60D or 7D

manfesto wrote in post #14791691
For sure DSLRs aren't great for everything - I wouldn't want to shoot, say, a documentary full of interviews where I'd have to keep asking the talent to start over what they were saying every twelve minutes, haha!

If your intent is to shoot narrative stuff with cinematic style, a DSLR will be the cheapest way there.

If your intent is to shoot run-and-gun documentary stuff, a proper video camera without record limits and deeper depth-of-field would be a better bet. (Though having a DSLR on set for B-roll and insert shots would still be a good idea )

Well, keep in mind, too, that the 60D isn't capable of autofocusing during video. It's all manual. Which is probably just fine for a budding cinematographer.

Everything depends on the actual use case.

If the OP didn't already have a 50D (and wasn't a poor college student! ), this would be a much easier question to answer...


Actually, OP, if you can sell your 50D for $450 or so, then you can pick up a 60D for $650 from CLP and you'll be out only a couple of hundred. So in budgetary terms, that might actually be the way to go.

Primary downside to either the 60D or 7D when shooting video is continuous auto-focus. Neither camera does this well at least not the 7D and I don't think the 60D does it at all. This might be OK if shooting things that take place primarily in a lateral plane like events that take place on a stage but if the subjects are continually moving toward you or away from you I think you may be disappointed with the results.

There are numerous YouTube videos that address shooting video with each camera. Perhaps you can find some useful information there to help you decide.

GaryS1964 wrote in post #14791728
Primary downside to either the 60D or 7D when shooting video is continuous auto-focus. Neither camera does this well at least not the 7D and I don't think the 60D does it at all.

Neither camera does continuous tracking auto-focus, but both you can half-press the shutter in video mode and have it do one-shot live-view focus (which looks terrible as it shuffles around your subject trying to find it).

The T4i is the first Canon DSLR to do tracking continuous auto-focus, but even with the new STM lenses, it's not that great from what I've seen and gets easily confused.

That said, for cinematic stuff to look good (if indeed that is the sort of video you want to be shooting), you want a slow focus pull from subject-to-subject, not a fast and "jerky" one, so you'll want to be pulling focus by hand anyway.

How is lack of auto-focus in video mode such a big downside everyone looks down on? Pro cinematographers manually focus with a follow-focus. Cameras with video AF (such as t4i) are so unreliable that you might as well manually focus anyways.

I dont think either of these cameras not having video-mode AF is a downside at all. Get a lens that has a good focus ring (ie 17-55 2.8 IS USM) and build a DIY shoulder rig for $40, then buy a follow focus kit for another $125 and you should be ready to do good videos (even better than those cylindrical-design camcorders like the sony handycams).

5d's and other DSLR's are constantly being used to film movies and TV shows. The 7d was even used on The Avengers. (http://usa.canon.com …il&docId=0901e0​248055b504)