I know most of you use their dslrs exclusively for photography but I'm just tired of carrying another gadget (i.e. a camcorder) everytime I go out with my wife and kids. My D7000 has a 1080P video, might as well use it. My question is, does anybody have experience using a steadicam or camera stabilizer for video shoot on your dslr? Which is a good brand that is reasonably priced? Thanks.
Steadicam/ Camera Stabilizer
- Thread starter Jon
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I found that using your DSLR instead of a camcorder is good in theory but it is difficult in practice. I have trouble focusing, especially while looking at the LCD outdoors. You will find many viewfinders on the market to solve this problem. The auto focus on these sucks so you have to manually focus which is difficult to do while holding the camera. There are focus pullers on the market to aide in this task. Stability is a problem, a stabilizer would definitely make it easier but now you are carrying around a stabilizer. You end up adding so much crap on the camera it is just easier to use a camcorder. Especially for everyday and family stuff. However, if you are filmaking in a controlled environment and want a great DOF then a DSLR is the way to go. Just my 2 cents. You end up looking like this guy.
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I feel your pain Jon. I really really want to stop carrying a camcorder and a DSLR but every time I try and use my D5100 for video I really struggle with it, especially focusing. In order to keep my setup light weight I carry an HD Flip Video camera and a small JVC Everio camcorder. They are both super small and light, especially the Flip, which allows me to keep them in my pocket. It's still a pain in the butt though. I personally think the new Sony DSLRs with the transparent mirrors are probably better choices for photos and videos. However, I chose the D5100 because of the still camera not the video.