Used Camera Body for Videography - Recos?

London Amateur · Jun 28, 2023

I started using DSLRs about 10 years ago. Initially with a Nikon D3100 which I sold for a Canon D100. I wanted a tiny DSLR that could be carried along on hikes. Granted, the D100 is lacking in many areas, but it still produced some quality pictures.
Recently I moved into videography. I'm filming myself playing music and I'd need it for business as well. Because the microphone of the D100 was terrible, I upgraded to an external Rhode microphone. I'm, however, slowly realising that the D100 is hopeless for video because of its poor autofocus which means that it's almost constantly searching for focus. The videos are blurry and, frankly, unusable. (I'm using the right settings on the camera)
I have two lenses: 50mm and 24mm.
I would hope I could find a used camera body that delivers much better video quality at a budget where I can use my existing equipment (lenses and microphone). I'd hate to pay more than $500 for it. If I can get it cheaper, all the better. I have read through different threads and online forums and I'm lost as to which option to go for. Any help is appreciated.

Don Fischer · Jun 28, 2023

Just my though. My son does video's with his cell phone, videos are what he likes. If it were me I get a video camera to take videos if were I serious. They are designed for shooting videos. Imagine watching "The Sons's of Katie Elder" Shot with a cell phone. Have to admit though he does get some pretty nice one's but for me if videos were what I wanted I'd get a camera designed to shoot video's!

London Amateur · Jun 29, 2023

Don Fischer said:
Just my though. My son does video's with his cell phone, videos are what he likes. If it were me I get a video camera to take videos if were I serious. They are designed for shooting videos. Imagine watching "The Sons's of Katie Elder" Shot with a cell phone. Have to admit though he does get some pretty nice one's but for me if videos were what I wanted I'd get a camera designed to shoot video's!

Hi Don,
Thank you for your response. You're right and I'm slowly coming to the realisation that it'd need to be a video camera. I have an iPhone 13 with a Rode Microphone which proves to be pretty useful. I'll give this a go while I'm researching what alternatives I have (and if they'll give me anything extra for my use cases over the iPhone).
I had naively thought that DSLRs would automatically 'qualify' for video as manufacturers promote the feature, but really they don't.

Soocom1 · Jun 29, 2023

In all honesty, though DSLRs are capable of the videography, some of the later ones are within budget, but you may want to consider a mirrorless.

Smaller more compact and capable of taking in most lenses through adapters.

The newer Nikons are still a bear at prices, but the Z50 comes to mind as its designed specifically for that use.

Take a gander to this:
MPB.com

Go to the Z5 listed on the page.

London Amateur · Jun 29, 2023

Soocom1 said:
In all honesty, though DSLRs are capable of the videography, some of the later ones are within budget, but you may want to consider a mirrorless.

Smaller more compact and capable of taking in most lenses through adapters.

The newer Nikons are still a bear at prices, but the Z50 comes to mind as its designed specifically for that use.

Take a gander to this:
MPB.com

Go to the Z5 listed on the page.

Thank you! I'll have a look.

CherylL · Jun 29, 2023

The hunt and focus on all cameras. When I record video with my Canon on a tripod I use autofocus to get the focus and then switch the lens to manual focus.

London Amateur · Jun 29, 2023

CherylL said:
The hunt and focus on all cameras. When I record video with my Canon on a tripod I use autofocus to get the focus and then switch the lens to manual focus.

Thank you, CheryIL, I'll try that next time.

VidThreeNorth · Jul 3, 2023

I was going to write essentially what Cheryl wrote, so I'll try to expand on it a bit. First, the most important thing I can write is that autofocus has come a very long way in the last 3-5 years, and I have no experience on the equipment later than around 2020 (Sony a6400). The latest Sony and Canon products tend to be rated higher for autofocus specifically than all the rest. So if you are in a situation where you expect motion, and you want accurate focus, then that is the way to go.

The thing is, is there really going to be motion that will require refocussing? I recently recorded a video with my phone on a tripod, of a small local waterfall. Lots of moving water! Lots of motion, lots of sound, but absolutely no need for re-focusing within the clip. That was not unusual. If you are recording a church service, you can set up a long shot on a tripod and it will usually not need re-focusing, but a handheld camera for moving around, like recording the bride coming down an aisle, will generally need the best autofocus you can get.

But here is the rub: I have that Sony a6400 which has highly rated focusing (the full frames after the a7III are generally rated better), but I often prefer using my Lumix G85, which has the currently lowest rated (contrast detect technology) autofocus of all my cameras. Why? Because in regular daylight, at close distances, and middle to short zoom, you don't notice the "wobble" anyway, and I like the way the G85 handles. My experience tells me when I am likely to have a problem, and then I grab the Sony.

So buy the best you can, but then don't worry about it too much.

London Amateur · Jul 4, 2023

VidThreeNorth said:
I was going to write essentially what Cheryl wrote, so I'll try to expand on it a bit. First, the most important thing I can write is that autofocus has come a very long way in the last 3-5 years, and I have no experience on the equipment later than around 2020 (Sony a6400). The latest Sony and Canon products tend to be rated higher for autofocus specifically than all the rest. So if you are in a situation where you expect motion, and you want accurate focus, then that is the way to go.

The thing is, is there really going to be motion that will require refocussing? I recently recorded a video with my phone on a tripod, of a small local waterfall. Lots of moving water! Lots of motion, lots of sound, but absolutely no need for re-focusing within the clip. That was not unusual. If you are recording a church service, you can set up a long shot on a tripod and it will usually not need re-focusing, but a handheld camera for moving around, like recording the bride coming down an aisle, will generally need the best autofocus you can get.

But here is the rub: I have that Sony a6400 which has highly rated focusing (the full frames after the a7III are generally rated better), but I often prefer using my Lumix G85, which has the currently lowest rated (contrast detect technology) autofocus of all my cameras. Why? Because in regular daylight, at close distances, and middle to short zoom, you don't notice the "wobble" anyway, and I like the way the G85 handles. My experience tells me when I am likely to have a problem, and then I grab the Sony.

So buy the best you can, but then don't worry about it too much.

Hi VidThreeNorth,
Thank you so much for your thoughts. I'll probably use manual focus on my current Canon and use my iPhone 13 for some video shots before making a decision on what kit to buy next. The Sony a6400 looks very nice indeed. It's still above budget for me. It's very true that for the two use cases, I currently have: music performances and business purposes (short videos) there is very little motion involved so the need for a high-end autofocus is somewhat limited.
W