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which camera is ideal?

jenniferanne
Apprentice

i'm looking for a camera to possibly film art videos in real time but I am also needing a lightweight compact camera for photography for scenery/landscape/close ups. i'm not at all fussed about whether the camera has 4k or not because i would just use 1080p. It does need to have good battery life that would last me throughout the day when travelling and most important it has to be reasonably priced.  

 

so which canon compact camera would be ideal? i'm not considering the dslr's primarily because of the pricing, but if there is a compact camera which would allow me to record at 1080p for continous time if i needed, would be excellent, otherwise I am looking for a good photography camera.

 

i should probably include that i am considering two other brands if canon isn't suited for me, nikon d5300 and panasonic lumix g7. thank you very much in advance if there are any reccomendations! 

 

8 REPLIES 8

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

Yoo want one device that does it all, does it well, and is inexpensive.  It doesn’t exist.  You need a stills camera and a video camera.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

hmm, okay, i only ask because i have no clue which to go for

i don't have the money for a dslr and it'd take me awhile to save up for one so i'm just looking for an alternative that isn't a camcorder but works well for photography and some film if i want to 


@jenniferanne wrote:

i don't have the money for a dslr and it'd take me awhile to save up for one so i'm just looking for an alternative that isn't a camcorder but works well for photography and some film if i want to 


What is your budget?  

What do you think you will photograph most of the time?  What do you envision doing with your videos?

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

"i don't have the money for a ..."

 

Take a look at the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III Digital Camera or perhaps the lesser costly Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera.  Either will do what you want to do.  All in one small package, too!

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

TCampbell
Elite
Elite

No 'camera' can record for more than 29 minutes 59 seconds.  Under international trade agreeements, as soon as a camera is capable of recording video for 30 minutes or longer, it is considered a 'video' camera instead of a 'photographic' camera and tariffed at a higher rate.  For this reason, the manufacturers all cut-off the maximum length of any single recorded clip to make sure it stays below 30 minutes.

 

The Nikon D5300 _is_ a DSLR... which I thought you wanted to avoid.  Also, Nikon doesn't do particularly well with video (specifically the focus tracking lags behind.)  

 

Canon camera bodies that include their "dual-pixel CMOS AF" feature (not all models have this) are excellent at focus tracking during video (as subjects get nearer or farther, the camera is able to measure the focus change accurately and very quickly puts the subject back in sharp focus.  Most others (with a few exceptions) have to "guess" ... they know they've fallen out of focus but they don't know if the subject is closer or farther... nor how much closer or farther.  So they "hunt" for focus and you see this in your video clip as the camera makes several guesses and refines it's way to better focus.    Canon's Dual-Pixel CMOS AF feature uses a special beam-splitter (prism) which splits the light into two phases... where the phases align if the subject is in focus, but if not in focus one phase will be shifted relative to the other.  But the magic is that the camera can tell exactly how far out of focus the subject is based on the amount of phase shift... and also the direction of phase shift.  This allows the camera to very quickly know exactly what focus adjustment should be made ... without "guessing".

 

Most cameras (regardless of brand or model... as long as they are "current" models) do a fantastic job with still photos.  It's hard to buy a bad camera.  There are reasons that give one model an advantage over another model... depending on your needs.  But when it comes to video capabilities, virtually all of them can do 'video'... but many of them are very limited and in particular... focus tracking is an issue.

 

A Lumix G7 is roughly $500.  A Nikon D5300 is roughly $650.  There are quite a few impressive cameras in this price range.

 

If you want an emphasis on small size but the versatility of swapping lenses, look at Canon's EOS "M" series cameras (these are "Mirrorless" cameras.  Just be warned that "mirrorless" cameras are continuously using live-view (they have no traditional viewfinder) and, as such, they eat through batteries faster.  But the EOS "M" series has it's own set of lenses... but can also use an adapter that allows you to attach any Canon EOS lens.

 

There's also the new EOS Rebel SL2.  This is the most compact body for a traditional DSLR camera (all DSLR bodies will be somewhat large... they aren't pocket cameras).  But the SL2 has Dual-Pixel CMOS AF and since it's a true DSLR, you can use the traditional viewfinder when taking still photos and that provides excellent battery life.

 

The EOS M100 is probably the lowest priced camera that can do video that includes Dual-Pixel CMOS AF at about $500.

After that, I'd suggest the EOS Rebel SL2 at about $600.

 

Both of these allow for interchangeable lenses so you can build the system in the future rather than just being stuck with the lens you have.  This is a really big advantage... the lens choice makes a big difference in the quality of the result.

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

Fernando2
Apprentice

What is your budget?  

Very informative post Tim!  You conveyed a lot of useful information at a level suitable for the new shopper/user.

 

Rodger

EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video
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