I was recently asked to put together a list for the budding videographer using a DSLR.   I am mostly a photographer but have now shot video with the D90, 7D and T2i.  The more I shoot video the more I realize the importance of the following-

A nice wide aperture lens like Canon’s50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens ~$99  Lets you shoot in lower light and create those great shallow depth of field shots that your friends still using camcorders drool over.

I don’t care how steady you think your hands are, if you want professional looking video it needs to be rock solid and steady . Use either a tripod I recommend  Manfrotto 785 Video Grip Head Tripod $70 or use a steady-cam system like Manfrotto 585-1 ModoSteady 3-in-1 Camera/Camcorder Stabilizer and Support System.

Large cards – Video, especially HD video eats up space quick -
SD – SanDisk 16GB Extreme – SDHC Class 10 You can shoot fine on class 6 cards but the slower cards will be painfully slow to pull the video off of.

Compact Flash – SanDisk16 GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card

External Mic (if your DSLR has an external mic port) Much better audio quality over the built in mic port
Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount

And you might want to read up on using all of the above in From Still to Motion: A photographer’s guide to creating video with your DSLR (Voices That Matter)

And feel free to ask for my thoughts on anything else you come across while researching shopping.  I wil be happy to share with you my thoughts and recommendations @camerarec.

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Sony's NEX-VG10 | Photo courtesy of Sony

Sony’s first consumer camcorder with interchangeable lenses.

Details -

• Interchangeable lenses – E series lenses, such as the E16mm ($250) & the E18-55mm ($300), also Zeiss and Sony lenses
• 14-megapixel still shots at 7 fps
• Electronic viewfinder, and a swiveling 3-inch LCD.
• Large, quad-capsule spatial array stereo microphone with high directivity.
• Stores video on either Sony’s Memory Stick Pro Duo or SD, SDHC or SDXC memory cards.
• Price – $2,000

The APS size sensor gives the NEX-VG10 a 1.5x magnification factor for stills (slightly more for video), meaning a 200mm lens will function much like a 300mm lens for stills.

Lots of video folks have been jumping on the 7D and 5D Mark II – so lets take a second and compare.  The sensor size is comparable to the 7D so we can expect similar low light performance, doubtful that it will be better than the 5D Mark II which is very impressive.   But for two grand you get a video system that is ready to go with the nice LCD swivel and a quad mic.  The 7D is about $400 less but you need to buy a decent mic ($150) and if you will really be doing dedicated video  you would want to add the Zacuto Finder ($265) and you come out the same minus a nice LCD swivel.   So far on paper the VG10 looks like it is a great option for shooting video, Still shots at 14MP should be decent too.   We will have to wait till September when the hands-on reviews and tests start rolling in.  Feel free to leave your thoughts and predictions below.

Previews
Engadget had a brief hands on – generally quite positive review/preview.

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Comparing Three Popular DSLRS in the $800 – $1800 Range

Canon T2i – $899, Body only $799 | 18MP | 1080p @ 30fps | 29min 59 sec or 4GB movie clip limits |  9 point focus | 3.7 fps| 95% Pentamirror | 3″  1,040,000 pixels LCD | 18.7 ounces

My thoughts: offers all the video capabilities of the 7D at ~$800 less, SD Card memory(cheaper than the compact flash used by 7D), smaller/lighter body (some may not like the feel).  You lose the faster FPS of the 7D, the more precise AF abilities of 7D, and D90, the wireless flash control and a highly customizable control scheme.  Bottom line – this is more than enough camera for most folks. If you are primarily looking for a video camera I see little to no reason to buy the 7D over the T2i.  Put the dollars you save buying the T2i toward a nice lens. Note: as of May 04 the T2i is out of stock on Amazon and most reputable resellers so there is a bit of price gouging happening.

DPReview says: Quite simply, taken as a whole, it is the best camera of its class that we’ve ever seen, and one of those rare cameras that won’t look out of date in a couple of years’ time. (April, 2010)

Canon 7D – Body only $1599 | 18MP | 1080p @30fps | 29min 59 sec or 4GB movie clip limits |  19 point focus | 8.0 fps | 100% Pentaprism | 3″  920,000 pixels LCD | 28.9 ounces

Offers excellent ergonomics in weatherized body and control scheme that is highly customizable, external mic port for high quality sound, wireless flash control (allows remote triggering of 430ex and 580ex flashes), bright viewfinder(absolute pleasure to look through) with 100% coverage, battery life is approx 1000 shots

My thoughts: if you are making money from photography gigs, especially ones where you plan to use off camera flashes or are shooting sports and need the faster FPS you should consider  this camera, it is a stellar camera but it is hefty and solid and most folks reading this would be better off buying T2i and putting the savings toward lenses.

DPReview says: It offers excellent image quality in all shooting situations and an impressive speed of operation, combined with very good build quality and ergonomics. Both its specification and the results of our testing make it a very easy recommendation. (November, 2009)

Nikon D90 – w/ 18-105 lens $1021, Body only $749 | 12.3MP | 720 @ 24fps | 5min clip limits | 11 point focus | 4.5FPS | 96% pentaprism | 3″  920,000 pixels LCD | 21.8 ounces

My Thoughts: The D90 is an excellent photographic camera and the body only price is an amazing value. If you already have Nikon lenses it is a no brainer of an upgrade.  The build quality and ergonomics sits between the T21 and the 7D.  Where the D90 falters is video, Video is max 720 resolution, no external mic port, clips are limited to 5 minutes (which isn’t as bad as you might think) and video suffers from the jelly effect (straight lines look wavy when the camera is in motion) more than the T2i or 7D

DPReview says: After using and testing the D90 extensively, it’s hard to think of a better enthusiast-level camera. (October, 2008)

Which one should you get?

