for monitoring audio. Finally the GH3 has different record modes for quality of codec. G6 highest bit rate is 28Mbps and GH3 does 50Mbps, this will be the main difference between the cameras.

GH3 at 50Mbps will simple deliver a less compressed more professional looking video that will be able to push better in post and allow for greater compression. G6 from the videos I've seen in high detail wide shots simply cannot compare to the GH3.........
 
G6, GH3, Nikon D7100, D5200, and the BMC Pocket Cam are the newest in that price range.

G6 - will have similar quality to the GH2, but with 1080 60P, better ergonomics.
GH3 - A step up in quality from the GH2 with the new codecs and build. Does have more issues with aliasing than the GH2/G6 sensor
D7100/5200 - Very little moire/aliasing, good DR, clean HDMI out. Still has the funky lack of changing aperture in live view...has to be set before filming, sensor has a bit of fixed pattern noise.
BMC Pocket Cinema Cam - 13 stops of DR, great 10 bit 4:2:2 Pro Res recording out of the box, and raw later via firmware, will take your GH2 lenses natively. Cons are some aliasing, and for some the S16 sensor. Ergonomically it's also quite small.

Thank you for this post. Found it immensely helpful!

Now one more question... D5200 or G6? :laugh:

I have no idea. I love the D5200 image quality... but I already have the Voigtlander for the G6 potentially, and 1080p 60fps is nice, along with the Wi-Fi monitoring....
 
I have never held a GH3 or a G6 myself, but I will ask: are we sure it's te same sensor? From dxomark results, it doesn't seem to be the case.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Ca...2)/Nikon/(appareil3)/842|0/(brand3)/Panasonic

Yeah I'm not sure that it is, a lot of speculation that way.

Also, getting closer to completely decided on getting the Nikon D5200. I love the footage I've seen from it, has the look I've been wanting from my GH cameras.

Now going completely nuts looking for good lenses (!)
 
I have a G6 and it's surely the same sensor as the GH2 and nothing like the GH3. If there's enough light it is an amazing cam. The lightest cam available if you compare with native lenses side by side to anything else out there. With the kit lens and a 100-300, I can shoot an equivalent focal length between 29.5mm - 1500mm for 1120 grams total weight. It's just unbelievable the quality of image and feature set for such an amazingly low weight. It's the reason I bought the G6. 1080-60p in ETC mode doesn't hurt either :)

Here's my first real short with it.
https://vimeo.com/69864670

Cheers,
Pete
 
I have a G6 and it's surely the same sensor as the GH2 and nothing like the GH3. If there's enough light it is an amazing cam. The lightest cam available if you compare with native lenses side by side to anything else out there. With the kit lens and a 100-300, I can shoot an equivalent focal length between 29.5mm - 1500mm for 1120 grams total weight. It's just unbelievable the quality of image and feature set for such an amazingly low weight. It's the reason I bought the G6. 1080-60p in ETC mode doesn't hurt either :)

Here's my first real short with it.
https://vimeo.com/69864670

Cheers,
Pete

Awesome, just downloaded the large file and watched it. Looks great, and loved the moose subjects :)
 
For now the choice would be between the g6 and d5200. They both would be moire and aliasing free compared to the other camera offerings in your price point. The big difference between both is 60p versus uncompressed hdmi image quality. I just made a comparison between my gh2 and D7100 and I did not think the Nikon would be that close to the gh2. It is a pity Nikon did not put 60fps 1080p even in short burst in this camera. They could also have put native higher bitrate so that people don't have necessarily to invest in an external recorder. The 24mbits codec is already very nice a 50 o 100 would have been so good.

You can see the sharpness test here

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?310503-Nikon-D7100-vs-Panasonic-gh2-sharpness
 
It is quite a bit more expensive, but I should say: the 5D3+RAW is about to become even more awesome, a1ex is doing some real hardcore magic on that camera...
 
It is quite a bit more expensive, but I should say: the 5D3+RAW is about to become even more awesome, a1ex is doing some real hardcore magic on that camera...
5D3+RAW looks interesting but what are the downsides please?
What we now need is a more convergent camera:A D7100GH3BMCC as it were ;)

Clean HDMI out for 4:2:2 uncompressed external recording and live view over a remote monitor - D7100
The nice 50MBS bitrate options and 60fps/1080p of the GH3
The lovely quiet mirrorless functionality of the GH3/ BMCC
The virtually moire free images of the D7100
The ideal DX crop of 1.5, again of the D7100 (smarter lens choices)
The better DR of the D7100 or best DR of the BMCC.
In camera IS of the Olympus
Constant aperture as in latest gen Lumix lenses
Not sure what real-word record times in one clip are these days. But I need 30 minutes at least and preferably longer.
for an extra $1000 give it all to us in something that is not a DSLR form factor.PLEASE!
Net cost body less lenses- how about $2000 even ?
Thanks
 
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