What crop sensor camera for video?

We currently shoot weddings with 3 5dmkii's, but would really like to add a crop sensor camera for two reasons.

1) Extra reach (thought about a 1.4x extender, but the price/image quality/loss of light all make it less than ideal)
2) 60 FPS

I used to own a 60d and really enjoyed it, but I know a lot of options have come on the market since the 60d and I'm not familiar with all of them. Some of the criteria I have (in order of importance) are below.

1) Shoots 60 FPS
2) Great image quality
3) Good low light performance
4) Price (under $1,000 is ideal)
5) Build quality
6) Compatible storage/battery with our current mkii's (CF cards, LP-E6)

Any recommendations? 7D? T4i? T3i? 1DMKIV?

Right now I'm leaning toward the 7D, but I could be persuaded to save up some more $ for the 1DMKIV.

Anyone have insight into the image/video quality difference between these two?

I've been shooting weddings with a 5D3, 5D2 w/Mosaic Eng filter and a 60D. Recently, I picked up a Panasonic GH3 to do weddings, primarily for the sharpness, dynamic range and 1080p/60fps. It's a FANTASTIC camera. I'll be getting at least one more and maybe some GH2s to hack and use as well. The smaller M4/3 sensor is a bit of a bummer for trying to achieve shallow DOF, but the camera's picture quality is so much better than my Canon footage that I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon for my video work. I'm using the Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 and the Voightlander 25mm f/0.95 and am looking into some long glass and some adapters to use my Contax Zeiss glass and my Canon glass.

I'd give the GH3 a try before buying any more Canon bodies for video. They are seriously amazing video cameras. Look at Philip Bloom's film Genesis and Joe Simon's wedding video and see what this camera is capable of.

Kylemorgan88 wrote in post #15467727
Right now I'm leaning toward the 7D, but I could be persuaded to save up some more $ for the 1DMKIV.

Anyone have insight into the image/video quality difference between these two?

I shoot with the 1D Mark IV. I have used the 7D and 5D Mark II. I prefer the 1D Mark IV. The 1.3 crop is perfect!

Akivisuals-

Interesting. I've always heard good things about the GH2 and GH3, but was reluctant to invest in a new system.

Is there much of a difference between the picture quality of a GH2 and GH3? Do you have any trouble drawing consistency between the Canon shots and the GH2/3 shots during post? The price of the GH2 will allow me to get one or two dedicated micro 4/3 lenses, but if the GH3 produces a noticeably better image, the price difference is probably worth it.

Are you planning on making a full switch to the Panasonic 4/3 system for your video work?

Medoimage-

Outside of the 1.3 crop factor, what specific characteristics of the mkIV do you prefer over the 7D and 5dmkii?

Kylemorgan88 wrote in post #15472129
Is there much of a difference between the picture quality of a GH2 and GH3? Do you have any trouble drawing consistency between the Canon shots and the GH2/3 shots during post? The price of the GH2 will allow me to get one or two dedicated micro 4/3 lenses, but if the GH3 produces a noticeably better image, the price difference is probably worth it.

Are you planning on making a full switch to the Panasonic 4/3 system for your video work?

Never having owned a GH2 I can't tell you the difference in picture quality. The hacked versions of the GH2 that I've seen show some amazing quality video though. I'm a bit hesitant to shoot paid gigs with a hacked GH2 since there are plenty of moments that can't be recreated in a wedding. The GH3 however doesn't really need much hacking. It has high bitrates and amazing quality out of the box. I haven't intercut the footage with my Canon footage yet. I just received the GH3 recently and am still putting it through it's paces. It takes GREAT footage though. It's so much sharper than my 5D3 and 5D2 and it has WAY more dynamic range. Living in SoCal, I get my fair share of outdoor weddings and I hate how the highlights blow so easily on my Canons, even with the VisionColor and Lightform profiles. I can't afford to invest in multiple C100s, RED Scarlets and don't want to deal with the RAW workflow of the BMCC for weddings just yet. The GH3 seemed like the perfect tool for what I do.

