Selling out on Nikon and going Sony?

[lawrencep93]

I currently have a Nikon D7000 and D3000
With it a: 
Rode video mic pro
35m f/1.8
50m f/1.4
18-105 kit lens DX
10-24 f/3.5-4 DX
70-300 f/4-5.6
All lens are the newish ones with built in focus motors
SB-700 Flash
2 x EN-EL15 Batteries Nikon

I do the odd bit of photography with it at events, recently did my sister engagement party, so the photography and flash part are great to keep over a dedicated video camera. I also do a bit of hobby and travel photography but not as much as video.

Basically as a hobby/ side project I shoot youtube videos and will be working on a new video product soon with a football player and Personal Trainer.

Question is what should I upgrade to seeing my main focus is on video?

I was looking at the Sony A7s ii which looks amazing but a little pricey, Is it possible to trade in my gear and get a Sony maybe with less lens, just a standard kit lens and then some fixed lens, or even if I can keep my 50m F/1.4 which is full frame using an adapter then buying a standard zoom lens and rocking just 2 lens for now.

I have not really used my 70-300mm since I stopped playing soccer and taking photos for my old soccer club, also the last time I used the ultra wide was quite a while ago my most used lens is the 35mm and 50mm when doing video and photography I love both as they are super fast.

Any other options I should consider?

Any point in going for a dedicated video camera? I seem to like the DSLR quality for the price point compared to other video cameras I have seen

[cc143]

I dont see how you can finance the entire switchover by selling your gear, in fact, I dont think you would get more than half the cost of the a7sii tbh. 

 

Now, there are some other legitimate questions you could ask, 

 

a) why not just get a d500 and be able to still use all your glass, you'll have an extended crop factor, but still. The d500 is in many ways the better camera, e.g. dual card slots, durability, battery life, and stills capabilities. That way you also get to keep the d7000 as a backup shooter. 

b)Even if not, why go to with an a6500? it has many if not most of the a7sii's features, apart from the FF sensor, but if all you want to do is shoot 4k, I'm not entirely sure the FF sensor is worth it. 

 

If you do end up going for the sony, I wouldn't keep the 50 1.4, the cost of adapting it alone (given aperture control i.e. a smart adapter) covers the sony 50mm and it will be better at AF anyway. 

[lawrencep93]

Sorry should have been clearer.

 

Basically I can afford half a Sony a7s ii

 

Most of my Lens are DX crop can't use them in the full frame with out auto cropping so was thinking of just changing to the Sony as it seems to be superior camera all round.

 

I shall just sell everything including my 50mm and buy a 50mm sony and the standard zoom lens that comes in the kit

 

Also I like the low light performance of the Sony

[cc143]

Well then don't buy an a7sii! 

 

Go with the a6500, low light is not as good but certainly better than your d7000 and get a cheap manual adapter for you nikon glass. Maybe buy a native multipurpose or ultrawide with the money you are saving from not going with the a7sii.

 

And tbh, you seem to be invested quite well in the nikon system. The a7sii is in some ways superior to the d500 or d7500, which may be closer to your budget, but that doesn't mean you should just go with it. The glass you have seems fine, the 1.5 crop for stills is ok given your glass and the additional crop for 4k on the d500 and d7500 shouldn't be that big a concern provided you can get the desired FOV.

 

Sony lacks tremendously in the glass department and aren't that good imo. They do provide features which Canon and Nikon don't but that doesn't mean you should spend quite a lot of money to just jump ship. 

 

Also, the a7sii doesn't come with a kit lens if I'm not mistaken, lenses on the Sony side are quite expensive and your gear wont fetch enough on the used market to cover the cost of the a7sii (even half of it) + 2 lenses. 

[xQubeZx]

Personally, if your budget isn't that large I would either get the Nikon D500 (an amazing camera) or a Sony A6500 if you really want Sony. Having a few nice lenses are going to give you a lot more opportunities in creative ways. 24-70 f/4 and a 50 1.4 for the A7sii will run you around $2000 or slightly more. Thats a $5500 investment to get an A7sii and a 2 nice lenses. Now, you can maybe sell one of your bodies and pay the $2000 for a D500 (because I think thats the price of it..?) 

 

So as I see it: 

 

• A7sii + 27-70 f/4 + 50 f/1.4 ~$5500

•D500 + all your old lenses - one body ~$2000

•A6500 + 18-105 f/4 + 35 f/1.8 ~$2500

 

You have some decent Nikon glass, like the 50 1.4, so going sony maybe isn't the best option, but if you do, I think going with the A6500 way is better. It got pretty good ISO and very good video functionalites. Really the high ISO of the A7sii should rarley be used as if you do serious video you should have some lights. 

[lawrencep93]

Interesting I will have to look at the video features of the D7500 and also the D500.

 

I just looked up the D500 and am surprised it is a DX crop sensor.

 

Looking between the D7500 and D500 there isn't much difference video and photo wise.

 

Might wait for the 7500, the main thing missing is low light performance and FPS is slower in videos on the Nikon vs Sony, but compared to the d7000 I am assuming low light performance will be much better in the d7500 for video.

 

Only thing I have not looked at is auto focus and tracking as I ma used to manual focus on my DSLR anyway

[AkiraDaarkst]

I'm an A6500 user for somewhat casual video.  It has a lot of weaknesses (especially when I compare it to my two working video cameras, the Sony FS7 and Canon C300).

