Which camera body should I purchase?

[CultofCedar]

Hey guys, first off I hope this is the right place to ask since I just made an account here. My budget is around $1300 after tax for a new body. I've been into photography for a while, looking for a new camera right now. I know the basics I have owned a Fuji x10, I use a Nikon D5100 somewhat (a friends) and I have a few film cameras right now since I'm poor and my father let me have them (a Canon A-1 and Minolta Maxxum 7000). I am looking to purchase a body which i plan to use for the next few years so I'm hoping it won't be out dated in a year or two and make me regret the purchase. The majority of what I do is street then landscapes. I usually take stills in low light, usually during the night but I'm in New York and there is still plenty of light (no flash). I also would like to start filming so decent video quality is a major plus.
As of right now I've been looking at the Canon 70D, it's image quality seems pretty good but the major selling point for me is the auto focus while in live view when recording video. I haven't seen any others that have such smooth transitions when changing the focus points. On the other hand for the price of a new 70D I can pick up a used full frame like a Nikon D600 or a Canon 5D Mark 2. The Nikon D600 looks like a great choice because of it's image quality and price but auto focus probably isn't as smooth as the 70D and you can't change aperture in live view on it. While I do have some experience in photography I don't have any in filming, I plan on trying it out and learning. I'm not sure how much difference lack of aperture control would make on the D600.
If anyone reads this thanks I appreciate any feed back I can get!

(Please note I'm asking for a camera body, I asked this somewhere else and someone told me I'm wasting my whole budget on a body even though I clearly said the budget was for the body!)

 

[brunerww]

Hi CultofCedar - the lack of aperture control in live view on the Nikons can be a challenge when you're shooting video. If you want to change the aperture to shallow out your depth of field, for example, you have to come out of live view to do it. At best this is frustrating - at worst it can lead to missed shots. To find out whether or not this is a problem for you, I recommend trying it out on your friend's D5100.

If you care about video and want full frame, the only full frame camera close to your budget limit with continuous video autofocus (plus 1080/60p for smooth action and slow motion) is the Sony A7. You can get one used for about $1500 right now, but they should come down over the next few months. The video autofocus is not as fast as the $1199 Canon 70D, but it does have full manual control in video mode - and the viewfinder keeps working while you're shooting video (which is an advantage that mirrorless cameras have over every DSLR).

Here is what the A7 can do (behind the scenes on a movie shoot):

[video=vimeo;79715048]http://vimeo.com/79715048[/video]​

If you need a camera with video autofocus, and don't want to spend $1500 to buy a used A7, I recommend the 70D. It's a very good crop sensor still camera and, if video autofocus is important to you, it has the fastest and most accurate DSLR video autofocus on the market, bar none. Plus, at $1199 new, it is under your budget limit.

Please see my next post for an example of what this camera can do (ThePhotoForum is limited to one video per post).

 

[brunerww]

This short film was shot on the 70D:

[video=vimeo;78294762]http://vimeo.com/78294762[/video]​

Please watch the behind-the-scenes video at "vimeo dot com forward slash 78374643" to see how this film was made.

The lightning fast auto focus on this camera makes it possible to get shots you can't get with a manual focus camera.

If I was a DSLR still/video shooter with a $1300 body only budget, I would seriously consider the $1199 Canon 70D for video.

If you want to save a little more, you can get a new Canon 70D with a 12 month Canon warranty for $1069.99 on eBay (anything less expensive than this is likely to be an imported or gray market model with no manufacturer's warranty).

Hope this is helpful!

Bill