| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
D7000 for newspaper video work?
Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
 |
Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 8:38 PM on 04.21.11 |
->> My fellow Sportsshooter members, any of you using the Nikon D7000 for newspaper video work? We are again being pushed to produce more video for the web. This is something I am not totally against, we just need a way to make it work with our busy load of assignments and limited time and budget. That being said, a DLSR that shoots video would seem to be the best solution for our needs. The Nikon D7000 at around $1200 fits our budget and will enable us to give one to each shooter.
We currently each have D3, with a D2h second body. When I do take the D2h out wanting to use a second body, I wind up not using it due the awesomeness of my D3. So this is another + for DSLR that shoots video.
We have a decent video camera, don't recall the model, but it is bulky and shoots tape and looks super complicated. The only person that really knew how to work it has left the paper. We also have a Sony handy cam that we use for most stuff.
So that is where we are at as far as gear. Do any of you use the D7000 for web video work and how do you like it? How is it as a still camera? Our videos are not super complicated at this point. Do you think this setup will work for us?
Thanks
Paul |
|
Nic Coury, Photographer
|
Monterey | CA | | Posted: 10:31 PM on 04.21.11 |
->> Short answer, yes.
I exclusively shoot video on my D7000.
Things I Like:
- Clean ISO up to 3200 and 6400 works in the right light.
- Light body, even with the grip, which I do prefer to have.
- Nice files sizes. Not too large.
- Video is nice and clean up to 1600 ISO.
- Can use older AIS lenses.
- Nice video "on/off" button location.
- Dual SD card slots.
Things I Don't Like:
- No AF-On button.
- New firmware coming soon will fix the soft AF. But I read that all new D7K's have the newer firmware already.
- Different battery than the D300/D700/D2H, which sucks.
- SD cards.
It's a solid camera all-around.
Here's a video I shot on it (30 fps, 720p):
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/weblogs/photo-blog/2011/mar/30/video-ca.../ |
|
Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
|
Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 10:53 PM on 04.21.11 |
->> Thanks Nic,
I watched that video last week while doing some research, nice job. How is the AF in video mode? I have never shot with a video camera that I had to manually focus, like some of the older DSLR's that shoot video and worry that it won't focus as well as our Sony HandyCam, not that it is great. |
|
Rodrigo Pena, Photographer
|
Beaumont | CA | USA | Posted: 3:14 AM on 04.22.11 |
->> Hi Paul, I'm no longer shooting video for newspapers, because I'm freelancing these days, but I wanted to let you know that I have shot video with the D7000 and it is really awesome in low light. You will be impressed to no end if you come from a Sony HandyCam. When I worked at my former newspaper, I was using a Sony A1U. I liked that video camera but hated that fact that it was useless in low light. I love the D7000 for video. It does have some minor drawbacks, but I always look past those. One thing that I miss is being able to hear the audio while I'm recording it. Recording audio is kind of guess work at this point for me.
As far as using the D7000 as a still camera, you and I have an identical setup. I have the D3 and a D2H for backup. Like you, the D2H doesn't see much action because the D3 is so much better. I wanted a second camera body that could perform well in low light. The D7000 is a good alternative. I will say that the D7000 has more noise at high ISO than the D3, but that is to be expected because of the low price. I have shot 3200 and gotten good results, but because I'm picky when it comes to noise, I like to shoot at 1250 ISO with the D7000. I would equate the D7000's 1250 ISO noise to that of the D3's 2500 ISO. I can shoot the D3 at 6400 ISO, but I prefer to keep it at about 2500 ISO and sometimes 3200 ISO. That should give you a sense for how low I like the noise at high ISO.
What's nice for me, having used mini dv tapes with the Sony A1U, is that the files from the D7000 import rather quickly. Make sure you get the high capacity, class 10, SD cards. They make a huge difference in speed. I shot video one night for about 6 hours, exhausted two batteries, filled up two 8GB HC SD cards and filled up two 16GB HC SD cards. The camera did not overheat on me like the Canon 7D can do with its users. There is a counter on the D7000 when you record video to let you know how much time you have left per video shot. If memory serves me correctly, I think it's 20 minutes per clip.
I sometimes shoot sports stills with the D7000 just for fun. It does surprisingly well for a non-pro camera. 6 frames per second is not too bad and the AF works well, but it's not the D3. The buffer gets full rather fast for me and sometimes I'll miss a shot because the buffer is still writing to the card. I'll take about 6 photos at the Fine, jpeg setting before the buffer gets full. That's when I'll put down the D7000 and pick up the D3.
The one thing I don't like about the D7000 (compared to the D3) is focusing at night is very hard. The D3 somehow manages to find focus in very dark places, but the D7000 has let me down on a few occasions.
But it's a good second body and I use it as a second body (for the time being until my second D3 gets repaired.)
Lastly, be prepared to upgrade your software. The D7000 RAW images will not open in older versions of Photoshop. The D7000 jpeg files, on the other hand, work fine on my CS3 version of Photoshop. My one-year-old version of RescuePro would not work with my D7000 files. I was told by the RescuePro staff that the newest version does work with the D7000 files. I have an older version of Final Cut Express (Version FCE HD 3.5.1) and it works fine with the D7000 video files.
I think you will enjoy the camera. It's miles above the D2H in my humble opinion. |
|
David Harpe, Photographer
|
Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 7:11 AM on 04.22.11 |
->> I've been using the D7000 for shooting video for a few months now, although not for newspaper work. All in all it's not a bad camera for video - especially for the price - especially considering it's a DSLR.
For audio I'm using a Sennheiser ME66/K6 on a hotshoe mount. If you use this combo keep an eye on your audio level settings and bass rolloff (on the mic). My preference is to roll off the bass and use a level of one or two. Experimenting is key.
