dslr with high dynamic range

[LessThanSatisfactory]

I'm looking for a dslr that can shoot video, and its crucial that the camera has high dynamic range.it would be helpful if the camera is under $2000

[Hans Christian | Teri]

What exactly are you planning on using it for and why exactly is HDR video so important to you? A used 5D Mark II with Magic Lantern will get you a loooooooong way for film making.

[SteepGnomeKing]

I know NOTHING about camera but there is a guy on youtube who does videos on DSLR camera's

 

His channel

 

6d vs 5d

 

[CaptainSi]

Black magic recently released a micro four thirds cinema camera. Shoots raw, 13 stops of dynamic range, shoots raw or prores, whichever you prefer. I haven't used it personally but for that featureset and coming in at under $1000 it sounds pretty damn cool.
 

http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera

dSLR video isn't renouned for having particularly stellar dynamic range in video mode (they are stills cameras first and foremost), so most of that will come out in post production. However if you invest in some lights and gels and lens filters you'll probably have a much better experience then buying an expensive dSLR.

As for recommendations of dSLRs for video I'll throw a list below, in order of recommendation. I'll only include cameras I've had personal experience with.

1. Sony a65
+Flat colour profile (much more preferable for post)
+Best video quality out of list
+Focus peaking
+Continual autofocus + focus lock (SLT technology)
+In body stabilization
-No manual audio levels
-Minolta hotshoe (adapters available)
-Cheapest out of list
-Jello effect is basically non-existent when shooting at 50/60p

2. Canon 70D
+Insanely awesomely fast and accurate autofocus
+New ish
+Good noise control
+Manual audio levels

-Shit UI
-Pricey

3. Canon 5D
+Lots of documentation online about video shooting with this camera
+Lots of accessories video-specific for this camera
+Dog shit UI
-Very Pricey
-Limited to 12-15 minute takes (can be solved by Magic Lantern but voids warranty)
-Brutal jello effect

4. Canon 7D
+Even more documentation online
+Even more accessories
+Equally shit UI
-Overexpensive
-Limited to 12-15 minute takes (can be solved by Magic Lantern but voids warranty)
-Brutal jello effect

I've shot on many other dSLRs and honestly from a PURELY video perspective, these four are your best bet. I wouldn't recommend the Canons at all unless you've already got lenses, in which case definitely go the 70D, otherwise the a65 will wipe the floor with them, purely from the clarity of video it spits out. 
 

[ShaneDale]

What Hans Christian said. 5DMk II with Magic Lantern. To get the dynamic range you will have to shoot RAW video if you don't mind doing that. Also Magic Lantern is coming out with something called Dual ISO which will get you 14 Stops of dynamic range. It's not stable yet but that would get you the most dynamic range. 

[LessThanSatisfactory]

What exactly are you planning on using it for and why exactly is HDR video so important to you? A used 5D Mark II with Magic Lantern will get you a loooooooong way for film making.

well, im an amateur film maker, and all the cameras and camcorders I've used so far have TERRIBLE dynamic range.  

[LessThanSatisfactory]

What exactly are you planning on using it for and why exactly is HDR video so important to you? A used 5D Mark II with Magic Lantern will get you a loooooooong way for film making.

how about a D7000? just for filmmaking.

[dharmadrummer]

how about a D7000? just for filmmaking.

It would work okay as long as you make sure to adjust the white balance. You would also need an external microphone for recording sound. The internal isn't horrible (unless you use continuous autofocus) but external will be better by leaps and bounds. A dedicated camcorder is what you should be looking at but a Canon 5D Mark II will be better than a D7000.

[Hans Christian | Teri]

how about a D7000? just for filmmaking.

 

I have no idea about Nikon to be honest, I have always and will always be a Canon man.

[Puppet]

@CaptainSi

 

Going to have to slightly disagree with you on some points. Mainly defending the 5d (mkiii) in particular.

 

You mentioned that the Sony a65 has the best image quality, but at 24Mbps, it falls way short of both the 5d Mk2 and 3 and with the Mk3 you could add an Atmos Ninja and record in whatever codec you like as well as adding all the peaking functions and removing file size restrictions.

 

The Sony also has a crop sensor which has a ton of negatives like FOV and DOF, but most importantly its far more sensitive to noise than the 35mm equivalent Canons, which on the Mk3 is outstanding.

 

I don't think the jello effect is worth mentioning on the 5d, rolling shutter is fairly minimal on the mk3, about the same as any other CMOS video camera including the REDs.

 

I would say that the a65 would be easier to use in certain situations, but the 5d Mk3 still rules the roost in the DSLR world, also don't understand why you rate the 70d above the 5d?

