Still cameras versus camcorders for video

[johnneumann]

Please excuse if this topic has been visited before. I'm only on the forum once every great while and I don't keep up with the conversation that often.

After some fifteen years with my Sony PD-150, an exceptional camcorder in every way, I think it's time to get a new camcorder - something on a similar quality/features/price level. My two main motivations are HD and shooting straight to memory rather than tape.

One of my great regrets in years past is that I never bought a high-end still camera to take photos. I'm still using a $200 digital camera. That brings up the question of where technology is at right now with regard to still cameras that shoot pro-quality video straight to a memory card.

I've seen some "how to shoot better video" stuff on YouTube recently and more often I'm seeing guys taking the video capability in their digital still cameras just as seriously as they would a full-featured camcorder. I recently saw a behind-the-scenes feature of a professional rock video shoot, and all the camera guys were shooting the video with still cameras!

I've googled the subject and even the first results are still five+ years old! Useless information. I haven't yet found an authoritative impartial guide to buying a still camera and using it for pro-quality video.

Obviously, I can read the features list on the new cameras, but that doesn't tell the same story as an impartial guy in the field.

Has it become do-able yet? Is there a still camera that will shoot video as well as my PD-150 (albeit now in HD)?

Is a still camera easy to hold when panning or zooming? Or is that shape funky when moving about?

Image quality? Manual settings?

Can anyone get me started with basic insights?

(And a link to fully blown very recent articles or reviews, if you know of one.)

Thanks,
JOHN

[MichaelD]

Try reading through this;

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2465

[johnneumann]

Great Michael, Thanks.

I've just read the first three pages and plan to read the whole thing.

-JOHN

[yennyb]

John,
I hope you realize that once you go to a DSLR to shoot video, you can't edit on your Kron.
You'll have to get one of the S series HD editors, which takes the memory cards that the DSLRs use.

[johnneumann]

No, I didn't know that. Thanks for pointing that out. It seems I have more research to do so I know what I'm getting myself into.

Is that the same with a memory based camcorder too? My Kron wouldn't receive data from a memory card taken off a new camcorder?

-JOHN

[methuenbill]

What do the DSLRS use for sound and lighting? How do you mount it to the cameras?

[yennyb]

No, I didn't know that. Thanks for pointing that out. It seems I have more research to do so I know what I'm getting myself into.

Is that the same with a memory based camcorder too? My Kron wouldn't receive data from a memory card taken off a new camcorder?

-JOHN

Yes John,
The same applies to memory based camcorders
You can only use memory cards with Kron to capture still photographs, JPEGS, from a digital still camera, for loading into Photo Transfer or Photo Studio 2.

[videojim]

This will take some looking into what's there for sound, anyway. As the others have said, the camera makes file-based video, meaning you'd have to have something in an editor that can read that kind of feed. Syl can speak to what Canon has, and I can tell you that you would need a separate sound recording device (H2) to capture the sound for the Nikon D90, as it has no way of importing it into the camera. Some other models of Nikon do allow for sound import.
I expect that some of the other names also have something for this, just don't know, myself. The D90's HD picture has been crowed about in professional video mags, here in the last year. Max take is 20 minutes on it, tho. If DSLR's have a drawback, its the relatively short max time before the machine gets hot and quits. Consult with Syl Renaud on what he does with his Canons, and how he still manages to shoot weddings with his 5D. As to lighting, the situation will be the same as it has been for you, shooting with the camcorder.

[yennyb]

Sure, there are few hiccups when it comes to the audio aspect, and the max. recording time on their memory cards, but the bottom line is that the picture quality of the video from a full frame DSLR like the Canon 5D, Mark 2, for example, is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, especially in the hands of master videographer Syl Renaud.

[videojim]

The time limit is whatever the camera can shoot, because you can get a large enough card to shoot longer than 20 minutes. Another issue is card speed. Chet recommends minimum Class 6. I have 2 Class 10, 8 gig cards for mine. If you have a Best Buy store in your area, these can be gotten for a fair sum, and less with Reward Zone points, gained from frequent purchases. I got my second card at $5.45, after tax, using Reward Zone points. They list @ $20.