Re: Affordable HD cam for a documentary- professional look

I agree, to an extent. I have a Canon EOS 60D, which I bought to replace an older digital Canon body, which had in turn replaced my Canon film cameras. So ... I had a few lenses around. That's where you'll ultimately spend your money.

I also also have one high-end consumer and two low-end pro cameras ($2500 range), and the 60D is easily my best video camera. I've done a bit of low light shooting of rock bands lately, 2 and 3 camera shoots, and I'm actually getting a bit frustrated with my 3-chip Panasonics in this scenario. However, with more light, they'd be much better matched.

The Canon is also the most annoying device to use as a camcorder, precisely because it's a digital still camera with video features. You're not getting video autofocus -- not an issue for many kind of shoots, but I wouldn't choose this for sports video. And it also fails there on the quirk of many HDSLRs... it cuts out after 4GB. Since the 60D records at 44Mb/s (about twice the data rate of my Pannys, but it's also recording somewhat less complex AVC -- it IP frame only, if you know that means, no B frames), that's about 12-13 minutes.

You can get MagicLantern add-on software for the 60D, and if you do video, you must. This adds some video camera features, like zebra stripes, on-screen audio meters, tons of stuff. It'll also re-start a recording after 4GB, but there is going to be a drop. If you're following a film model of about 10min per "reel", no big deal, but if you come from the camcorder world, you have to change your workflow.

Even the newer models, and Sony and Panasonic and other HSDLRs and EVIL cameras that can shoot longer tend to stop at 29'59". This is not a technical issue, it's a dodge for a camcorder tax that's levied in the EU... regardless of where you live. We all pay for that in mis-features.

Audio is a big deal, too... the on-camera mic is only good for audio sync with other audio. That's pretty true of any camcorder, but much more true of HDSLRs. I have a couple field recorders (Tascam D1, Zoom H4n, Tascam US-1800+PC) depending on the recording needs. You will too, if you go 60D. It's technically possible to hook a Beachtek XLR interface to a 60D and feed in real mics, but it's more clumsy, and the Beachtek devices cost about the same as a Zoom H4n, and more then many simply solutions (the H4n has the advantage of real mic support via XLRs with phantom power).

Visually, a 60D at 24p looks pretty darn "filmy". If you're after that look, the shallow DOF, etc. a large sensor HDSLR or EVIL camera can deliver that. Camcorders, on the other hand, have much smaller sensors, so you're getting much more DOF at the same equivalent focal length. Depending on the cinematography plans and subject matter, one is better than the other.

-Dave