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Need help choosing a starter camera really badly

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wakanda_warrior

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Hi

Im planning on buying a camera but I cant choose. I will mostly do video and have the following camera's listed.
  • Canon EOS 100D + 18-55 and 70-300
  • Canon EOS 600D + non 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 + sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6
  • Nikon D3200 18-55mm 1:3,5-5,6g
  • Sony a58 DT3.5-5.6 /18-55 + 70-300mm
I'm looking for a camera that excels at recording professional quality video's and I have to choose from here. If someone could help me seal the deal I'd appreciate it a lot, it's giving me a headache! Magic Lantern on Canon really impresses me that's why im leaning towards the canon rn but im not sure.

Thank you very much
 
wakanda_warrior said:
Hi

Im planning on buying a camera but I cant choose. I will mostly do video and have the following camera's listed.
  • Canon EOS 100D + 18-55 and 70-300
  • Canon EOS 600D + non 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 + sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6
  • Nikon D3200 18-55mm 1:3,5-5,6g
  • Sony a58 DT3.5-5.6 /18-55 + 70-300mm
I'm looking for a camera that excels at recording professional quality video's and I have to choose from here. If someone could help me seal the deal I'd appreciate it a lot, it's giving me a headache! Magic Lantern on Canon really impresses me that's why im leaning towards the canon rn but im not sure.

Thank you very much
Click to expand...
I would suggest you look at the Canon EOS 200D over the discontinued 100D. The 200D has dual-pixel auto focus for video, and is overall a better camera than the 100D.

You may want to consider the Canon EF-S 55-250 STM over the 70-300. The "STM" focusing mechanism is optimized for video. STM focusing is silent, and designed for continuous focus as your subject moves.

You should also check the maximum recording times for and camera you are considering. Most still cameras that shoot video have a maximum recording time of 29 minutes and 59 seconds in a single take. This is due to tax reasons. Cameras that can shoot a single video 30 minutes and longer fall into a different classification and are usually subject to higher import taxes.

If you are shooting in short takes and editing together, then the time limit isn't an issue. If you need to record something longer (such as a 1 hour lecture), you may want to look into actual video cameras.
 
wakanda_warrior said:
Hi

Im planning on buying a camera but I cant choose. I will mostly do video and have the following camera's listed.
  • Canon EOS 100D + 18-55 and 70-300
  • Canon EOS 600D + non 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 + sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6
  • Nikon D3200 18-55mm 1:3,5-5,6g
  • Sony a58 DT3.5-5.6 /18-55 + 70-300mm
I'm looking for a camera that excels at recording professional quality video's and I have to choose from here. If someone could help me seal the deal I'd appreciate it a lot, it's giving me a headache! Magic Lantern on Canon really impresses me that's why im leaning towards the canon rn but im not sure.

Thank you very much
Click to expand...
You're going to get a lot of replies, many including questions along the lines - how do you intend to use the camera? and What do you mean by "professional quality"?

I'm not a video guy, but when compared to modern mirrorless cameras - some of which have a heavy emphasis on video deployment, DSLR's are probably not the best tool. Some of the listed cameras are quite old - the Sony a58 dates to 2013. A lot has happened in digital technology since then - I suspect a modern high end smartphone would have much better quality....

I think if you can describe a few intended uses and a rough budget, folks here will be able to give some helpful advice and help you spend your money wisely.

A good starting point video camera roundup . Good Luck!
 
buy a modern camera with a flip screen, which will help shooting videos.
 
last i looked the 200d was $450 with an 18-55 on the canon refurb website
 
If you are recording a lot of videos, you may want a camera with external microphone jacks. Built-in microphones can pick up noises from the camera, and external ones can often take fluffy windscreens (like you see major news networks using).

Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILCs) will have an advantage over DSLRs in the sense that they won't be forced to black out the viewfinder during video recording.

Many DSLRs and MILCs have mini-HDMI ports. You might want to check if the cameras you have in mind can use their mini-HDMI ports for monitoring during video recording. Some cameras may also be able to wirelessly tether to a computer or smartphone with the aid of software.
 
