Question About Video Capacity On Dslr

[j]

My husband dropped our DSLR earlier this week, and it looks like it is economically unviable to bother repairing it. (Lens smashed, lens mounting system inside camera broken, something rattling around inside and motor continually running).

So I have started the research process to see what we are going to replace it with and noticed that some DSLR also have HD Video ability. We have also been talking about replacing our ancient VHS-C video camera, as the batteries no longer hold a charge, the tapes are nearly impossible to buy and the replacement batteries that we have purchased fail pretty quickly too.

What is the video function on the DSLRs like? I have a point and shoot which has video capability, but you can only record about 2-4 mins of video at a time, and only up to a certain % of the memory card in total. Does anyone know if it is the same on the DSLRs? Or can you record a decent amount of video? The reviews that I have read don't really say how long they record for, just that the videos are good quality and they have additional digital zoom.

The one that I have been looking at is the Canon EOS 600D.

Thanks in advance

[ness]

My brother has a Canon 60D and they have shot video footage and used it in a professional capacity (he works in advertising). The amount of video you can record would be limited by the size of the card you have to store it on.

[j]

Thanks ness. So you could fill the whole card with video if you wanted to?

[rubiton]

I think there is a limit to about 10 min in a burst but that could be wrong. Check www.dpreview.com that usually has all the specs for caemras and if not the forum is filled with camera users who would know.

[ness]

Here are the camera specs off the canon page -

1920 x 1080 (FULL HD)30/25/24 fps, 22min @ 330MB/min

1280 x 720 (HD)60/50 fps, 22min @ 330MB/min

640 x 480 (HD)30/25 fps, 1hr 32min @ 82.5MB/min

ETA. Maximum clip length appears to be 30 min - http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/T3I/T3IVIDEO.HTM

Edited March 4, 2013 by ness

[kja]

Remember, it would be rare to shoot a 30 minute+ clip. Usually one would shoot smaller clips and put them together in software (or just run them one after the other if no editing is needed). Easy enough to change cards as many times as you need if you want a massive amount of footage.

Check your computer specs to make sure it can handle video editing if you're going to do a lot of it.

And skip the digital zooms - stay optical as much as possible.

Video in dslr isn't as easy as with a dedicated video camera or a point and shoot and it consumes much more memory than stills.

Have fun shopping!

[j]

Thanks all for the advice. We may still end up with both, but it's nice to know that the option exists.