Mike Chen

The 24-70 f/2.8 is Nikon's top of the line allround zoom for full frame sensors, and has the performance and price tag to match that. For a lot smaller price you get 24-70 f/2.8 lenses manufactured by Sigma or Tamron. Those lenses are not fully as good as the Nikon lens, but they're certainly not bad at all. And Nikon primes - You can use all the older Nikkor glass (AI, AI-S, AF etc) that is out there on the used market.
 
Point being, you can certainly find good affordable alternatives from Nikon, Tamron, Tokina or Sigma for Nikon DSLRs - prices for lenses should NOT be the biggest reason to choose between those lens mounts (or cameras).
 
If autofocusing in video mode is important on the other hand - that's a very valid reason to go for G6.

Thanks bud. It's quite a relief to know that since I'll quite likely build up a system just for photography in the near future.

Funny thing is, I never took autofocus seriously till the point I tried those 2 cameras and started recording people on the street, a place I anticipate to document. Focusing from one person to the next in fluid and unobtrusive fashion was quite important, and I couldn't make it look decent with the Nikon. Autofocus hunts way too often and slowly, and the manual focus ring, as opposed to G6's trigger/touch screen, make the video slightly jittery. Again, I'm not knocking against the actual IQ, it's brilliant, the camera either isn't right or I just lack the appropriate skill.

I'm looking at the GH3 and G6 at the moment, do you have any experience with the two, in terms of stills and video? Any insight would be appreciated.

One good thing about going Nikon at least for lens is that you can put a 50 year old lens on it and can expect to put one you buy today on a camera body for the next 50 years. Because of that you have big big lens choice. That is why Nikon lens tend to keep there value very high. The second advantage is that it has a manusl aperture ring which can be used on many adapters while the Canon can only be done electronically. Which is very costly and difficult to do.

 

As for the Body you have to look more at the new D5300. I don't know against the g6 but it wipes the floor for gh3 camera and the Canons APSC in low light condition as it is close to the D5200. It is very close to the Canon 5d3 in video for low light and looking to have at least 12 stop DR (could be higher because it is still in test). The D5200/d5300 also does not have any moire/aliasing if you compare it to the Canon Apsc cameras. It also has 60 fps at 1080p and you can add a Ninja to get 220 mbs prores if you want for high motion and very detailed scene in the future. For video it has one disadvantage is that you can change exposure while in live view. The solution is to have a set of older prime lens or zoom with an aperture ring. 

 

In term of photos the D5300 is better than any Canon camera below 800 ISO. It best the 5d3 in resolution and DR by two stops. Only in low light that the 5d3 full frame sensor beat the lowly $ 800 Nikon D5300 LOL. I think it will be the same against the micro 4/3 cameras.

 

So as a conclusion, if photo is really important for you the D5300 is clearly in front. For video if you can live with the aperture problem and dynamic range and low light are very important for you it is the best choice.

 

Thanks very much for your input, Danyyyel. 

 

The reason I ruled out the Nikon after some trying it doesn't have anything to do with its ability ---- the pictures and videos spit out of my Sandisk was *very* impressive. Video's on par with the G6 in my eyes, and photo is clearly superior. However, I'm a rookie photographer/videographer with only a point-and-shoot LX5 as my previous camera, handling the Nikon felt somewhat difficult. The G6 has a zoom trigger and touchscreen which makes handling video very smooth and silent. 

 

The biggest reason, is that Nikon lenses are expensive. When a CAD$999 lens like the Olympus Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 can pretty much have me covered, the price of a Nikon zoom lens (or multiple fixed lens combined) starts to look pretty scary, a 24-70mm F2.8 is a whopping CAD$1886......... Coupled with the fact that its autofocus and tracking was off the pace compared to the G6, maybe I'm incapable of handling it the right way, but it doesn't feel like it's built for me. 

The G5 is crap, you may as well spend a bit extra and get a used GH2 if you consider the G6 not cheap enough

Andrew, quick question, in your comparison video, did you turn Gh3's bit rate to the max at 72Mbps? And what format was the G6 video, MP4 or AVCHD?

 

Thank you. 

good supply of brand new Yashica ML 28mm f2.8 lenses at a very very good price!!  £45 bargin

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yashica-ML-28-F2-8-Lens-Contax-C-Y-Mount-new-/181253873207?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item2a33929e37

 

Hi Andy, thanks again for your input. 

 

I finally got the chance to go to Lozeau, the only local store that sells both the G6 and D5200. Right  of the bat the Nikon was out. The lack of touch scree just didn't speak to me after I shot some footage with the G6. The sales person also suggested me to try the GH3, which had just dropped to CAD$999, as opposed to G6 at $CAD 720. Now that's tempting. 

 

I don't much fancy an alloy body nor HDMI out (weather proof is nice though). I only care about video quality. Do you know how much, in reality, is the video IQ difference between the G6 vs. GH3 @ 72mb/s? And can G6 produce video at 25%~300% speed like the GH3?

 

Is G6 able to produce something like this: 

I have larger sensor cameras full frame Canons etc but I do prefer the micro 4/3 system the sensor size is quite close to a super 35mm cinema film frame and gives a very filmic look dof I prefer

large sensor cameras have way too narrow dof for me it , I dont like 1/32" dof at f1.4 on a full frame canon its not really usable for me

 

read this article on how large full frame sensors can be challenging on set as the dof is sooooo narrow

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/02/the-power-of-focus/

Thanks so much for the article, Andy, I guess I paid too much attention to the specs (like all newbie would at some point) and haven't got a clue how they translate to real-world use. 

