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Video camera reccomendation
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My 7D and T3i both shoot way more than 12 minutes- but if you’re in the UK this is artificially limited to 29 minutes by law.
Noah
Call Box Training.
Featuring the Panasonic GH2 and Panasonic AC160/130. -
Noah, I can’t speak for your cameras, but according to the 7D’s specs at Canon USA: “Continuous Shooting Time: Approx. 12 min.(Full HD); 12 min. (HD); 24 min. (SD)”
Sadly, all Canon DSLRs (except the 5DMkIII) are limited to 12 minutes of continuous video shooting in HD due to the file structure they use when recording (FAT32), which limits file sizes to 4GB and does not allow file spanning.
Cheers,
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Hi Bill,
I’m not 100% sure of this but my understanding that the file size/time limit is different across the globe like in Great Britain since it also has a lot to do with taxes and government regulation in addition to the technical aspects which you brought up.Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Steve – In EU countries, cameras that can record video for more than 30 minutes are taxed as camcorders, which is a higher rate. As a result, all manufacturers limit their “DSLR” and point and shoot cameras to 30 minutes or less of recording when exporting them to the EU area.
To confuse the issue, some manufacturers have not done the work to deal with technical limits on continuous recording (Canon [12 minutes*], Nikon [20 minutes]), and some have made a policy decision to market their cameras with the same recording time worldwide (Sony [30 minutes]).
I’ve omitted Pentax and the other minor players, but they all have recording time limits.
Only Panasonic uncripples their cameras and gives them unlimited video recording time outside of the EU area. My Panasonic Point and Shoot FZ150 has unlimited recording time, for crying out loud, but a $3000 Nikon doesn’t? I won’t buy any of these cameras until the manufacturers lift the recording time limit outside of the EU.
Cheers,
*except for the 5DMkIII [30 minutes]
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What a great overview, thanks Bill!
Although it would be nice to have the option to film longer – it’s not a deal breaker for me since I mainly film interviews and short sequences. Also the overheating issue comes into play the longer you record. Speaking of overheating I think I am going to start a new thread on a related topic, thanks for reminding me!
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
GH2 should be the obvious choice. $650, no recording limit, and firmware hacks that make it easily exceed the performance of any DSLR. The only areas where it can’t quite match, say, the 5D mark III, are lowlight performance (although some hacks bring it damn near close), and shallow depth of field. Since you’re also considering getting a small-sensor camcorder, I assume that neither of those are absolutely essential.
I had a 7D for two years before selling it and picking up a GH2 a couple months back. Never regretted it once. Spend the extra cash on good lenses, like the Voigtländer 17.5mm and 25mm f/0.95s, Zuiko 12mm f/2, or your favorite flavor of vintage glass.
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The FX7 and 1000U do not do well in low light. I would stay away from HDV. The newer cameras have better imaging and an better sensor. I don’t know anything about the 3rd camera.
Yes the 5D Mk III does perform better than the Mk II and much better than the 7D, 60D, etc. Here is a test shoot using the Mk III. It’s incredible in low light at high ISO settings. You can record up to 30 minutes continuous on the Mk III verses only 11 minutes on the other cameras.
vimeo.com/38897047
Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.netSony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut StudioHP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite -
Wow, I never heard of the 30 minute tax. That’s crazy. I guess that’s why Canon’s new MkIII has a recording time of 29 minutes 59 seconds.
Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.netSony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut StudioHP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite -
Bill,
Many thanks for the advice and uploading the video.
Scott
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