Canon 5D Video vs Nikon D90 Video

I know this isnt a fair comparison but these are the 2 cameras that have already built in video when talking about cameras, i mean DLSR cameras with video. all the Point and shoot cameras seem to have video output as a standard. I have been wanting to write this piece since last year but server problems have held me back from doing anything, now that we are back online I can start posting new stuff.

I will be out over the weekend and will be shooting the dinagyang festival will be going with one of my friends that has a Canon 5D mark II and will try it out the video feature on the festival. For now Youtube is our friend for the videos provided here.

Video quality has been scaled down for web viewing puposes.

Here an Amateur Test Video using a Canon 5D Mark II

Amateur test Canon 5D Mark II video mode by jimbox

Here is another Amateur Test using the Nikon D90

Nikon D90 HD Video by CaptainComedy

• Specs wise, the Canon 5D wins hands down plus its a full frame camera shooting video
• Both Cameras can utilize the best lenses of both Canon and Nikon including Prime Lenses
• Both Cameras are up to date on HIGH ISO technology so they can give quality images even with poor lighting conditions
• Nikon D90 wins on Price, its cheaper, lighter and smaller
• Canon 5D  Wins on Quality but very bulky and heavy for video recording.
• D90 has Active D-Lighting
• D90 has aut0matic correction of lateral chromatic aberration
• D90 has white balance control  12 positions, 5 manual preset and Kelvin while the Canon has 8 positions.
• Canon 5D uses Quicktime MOV (H.264)
• Nikon D90 uses AVI (Motion-JPEG)

In the end, it boils down to your intended use, but if you ask me, I still think getting a good video camera is better than getting a good digital camera with a video features.. maybe for now since they limit video capture to up to 12 mins recording for the 1980 x 1080 resolution. If you are looking for videos to post on the web, these 2 cameras would be perfect for the reporter on the field and on the go.

If i were given a choice, I would wait for the next generation upgrade of the D300 with Video.. and probably more video capabilities but for now the Video feature isnt a back breaking must have feature. Why not the Fullframe D700? because for my style of shooting i like the 1.5x crop of the D300.. i rarely shoot wide for festivals, I like cropping out the clutter.

Whichever you choose, video is a refreshing break to your typical DSLR functionalities. Giving you more control in capturing images and telling your story.  What comes next? live video streaming using the wifi adaptors of the Cameras? web streaming video?