oh boy is this going to have opinions or what!

[andrewvid]

So....

First of all.. i'm a nikon kid. Second of all, canon seems good as well..
now i think you know where this is headed.

As much as i love nikon and their interface.. I also really do like the video side of things.. which i know, canon is a great successor in. I also do like the prices.. I am using a Nikon D5100 currently and the quality of it isn't cutting it for me anymore. (been about a year and a half and really wanting to upgrade)

All my friends have canon's (650D) and the more i see them and use them a bit.. i regret that i actually am beginning to like them, even after the amount of bragging i've done about how nikon is not saying they are not!!

I've been looking at the Canon 7D and it seems great. The only thing stopping me is, I have a Tamron 90 macro that is obviously for a nikon mount.. though i'll still be keeping the d5100 so it could still be used and perhaps all my friends will say.. i told you so! not that that matters at all

I don't know.. I need opinions, Is it worth the change? Should I even be thinking about this? Are there any other choices that i have in Nikon?
and all you nikon fans out there must be thinking.. what! are you crazy! well at least I am!!

So the main thing i want to get out of my next camera is, great video quality, Low ISO noise, decent amount of features inc. mic/headphone (not totally necessary) and great sharp, image quality which will obviously depend on the lens i know. budget is <$2000 preferably..

Please help

Andrew.

Let the brand war begin! - joking

[fess67]

Well, I think I might jump in here

No brand war is required, both Canon and Nikon have very good offerings which will fulfil your stated requirements. I think you have already started to ask yourself the question I am going to ask. How much will it really cost you to change to Canon? If you have a lot invested in lenses etc then getting into another brand is going to be expensive. However if you have few lenses then obviously not so much in $$ terms. If you do intend to keep the Nikon then not a problem anyway.

I have Canon gear and I like it but the truth is I chose Canon because when I was 14 I saw a Canon in a shop window and I wanted it. Now many years later when I decided to get back into photography that was the only brand I considered.

[andrewvid]

Well thanks for being the first one!

Twas kidding with the brand war.. (edited it) indeed, I only have the one lens that i bought separate from the twin kit so not much of a loss there and indeed not if i keep my nikon which i will.
With how you came to be with canons, it was the exact same for me. First thing i saw on the shelf, liked it, researched it and bought it.
Still trying to make up my mind, been meaning to post this for a while now.. guess i'll have to wait for some more and make up my mind.

[Lance B]

You really need to get to a shop and discuss your requirements.

As for comparos, DP Review has a good side by side comparison system:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras

[andrewvid]

Thanks for that Lance, that actually is a great idea.
Ive been looking around on DP review, they certainly have some great information.
Thanks again

Andrew

[Wayne]

Simple, D800/D4
I have both, and both are excellent for full HD video, D4 does uncompressed HDMI out and is the king of low light, the D800 is no slouch, and then with a D800, you will also have huge macro files for super crops.

Your questions have been answered young Jedi, go forth to your nearest Nikon dealer.

[arthurking83]

D800 and D4 are probably a wee bit over the <$2000 price range, but a D600 is not.

It's not about what gear you have, it's about how creatively you can use it all!

I'm quite confident that the quality of output of the D600's video feature should be on par of will exceed that of the 7D.
Low light performance should blitz 'em all, but I'm not sure if you can output the video feed via a HDMI interface into a portable device tho .. if that's important to 'ya.

D600 is available online for below $2K now. A Tammy 90 would be a good lens for a D600 too BTW .. what other lenses do you have?
If you only have Dx kit type lenses for the D5100, then you may have to assess the acquisition of more lenses eventually, but in the interim, Nikon's Dx only lenses are a straight fit on to a full frame camera too .. it's just that they don't cover the entire image frame of the sensor. The Tammy 90 will tho

[Mathy]

Well the D3200 has HDMI output so I'd be totally shocked if the D600 didn't

[Wayne]

D800 and D4 are probably a wee bit over the <$2000 price range, but a D600 is not.

I missed that bit AK

[arthurking83]

Well the D3200 has HDMI output so I'd be totally shocked if the D600 didn't

Ah! there you go .. everything you could ever need .. plus more than you really need(or could afford anyhow!) .. the OP that is, not you Mathy.

I missed that bit AK

I just wished it wasn't a part of my reality either! ... and being hogtied to tight fiscal pressures myself, it's the first thing that distracts me from dreamworld too!