Tom_N said:
If you are recording a lot of videos, you may want a camera with external microphone jacks. Built-in microphones can pick up noises from the camera, and external ones can often take fluffy windscreens (like you see major news networks using).

Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILCs) will have an advantage over DSLRs in the sense that they won't be forced to black out the viewfinder during video recording.

Many DSLRs and MILCs have mini-HDMI ports. You might want to check if the cameras you have in mind can use their mini-HDMI ports for monitoring during video recording. Some cameras may also be able to wirelessly tether to a computer or smartphone with the aid of software.
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The Canon 200D does have an external microphone jack, but not a headphone jack.

However, for really serious video, you probably want an external multi-track audio recorder. This will allow you to mix down the audio in post production. The in-camera audio may only be used to sync with the external recorder.

On-camera audio is seldom the best choice, even if it's a camera mounted shotgun mic. You will notice that on TV news reports, the reporter is holding a microphone for the person he is talking to. This is because it produces much better sound than the easier to use camera mounted microphone.

For shooting people, I prefer to use wireless lavaliere mics. The receivers usually have a headphone jack, so the lack of a camera headphone jack isn't a big problem.
 
Michael Fryd said:
If you need to record something longer (such as a 1 hour lecture), you may want to look into actual video cameras.
Click to expand...
And since the OP mentioned using it mostly for video, there are numerous other benefits of using a dedicated video camera instead. I suspect the OP wants something that can do both stills and video, so a dedicated video cam may not be an option to consider. If that is an option, then reply back for more details.
 
None is good at video. Keep you money. Buy a video camera if you want video. It can be expensive, though, if you don't want tiny sensors.
 
wakanda_warrior said:
Im planning on buying a camera but I cant choose. I will mostly do video and have the following camera's listed.
  • Canon EOS 100D + 18-55 and 70-300
  • Canon EOS 600D + non 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 + sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6
  • Nikon D3200 18-55mm 1:3,5-5,6g
  • Sony a58 DT3.5-5.6 /18-55 + 70-300mm
I'm looking for a camera that excels at recording professional quality video's
Click to expand...
None of the above(unless you also buy a decent lens specifically for video use. Canon 200D has good video specs i hear. But again, without a decent lens to go along that "professional quality" will be lacking.

Even more, for "professional videos" you also need some good old fashioned skillz. I see many kids on youtube using quality gear, but they are incapable of doing basic things like slow panning or just holding the camera steady. How can you be part of the youtube generation and not be able to shoot video(also let us remember the people who shoot portrait videos on their 1000 dollar iphone, enough said)??

As it happens, i bought a sony rx100 from a teenage "blogger" a few months back and he showed me his "vloggs". The camera was fine, good video quality, but the videos were all over the place. It felt like someone was playing volleyball instead of shooting video. I too take embarrassingly bad videos, but i definitely wouldn`t make them public. I prefer being mediocre in my own privacy.
 
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I'm going to take some criticism for saying this but if you're talking about a "starter" camera that may convince you to forget about an entry level DSLR and a cheap/slow kit zoom lens, you might consider one of the excellent current bridge type cameras.

The Panasonic FZ1000 or FZ1000 II, Panasonic FZ2000/2500 or one of the Sony RX10 series cameras.

These cameras all have excellent 4K video, fast autofocus, sharp zoom lenses and very good image quality.

A few years ago I would have never recommended a fixed zoom lens camera over a DSLR but times have changed, especially since the introduction of the one-inch sensor, and the cameras mentioned above are great general purpose cameras that would make a lot of people happy and surprise most people with their capabilities.

Just something you might want to consider.
 
I cant seem to figure out this site how do I get a layout of the whole thread instead of having to click each post seperately lol.

Thanks all for the great amazing suggestions, truth be told I cant afford an expensive professional camera. I'm not planning to become some youtube vlogger or art student close up movie maker. I just like making edits/music video's for a lot of friends. I've been told by a lot of people to moneytize it (so far i've only done preexisting footage of people) so i'd like to edit my own footage and record my own angles.

A lot of people here tell me to save up for an actual camera but looking online for video footage of a 600D running Magic Lantern isn't that quite impressive/enough? Would a Canon 600D running Magic Lantern outperform a Sony A58 in video quality? (resolution, sharpness etc).
 
wakanda_warrior said:
I cant seem to figure out this site how do I get a layout of the whole thread instead of having to click each post seperately lol.

