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Buying my first DSLR, Need lots of help, deciding between Canons

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cnigrelli185

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Hi guys, new to this forum. I need some help with selecting my first DSLR and I figured this is the place to look. I'm just gonna give you a quick rundown of my situation. So I originally was going to buy a new HD video camera to replace my old one, since it's a little dated, it was top of the line years ago. I like to make surf, and skate movies, and am also making some commercials for a company, so I need to upgrade to HD quality. One of my friends told me to look at some DSLRs for shooting video, so I searched the web, and was amazed about the quality of the video DSLRs are producing. So I've always wanted to get into photography anyway so I figure I'll buy a DSLR camera, shoot video, and get into shooting some pictures.

I,ve looked at the Canon lineup and am pretty set on them, as I've used there video cameras my whole life. I'm currently debating between buying the T3i, T4i, or the 7d. The 7d is a little out of my price range but, the weatherproofing is kinda a must for me. If I'm going to spend my money I would like to spend it on something durable that will last me years. So my questions are, which one would be best for me to use to shoot videos with? Are the rebel series, really not that durable, or feel cheap? If I buy the 7d are they going to replace soon since it is a little old which always tends to happen to me? How is the autofocus on the t4i in video? And lastly if this is gonna be my first and last camera for a while (unless I win the lottery) should I just splurge for the 7d? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated If I am overlooking any other great cameras, please let me know thank you!
 
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The 7D is durable, more so than other cameras in this price and size category. If you need waterproofing for the surfing work, consider an external housing. Some newer cameras have better video features than the older 7D, so you may want to consider if they would benefit you. The 7D doesn't auto-focus, but the cameras that do probably aren't going to keep up with the action. You just have to align the camera position along the focal plane and get your depth-of-field large enough so that focus adjustments aren't necessary. From what you're describing, I don't think that the 7D will disappoint. Also consider the quality of the lenses that you need, but remember that you probably don't need a large relative aperture. IS helps for handheld work, and then you have rigging options to steady the camera.
 
Thank you very much. I have a gopro for in the water shots. So I don't need waterproofing. But the weatherproofing is something I like. And I'm used to shooting all manual focus with my video camera anyway so auto focus isn't really a must. I just don't want to buy a 7d now if it's to dated, compared to the the t4i, i guess?
 
The 7D may be selling at a discount now, depending on where you're buying it. Check for rebates and other holiday sales. The 7D isn't really dated. Some things that you may be missing by not getting a camera like the 5D Mark III or a regular camcorder:




Stronger file compression

Continuous recording after 4 GB FAT file size limit reached

On-screen audio meter

SMPTE Timecode




Unless you need those things, consider the 7D at a low price. Any new camera will likely cost much more, and be unavailable for months after a new product announcement.
 
If you can't decide, then it doesn't matter which one you choose.

Flip a coin.

Get on with it.

When it's time for your SECOND DSLR, perhaps you will have an opinion.
 
Using a camera whose design is really for stills is a bit more complicated that using a hand-held videocam. Remember that you'll want to get some accessories that make it easier to take good video with a DSLR, and leave some budget for that.
 
cnigrelli185 said:
cnigrelli185 wrote:

Hi guys, new to this forum. I need some help with selecting my first DSLR and I figured this is the place to look. I'm just gonna give you a quick rundown of my situation. So I originally was going to buy a new HD video camera to replace my old one, since it's a little dated, it was top of the line years ago. I like to make surf, and skate movies, and am also making some commercials for a company, so I need to upgrade to HD quality. One of my friends told me to look at some DSLRs for shooting video, so I searched the web, and was amazed about the quality of the video DSLRs are producing. So I've always wanted to get into photography anyway so I figure I'll buy a DSLR camera, shoot video, and get into shooting some pictures.

I,ve looked at the Canon lineup and am pretty set on them, as I've used there video cameras my whole life. I'm currently debating between buying the T3i, T4i, or the 7d. The 7d is a little out of my price range but, the weatherproofing is kinda a must for me. If I'm going to spend my money I would like to spend it on something durable that will last me years. So my questions are, which one would be best for me to use to shoot videos with? Are the rebel series, really not that durable, or feel cheap? If I buy the 7d are they going to replace soon since it is a little old which always tends to happen to me? How is the autofocus on the t4i in video? And lastly if this is gonna be my first and last camera for a while (unless I win the lottery) should I just splurge for the 7d? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated If I am overlooking any other great cameras, please let me know thank you!
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the ergonomics and features are different between the Rebel models (T4i, T3i, etc) and the 60D, 7D or 6D. Do a comparison, if you shoot a lot of action or sports the 7D or 60D could be worth it. T4i/650D may be the best for video but the choice of lens is going to be more important --- and quality lens can be expensive!
 
cnigrelli185 said:
cnigrelli185 wrote:
I'm currently debating between buying the T3i, T4i, or the 7d. The 7d is a little out of my price range but, the weatherproofing is kinda a must for me. If I'm going to spend my money I would like to spend it on something durable that will last me years. So my questions are, which one would be best for me to use to shoot videos with? Are the rebel series, really not that durable, or feel cheap? If I buy the 7d are they going to replace soon since it is a little old which always tends to happen to me? How is the autofocus on the t4i in video? And lastly if this is gonna be my first and last camera for a while (unless I win the lottery) should I just splurge for the 7d? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated If I am overlooking any other great cameras, please let me know thank you!
Click to expand...
I can't help you on the video aspects. But your durability query leads to the 7D (caveat here I'm not sure about weather sealing in the 7D other than it's better than the Rebel series and not as good as the pro level gear).

