Video camera decision??

With a 4 month baby at home, my wife thought it would be nice to get a video camera to catch all the upcoming family moments. I've never been a big fan of videos; more of a photograph guy. Anyway, what would you do? Remember, this decision is based on a VIDEO function. The photo aspect is just a bonus.

1. Buy a decent HD camera for $200-400?
+ Not too expensive
+ Good video quality
- Something else to carry, batteries to charge, accssories, etc.

2. Sell my Canon 50D DSLR and upgrade to the 7D which shoots video?
+ I already have the lenses
+ Ability to take (good quality?) video and very good quality photos with one unit
+ Fun new toy for me either way
- More expensive, but not horrible. Figure I'll lose $500 in the process. A little over the cost of stand alone unit.
- Much bigger/heavier than a compact camcorder
- There may be some other limitations with video function on this 7D, like autofocus. I'll need to do some research. While writing this, I noticed a 12-minute limit on a single video! Could be an issue?

3. Use my iPhone 6
+ It's ALWAYS with me; won't miss a moment
+ Pretty good quality video (and again, photos)
- May run low on storage depending on video length/quantity
- Rediculous when played back on television/computer if held vertically (tall skinny video in center of screen)

I'm sure there are a lot of variables and pros/cons I missed. But what's your opinion? Thanks!

Actually #2 may be out. I accidentally looked at a used price for the 7D. Also, I would want the MK II which is $1800!

The 60D takes videos

I was in your position nearly a decade ago and bought a whole new camera/camcorder/tripod/accessories set then, here are my observations from that experience:

- You will be shooting clips of video that are perhaps only a minute or two in length at most. It's not like you're going to record a full-length presentation of your child yawning or looking at the television. Whatever you end up sharing with friends and family will be montages of these short clips, not anything lengthy.

- The stills are more important than the video - your child yawning, gazing at the TV, these are portrait images that will be timeless and you'll look at forever. You can instantly and easily share individual images or collages anytime by firing off a quick e-mail or social media update.

- Bearing all of the above in mind: A camera that takes top-shelf stills and includes good video fits the bill nicely, as opposed to having two devices that specialize in one or the other. Most modern DSLRs and MFT cameras will give you pro-level photos and better-than-most-camcorders video.

- DSLRs and MFT cameras have quite a bit of mass and require a bag of some size to carry gear; not ideal when the baby has quite a lot of gear to be carried around as well. If you're not married to the SLR format, a point-and-shoot that has a near-SLR sized sensor can simplify your encumbrance significantly while still churning out incredible pics and vids.

The problem with the big image sensors is the big price that they come with. In your likely application the big sensor is vastly more than you need. I recently digitized about 2500 Kodachrome slides. Kodachrome had the best resolution of any color film. I concluded that grain size for Kodachrome limited the effective resolution to something around 6mp. I have come to the conclusion that there are very few circumstances where large image sensor and 18-25mp provide any visible improvement over your typical 1/1.7 12-16mp sensor on most of the higher end Point and Shoot cameras.

Let me suggest you look at it another way. The stills you take are likely to end up as prints, or in a digital picture frame. There are no 6mp digital picture frames. If you want to blow up one of your photos to say 8x10, it is tough to see the any difference between 300dpi and 3000 dpi. So your 8x 10 is likely to require something on the order of 2400x3000 pixels. That is 7.2mp.

If you want a relatively big sensor in small camera, go for a Sony Rx100. That is a 1 inch sensor (and Zeiss optics), and since Sony has produced 3 iterations of this camera in rapid sucession, the original version (now just over a year old), can be had for surprisingly little money as a used, or factory refurbished camera. It shoots video and fits in a pocket (and not even a very large pocket at that) and is 20mp. The beauty of the higher end point and shoot camera is they are easily carried, and can be fully operational in literally a second or two and take pictures that are vitually indistinquishable from High end DSLR at image sizes you are going to be interested in. Since it is point and shoot, just about anyone can take pretty good pictures with it.(can you do that with a DSLR?)

mattheww50 said:

If you want a relatively big sensor in small camera, go for a Sony Rx100.

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+1, that's the conclusion I came to.

Thanks for the responses, they are helpful!

I am married to my 50D both as a hobby and some side freelance jobs, so I don't see myself giving that up. That's why I considered the 7D upgrade.

But it is a good point about the videos being short, and how small cameras take quality photos too. I actually feel bad since I have $4500 worth of camera/lens gear, but my iPhone takes 95% of my photos!

I bought a Canon HG10 (second hand) before our girl was born.. And I`m very glad I did.
Once in a while you will have to record longer than 2-3 minutes.. Its probably only increasing when your kid(s) get older.

Besides that we already had a compact digital camera.
For my hobby I still use my Canon 40D, and have a few nice lenses.
So I would advice to get a dedicated video camera.

markr6 said:

I actually feel bad since I have $4500 worth of camera/lens gear, but my iPhone takes 95% of my photos!

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Yes, the convenience aspect of photography/videography suddenly becomes exponentially greater once you get into the new family lifestyle; when going somewhere involves ten minutes each for a lengthy and physically taxing loading/unloading procedure, when a simple family trip requires you to become a luggage porter faring outsized loads to and fro, the idea of then coming home after all of this to unload a camera bag, take the time to physically connect the camera, experiment with photo editing software, etc. is not even reasonable. You'll end up with photos and videos on a storage device somewhere that you'll eventually get around to doing something with, maybe someday..