[ricktas]

If your video is not 'cutting it' then maybe it is more the operator than the camera. Yes you have a entry level camera and comparing a D5100 to a 7D is going to show differences, but try comparing a D800 video to a 7D video and see what you think.

If you want an accurate comparison of the D5100, try a Canon D1100

Also your lenses are integral to the video as well, you mention the Tamron 90mm but no others. You will find if you use high quality glass the results jump up quite a bit when shooting video as the depth of field thing comes into play quite dramatically with video.

[Steve Axford]

I doubt that you will get much useful comment here as few of the posters ever shoot much video. Canon got into video dslr first, but whether they are still better is quite debateable. If I were you, I'd search the net for video reviews of the equivalent Canon and Nikon cameras and take your pick.
In your case you have Nikon so there is an incentive to stay with Nikon, but all your friends have Canon so they can help if you get Canon. I doubt there is a huge difference now but you need to do your own comparisons.

[Lance B]

I doubt that you will get much useful comment here as few of the posters ever shoot much video. Canon got into video dslr first, but whether they are still better is quite debateable. If I were you, I'd search the net for video reviews of the equivalent Canon and Nikon cameras and take your pick.
In your case you have Nikon so there is an incentive to stay with Nikon, but all your friends have Canon so they can help if you get Canon. I doubt there is a huge difference now but you need to do your own comparisons.

You are quite correct, Steve. From what I have seen and read, Canon generally has the slight upper hand in the video stakes.

[nwhc]

One thing for me is the ability to change the aperture and such while recording video you can do this with canon not sure about nikon ( at least the d600 ) maybe a canon 6D would be worth looking at or a 5D MKII second hand for not much more than 1K

[swifty]

A hacked GH2 probably has the best bang for buck video wise.
But yea, agree with everyone the equipment is only one piece of the puzzle. Investing in the skill set would yield far better improvements usually.

[Steve Axford]

You are quite correct, Steve. From what I have seen and read, Canon generally has the slight upper hand in the video stakes.

Generally I suspect you are correct, Lance, but I think it depends on what sort of video you want to take. For absolutely the highest quality, the best Nikon camera has the lead, but for usability, I suspect it is Canon (though I have never used a Nikon for video). I use a Canon 5D mk3 and I usually take the lower quality video because it takes less space on the card, so I don't have a problem with the quality. No dslr is a perfect video camera as it can be quite hard to read a screen on a camera back, etc, etc Pro's use remote screens and more gizmos than you can poke a stick at, but then they get paid for it. They do it because they love the lens options with a dslr.

[andrewvid]

Thanks everyone for your opinions, i have looked at the D600 for a while too, And yes it does have uncompressed video via HDMI which is something i do want.
nwhc: That is something that is a definate in me for video, Having complete manual control over video is a really great thing to have, I know that Canons have that feature, Not sure if Nikon does though.. Research is the key i guess.
Rick: I see what you are saying here and indeed.. you can't really compare those two types of cameras since there is a huge jump in quality.

As much as i would love to get a D800 or go extreme and get a D4.. if my weak arms can hold that thing up.. My budget isn't too much unfortunately..
Still thinking and thinking.. but i hope i end up with a nikon again

[nwhc]

another thing with the canons not sure if there is a Nikon equivalent: http://www.magiclantern.fm
The 7D and 5D are very popular with people making videos so there must be good reason.

[ROA44]

The other questions you need to consider are

Do you want to go crop or full sensor and what extra features are you looking for. Other than that the only other item that will improve quality is as already stated is the lens and your own abilities. I don't know that the brand will make that much extra difference. Which ever way you decide to go with the make of body realize and accept like most of us on low budgets is that eventually $$$$'s are the problem. I have a Nikon D5000 but what ever I buy now I try to look at with the possibility of purchasing a higher level body late to minimize having to re-spend again unnecessarily. I'm not unhappy with Nikon and have sometimes wondered if I should have gone Cannon but I don't think in my case it matters but I wish I hadn't bought the twin lens kit and got a separate body & bought the 105mm f/2.8 but that's history now and am working towards it. So good luck with what ever you choose.

[andrewvid]

another thing with the canons not sure if there is a Nikon equivalent: http://www.magiclantern.fm
The 7D and 5D are very popular with people making videos so there must be good reason.

I have heard about magic lantern firmware, but don't think there is an equivalent for nikon.