DSLR or System-Cam? I can´t decide

T

timister

New Member
Hey Guys! :)

In a few weeks, I am going to start my YouTube Channel (I will introduce myself in the forum as soon as I am satisfied with the appearance of my channel). I will record cooking videos with oriental recipes.

I am currently using my iPhone for the cutting board and my DSLR Nikon 5000D for me, I am not satisfied with the quality of the DSLR vids though.

As I was in a tech-shop, the friendly lady there told me not to buy a DSLR with my budget of 600 Euros. I should by the Panasonic Lumix Gx80, as it has AF with automatic `face-following`(dont know the correct term for it), an integrated stabilizer and 4K video quality instead of full-hd.

She seemed very competently, but I am still not sure if this is going to be the right decision for videos. What do you say? What would you prefer? Do you think DSLR´s are overrated and the quality of the lumix is even better?

I look forward to get your opinions to that.

Have a nice day! :)

Tim
 
Nah I'd go for a Lumix G7 above the GX80, also has 4K and much better image quality. Plus, of course, you can change the lenses an upgrade further down the line and keep your old lenses.
Otherwise, Sony Alpha a6300 is amazing, bit more expensive than the G7
 
I do a cooking channel and I used a £100 Panasonic HC-V110 video camera video camera for a time, now I use a Canon 700d.

I will say this, using the DSLR has its advantages. I used to use it only on the food shots, and with the extra control I get really good money shots, the depth of field and all that really goes a long way. And as a cooking channel, I feel that the food shots are more important than my face shots.

BUT, it is easy to screw the shots up with the DSLR, it simply isn't as good at focus as even a £100 video camera. I am pretty sure this is largely due to the fact that there is a shallower depth of field and the autofocus system hunts more than a DSLR. Though, with the STM kit lens, it isn't too bad at hunting if you get it right in the first place and don't move too quickly. Nothing compared to the camcorder tho.

I have recently invested in lighting so if I am careful these problems all but vanish. The extra light just makes the camera work better.


If you only have 600 to spend I do have one bit of advice I'd like you to consider. Don't spend it all on a camera. You, in my opinion, will probably be better off with a cheaper camera but buying some lighting and a good microphone and possibly a sound recorder. There is a law of diminishing returns, so you could end up spending a lot to get a small improvement, where 50 bucks might get you much more for your money if you buy a couple of those lighting umbrellas and bath yourself in lovely soft light, and then a good mic to capture crisp clear audio, people notice bad audio way before bad video.


4k is great an all, but most people won't be able to see it, it does look better when you downsample to 1080p, but so does a little sharpening on an already decent video.

Just something to think about. DSLRGuide talks a lot about this sort of thing. He uses a 600d for filmmaking and refuses to upgrade. Silly sod.


Oh, and what's your channel, I'd like to subscribe.
 
coliwob said:
I do a cooking channel and I used a £100 Panasonic HC-V110 video camera video camera for a time, now I use a Canon 700d.

I will say this, using the DSLR has its advantages. I used to use it only on the food shots, and with the extra control I get really good money shots, the depth of field and all that really goes a long way. And as a cooking channel, I feel that the food shots are more important than my face shots.

BUT, it is easy to screw the shots up with the DSLR, it simply isn't as good at focus as even a £100 video camera. I am pretty sure this is largely due to the fact that there is a shallower depth of field and the autofocus system hunts more than a DSLR. Though, with the STM kit lens, it isn't too bad at hunting if you get it right in the first place and don't move too quickly. Nothing compared to the camcorder tho.

I have recently invested in lighting so if I am careful these problems all but vanish. The extra light just makes the camera work better.


If you only have 600 to spend I do have one bit of advice I'd like you to consider. Don't spend it all on a camera. You, in my opinion, will probably be better off with a cheaper camera but buying some lighting and a good microphone and possibly a sound recorder. There is a law of diminishing returns, so you could end up spending a lot to get a small improvement, where 50 bucks might get you much more for your money if you buy a couple of those lighting umbrellas and bath yourself in lovely soft light, and then a good mic to capture crisp clear audio, people notice bad audio way before bad video.


4k is great an all, but most people won't be able to see it, it does look better when you downsample to 1080p, but so does a little sharpening on an already decent video.

Just something to think about. DSLRGuide talks a lot about this sort of thing. He uses a 600d for filmmaking and refuses to upgrade. Silly sod.



Oh, and what's your channel, I'd like to subscribe.
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Definitely agree with your point on buying audio gear, but saying the focus on a DSLR isn't as good ain't true at all. If you mean autofocus then sure. Do remember you can set your depth of field. I have mine at f22 when I record, and that keeps everything I need in focus. If you're doing static stuff, you really don't need to use autofocus. Just spend an extra few minutes choosing the right focal length aperture and setting focus then you'll be a-OK. Will look better as autofocus is s**t on 79% of cameras.
 