Thanks all for the great amazing suggestions, truth be told I cant afford an expensive professional camera. I'm not planning to become some youtube vlogger or art student close up movie maker. I just like making edits/music video's for a lot of friends. I've been told by a lot of people to moneytize it (so far i've only done preexisting footage of people) so i'd like to edit my own footage and record my own angles.

A lot of people here tell me to save up for an actual camera but looking online for video footage of a 600D running Magic Lantern isn't that quite impressive/enough? Would a Canon 600D running Magic Lantern outperform a Sony A58 in video quality? (resolution, sharpness etc).
Click to expand...
Generally, image quality isn't going to be the determining factor. pretty much all current model cameras produce good video.

The differences are in convenience features, how well they perform in challenging conditions, how they operate, and accessories/lenses.

If you shooting music videos I would get a camera with good auto-focus and the selection of lens that meet your shooting style.
 
Michael Fryd said:
wakanda_warrior said:
I cant seem to figure out this site how do I get a layout of the whole thread instead of having to click each post seperately lol.

Thanks all for the great amazing suggestions, truth be told I cant afford an expensive professional camera. I'm not planning to become some youtube vlogger or art student close up movie maker. I just like making edits/music video's for a lot of friends. I've been told by a lot of people to moneytize it (so far i've only done preexisting footage of people) so i'd like to edit my own footage and record my own angles.

A lot of people here tell me to save up for an actual camera but looking online for video footage of a 600D running Magic Lantern isn't that quite impressive/enough? Would a Canon 600D running Magic Lantern outperform a Sony A58 in video quality? (resolution, sharpness etc).
Click to expand...
Generally, image quality isn't going to be the determining factor. pretty much all current model cameras produce good video.

The differences are in convenience features, how well they perform in challenging conditions, how they operate, and accessories/lenses.

If you shooting music videos I would get a camera with good auto-focus and the selection of lens that meet your shooting style.
Click to expand...
Considering you seem to know your stuff :D

What do you think about Canon 600D running Magic Lantern? Can it outperform camera's like Sony A58 or Nikon D3200 with just the software? (outperforming in video quality, sharpness)
 
wakanda_warrior said:
I cant seem to figure out this site how do I get a layout of the whole thread instead of having to click each post seperately lol.
Click to expand...
Go to the top of your post, right side and click on "flat view" it will change to "thread view" and then you'll be able to scroll through the comments without clicking on each one individually.
wakanda_warrior said:
Thanks all for the great amazing suggestions, truth be told I cant afford an expensive professional camera. I'm not planning to become some youtube vlogger or art student close up movie maker. I just like making edits/music video's for a lot of friends. I've been told by a lot of people to moneytize it (so far i've only done preexisting footage of people) so i'd like to edit my own footage and record my own angles.

A lot of people here tell me to save up for an actual camera but looking online for video footage of a 600D running Magic Lantern isn't that quite impressive/enough? Would a Canon 600D running Magic Lantern outperform a Sony A58 in video quality? (resolution, sharpness etc).
Click to expand...
 
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Ed B said:
wakanda_warrior said:
I cant seem to figure out this site how do I get a layout of the whole thread instead of having to click each post seperately lol.
Click to expand...
Go to the top of your post, right side and click on "flat view" it will change to "thread view" and then you'll be able to scroll through the comments without clicking on each one individually.
Ed B said:
Thanks all for the great amazing suggestions, truth be told I cant afford an expensive professional camera. I'm not planning to become some youtube vlogger or art student close up movie maker. I just like making edits/music video's for a lot of friends. I've been told by a lot of people to moneytize it (so far i've only done preexisting footage of people) so i'd like to edit my own footage and record my own angles.

A lot of people here tell me to save up for an actual camera but looking online for video footage of a 600D running Magic Lantern isn't that quite impressive/enough? Would a Canon 600D running Magic Lantern outperform a Sony A58 in video quality? (resolution, sharpness etc).
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Thanks a ton, makes everything easier :D
 
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