T2i unless you have specific and justifiable reasons for the 7D. D90 if you have Nikon lenses or have friends/family with nikon lenses you can borrow.

Want cheaper options? Read my Short/Sweet DSLR Guide

Need some lens recomendations? Read My Canon Lens Guide | Nikon Lens Guide [coming soon]

Feel free to leave comments or your thoughts.

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Canon's 7D

Canon’s newest DSLR, the 7D, is very nice. For $1699 (Body only) $1899 (with 28-135 lens) you get a DSLR with the following specs

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Short & sweet overview of the popular DSLRS and which might be best for you . Some of these recommendations are based on prices that fluctuate daily, check in with me @camerarec to get my absolute latest recommendations. All prices in US dollars.

The very short & sweet guide-

My Recs [Budget = Canon XS,  $700-$1000 = Canon T2i,  $1000-$1500 = D90,  Above $1500 = 7D] Updated 2/10/09

Slightly longer short & sweet guide-

Budget (< $500)

Best of the bunch: Canon XS (1000D)

Buy a D40 – Solid camera but the tech is getting outdated and does not perform as well as the next two in low-light situations (~$460) D60 has been discontinued, replaced with the D3000 below. Go for a used model.

Buy an XS – few more megapixels & features for few more dollars, live view is one (~$450)

A benefit to buying the XS- you can autofocus with a cheap but good lens like the 50mm f/1.8 (~$90)which gives you nice lower light performance and depth of field control. If you buy the D3000 the cheapest lens that will give you the same ability/control is several hundred dollars more. It might not ever matter to you, you may be happy using the lens that camera comes with, and there are plenty of other lenses that will work with the D3000, but you should be aware. Feel free to ask me follow up questions on this, it is confusing and intimidating trying to figure out what lens will do what for you.

Buy a D3000 – Most user friendly DSLR to date, no live view but has a guide mode that teaches as you use and decent low-light performance, very similar in image quality to the XS  (~$450)

NOTE: if you buy a D40/D60/D3000/D5000 you need to look at my list of compatible(will auto-focus) lenses Some of the cheaper lenses will not autofocus on this camera and for some that is a reason to buy the XS.

$700 – $1000

Best of the bunch: On paper Canon’s T2i Reviews are very good, noise levels are low and the video quality is excellent, on par with the significantly more expensive 7D.

Canon T1i – Solid 15MP camera with nice HD Video, Hi-res LCD screen, excellent button placement and control scheme (~$720)

Canon T2i, shipping in March will offer excellent HD video, high resolution screen, 18MP (more about its features) (~$899)

Alternate choice the Nikon D5000 – Better in low-light, HD video not as smooth as T1i but does have articulating LCD screen, I just wish it was higher resolution, the LCD is a 1/3 of the resolution of the T1i. (~$650) See my note above about compatible autofocusing lenses.

$1000 – $1500

Best of the bunch:  If interested in Video step back to the T2i | If you plan to only shoot stills or primarily stills the D90 is still an excellent value.

Buy a D90 excellent low-light performance, HD video(limited to 5 min clips), gorgeous LCD & viewfinder along with built in wireless flash capabilities at just about $1000 – This is best camera you can buy under $1500. More about why I love the D90 The D90 body only is now $779, this is an excellent price and up until the announcement of the T2i was the best value DSLR under $1500.  Now the T2i shoots MUCH better video, Better LCD, 18MP vs 12MP in the D90.  D90 advantages are in build, viewfinder is bigger/brighter,  built-in wireless flash control and a kit lens with more range 18-105 vs 18-55 with T2i.

50D Solid 15MP gives you access to all of Canon’s lenses but no HDvideo and no built in wireless flash (~$1130) I see very little reason to buy the 50D at this point.  The T2i beats it in almost all features except build and and possibly ergonomics but that depends on how it feels to you.  There are rumors of a 60D but at this point it is hard to figure out how that will sit between the T2i and the 7D.

> $1500

Canon’s 7D 18MP, 100% viewfinder, Dual DIGIC 4 and new AutoFocus are great.  Stellar HDvideo. Reviews have been very positive. Not Full Frame but not everyone needs that. More here (~$1899)

Buy a D300s12MP w/ 18-200mm VR II Lens – Not full frame but excellent quality, low-light performance and video in a much more affordable package (~$2500 w/ very nice 18-200 lens) (~$1800 body only)

Alternate Buy a 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens – Gorgeous giant images and jaw dropping HD video (~$3000)

If you buy a Canon take a moment to look at my recommended lens list and if you have any questions please find me on twitter @camerarec

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Valerie wants a camera with a big zoom and the possibility of interchangeable lenses that provide neat effects and creative opportunities.

The Good news- DSLR prices are dropping and the XS is an affordable, easy to use, full-featured DSLR for ~$525 including an image stabilization lens. The bad news - you don't get much in the way of zoom, but you do have the option, as your budget allows, of buying a nice zoom or any one of hundreds of canon lenses giving you huge flexibility and photographic freedom.

Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) Camera Highlights: 10MP | 2.5" LCD | 18mm-55mm lens with image stabilization | Live view | decent low-light performance | Auto Lighting Optimizer & Picture Style settings- styles you can apply in real time to change the look of the photo.


To add a zoom I suggest the excellent Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras


And if you want to get really creative take a look at the Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit

Buy the Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)

Possible Alternatives:

If you want serious zoom now and need to keep the price below $700 you want to consider the Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Camera Highlights: 10MP | 2.5" vari-angle LCD | 20x Zoom with Image Satbilization| 30fps VGA movies | Face detection & Face self-timer | Ability to add external Flash

Please let me know if you have any questions about these cameras or anything else you come across while shopping.

If you are not Valerie and you want your own personalized recommendation

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