 

To answer the OPs question for dynamic range I would say the 5dMk3, better processor for shooting RAW with Magic Lantern. Black Magic Cameras are definitely more stable and have an easier workflow, but the noise levels and crop sensor and lack of communication on some lenses would put me off and if we are talking about dog shit UI, the Black Magic cameras definitely take the crown on that one. There is a reason the BM cameras pricing took a nose dive recently.

 

With some skill you could pull this off on a 5dMk3:

 

But for some proper HDR RAW footage that isn't awkward to produce, I would say you have to spend a lot more than 4 figures.

[CaptainSi]

@CaptainSi

 

Going to have to slightly disagree with you on some points. Mainly defending the 5d (mkiii) in particular.

 

You mentioned that the Sony a65 has the best image quality, but at 24Mbps, it falls way short of both the 5d Mk2 and 3 and with the Mk3 you could add an Atmos Ninja and record in whatever codec you like as well as adding all the peaking functions and removing file size restrictions.

 

The Sony also has a crop sensor which has a ton of negatives like FOV and DOF, but most importantly its far more sensitive to noise than the 35mm equivalent Canons, which on the Mk3 is outstanding.

 

I don't think the jello effect is worth mentioning on the 5d, rolling shutter is fairly minimal on the mk3, about the same as any other CMOS video camera including the REDs.

 

I would say that the a65 would be easier to use in certain situations, but the 5d Mk3 still rules the roost in the DSLR world, also don't understand why you rate the 70d above the 5d?

 

To answer the OPs question for dynamic range I would say the 5dMk3, better processor for shooting RAW with Magic Lantern. Black Magic Cameras are definitely more stable and have an easier workflow, but the noise levels and crop sensor and lack of communication on some lenses would put me off and if we are talking about dog shit UI, the Black Magic cameras definitely take the crown on that one. There is a reason the BM cameras pricing took a nose dive recently.

 

With some skill you could pull this off on a 5dMk3:

 

But for some proper HDR RAW footage that isn't awkward to produce, I would say you have to spend a lot more than 4 figures.

The listing is very much based on a purely FILM usage only, and with price points considered. It's true that Magic Lantern can be used, it's true that you can add accessories to make the 5D a much better cinema camera, and it's true that the Sony has a crop factor, however after spending $4000 building a jenga tower of accessories around the 5D one might feel a bit silly knowing that a $600 Sony could have got the job done just as well. The crop factor is such a tiny issue, I didn't feel it was worth mentioning, but it certainly is there, just like the fact that the Canon's auto focus is poo poo in live view mode (again, I wouldn't consider it an issue worth mentioning). The price thingy is also why the 70D is above the 5D. Haven't used the Pocket Cinema so I didn't comment on the UI. Are you sure you're talking about the Pocket Cinema and not the old Cinema Prods? If you have used the Pocket Cinema how on earth did you get your greasy little paws on it? Jealous/10.

[Puppet]

The listing is very much based on a purely FILM usage only, and with price points considered. It's true that Magic Lantern can be used, it's true that you can add accessories to make the 5D a much better cinema camera, and it's true that the Sony has a crop factor, however after spending $4000 building a jenga tower of accessories around the 5D one might feel a bit silly knowing that a $600 Sony could have got the job done just as well. The crop factor is such a tiny issue, I didn't feel it was worth mentioning, but it certainly is there, just like the fact that the Canon's auto focus is poo poo in live view mode (again, I wouldn't consider it an issue worth mentioning). The price thingy is also why the 70D is above the 5D. Haven't used the Pocket Cinema so I didn't comment on the UI. Are you sure you're talking about the Pocket Cinema and not the old Cinema Prods? If you have used the Pocket Cinema how on earth did you get your greasy little paws on it? Jealous/10.

 

Fair enough, I understand your point of view, in certain situations where there is a need for continuous shooting the Sony may have an advantage, but the only time that comes to mind are events such as music or some sports. I am used to Corporates, Interviews and Promotional style vids so the desired result may affect the decision making here.

 

Just wanted to add my thoughts to balance the discussion, I still maintain the 5d mk3 even without ML or an external recording device will produce the best quality video out of the DSLRs and can produce incredibly steady handheld shots with an IS lens such as the relatively inexpensive 24-105 as well as sensor size and ISO performance being incredibly important to me.

 

Yeah I was talking about the old Black Magic Cinema cameras which to be honest I didn't like, I think you are right here though, considering the price the BM Pocket probably fits into the OP's budget perfectly once you add a lens or two, cards and other accessories. I haven't used the Pocket camera so haven't fully made my mind up yet, after watching other peoples footage it seems that again you have to be careful about setting up your shots, it looks as though it struggles a bit with complicated scenes, I'm guessing that this is a limitation of recording RAW to SD.

