Nikon or Canon SLR or Mirror-less that will shoot up to 3 hours of continuous video: I need to replace my old 3 ccd Panasonic video camera. I am primarily a still photographer. I’d...

bobjaben

I need to replace my old 3 ccd Panasonic video camera. I am primarily a still photographer. I’d like to get a full frame dSLR that I could use to videotape depositions. I shoot photos with a Nikon D7100. It’d be nice to use my compatible lenses. Depositions can run to 8 to 10 hours. It would be reasonable to change sd chips hourly. Sorry if this is TL;DR.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

As I understand it, still cameras are limited to 30 minutes of video.

TBerwick Loc: Houston, Texas

You might consider a GoPro.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

Get the Panasonic GH4 - it records until the SD card is full or battery runs out - read Here are 6 reasons why you will love the GH4...

Note of interest - Nikon, Canon, Leica, C-mount, B4, and even PL lenses can be easily mounted on the GH4 with a simple adapter. Virtually any lens ever made is at your disposal with the GH4.

Hope this helps

greenhead

I believe that as a result of trade regulations DSLR and mirrorless cameras cameras are limited to 59 minutes of continuous video. There is also a potential technical issue. Some cameras will overheat when shooting ext,ended video sequences. This is especially true in higher ambient tempertures.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

rwilson1942 wrote:

As I understand it, still cameras are limited to 30 minutes of video.

Many of the new mid to upper level cameras will automatically and seamlessly start new clips when the 29 minute and 59 second clip length is reached. You only lose an imperceptible microsecond.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

greenhead wrote:

I believe that as a result of trade regulations DSLR and mirrorless cameras cameras are limited to 59 minutes of continuous video. There is also a potential technical issue. Some cameras will overheat when shooting ext,ended video sequences. This is especially true in higher ambient tempertures.

It has always been 29 minutes and 59 seconds unless they recently changed the rules. The heat issue with most cameras is much less of a problem with newer designs.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Shellback wrote:

Get the Panasonic GH4 - it records until the SD card is full or battery runs out - read Here are 6 reasons why you will love the GH4...

Note of interest - Nikon, Canon, Leica, C-mount, B4, and even PL lenses can be easily mounted on the GH4 with a simple adapter. Virtually any lens ever made is at your disposal with the GH4.

Hope this helps

However, your camera will still have to record a long video sequence into separate clips since you are restricted by the 4 GB file size which usually limits HD video clips to about 12 minutes or so. Lower-resolution video will give you more minutes per clip of course, but the file size limitation is still there.

greenhead

I should have also mentioned that there is the important issue of audio. I would not want to shoot depositions without mics that have XLR connectors to an audio mixer and then to the camera. You should also be able to monitor the audio via a headset attached to the camera.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

Additonal info -

Link to B&H for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

Also, the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 is unlimited video -

From the Q&A section on video length for the GH5:
limited only by the amount of space on the card, final clips are split into 4.2GB chunks but you can easy put them together in Final Cut, Premiere, etc. for a video as long as you wish. Theoretically if you have AC power (adapters are available) and two 512GB cards in the camera you could record a continuos 4K video for about 12 hours.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

greenhead wrote:

I should have also mentioned that there is the important issue of audio. I would not want to shoot depositions without mics that have XLR connectors to an audio mixer and then to the camera. You should also be able to monitor the audio via a headset attached to the camera.

I'm not personally aware of DSLR or mirrorless cameras that natively support XLR connections, but some may be available. And of course, there are third party adapters. However, given the criticality of your requirements and the use of this camera, perhaps you should be looking at a dedicated professional video camera. While professional level video cameras can get immensely expensive, there may be some with fewer features which may fit your needs and budget. Unfortunately, I can't help you with that because it's not a market segment I'm familiar with.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

bobjaben wrote:

I need to replace my old 3 ccd Panasonic video camera. I am primarily a still photographer. I’d like to get a full frame dSLR that I could use to videotape depositions. I shoot photos with a Nikon D7100. It’d be nice to use my compatible lenses. Depositions can run to 8 to 10 hours. It would be reasonable to change sd chips hourly. Sorry if this is TL;DR.

The only cameras I know of that can do this are made by Panasonic. Lumix GH5 is your best bet. Dual card slots, NO 30-minute time limit, NO overheating, GREAT video and audio quality, very good low light performance and surprisingly great stills.

You would need the battery eliminator (AC adapter, OR a battery grip and multiple charged batteries.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

mwsilvers wrote:

I'm not personally aware of DSLR or mirrorless cam... (show quote)

Lumix GH5 has an optional Panasonic-made hot shoe-mounted audio adapter with mic/line XLR inputs.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Shellback wrote:

Additonal info - br br Link to B&H for the ... (show quote)

News flash: the cards are hot-swappable, for virtually unlimited recording time with AC power.

I have a Lumix GH4 and love it. I do equal parts video and stills. I will eventually get a GH5.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

burkphoto wrote:

Lumix GH5 has an optional Panasonic-made hot shoe-mounted audio adapter with mic/line XLR inputs.

Thanks. Although in this case not a third-party adapter, I knew from a quick search that adapters for various cameras were available.