Nikon SLR Cameras

Panasonic g6 vs Nikon d5200 for movies?

munkey
12.10.2015
munkey

I'm getting a new camera, which I will be using to make short films. I've narrowed down my options to these two cameras. Which one do you think is better for making movies?

Frank
13.10.2015
Frank

Neither are as good as a camcorder. They're both limited to just 12 minutes of 1080P recording due to file system that they use which limits the file size to no more than 4GB. No such issue with a camcorder.

Both have horrible mics which should not be used for video. You will need to buy an additional mic ($250-$500) in order to get usable audio. Neither have the ability to show the audio levels like camcorders do, which means that if the batteries for your mic die in the middle of a shoot, you would not know about it.

Personally, from what I have seen on YouTube and read elsewhere, you really can't get the video/audio quality of a camcorder from a digital camera. The global shutter on a camcorder is another reason to go with a camcorder. While a camcorder uses a global shutter (retrieves data from all pixels at the same time), digital cameras (mirrorless and all dslr) use a rolling shutter. Rolling shutters get the data from each pixel on at a time. Problem occurs with moving objects or when the camera is moving. By the time the cameras reads the data from each pixel, things have moved. So straight lines are now severely bent.

While mirrorless and DSLRs have the sole advantage of interchangeable lenses, camcorders provide a much easier experience without the drawbacks and hassles.

If you're dead set on not getting a camcorder, then go with a Canon T5 and upgrade it with a Magic Lantern firmware upgrade. Magic Lantern's upgrade does not void the warranty. It's designed to fix the problems that come with using still cameras for video. Magic Lantern upgrades are only available for Canon, and there's not an equivalent upgrade for Nikon which makes it a very inferior product for video.

Andrew
13.10.2015
Andrew

Sony do a range of, "Handycam," camcorders which will blow either out of the water. NEVER buy a stills camera specifically for video, they just can't hack it.