Will it be replaced soon? Define soon. It will be replaced eventually, as will the T3i and T4i (given how quickly Canon redoes its entry level Rebel lines, who knows when that'll be, could even be before the 7D or at the same time).

I know one photographer who makes a living exclusively shooting and uses nothing but Rebels, I think she's on her fourth or fifth camera (though now she usually keeps two on hand) She replaces based on need (as in camera broke or camera stolen). She's had more troubles than any two or three Canon shooters I know who use the mid-level line gear (30 to 50D, 7D or 5D series).

Given your own stated financial resources (unless you win the lottery) you're likely to be using whatever camera you purchase well after it's replaced. With that in mind, I'd say you go for the 7D if your budget can stretch that far.

That being said, look into the whole focus process of using a DSLR vs. a high-end video camera. You may find that cumbersome enough that it leads you back to another video camera.
 
The 7D may be more than three years old but it's still in the top class of APS-C sensor cameras. It was far ahead of the pack when it was released. tha Some, like Nikon, never cuaght up. Nikon has no APS-C sensor DSLR as good as the 7D. That's not to say image quality isn't as good, the Nikon D7000 can produce great photos, but the feature set and AF system of the 7D is not equaled by anything Nikon has.
 
To OP, note that DSLRs can be weather/water resistant but not weather/water proof. It might be OK with light rain. But you cannot take it near body of water (like surfing), unless you buy special water housing, which costs almost as much as the camera itself.

I think GoPro is what you need for surfing and skateboarding.
 
D00M said:
Jimmy K. wrote:

To OP, note that DSLRs can be weather/water resistant but not weather/water proof. It might be OK with light rain. But you cannot take it near body of water (like surfing), unless you buy special water housing, which costs almost as much as the camera itself.

I think GoPro is what you need for surfing and skateboarding.
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actually you don't need a special "water housing" for good surfing pics. But if you go into the pipeline waterproofing is advisable
 
cnigrelli185 said:
cnigrelli185 wrote:

Hi guys, new to this forum. I need some help with selecting my first DSLR and I figured this is the place to look. I'm just gonna give you a quick rundown of my situation. So I originally was going to buy a new HD video camera to replace my old one, since it's a little dated, it was top of the line years ago. I like to make surf, and skate movies, and am also making some commercials for a company, so I need to upgrade to HD quality. One of my friends told me to look at some DSLRs for shooting video,
Click to expand...



Bad idea. When shooting video with a DSLR, you will not be able to use a viewfinder (VF is very useful on a beach or in the snow, and generally for stabilization), your autofocus will be very slow and everything not in focus will be blurred. For video you want a camera without a mirror (without that R in DSLR), for sharp focus everywhere you want smaller sensor (it is OK for HD in daylight, many dedicated consumer videocams use 1/3" sensors, as small as the one in your iPhone, only with fewer pictures), or if you need low light too, at most 4/3.





Almost every new photo camera shoots FullHD these days. But on a beach or slope you will probably need some moisture and dust protection. Among cameras with 4/3 sensor and dust-and-splash protected, Panasonic GH3 is the best for video. Olympus E-M5 is pretty good too if you are OK with 30 fps and don't need insane bitrates.
 
Another good camera for video is Sony A77. It is bigger than GH3, but available in a kit with awesome Sony 16-50/2.8 cheaper than GH3 with similar Panasonic 12-35/2.8.

They both look like DSLRs, but neither are - Sony is DSLT, Panasonic is mirrorless.

Also, if you want to zoom during video, you probably want powerzoom for smoothness. Panasonic GH3 has 3 compatible power-zooms - Pana 14-42 X PZ, Pana 45-175 X PZ, and Olympus 12-50. Only the Oly 12-50 is weather-sealed among those (it also comes in a kit with Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera).

I am not aware of any powerzooms for the Sony A77.
 
If A77 or GH3 are too expensive for you, you might be willing to sacrifice weather protection and some image quality and get Nikon V1 (under $300 on sales right now) and Nikon 10-100 power zoom lens (don't mistake it for 10-100 manual zoom).
 
peevee1 said:
peevee1 wrote:

Another good camera for video is Sony A77. It is bigger than GH3, but available in a kit with awesome Sony 16-50/2.8 cheaper than GH3 with similar Panasonic 12-35/2.8.

They both look like DSLRs, but neither are - Sony is DSLT, Panasonic is mirrorless.

Also, if you want to zoom during video, you probably want powerzoom for smoothness. Panasonic GH3 has 3 compatible power-zooms - Pana 14-42 X PZ, Pana 45-175 X PZ, and Olympus 12-50. Only the Oly 12-50 is weather-sealed among those (it also comes in a kit with Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera).

I am not aware of any powerzooms for the Sony A77.
Click to expand...



One more thing. If you shoot video handheld, you obviously want image stabilization either in your lens or in your body. With Sony A77 and Oly E-M5, stabilization is in the body so all lenses are stabilized. On GH3 the Pana zooms are stabilized (not all Pana zooms, not the 7-14 Ultra Wide Angle), Oly 12-50 is not.

Nikon 10-100 PD-Zoom (for Nikon 1) is stabilized.
 
If you can't decide which one to go, you can compare their features. See if anyone is totally meet your requirement. Here is the comparison of T3i and T4i, if needed, check out
 
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