Styxie said:
Definitely agree with your point on buying audio gear, but saying the focus on a DSLR isn't as good ain't true at all. If you mean autofocus then sure. Do remember you can set your depth of field. I have mine at f22 when I record, and that keeps everything I need in focus. If you're doing static stuff, you really don't need to use autofocus. Just spend an extra few minutes choosing the right focal length aperture and setting focus then you'll be a-OK. Will look better as autofocus is s**t on 79% of cameras.
Click to expand...


Practically, I'd say it isn't as good tho, at least regarding the task of keeping the subject in focus. I don't mean you can't get good, or indeed better, results. I am just saying it takes more work and can go wrong more easily than with a dedicated camcorder. I've never had a focusing issue with the Panasonic, I have with the DSLR. But, when its right, I can get better results with the DSLR.

Especially with lower depths of fields which camcorders don't always give you control over.

Really tho, the autofocus on a DSLR has more difficult work to do. Try strapping a F1.2 50mm lens onto the front of any DSLR and autofocus might well become next to impossible. Where the camcorder will just do it. But, the camcorder won't give you that silky bokeh in the background, no matter what you do. Unless you have a really good one.



Well, now I looked up the d5000, I think maybe an upgrade is in order. The point I was trying to make tho, was that given a fairly average DSLR, money is better spent on audio and lighting rather than a just new camera. I would still be very wary about spending my entire budget on a camera tho, without considering the other things. But, if that's just the budget for the camera, then why not. The other parts will still be cheap (except the really decent microphone)
 
coliwob said:
Practically, I'd say it isn't as good tho, at least regarding the task of keeping the subject in focus. I don't mean you can't get good, or indeed better, results. I am just saying it takes more work and can go wrong more easily than with a dedicated camcorder. I've never had a focusing issue with the Panasonic, I have with the DSLR. But, when its right, I can get better results with the DSLR.

Especially with lower depths of fields which camcorders don't always give you control over.

Really tho, the autofocus on a DSLR has more difficult work to do. Try strapping a F1.2 50mm lens onto the front of any DSLR and autofocus might well become next to impossible. Where the camcorder will just do it. But, the camcorder won't give you that silky bokeh in the background, no matter what you do. Unless you have a really good one.



Well, now I looked up the d5000, I think maybe an upgrade is in order. The point I was trying to make tho, was that given a fairly average DSLR, money is better spent on audio and lighting rather than a just new camera. I would still be very wary about spending my entire budget on a camera tho, without considering the other things. But, if that's just the budget for the camera, then why not. The other parts will still be cheap (except the really decent microphone)
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Still, the entire issue is fixed by just shooting wide open and using good lighting. That way everyone's in focus! I really don't find it a struggle doing it manually, it looks a lot more pro. Maybe just because I'm a purist as it's my job.. DSLR autofocus is good on /some/ cameras, depending on the AF mechanics of the lens. My SLR has amazing autofocus.
 
Styxie said:
Still, the entire issue is fixed by just shooting wide open and using good lighting. That way everyone's in focus! I really don't find it a struggle doing it manually, it looks a lot more pro. Maybe just because I'm a purist as it's my job.. DSLR autofocus is good on /some/ cameras, depending on the AF mechanics of the lens. My SLR has amazing autofocus.
Click to expand...

What's your job?

Yeah, A lot of light and a wide of depth of field go a long way to making everything work better. It only really gets to be a struggle when I am cooking at the same time. A lot can go wrong very quickly if you are making something complex and then add camera work on top :)
 
coliwob said:
What's your job?

Yeah, A lot of light and a wide of depth of field go a long way to making everything work better. It only really gets to be a struggle when I am cooking at the same time. A lot can go wrong very quickly if you are making something complex and then add camera work on top :)
Click to expand...
Yea, I checked out your channel and doing pretty good! I really wanted to do a cooking thing a while ago, but like you said camera work on top is a lot to do so I never went through. I'm a producer (the video type not the music type!)
 
Hey Guys, many thanks for your answers and tips.

I already have a rode clip-mic which I have connected to my iphone, a tripod for the cam and I bought some lights from ikea. That was a bad idea anyway, I should have bought soft boxes. -.-

Yesterday I was about to buy a used Canon 600d for 120 euros, then I was insecure with the decision and didnt buy it.

I guess, the better way is it to just shoot a proto video and post it here. I already got one, but its not really satisfying to me. Argh...

My channel is btw TimsLiving. If you subscribe, you´ll be my first subscriber, I´d be very very happy about it :)[DOUBLEPOST=1512465235,1512463060][/DOUBLEPOST]hmm. I have copied the link to my channel, and it looks pretty dumb. why is that? what did i do wrong?
 
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