Best Digital Camera for HD Video?

[Pipsqwark 10]

Can anyone tell me what is the best camera to buy for HD video? The TZ5 is very good, Only problem is it does a lot of focus hunting but the quality is great but is there a camera with even better HD video?

 

[karl101 10]

why don't you buy a video camera for HD video? the results will always be better. Sony's good for video, Canon for pictures.

 

K.

[mattsando 10]

Canon 7D is pretty good with HD.

[HarryMac 10]

A DSLR is for still pictures. A video camera is for moving pictures. You will always get better results buying gear for the job it was built for.

 

Cheers, H.

[mattsando 10]

Ah, a purist.

 

I'm sure if you had the ability, gear or knowledge, you'd realise that the new breed of SLR that produces video is pretty special. But never mind!

[livestrong 10]

I have now covered an awful lot of weddings where the professional videographers are using 5D MKII's and 7D's with L series lenses with very good results. Have a look here at what can be done. (He and his brother are top guys too).

 

http://www.christianfletcher.com.au/hd-videos/

[HarryMac 10]

Always Matt:D;)

[Pipsqwark 10]

I need a compact camera with good HD video, I will use it for recording footage of football matches so i can do decent videos.

 

I doubt i would get in with a camcorder or a DSLR.

 

The ones i have been looking at are:-

 

Samsung WB50 15x optical zoom

Canon SX210IS 14x optical zoom

Panasonic Lumix TZ10 10x optical zoom

 

Don't think i would get another Panasonic Lumix as i already have the TZ5 and it always goes in and out of focus during videos and is always focus hunting.

[Lostrider 10]

Can anyone tell me what is the best camera to buy for HD video? The TZ5 is very good, Only problem is it does a lot of focus hunting but the quality is great but is there a camera with even better HD video?

 

 

The TZ5 is HD video, 1280x720 at 30fps or 15fps but the sound is truely awful 8khz, (telephone quality). My OH has one. There is no manual control either so if you like to set Man / AP / SP it will drive you mad.

 

[PeteM01 10]

I would have thought that one of the micro4/3s cameras would be the best for HD video in a compact format, e.g. Panasonic GF1 or Olympus EP-2, EPL-1 etc.

[Zomoniac 10]

Ah, a purist.

 

I'm sure if you had the ability, gear or knowledge, you'd realise that the new breed of SLR that produces video is pretty special. But never mind!

 

But it requires a lot of expertise and knowledge (not to mention a vastly bigger financial outlay). I've not come across any affordable dSLRs with real-time auto-focusing on videos, something that's present on all video cameras. For a pro, maybe, but for someone who justs wants to film some stuff and for it to look ok, why would you recommend spending a load of money on complicated gear and having to learn new skills and spend all their time manually focusing when they could spend less on something they can just point around without even trying and get results that are perfectly adequate?

[Zomoniac 10]

I have now covered an awful lot of weddings where the professional videographers are using 5D MKII's and 7D's with L series lenses with very good results. Have a look here at what can be done. (He and his brother are top guys too).

 

http://www.christianfletcher.com.au/hd-videos/

 

Very pretty indeed.

 

But since that was taken on a camera that costs £4k just for the body, and probably at least that again on the lens, you'd hope it would look good. For most people that's a tad unrealistic.

 

The videos I get on my 500D at 720p/30fps look very pretty, until everything moves and the focus needs adjusting, at which point it becomes more hassle than it's worth and makes me wish I was using a P&S camcorder.