My next camera will be a full frame. Which one for video?

[Nick]

My brother has been testing a hand-held gimbal that would be perfect for this Nick. I can get you in touch if you'd like.

Yes, please.

 

[Jeremy C]

I need to research this more. I love the idea of using older 35mm lenses. AF is nice, but not needed for most of what I do.

That's sorta what I felt when I looked at it. Plus the older manual lenses have really nice throws (or can anyways) so that helps with smooth transitions. Aperture controls on the lens also could be cool though you may pick up the clicking of the third or half stop changes. As for autofocus, I can't comment anymore.. I left autofocus 8 years ago and haven't looked back hehe

 

[steve]

I'm pretty torn. I absolutely love the shallow DOF and wide angles I can get on the 6D. But on every shoot so far I'm missing a flip out screen and a touch screen. I'm really tempted by the GH4, but I'm worried it'll be tough to get the wide angles I want, and worried about getting a shallow DOF...

Either way, the limitation is my skills, not my camera. We'll see what I end up with. Maybe I'll just grab a nice wide angle lens for my T3i and improve my skills until something stands out as a clear advantage.

 

[steve]

I ended up taking the 6D back. It was a nice camera, and took great images and video, but the lack of a flip-out, touch screen made it a deal-breaker for a prosumer like me. I absolutely loved how wide my shots were with the same lens as my aps-c camera, and the shallow DOF was nice, but for that price, I think I could do better. I know the screen sounds like a small issue, but on a 3 hour shoot, having to move the focus area click by click with the rear dial, eats up a lot of time. Even my $300 EOS M has a touch screen (though it doesn't flip out).

I'm very tempted by the Sony A7s, but the lens selection isn't where I'd like it to be yet. A $400 metabones EF lens adapter that only works sometimes is holding me back as well.

I think I'm going to wait it out a bit longer. I can only imagine the full frame mirrorless options will be getting better and better. I'm tempted by the GH4, as it has everything I want except for the 2x (m4/3) crop factor. I can probably work around it, but I'm afraid I might be spoiled after using a full frame sensor. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[wes242]

Crazy thinking you took it back for a feature I have never used on the many DSLRs I have had. Once in a great while I think a flip screen could be handy. However I just use the WIFI the 6d comes with to my phone where I get a live preview and can touch to where I want it to focus and get the same sort of thing. But I still think it is hard to pick only one camera to give you all that you need. I shoot a 7d and a 6d. I love them both and each one is the go to for different things.

The longer you wait could make it tougher too. So many new and great cameras come out that I personally think it just makes the choice harder. Good luck!

 

[steve]

I planned to do the same thing, only to find that the wifi remote is disabled in video mode. Otherwise I would have been able to get by ok (though still not as convenient as having it on the camera without requiring syncing). After (3) 3+ hour shoots with hired talent, it was enough to drive me crazy. We were on a tight timeframe and having a touch screen and flip out screen would have saved a significant amount of time and frustration over the course of the filming. We still got it done with the tools we had, but I found myself reaching for the 70D a lot of the time because the flip out touchscreen saved us so much time.

For photos only, I can get by without a flip screen or a touch screen (though I prefer both). For video, it sure is nice to have a touchy flippy screen, especially with tight shots where you can't see what's in frame and what isn't because the viewfinder (or screen) isn't visible without a ladder or a cirque de solei contortionist act.

 

[gnwatts]

I'm very tempted by the Sony A7s, but the lens selection isn't where I'd like it to be yet. A $400 metabones EF lens adapter that only works sometimes is holding me back as well.

Interested what issues you have with the Sony/Zeiss lenses. They seem pretty spectacular, everything I have read about them....pricey though.

 

[steve]

I assume they're fantastic lenses, though they don't all have image stabilization (OSS in Sony language). When working with a steadicam, IS lenses are a must. The price is a drawback, as is the selection for their full frame line. I'm sure this will improve over time.

These are the lenses sony has for their full frame cameras.

28-70mm F3.5-5.6 (with IS) - $500
35mm F2.8 - $800 (no IS)
55mm F1.8 - $1000 (no IS)
24-70mm F4 - $1200 (with IS)
16-35mm F4 - $1350 (with IS)
70-200 F4 - $1500 (with IS)
28-135mm F4 - $2500 (with IS)


It looks like only 2 of them don't have IS (OSS). The only lenses with an F-stop smaller than 3.0 don't have IS. That's why I think I'd go with a metabones adapter with canon or nikon glass. I've read that the adapter doesn't work all the time, and that it's an extremely tight fit that requires you to exert more force than you feel is safe to get the lens mounted.

All this is based off internet research. I have zero real-world feedback or experience with these.