 

I think all the cameras mentioned have issues shooting RAW tbh, they are all getting pushed to the absolute limit, I am looking forward to the next couple of generations when all of this becomes a lot more functional. But yeah I think the only correct answer here considering the OP's budget may be the BM Pocket, damn I am slightly tempted now myself :D but definitely want to get hands on with it first, I know it won't live up to my expectations, but for the money it does seem pretty good.

 

Interviewer: "Do you think this is going to replace the 5d in film sets?"

 

Black Magic Rep: "AHhhhhhhhhhhhh" (Inaudible noise)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EkTlVx5q7Jw#t=337

[CaptainSi]

Fair enough, I understand your point of view, in certain situations where there is a need for continuous shooting the Sony may have an advantage, but the only time that comes to mind are events such as music or some sports. I am used to Corporates, Interviews and Promotional style vids so the desired result may affect the decision making here.

 

Just wanted to add my thoughts to balance the discussion, I still maintain the 5d mk3 even without ML or an external recording device will produce the best quality video out of the DSLRs and can produce incredibly steady handheld shots with an IS lens such as the relatively inexpensive 24-105 as well as sensor size and ISO performance being incredibly important to me.

 

Yeah I was talking about the old Black Magic Cinema cameras which to be honest I didn't like, I think you are right here though, considering the price the BM Pocket probably fits into the OP's budget perfectly once you add a lens or two, cards and other accessories. I haven't used the Pocket camera so haven't fully made my mind up yet, after watching other peoples footage it seems that again you have to be careful about setting up your shots, it looks as though it struggles a bit with complicated scenes, I'm guessing that this is a limitation of recording RAW to SD.

 

I think all the cameras mentioned have issues shooting RAW tbh, they are all getting pushed to the absolute limit, I am looking forward to the next couple of generations when all of this becomes a lot more functional. But yeah I think the only correct answer here considering the OP's budget may be the BM Pocket, damn I am slightly tempted now myself :D but definitely want to get hands on with it first, I know it won't live up to my expectations, but for the money it does seem pretty good.

 

Interviewer: "Do you think this is going to replace the 5d in film sets?"

 

Black Magic Rep: "AHhhhhhhhhhhhh" (Inaudible noise)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EkTlVx5q7Jw#t=337

Those old cinema prod's were horrible, and heres to hoping that the pocket cinema will live up to the box art, but I'm skeptical like you. Also, in my experience, Sony's in-body stabilization is every bit as good as any lens stab will ever be, so it just means you don't have to fork out money for feature glass, which is a nice bonus. You're completely right about the video performance on the Mk 3 for staged, especially in controllable events like interviews, or in low light where it can really stretch its legs, but certain things like only having 30 fps to work with @ 1080 is horridly crippling in my use case, and is probably why I'm so harsh on the Canons. All of the cameras, especially the 5D, are really great, so it really is just coming down to cost and features.

[MrSuperb]

For (budget) video Panasonic GH2 / GH3. Forget those stupid Canons ;)

 

http://www.eoshd.com/content/9920/gh3-review

 

Many will want compare the Panasonic GH3 to a Canon DSLR for video, as many still shoot on these more traditional DSLRs when it comes to video. Allow me to summarise because it is a long list. Here’s what you get extra on the GH3 over an APS-C Canon DSLR.

• 1080/60p for slow-mo at the highest HD resolution
• Larger range of recording codecs
• Articulated screen (saves your back big time)
• OLED display technology
• Built in EVF usable during recording
• Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds mount
• Full-time auto-focus, AF tracking silent optical image stabilisation in video mode with compatible Micro Four Thirds lenses
• Uncompressed clean HDMI output at full 1080p, does not drop when you hit record
• Much higher resolution and detail
• MUCH less moire and aliasing
• .....
•  

Tell me one good reason why you are still shooting on a Rebel.

 

[Puppet]

For (budget) video Panasonic GH2 / GH3. Forget those stupid Canons ;)

 

Would actually agree with this against the APS-C Canon's, The 5dmk3 is something else though :p

 

Still this is a topic for DSLRs with HDR capability with a $2000 budget, I think the BM Pocket is the only possible answer new, even though its not a DSLR.

[LessThanSatisfactory]

Would actually agree with this against the APS-C Canon's, The 5dmk3 is something else though

 

Still this is a topic for DSLRs with HDR capability with a $2000 budget, I think the BM Pocket is the only possible answer new, even though its not a DSLR.

I agree, I've settled on the bm pocket, but can you tell me what res it shoots at?

[Puppet]

I agree, I've settled on the bm pocket, but can you tell me what res it shoots at?

 

1080p ProRes and RAW DNG (After update, not sure if it has been rolled out yet). Philip Bloom just released a teaser and his review on it (Part 2 coming soon)

 

 

 

I think this is just ProRes he is using (he mentioned he hadn't received the update yet, so I assume this is the case)

[DyGr00339]

I'm getting a T3i