Nikon have been dragging there heels a bit after Canon got the jump on everyone with the release of the 5D mk2′s amazing VIDEO capabilities. Now you know I love my 5D but Ben at Team Digital gave me a D7000 to play with to see what I thought of Nikons attempt to shoot full HD 1080p footage.
This is a short test video I did with some comments. Let us know what you think.
I have set up both cameras side by side and tried to set an identical scene so as to make it as easy to compare as possible.
As the 5D is full frame and the Nikon has a 1.5 x crop factor I had to adjust the focal length of the 24 -70mm f/2.8 to match the 5D’s 50mm so I was shooting at around 33mm.
I set up the two cameras with similar settings and have recorded only the raw footage without any grading. Obviously each camera records the info differently on to it’s sensor.
The Nikon is effectively half the price of the 5D but I think the footage still looks pretty good considering.
The Nikon is a different beast handling wise and after a lifetime of Canon use some buttons seemed to be placed in odd positions but regular use overcame any real frustrations in operating.
The Nikons LCD doesn’t seem to be as clear as the Canon but once again this is not a real issue.
My biggest concern was I couldn’t seem to work out how to lock the exposure in video mode and most of the footage would get this annoying flicker in it when the light changed. I’m sure there is a remedy for this but I just didn’t have time to nut it out.
A great option which kicks the 5D in the butt is the built in Intervalometer. Nikons intervalometer is easy to use and in a environment where timelapse photography is becoming essential it’s a real winner for us photog’s.
Overall a cool little camera for those who cant afford the 5D or who have invested in Nikon glass over the years.
Many thanks to Ben at teamdigital.com.au for the use of the camera.
Blog Post by Mike Fletcher
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Fairly obvious which one is better!! Who’s the chick with the sexy legs!!
The 5d seemed to sheet it in really, I thought it might have been just more contrast, but the Nikon seemed to lose have less detail or blacked out a bit in the shadows of the pilons. Would be interested to see the 7D next tot the D7000, probably more of a similar camera price and sensor size.Thanks mate
On the D7000, you need to go into Menu > Settings > Movie Settings > set ‘Manual’ to ‘ON’. Then select ‘M’ on the mode selector and you can control everything as you would with stills. While recording you can adjust ISO + Shutter on the fly but not aperture. The exposure will be locked to you selected setting. If you use old lenses with aperture rings… you can adjust on the lens, although this may introduce vibration while filming.
I actually preferred the 5D footage. But wondering if a little grading wouldn’t eliminate the difference in a few clicks?
Thank You.
Melo
Checking out the vid I hate to say it but I think the good old mk2 is going to take a lot of beating.
The 5D footage just glows – Like a good photo! Doesn’t need to be said again but the Nikon footage didn’t capture anything of the nice light and color, really flat. I guess it’s half the price, but even a 7D would woop the pants off it…
Thanks for the Vid Mike