Help me choose a video camera?

Hi all,

What I’ve got now is Fujifilm finepix 9750. Its a very very good still photo camera. Basically a crossover between point and shoot and DSLR. This camera can take about any picture I need, and probly rivals many DSLRs 10x the price.

It does shoot video in full 1080p HD. However is has a couple of serious deficits in the video department.

1. No ability to manually set ISO in video. This is a HUGE deal breaker. The Achilles heel to put it mildly.

2. No external mic port. A much smaller issue, but it would be nice to have.

3. View finder cannot face forward. Again small detail but would be nice.

What I am looking for is a video camera or camcorder that can do those 3 things. Especially the fixed setting for ISO in movie mode.

I’m really not sure exactly what to say for a budget since I don’t know how hard it is to obtain that. >$400 would be nice??

Thanks in advance.

I’m going to recommend two cameras… a little outside of your price range. Both have articulating screens and mic ports and can set the ISO. One I had for a while… the other is pretty popular with budget video people. In my opinion, the Mic and articulating are two things that are must haves if you’re trying to do web video.

The Canon T5i. The T5i is different that the T5, because of the articulating screen. You can load something on it called magic lantern, that gives the camera advanced video settings. $599

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/945054-REG/canon_8595b003_eos_dig_rebel_t5i.html

The Panasonic GH3. This was the budget video camer for a while. Mine had a problem a little outside of the warranty. Something that was expensive to fix, but seems to be an anomoly, because this has been a reliable camera for a lot of people. Plus you can currently get a 3 year warranty for free by mailing in some paperwork. I got a G7 to replace this, and a 3 year extension on the warranty. $547 (no lens)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/892456-REG/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_GH3_Mirrorless_Digital.html

As far as lenses go… The Canon comes with one. But vintage manual lenses can be used on these cameras with cheap eBay adapters… just search ebay for the lens you have to the mount you need to adapt it to. I would personally go for the Canon though. Maybe someone could help you with stuff a bit more budget friendly… but these are the minimum I looked for… mainly because I create web video.

Also… feel free to hit me up if you have questions about a camera I didn’t suggest, and I’ll be able to help you. You can always send me a PM if for some reason I forget to check this thread.

Thanks mhanlen,

Definitely taking those into consideration. I really like the quality of your videos I have seen some of yours on flashlights as well as knives. I even mentioned your channel in one of my own videos here at about the 22 min mark.

I am really looking forward to getting some good equipment.

For shooting all around it is better than the 6Ti got for the 70D the price difference is marginal and it will amaze you in quality. (I have the 6Ti and it is ok, but a lot of vid guys love the 70D). Just remember that the more you invest the longer it will be around to be used. and the 18-135 is not a terrible lens either.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-70d-18-135mm-is-stm-kit-refurbished

Thanks for the shoutout! A few more things to add. If you’re doing video… go for primes. You won’t find lenses fast enough in zooms for night beamshots, if you want to do video beamshots. Kit lenses are good for talking head stuff and daytime shots, but if you’re doing a channel sort of flashlight related- you’ll need the fastest lenses you can get. My main camera is a Black Magic Pocket Camera… and I didn’t suggest that because currently it’s out of your price range, and you’ll have to learn to do basic color correction for it.

I use a pansonic 14mm lens for some beamshots at night with a wide angle adapter… that lens has a 2.6, which is OK I guess.

Here are a few basic tips that I abide by for night shooting.

Shutter: 1/24 or 1/25 for ultra low light or 1/48 or 1/50 for regular low light.
F-stop: as low as you can go at night. 1.4 is really kind of what you need. Anything much higher than 2.6 is mostly useless.
ISO: Do a test first. I don’t like going above 800, but take this on a camera by camera basis. Some cameras handle higher ISOs better, and you’ll have to see what’s an acceptable level of grain for your tastes.