What is currently the best Nikon camera that takes really clear/vivid pictures and videos?
I'm looking for a really good professional quality camera that takes really vivid/clear pictures and videos, like HD videos. Any price range is fine, I know I'll spend quite a bit on a good camera and if you have over good camera brands in mind that would help a well!
I'm a Canon guy so that's what I recommend. The pro camera line starts at about $2, 500 and goes up. You can research them all on line. I don't know from Nikon.
The best out there though is from Hasselblad at about $35, 000. You can also research them on line.
Pretty much any Nikon consumer dSLR can do that, from the D3100 at $700 to the D7000 at $1, 200 with no lens.
The professional Nikon cameras (D3s and D300s) that shoot video, only shoot in standard HD, 720p
How clear and vivid your images are is totally up to you. NO camera supplies the skills necessary to produce high quality images, only the tools
All Nikon DSLRs have a Vivid control, so you can adjust that to get the best color saturation to your liking.
However, the best Nikon for image quality is the D3x, which costs $8, 000. And then add $2, 000 for a lens. Oh, and you will not only want one lens, so plan on spending a lot more money for additional lenses.
But it won't do video. In the scheme of things, video is a compromise that won't find it's way into a super high quality camera such as the D3x.
Perhaps you could further refine your camera needs a bit and find something less expensive.
My daughters are journalism majors and they both shoot a ton of video. Once they put a movie on television and tricked me because it wasn't a movie at all but something they shot. They found their cameras on http://www.viewpoints.com/. There are a lot of product reviews on that site.
The Nikon D3100 is a good DSLR. It is the best dslr for the price. Very nice, clear shots and excellent full 1080p HD videos. Has low noise at high ISO, above average sized screen, autofocuses shooting video, movie continuous focus, short startup delay, quite small and light weight. Its a great investment and is an all rounder. I suggest you read this review to aid in your decision:
http://www.amazon.com/...3E4E109LS/
There's a good price for it on here:
http://www.amazon.com/...003ZYF3LO/
But if you want to go with a bridge camera then i'd suggest Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX100V. Here's a link to its reviews, product details and good deals for it:
Why Nikon? We call these cameras DSLRs, but you are already limiting yourself without knowing how and what this stuff is.
They all have HD video if they can record, and amazing quality - but only if you will read and practice.
Nikon D3100, Canon EOS T2i and Pentax K-r would be the best.
Here's a DSLR Buying Guide - http://www.the-dslr-photographer.com/2009/11/which-dslr-to-buy/