DSLR vs Camcorder :)

few things I can think of...

Camcorder will usually have better zoom.
with a DSLR you need to buy lenses for super zoom. and a good lens ain't cheap.

I don't think the T2i/T3 have auto focus.

DSLR will have better quality I believe, bigger sensor.

if you buy used/refurb then that is a possible option.

im not going to go into great details or argue with other people on OCN about what is better or even which dslr is the best as well.

heres your problem for $560 you can buy a t2i + 18-55 since buying the same setup new is slightly over your "about $600"

now with that you are going to need to buy extra memory cards since you are traveling you will want more than one and extra batteries. those are not expensive. im going to assume you knowledge of video and cameras is basic unless you say otherwise but an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 is not going to be good enough most likely unless you are ok with only having a wide angle of what you are shooting. if you want to be able to have extra reach you will end up buying a 55-250 to go with it since that is the cheapest telephoto zoom and that will cost you $300 on canon refurb as well. your other problem now is that you have 2 lenses and a dslr to shoot video but now you can only record for like 12 minutes at a time and after long enough the camera will overheat and you wont be able to use it until it cools down. btw you will also be shooting video in manual focus mode and will also have very low quality audio. a mic that mounts on top the camera which will cost $150 or more

in the end after all that basic stuff not getting into the details of the video quality itself i highly suggest reconsidering and going with a camcorder to make your life easier unless you are confident enough to shoot dslr video. with a camcorder you are guarenteed a good image unless the lighting is really bad. with a dslr it can go many ways unless you shoot in manual exposure mode which is highly suggested as on a dslr if you shoot in auto it will not set your shutter speed to 1/60 or 1/50 which is the suggested setting when shooting in PAL or NTSC video or in 1080p at 30 fps.

if you want details on actual image quality of the video i can compare them altho a DSLR with a cheapo lens will be only slightly better than a really nice camcorder. a dslr with a very nice expensive lens can compete with the image quality of many professional video cameras

Only some DSLRs have continuous auto focus while in video mode. And it's only the more expensive ones that do so, out of the price range you're talking about. Using the DSLR for video requires more technical ability, and an expensive lens beyond just the kit lens. Even assuming feature-parity with a camcorder, the biggest problem with using a DSLR for video is holding it steady. I usually carry a Nikon D7000 and a Canon S100 compact. Both do HD video. I tend to use my compact for video rather than the Nikon D7000 as it's much easier to hold and keep stable. I'd definitely go with the camcorder rather

If the camcorder you're looking at uses a CMOS sensor instead of a CCD sensor, might as well get a camera and use the video option.


*edit* Basically the same camera but one uses a CMOS sensor while the other uses a CCD sensor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEaDrS-yzIE

actually no... the more expensive DSLRs do not have AF while in video mode its actually the cheap ones that do because auto focus is something that consumers use more than professionals

sensor type does not matter its sensor size honestly. there are plenty of CCD cameras that can produce better quality video than a CMOS camera. it depends on what you are shooting that calls for different types of cameras with different sensors. a 3CCD and 3CMOS is out of OPs price range anyway so not sure why you even bothered posting that. you will experience rolling shutter on a DSLR but i dont think OP is recording while driving on a motorcycle

That was my point. Cameras typically use CMOS sensors because they're fine for still images but a camcorder should use a CCD to stop the rolling effect that CMOS creates. If he's just gonna end up buying a camcorder with a CMOS sensor, he might as well buy a nice camera instead because the video won't be any worse and he'll have a nice still-image camera to boot.

We bought our camcorder (Canon HF200, smaller than it looks) a few years ago. It has been completely awesome. Great quality, easy to use, durable. We haven't regretted our purchase at all. This last month we also bought a DSLR (Canon T2i). The video is decent but there is no real autozoom (or if there is, it is terribly loud). The quality isn't bad but it is much more awkward to use and transport.

Honestly, if you are looking for video you need to get a dedicated video camera. If you want to take pictures, get the DSLR. If you have to do both equally, I would suggest the video camera and keep using a point and shoot.

 

 

The new Nikon D4 and D800 both have continuous AF in video mode, at $6k and $3k a pop. It would perhaps have been more correct to say that only the latest models have continuous AF in video mode then... :)

Edited by complexlogic - 3/31/12 at 7:08pm

sorry. you did not make that point very well in your post at all and did not directly say what you intended only the video showed it with video cameras on a motorcycle which i dont think the OP can even relate to or understand because they are "record our trip, performances like dancing, cheerleading, etc" unless by etc they mean dash mounting on fast moving vehicles lol. with slow moving objects the rolling shutter from most CMOS cameras will not have a major impact. its most noticeable on fast moving objects or if mounted on a vehicle then fast jerky camera shakes.

sorry for not being overly specific considering both of those cameras are out of OP's price range and any normal camera user that buys either of those cameras for professional application rather than the typical "im rich and bored users" will not likely use the AF in video anyway. but since you are sooo critical then yes they do offer AF but its not very practical to shoot with a DSLR handheld without at least a shoulder rig or tripod with follow focus for the MF users and some AF to be even more correct...
Edited by Conspiracy - 3/31/12 at 9:07pm