My thinking is that I'll most likely pick up another GH3 soon and a pair of GH2s. The GH2 is so cheap that I can have a few cameras rolling and get 3 solid angles running continuously. I like my Canon cameras for stills for now so they'll most likely stick around although I've been giving serious thought to going with the Sony a99. I like shooting with the WYSIWYG OLED viewfinders. I find that I have much more accurate exposures and don't have to shoot, adjust, shoot to get what I like. It's much easier to dial in the exposure as you see it and fire away.

I was led to believe you could only shoot for about 10min with a DSLR in video mode before the sensors over heat. Weddings usual last longer then 10min. Am I missing something here?

What lens adapter are you going to pick up to use for your canon glass? I wonder how they'll compare to the native Panasonic mount glass.

I've read about some with manual aperture control for about $125 and a few adaptors rumored to have electronic aperture control for about $700.

MJEXP wrote in post #15474882
I was led to believe you could only shoot for about 10min with a DSLR in video mode before the sensors over heat. Weddings usual last longer then 10min. Am I missing something here?

Most wedding videographers/cinemato​graphers are not being hired to capture the wedding start to finish without interruption. Couples want a more modern and cinematic feel to their video, so a 12+ minute clip is not usually necessary.

Also, many wedding cinematography teams have multiple cameras with multiple operators, so missing a key moment during the ceremony isn't common.

The days of setting up a tripod/videocamera in the back of the room or in the balcony and just hitting record are fading quickly.

Here are a couple examples of how DSLR's are being used in wedding videos https://vimeo.com/4878​7926 and https://vimeo.com/2411​0784.

Kylemorgan88 wrote in post #15474948
What lens adapter are you going to pick up to use for your canon glass? I wonder how they'll compare to the native Panasonic mount glass.

I've read about some with manual aperture control for about $125 and a few adaptors rumored to have electronic aperture control for about $700.

I'm not sure just yet. I think I'll probably pick up a cheap Kipon adapter rather than shelling out the bucks for a RedRock LiveLens that has a big battery attachment on it. I think my Canon glass is plenty sharp enough personally. I don't usually buy cheap glass.

I have gh1. This m43 rocks on video with the right lenses

With fotodiox EF ADapter and wide prime it rocks. The only problem is controlling aperture. They also have adapter with manual iris to stop it down.

Recently got fotodiox FD adapter. Controlling aperture is a breeze. Problem is acquiring wide lenses at a decent price (prices have really shot up).

The 14-42 kit lens blows indoors for video as I suffer from vertical banding

GH2, GH3, or 7D.... I've not been this torn in quite some time.

I'm leaning toward a hacked GH2. For $450, I'm not sure how I can go wrong.

Now that Metabones is working on that speed converter that brings full frame lens look to smaller sensors plus adding speed, it's almost a no brainer to me. I'm going heavy into M4/3. Love my 5D3, but if I can get that full frame look with the performance of the GH3 sensor for sharpness, 1080p/60fps, and dynamic range it's a slam dunk!

Gh2 GH3 will have a much sharper looking image but honestly there is a big difference in the look and feel you get from a canon DSLR vs a panasonic camera. i personally would never chose a camera based on how sharp the image looks or its sensor size. sensor size is slightly important for some uses especially if the crop factor makes having wide angle lenses difficult. but overall you should really chose a camera based on how well it will produce the image you need as well as ease of the workflow. almost all cameras have the same lens options and accessories but each camera has slight variations in the look and feel of the images they produce and some are easier to work with in post than others.

dynamic range while a wonderful thing is not very important for all jobs. i personally would take slightly better latitude over the dynamic range we see in some of these DSLR cameras. being able to bring back the highlights or shadows from a really wide range scene is more important to me than dynamic range. granted most affordable digital video cameras do not have a lot of latitude

Won't the workflow on the GH2/3 be almost identical to the Canon camera? Is there some additional transcoding or post work I'm not aware of?

I'd love to not make my deception based on sensor size, but unfortunately the only affordable cameras in Canon's line-up capable of shooting 60 FPS are crop sensor.

At this point, my biggest concern with the GH2/3 is how well the footage will cut together with the Canon footage. We do a ton of Same Day Edits, so we don't always have time to do extensive color grading or other post work. Usually we set our picturestyle to John Hope Cinema and the shots look very good straight out of the camera.