The aforementioned Sony RX100 III has a "Send To Phone" button, you just open a [free] app on your phone, hit that button, presto, whatever you just selected on the camera is now on your phone. You can have images/video e-mailed or posted on a social media site literally two minutes after you've taken it, no cables, no computer, instant at-the-scene updates to share with everyone.

StarHalo said:

The aforementioned Sony RX100 III has a "Send To Phone" button, you just open a [free] app on your phone, hit that button, presto, whatever you just selected on the camera is now on your phone. You can have images/video e-mailed or posted on a social media site literally two minutes after you've taken it, no cables, no computer, instant at-the-scene updates to share with everyone.

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I'm attracted to this. :thumbsup:

pump it said:

I'm attracted to this. :thumbsup:

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It's especially impressive with cloud storage; a moment aside in the car or the restaurant is enough to forever save all the pictures you just took. You can open your photos on your home computer (or somebody else's computer) without the camera ever having interfaced with it.

And don't forget photo editing - phones have rather impressive photo editing capabilities these days that make coming up with something polished quick and easy. Show everyone a professionally photographed and assembled slide show of the event that is now concluding..

StarHalo said:

...Show everyone a professionally photographed and assembled slide show of the event that is now concluding..

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not trying to rain on anyone's parade here... but do people want to watch a slide show of something they just finished experiencing? Shouldn't they be reflecting on their own memories or such? I can see that people might want to share a particularly good photo that they got.. it only takes a couple of seconds, but to stop and watch a slide show?

If the intended audience is people that weren't able to attend the event, then I totally understand. It is getting very close to the function of live video, though.

Steve K said:

I can see that people might want to share a particularly good photo that they got..

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You'll be getting a lot of particularly good photos; 20 megapixels behind an f/1.8 lens, image stabilization, 10 fps, a 32 Gb card holds ~2,000 images, etc. This is the backup camera most pros use when they don't want to lug a bag..

I have the Samsung HMX-F90. it's light, takes stills while videoing, charges via USB, and has a SD card slot. i can put it in my pocket and forget that it is there.

I forgot about this thread. I ended up keeping my 50D, obviously iPhone 6, and picked up a Canon camcorder for about $200 on Amazon. It's pretty nice. I don't like touch screens but it gets the job done. A little noisy in dim lighting. I'll probably be using this a lot come summer and when my son gets to the point where he's walking.

iPhone 6 for quick video/pics, and especially while backpacking as usual

50D photos when weight/bulk doesn't matter or when I need the best quality and lens options

You'll be using the iPhone 98% of the time, I can't picutre any situation where I'd use an old-school camcorder anymore.

StarHalo said:

You'll be using the iPhone 98% of the time, I can't picutre any situation where I'd use an old-school camcorder anymore.

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The iphone was a game changer for me. I always have my phone with me, so there's really never a time I won't be able to catch the action. The quality is good too.

But some times when I'll use my camcorder would be for kids playing sports, in a play at school, etc. when I'm a good 50' or further away.

To be honest you want to get a phone with a good video camera on it (edit - which your iPhone will have). You will always have it with you, it will always be charged, they are just so easy to get out and go. Since our daughter came along there have only been 2 or 3 times when the actual stand alone video camera had come out. The phone is just so much less obtrusive and feels less forced.

You have to remember also you won't be shooting Lord of the rings with it, as good as a stand alone may be, your lighting will probably not be ideal and unless like my brother shooting video is your thing and you understand all the technical bits not to mention tricks of the trade, the super expensive cameras will not produce much better results. This is the case with me anyway.

I find we watch the short clips we take on the phones quite often not so much the long ones, and rarely the actual video camera ones as they are not automatically on our phones/Dropbox.

KelDG said:

your lighting will probably not be ideal and unless like my brother shooting video is your thing and you understand all the technical bits not to mention tricks of the trade, the super expensive cameras will not produce much better results.

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This is a solid point, and I highly recommend delving into some of the technical bits (specifically camera settings and composition) to get the most out of any camera. Knowing how to coax your camera settings and set up a lovely view will still yield an excellent picture on a junky camera, whereas just leaving everything on auto and shooting what's in front of you will get an unremarkable picture on a $2,000 DSLR. The iPhone 6 is closer to the latter, so better skills = better results.

And it's once you get into those skills that the differences with the expensive cameras start to shine through. Last time I was at Disneyland, I walked into a perfect nighttime moon shot, and so took up a position next to a Middle Eastern guy with his iPad, the only other person who could see the composition. His iPad could see the white dot of the moon and nothing more, meanwhile my Sony could make out the image below even with no tripod. He put his iPad to his side in resignation and said, "That is a very good camera my friend, very good.."



Also, if you're just wanting better telephoto/zoom for your iPhone, Amazon has the answer..

StarHalo said:

Also, if you're just wanting better telephoto/zoom for your iPhone, Amazon has the answer..

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HAHA no way!! That would be fun to try.

I've spent the past 9 years tuning my DSLR skills. I only shoot in RAW and have the composition and any editing down to a science. But since I got my iPhone 5, and now an iPhone 6, the DSLR has been sitting quite a bit. I feel bad, but the iPhone is just so convenient and the quality is good enough 90% of the time, I don't really think about my DSLR. Of coruse it still has it's place though. I have a good $3,000 tied up in lenses and they always amaze me even on the simplest subjects.