Is Sony king of the hill for video?

Cheers all. 

I currently have a Nikon D850.  However would like something with better video.  I had considered a GH5 last year and opted to hold off on my video project due to timing.  I'd like to jump back on it and would like something that will shoot 4k at 60p and not have any recording time limits.  10 bit would be great.   Which options are on the table for 2020?

Thanks in advance. 

Thomas

G'day Thomas

I have seen videos being filmed while using Canon and Panasonic - but never Nikon or Sony

Dunno why the latter, but the former are well recognised for their video performance because they produce kit esp designed for high quality video work

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

What you'll typically find is that the larger sensor cameras still have some limitations in bit rate and crop factor when shooting 4K video because they're trying to process a larger image and can't do it without overheating. So for example the Canon EOS R has a crop when it shoots in 4K and is only 8-bit, the Sony A7 cameras top out at 30p and 8-bit recording (although the A7Siii is coming out and an increased bit rate is one feature that a lot of people are hoping for), and the Nikon Z6 tops out at 30p and needs an external recorder to record 10-bit (but there are rumours of raw video with an external recorder on the way, which would be a game changer).

The Canon 1DX does everything, but is super expensive. And of course there are plenty of dedicated cinema cameras that will do the job and go even higher than 10-bit 60p recording.

For these reasons, a lot of people drop down to APS-C or micro four-thirds when shooting video. The Fujifilm XT-3 offers 10-bit 4K 60p recording internally, as does the Panasonic GH5. The Panasonic shoots with a 4:2:2 codec, whereas the Fuji shoots a slightly lower quality 4:2:0, but can shoot 4:2:2 with an external recorder. While the low-light performance can't typically match a full frame camera, they should be better for productions where you're expecting to do a lot of post-shoot colour correction and grading. Canon is supposedly the best for autofocus although Sony is also good. The Panasonic GH5 is supposed to have incredible stabilization, which makes it a favourite of Youtubers.

Also apparently not all codecs are equal. I remember watching a comparison video that showed that a Sony 8-bit codec had to be pushed pretty unrealistically before you noticed any artifacts whereas another manufacturer's (I forget which) fell apart much quicker. And if you're going to upload of Youtube, then all your hard word is often ruined by Youtube's compression anyway.

If you want 4K 60p today, you're going to have to spend some money, and go outside of DSLRs, I believe.

There's a RAW recorder for the Nikon Z. It's not a rumor.

If it wasn't announced at CES, you'll be waiting a while for new products.

The time limits are due to licensing and product positioning. Video recorders can be taxed differently than still cameras, so the manufacturers put a limit on the length of a single shot to get around that. Asinine government junk, IMHO. (I found a magic sequence to remove the limit on my G7...  hint, hint).

All that said, if you want high speed, 10-bit+, it's available. But it's not inexpensive.

+1 true, but won't the Atomos Ninja V do that with a number of cameras as well?

Overread wrote: +1 true, but won't the Atomos Ninja V do that with a number of cameras as well?

Yes, but not the Sony A7 lineup and I believe the Canon EOS R can only do so with a 1.8x crop, which basically turns it into a micro four-thirds camera without the lenses to match.

If video is your only use and you want full frame, then personally I'd wait for the A7Siii. It's been a long time coming and there are some credible rumours that it'll have 4k60p and 10-bit recording, which wouldn't be a huge surprise given that it's basically designed for video, not photography.

G'day fellas

I'm not into video so don't follow all the jargon ~ but I know that the Panny 2500 is also touted as a 'damn fine' video camera with a bit mode of both 4:2:2 8-bit and 4:2:2-10 bit

Its specs talk about "cinema mode ~ 4K @ 100mbps" and NTSC "4K @ 100Mbps" as being the sort of quality it can deliver at 30p

For those who know more than me- how does this compare with other equipment?

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

Ozzie_Traveller wrote: G'day fellas

I'm not into video so don't follow all the jargon ~ but I know that the Panny 2500 is also touted as a 'damn fine' video camera with a bit mode of both 4:2:2 8-bit and 4:2:2-10 bit

Its specs talk about "cinema mode ~ 4K @ 100mbps" and NTSC "4K @ 100Mbps" as being the sort of quality it can deliver at 30p

For those who know more than me- how does this compare with other equipment?

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

It looks good. The rival would perhaps be the Sony RX00, which also offers 4:2:2 sampling on an external recorder, although it doesn't specify 10-bit so it probably isn't (and is more expensive). A problem with both of these cameras for video are the lenses. Neither have a constant aperture, which means if you want to zoom during a shot, it's going to get darker (unless they employ some clever digital fix that I don't know about).

I also question how many people spending $1k on a camera are going to then spend another $600 on an external recorder to go from 8-bit to 10-bit. There are probably far better ways of spending that money that would see a bigger improvement in your video (lights, for example). Hell, for the vast majority of people including professional Youtubers, there's still the question of whether you even need 4K. The reality is that most people don't notice most of the time and it just massively increases the processing power and storage space you need. Obviously every new camera nowadays comes with 4K, but I wouldn't necessarily worry that a camera doesn't have a particular frame rate at 4K unless you know you're definitely going to need it. Most of them will still shoot higher frame rates at 1080p and most people won't know the difference.

Gh5 is a great value and is wildly used my many for it's great video

Piechura wrote: ...... A problem with both of these cameras for video are the lenses. Neither have a constant aperture, which means if you want to zoom during a shot, it's going to get darker (unless they employ some clever digital fix that I don't know about).....

G'day mate

If it's 'constant aperture' that is an issue go for the Panny FZ-300 with its F2,8 constant aperture zoom lens
Phil

While I just picked up a GH5 and am pretty amazed with this camera.  I think we'll see some big things from Canon this year.  So it's all up in the air to be honest.