 

[steve]

Canon obviously has a better lens selection and some are far cheaper than sony lenses. (For good reason)

When comparing lens options for a Sony a7s, you can get the following:


Sony 55mm F 1.8 lens. No IS - $1000

Canon 50mm F 1.8 lens with no IS - $125
+ metabones EF adapter for Sony - $400

That still saves you $475 to go with the Canon lens and adapter. That being said, adapters seem like they can be a hassle, and I'm assuming the build quality on the Sony lens is head and shoulders above the nifty 50.

 

[steve]

All that being said, I still think I'd miss a touch screen LCD panel and I wish it flipped out instead of just tipped up or down. Plus the a7s can't record 4k internally to the SD card, it has to go to an external recorder via the HDMI out ($2000). While I don't have a need for 4k video right now, I'd like to do a little bit of futureproofing and have the ability to shoot in 4k in the future. I can definitely get by with what I have now, but once I find the right full frame in my price range that does what I need (flippy touch screen, 4k internal recording, good lens selection), I'll snag it.

 

[Yvonne]

interesting, I hate touch screen camera system and need something, where I can dial in my settings.
And even a flipped LCD screen is something I never needed.
Have you tried the Nikon D750? It's a full frame camera with a flipped LCD Screen and the reviews are pretty good, too

 

[steve]

I prefer dials over touch screen, but I'd really like to have both. I use dials for my settings 90% of the time, but for the other 10% of the time, the touch screen really saves me a lot of time. I can totally see how landscape photographers wouldn't need or even want a flip or touch screen.

 

[steve]

I think I could almost make a GH4 work for me. It's got everything I want, minus the MFT format. If I could get the bokeh and wide angles of a full frame in a MFT format, I would own a GH4 already. For interviews and shooting indoors, I really like the wide FOV and shallow DOF the 6D got me.

 

[Nick]

I can totally see how landscape photographers wouldn't need or even want a flip or touch screen.

It seems to me that the vast majority of people who think flip outs aren't important haven't used them a lot. Sure, maybe a little here and there, but never as their main rig. I spent a good year or two on a 60D, and I miss that flip out badly, even for stills. It kept me from upgrading to full frame for quite a while. I really hope they bring it into the full frame lineup soon. I'd love to pickup a 6D II to go along with my 6D someday.

 

[steve]

One more thing to add. The reason I love a touch screen soo much is because it gives me the ability to select my focus area immediately before hitting "record." Without a touch screen, I have to use the arrows to move the focus point click by click 'till it's where I want. Sure, it's only 5 seconds to get it there, but when you're shooting a lot of shots in a short amount of time, it's a pain to tell your talent and your team "hold on, I've got to adjust the focus." My EOS M spoiled me with the ability to just tap on the area you want to pull focus on is really convenient. Same thing goes for manual focus, when you zoom in to make sure you subject is in focus. I love being able to tap on the area of the screen I want to zoom in on, rather than having to control that box click by click.

I'm betting these features are coming soon, and once they will, I'll be in line to get one.

 

[andyjaggy]

I always thought a flip out screen was something I didn't need, then I bought a camera with one. I also thought the same thing with liveview, I don't need to use the LCD, that's what the viewfinder is for! Then I bought my 7D and it wasn't long before 90% of my shots were being composed on the LCD instead of through the viewfinder. At this point I would never buy a camera that doesn't have a screen that flips out. Instead of getting myself all muddy laying on the ground while composing a low angle shot, I simply flip the screen up and comfortably kneel behind the camera.

 

[andyjaggy]

One more thing to add. The reason I love a touch screen soo much is because it gives me the ability to select my focus area immediately before hitting "record." Without a touch screen, I have to use the arrows to move the focus point click by click 'till it's where I want. Sure, it's only 5 seconds to get it there, but when you're shooting a lot of shots in a short amount of time, it's a pain to tell your talent and your team "hold on, I've got to adjust the focus." My EOS M spoiled me with the ability to just tap on the area you want to pull focus on is really convenient. Same thing goes for manual focus, when you zoom in to make sure you subject is in focus. I love being able to tap on the area of the screen I want to zoom in on, rather than having to control that box click by click.

I'm betting these features are coming soon, and once they will, I'll be in line to get one.

I had the same experience with my M. I thought the touch screen would be annoying, but found myself really enjoying the touch screen on that camera. If only because it made it ridiculously easy to select focus.

 

[Dori Coplien]

Canon came out with a new Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens. The f4 is an L and the new isn't. The f4 was an early L. I think the new is far better and half the price.

 

[Duke]

I think you know my vote is for the Samsung nx1 even though it is not FF. But.....mostly because I need someone to buy it and test it out before i do However, great video stats.