• Codec is at best 8-bit 4:2:0, so it's not really a strong codec that works well with S-log for color grading.  Color correction is fine but it breaks down if you need to do heavy color grading.
• Very noticeable rolling shutter when panning the camera or shooting motion.  Requires scenes to be shot in higher frame rate to reduce it's effect.
• Back LCD screen is sort of useless for checking focus.  Either hide all the UI elements or use an external monitor.  But I have the same issue on my FS7 and C300.  This is also an issue with most other DSLRs when filming so I can't say it's a unique issue with the A6500.
• Battery life obviously, fortunately you can use a USB power bank to both recharge the battery and power the camera if you need extended battery life.

If you aren't into shooting LOG footage for color grading and heavy editing in post, just stick to a Nikon body and keep your lenses.  Get as much as possible right in-camera when shooting and footage from a good Nikon or Canon or Sony camera will look very similar.  Or get an external recorder like an Atomos Ninja 2 and record to ProRes 422  externally via Nikon's HDMI out which should give a somewhat better video file than recording to an internal memory card.

 

16 hours ago, lawrencep93 said:

will be working on a new video product soon with a football player and Personal Trainer.

For this kind of work, it's not really important whether you film in 4K or FHD.  The important thing is you capture enough to be able to tell a compelling story.

 

 

[lawrencep93]

Thanks, that makes sense, will stick to the D7500, I have not tried the direct output via HDMI to my PC yet actually I was using USB and digicamera control I might try that HDMI hack on my D7000 when I shoot with the teleprompter.

 

The reason for 4k is simply I don't like upgrading camera bodies often and I feel if I get a decent kit with 4k and some good FPS at 1080p which are two things my current d7000 lacks then it will be great to keep for another 7-10 years like I have with my d7000 which I bought in 2010

[AkiraDaarkst]

Just now, lawrencep93 said:

Thanks, that makes sense, will stick to the D7500, I have not tried the direct output via HDMI to my PC yet actually I was using USB and digicamera control I might try that HDMI hack on my D7000 when I shoot with the teleprompter.

 

The reason for 4k is simply I don't like upgrading camera bodies often and I feel if I get a decent kit with 4k and some good FPS at 1080p which are two things my current d7000 lacks then it will be great to keep for another 7-10 years like I have with my d7000 which I bought in 2010

If you don't need 4K then you don't need it yet.  Wait a while longer and keep using your current camera until you feel 4K is essential for you.

 

The HDMI out is not a hack, a lot of DSLRs these days offer a clean video signal out of the HDMI port because people requested it.  Several mirrorless cameras and DSLRs record 8-bit signals internally but may output 10-bit signals so people who have such cameras use external recorders to get the better file.  Newer cameras may support internal recording of 10-bit signals, like the new Panasonic GH5.

 

You'll need a capture card or video recorder device if you want to connect your camera to a computer via HDMI.

• If you're a Mac user, I recommend the UltraStudio Mini Recorder with Thunderbolt.
• If you're a PC user, you can get a DeckLink Mini Recorder internal PCI card or Intensity Shuttle USB that's an external device.

[lawrencep93]

6 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

If you don't need 4K then you don't need it yet.  Wait a while longer and keep using your current camera until you feel 4K is essential for you.

 

The HDMI out is not a hack, a lot of DSLRs these days offer a clean video signal out of the HDMI port because people requested it.  Several mirrorless cameras and DSLRs record 8-bit signals internally but may output 10-bit signals so people who have such cameras use external recorders to get the better file.  Newer cameras may support internal recording of 10-bit signals, like the new Panasonic GH5.

 

You'll need a capture card or video recorder device if you want to connect your camera to a computer via HDMI.

• If you're a Mac user, I recommend the UltraStudio Mini Recorder with Thunderbolt.
• If you're a PC user, you can get a DeckLink Mini Recorder internal PCI card or Intensity Shuttle USB that's an external device.

The reason for the upgrade is simply not just 4k, it is more so the lack of control in terms of audio and video with the D7000, it does not even have a headphone out port like the newer cameras does, also has only 3 levels you can set the mics on.

 

Thought a capture card might be needed I have heard of the shuttle before actually

[AkiraDaarkst]

10 hours ago, lawrencep93 said:

The reason for the upgrade is simply not just 4k, it is more so the lack of control in terms of audio and video with the D7000, it does not even have a headphone out port like the newer cameras does, also has only 3 levels you can set the mics on.

 

Thought a capture card might be needed I have heard of the shuttle before actually

Right, for some reason I was thinking you already had the D7500 and I forgot it supports 4K filming.

 

As for audio, I started out filming with a DSLR (5D mk II) but I've always found audio inside the DSLR cameras to be weak no matter the model.  If audio is essential, and for video it certainly is, I recommend using something like the following:

• Tascam DR-70D that will sit flat under your camera.
• Or even better, the industry standard Sound Devices has announced a few new recorders at NAB this year.  The MixPre-3 would be ideal for you.
• Or the Zoom F4.

[lawrencep93]

7 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

Right, for some reason I was thinking you already had the D7500 and I forgot it supports 4K filming.

 

As for audio, I started out filming with a DSLR (5D mk II) but I've always found audio inside the DSLR cameras to be weak no matter the model.  If audio is essential, and for video it certainly is, I recommend using something like the following:

• Tascam DR-70D that will sit flat under your camera.
• Or even better, the industry standard Sound Devices has announced a few new recorders at NAB this year.  The MixPre-3 would be ideal for you.
• Or the Zoom F4.

Audio is fine for my application quality wise what it is, is the setting of levels when using external and senhizer wireless mics that my client has, right now I have to take test clips and try and listen to the crappy speaker in the camera to make sure it's not too soft but not clipping, if I had headphone jack I and more camera audio settings rather than just low medium high I could get much better audio quality with out the need of a zoom