As with all DX bodies, getting a good wide is a challenge...your full frame 20mm usually isn't wide enough for close-in work, and 14mm even feels a little tight for me. I'm not a huge fan of buying sensor-specific lenses, but with the style I like I found I really needed a DX wide. I went as wide as I could find - which is the Nikon 10-24/3.5-4.5.
If you're a 2.8 purist (as I once was) your natural tendency is to skip over this lens, but I've found it to be a really good performer, especially for the price. It flares nicely in sunlight, which is great for landscapes. From a low light perspective I'm not finding the 3.5/4.5 to be a limiting factor considering how clean this camera is at higher ISOs, and you can still get a decent amount of background blur at 4.5. It's sharp wide open at all focal lengths.
The 12-24/f4 is a good option if you need a little tougher build and are scared of variable aperture lenses. I do not own one of these currently, but in my D2H days I had one and it was a nice lens for wide DX work.
The grip helps give the camera some heft, which is useful if you have to handhold. It's not a dual-battery grip like some of the other cameras in this class, but it does come with a battery insert for AA's, which can come in handy if you have to be away from a charger for awhile.
We live in really interesting times. Amazing that you can get this much capability in a $1,200 camera. |
|
Tim Hynds, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Sioux City | IA | USA | Posted: 9:26 AM on 04.22.11 |
->> I shot some aerial footage of tornado damage with my D7000 last week.
We posted the raw video on our site with a VO from the sheriff and it looked decent - considering shooting from a 4-seater plane in 1,700' ceiling conditions.
The learning curve for operating the video functions of the camera is minimal.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/videos/?id=79701681 Video was shot with a 14-24 and a 70-200.
Thank God for active VR on the 80-200.
ABC World News Tonight licensed the video and it looked fine on the tube as well.
For $1,100, the camera is very capable for both stills and video. |
|
Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
|
Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 11:53 PM on 04.22.11 |
| ->> The Nikon Rep is bringing a d7000 by the paper Wednesday for us to check out and possibly keep for a few days, that is if any of our NPS memberships are still current. We have also put in our budget request for the cameras. So hopefully we will like it and our request will be approved. I am sure we will like the camera, seems most do. |
|
David Rossiter, Photographer
|
Lethbridge | AB | Canada | Posted: 9:48 AM on 04.23.11 |
| ->> Interesting thread but I am finding the more video I have been doing the more I want a dedicated video camera (like the new Canon Vixia HFG10). As great as video looks from a DSLR, my primary job when on assignment is for stills and I don't want to trick out my camera bodies with all the extras (like a viewfinder, focus roller ) that make them easier to use as a video camera. I do quick 90sec to 3 minute videos of events that I attend for the newspaper and I have come to the decision that for me a camcorder would be so much easier for this type of work. It also doesn't tie-up a body and lens on a tripod when that camera could be better used for stills that can be added to a video clip as a cutaway. I'm not producing documentaries here just interviews with b-roll, and event clips so for me a camcorder with AF, auto zoom, Articulating screen, IS and HD just seems to make more sense. |
|
Chris Peterson, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Columbia Falls | MT | USA | Posted: 9:54 AM on 04.24.11 |
->> My video editing skills absolutely suck and my video recording skills need a lot of work, but I too have shot a lot of video with the D7000.
There's a few annoying problems:
1) No audio out, so you can't hear what you're recording.
2) When using G lenses, you can't change the aperture while shooting video. It shuts off. Also, you have to get the mic away from the lens or you will pick up the AF noise, even with AFS lenses. Better off manually focusing.
3)In really cold weather, my camera will show a charged battery, but the video will stop working.
4) Live view mode on sunny days is poor. You can't see the screen.
5) The autoexposure function in video is almost always off. I almost always have to set exposure manually. And the exposure almost never corresponds to the still. So for example, if you're shooting video and you want to stop and take some quick stills, you have to re-set the exposure.
Pluses:
It's an excellent DX still camera. Colors are great (the best I've ever seen out of a Nikon DX camera) and noise is several steps up from the D300. And if you want to shoot some video, well, you have that option and the video looks really good, when done properly. |
|
Rodrigo Pena, Photographer
|
Beaumont | CA | USA | Posted: 2:54 PM on 04.27.11 |
| ->> I forgot to mention that if you would like to take still photos with your D7000 and you would like to plug into your off-camera lights via PC connection, you'll have to fork out about $35 for the AS15. This device connects to your camera's hot shoe and gives you a pc sync port. |
|
Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
|
Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 3:54 PM on 04.27.11 |
->> The Nikon Rep just left our paper and things look pretty good with the D7000. It is going to take some learning on the video end, but it looks like it can produce some nice stuff if the effort is put into it.
Rodrigo, the Rep told us that you can use you Nikon SB800 on the camera and connect the PC cord through the slot on the flash. |
|
PJ Heller, Photographer
|
Santa Barbara | CA | USA | Posted: 3:07 AM on 07.21.11 |
->> Paul: Did your paper ever get the D7000(s)? If so, any comments, particularly about its video capabilities?
Chris: Re the mic picking up noise when the lens is focusing, do you find that an issue when using an external mic like to MKE-400 or Rode?
How about tricking out the camera for video . . . what seems to work best. Anybody try the rig talked about here: http://tinyurl.com/6arzl8f |
|
Paul Hayes, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Littleton | NH | USA | Posted: 8:17 AM on 07.21.11 |
->> Is the D4 expected to be a step up in terms of video? Or will it simply be a full frame version of the D7000 (in terms of video only).
And will there be a DX sensor upgrade (again, video) over the D7K? |
|
Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
|
Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 8:58 AM on 07.21.11 |
| ->> PJ we have not got them yet, not sure if they are even on our managing editor's radar at this point. Bummer. |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|