 

I'm going to test both the G6 and the D5200 with my own SD cards in a store here in Montreal. Unless the D5200 really have a significant edge in stills like some claimed, I think G6 would be the way to go.

if you have a panasonic micro 4/3 lens (like th 14mm or 14-42 kit lens ) the G6 lets you assign aperture control to the function slider/switch on th top of the camera so you can alter aperture while shooting - this is a very useful feature. I like it!

Hi Andy, I'm *VERY* close to picking up a G6, thanks largely to your strong recommendations.

 

Just a few more questions, have you run into moments where you think "time to change to a bigger sensor camera"? And if you have/foresee, what extra equipment do you prepare yourself for the transition? I'm talking about lenses, adapters, etc which I have zero experience with. 

I just noticed one things from a number of Nikon5200 reviews, stating that it doesn't have aperture control in live view. For those of you who's been shooting for a while, is this a big issue? Can it be worked around?

 

And does the G6 have that function?

D5200 - better than G6 in low light. Better stills. Larger sensor.

 

G6 - Better all round video features, 1080/60p useful for slow-mo, has electronic viewfinder you can use for video, more fine details in video than the D5200 manages

 

Do you need AF? I recommend manual focus for video but if you need AF, G6 will do it best for video.

 

Regardless of the body choice, Nikon AI lenses on eBay are a great choice as they work on almost anything...Canon, Panasonic, Nikon, you name it! The 50mm F1.4 is a good buy and not expensive. The E-series Nikon lenses are extremely sharp for the money. 100mm F2.8 especially.

 

Thanks a lot, Andrew, I don't much need AF, I have used manual focus on other camera plenty of times and though I'm by no means an expert, I very much enjoy the process. 

 

As a still camera, is D5200's larger sensor size yield *significantly* better image quality, and/or shallower focal length?

 

By "working on anything" you mean Nikon lenses can be used on any bodies with an adapter, without any shortcomings? The lense system is currently my biggest concern, and unfortunately, something I have zero experience with. 

Hey guys, great advice. Truly appreciated. 

 

And Ben, I don't think I made myself clear with regarding to body and lens. I actually thought of that, so here's a more detailed breakdown of my potential filmmaking set budget:

-Rode mic                 ~150

-Filters                      <$50

-Camera body           <$800

-Lenses                     <$800    

 

 

I really should have titled this thread "what's the best set up for all together under $1600" instead of just asking for the camera body. And yes, my biggest concern, other than the image/video quality, is which lens system I ought to start building. 

 

What are the benefits of EF vs MFT (and potentially N mount) lens systems, especially a few years down the road?

That's a very helpful list, thanks Andy. 

 

For video I'm planning to shoot a mixture of indoor and outdoors, documentary/short films would be my end product. I don't foresee myself shooting something in extreme distance, though on the other hand, macro might be needed at some point. 

 

By recommending the Canon FD, are you saying that MFT works well with adaptors, as in distortion/lost in IQ is minimal?

Thanks Andy, so is it safe to say that G6's still image is (somewhat) comparable to the 5200 while providing superior video?

 

The user interface is quite well designed, according to the video reviews. 

 

What lens would you recommend for MFT?

Also, any lens to recommend if I were to go ahead with the MFT system?

Thanks for all your input, guys. Could you elaborate on what makes the G6/D5200 better than the other models, despite similar specs on paper?

 

And, does bit rate matters in terms of video quality? One reason that makes me consider the GH2(hacked) is that it's capable of very high bit rates. 

 

To Andy Lee: That's one of the reasons MFT system got me interested. My question is, when I do get a bigger budget, should I look at a bigger sensor size as the priority? Or is the system design much more important?

Hey guys, newbie here, really enjoy the knowledge this site has to offer. 

 

I'm looking to buy my first all-around camera, with equal emphasis on photo and video(slightly more on video since I also have a budget for Rode mic and ND filters). My previous camera was a Lumix lx-5, which served me quite well for street photography, but now its speed, IQ, and lack of video features made it inadequate. 

 

My budget for the camera is $800CAD(pretty much on par with UD$ now). And I've considered a number of options after spending countless hours reading reviews and watching test footage. I'm at the stage where I realize the research should stop and a decision ought to be made. Any input or pointers from you guys would be appreciated. 

 

Things I need do to photography:

-Image quality, color accuracy, sharpness, dynamic range (I'll potentially be making some mid-size to large prints)

-High quality in both raw and jpeg

-Low light

-Decent speed (street and in-door photography is my main thing, not looking to shoot sports)

 

Features I need for videography

-24fps 1080p

-Dynamic range

-Details, low moire and rolling shutter

 

Other qualities:

-Some level of weather protection (I know I can't get full weather sealing at this price)

-Articulating screen would be nice for a more stealthy street presence, but not essential. 

 

These are the cameras within my budget: Panasonic G6, GH2(used), Nikon D5200, Nikon D7000(used), Canon 60D (new/used). 

 

One question: I plan to do this for the long term and I will move on to better systems in the future, as in higher-end Nikon/Canon/MFT/Blackmagic cameras. Should I be set on a lens system now and aim to upgrade camera bodies in the future, or should I just get whatever suits me? 

 

Any input, hands-one experience and comparisons would be greatly appreciated. And thanks for your patience to read through my rambling.