burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Panasonic addressed all these issues of overheating and the "tariff time limit" about a decade ago. The Lumix GH3 and later GH series, and the S1H, have no time limit besides the card capacity and power source. Battery eliminators (AC adapters) work in all of them, and USB-C power delivery works in the GH5 II. The GH5 and later have dual card slots with hot swap capability. The GH4 and later connect easily to external recorders.

These cameras also have a slew of pro video and pro audio features and options not found until recently on other MILCs.

Exposure zebras
Manual focus assist with 10X magnification
Tap to focus on the OLED screen while using the EVF
Mic inputs with level controls, meters, and switchable peak limiters
Over 70db signal-to-noise ratio preamps
Optional dual XLR input for mics and line level sources
Headphone outputs
Waveform monitor
Record indicator frame on the latest models

...and many more. Complete specs are available at DPReview, or Panasonic.com.

Sony is also putting similar features into their cameras. Canon is playing catch-up, but rapidly. Nikon is playing catch-up rapidly, too.

I bought the Lumix GH4 in 2015, and found it far more livable than any camcorder form factor I ever used since 1980. I am waiting for the GH6 to be reviewed and tested before deciding whether to get a GH5 II or a GH6 or a full frame system of some sort.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Interesting. My son uses his $300 Sony camcorder almost daily. I suspect a good quality MILC would cost considerably more. Like everything else, it depends on your needs and your budget. I'm impressed by how durable this Sony has been over the past six years.

You can wait for a reply or two and then post a link without getting your post moved.

EDIT: His Canon Eos R5 C costs $4,500.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes, but I was impatient. Here's the working link:

http://dpreview.com/opinion/6349087227/why-i-shoot-video-with-mirrorless-cameras-and-not-video-cameras

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Hi BT, unfortunately it doesn't look easy to do on Nikon. Canon has a wonderful hack called Magic Lantern that removes the limit, along with a zillion other cool things. Sony has a hack that works on the older cameras that had a limit. But Nikon is apparently hard to crack :-(

therwol Loc: USA

I have one of those little Sony HD camcorders, a CX 230. It does most of everything I need but has very poor low light performance. For example, video I took recently of my family in an indoor roller skating rink is very grainy appearing. I'm looking for something better. You're right. Something better is going to cost much more.

Opsafari Loc: Roodepoort South Africa

I’ve been in the Television industry for 40 odd years (PAL) where I’ve used various video cameras BIG and fairly heavy ones and concentrated on video editing, started with non-linear 2inch tape. I’ve experienced the evolution in Tv Broadcasting and retired fairly deep into the digital environment, video editing wise.

Before retiring I always had a problem with low cost productions because of progressive video format coming from non “broadcasting” camera equipment also some audio problems. I’ve discovered that many small productions were using Canon SDLR for their shoots also using Gopros. Canon and Gopros use progressive shooting format which is field rate where interlaced uses two fields to make one frame.

When you use the latest editing systems which are computer and software based and computer screens it is really difficult to spot interlaced or progressive problems on a pc screen. I always had a high quality professional Tv screen connected to my editing desk. You will not see any real problems with progressive video on a computer screen as computer screens are native progressive but when you mix the formats on your timeline you can see the difference especially on the television screen!

As PAL or Scam uses interlace video it is highly irritating to see progressive signals mixed with interlaced! You have to convert the progressive video format to interlace format. With this converting you will lose some quality, only for the trained eye thou. The modern platform for video is the internet and YouTube which is progressive and you will not see the “flickering” rate, maybe in super slowmos created by “cheaper” camera recordings.

I do know that Nigeria has properly have the biggest video industry after Bollywood where the guys are using DSLR cameras because they are by far cheaper than broadcast equipment and some production houses use cheap video editing and sound post mixing software. Most of these productions are not for the television broadcasting but for the DVD market and they are coining it!

I have to amid that I was never keen on using a DSLR for video capture because of its progressive recording format and a lack of professional audio recording.

Our pay tv station got the contract to cover the first Miss World event in South Africa and I was send to Sony’s head office in Basingstoke in the UK to learn the latest linear video editing system to be able to edit this special production and various inserts. It was a fantastic setup that controlled 8 Betacam video playback machines and one Dat player and recording on two Betacam and Dat machines! The controller and desk look like the interior of an aircraft’s cockpit! Impressive and powerful for an analog system. You can not compare it to today’s non-linear computer systems, somehow it’s easier to edit today than many moons ago but you have so many additional “things” you can do to the video on your timeline also when you only have to worry about one format: progressive.

The Television world has been invaded by consumer recording devices among the photography world. Most DSLR cameras are capable to record video and some does it very well, it all depends on the eye behind the camera! The only thing that is really lacking is proper audio recording but that is also catching up were the guys are investing in proper microphones and/or external audio recording devices. Many DSLR cameras does not have any audio recording settings!

My other problem with DSLR as a video recording device is the lack of weight! They are so light and fit into you hand but difficult to hold steady and forget the stabilizers in lenses or bodies because when you can not keep the camera still nothing is going to stabilize the image! It is so much easier to put your camcorder on your shoulder supported by your right arm (if you right handed) and your right hand easily on the zoom bottom and your left hand to do manual focusing. You used a mic on the camera for camera sound and a XLR cable external mic if needed. Yes that camera was heavy especially when you were shooting sport events and have to change tapes every 30 minutes! In a documentary or studio situations you hardly ever shot long continued scenes, only short durations like 3 to 5 minutes and make the work for the video editor difficult!


Time has brought major changes especially to the world video recording devices. Every Tom, Dick and Harry started to become video producers, camera operators and editors. One Man Show! The audience is the internet and very hungry for material and basically any video recording device will do the job! As long as you know how to do the filming (recording), how to do good sound recording and how to put everything together in post-production, who cares if it was filmed on a cellular or DSLR as long as the end product is of high standard for you to receive thousands of “likes” that might turn into some dollars!

I’m months away from a three months epic solo journey to the Namib Desert. My dream is to capture it on stills, but the more people, friends and family learn about this journey the more they pressurize me to capture it on video as well! That is very difficult, so many angles you have to use which is time consuming then you also want to concentrate on photography! I’m not going to mount my beloved DSLR on the bonnet while driving over rocks, deep sand or water, not going to mount it on a 10 meter stick and stick it out of the window to act like a drone or hand held it inside the vehicle while driving for a “selfie” image! I only have a DSLR and a cellular, no GoPro or drone and not sure if I have the budget for a GoPro either, don’t like drones either! The video editing software I do have, portable digital sound recording I do have but if you really want to make a proper documentary, you do need some dedicated equipment.

To go back to “burkphoto” “…why Mirrorless Cameras are so popular for recording video, OVER a traditional, dedicated video camera.” Yes the digital image recording consumer devices has really become very special and in many aspects they are way cheaper than the professional broadcasting equipment. It also makes it very possible for any person with the right mind set to become content producers and the world via the internet is your audience!

Sorry, I know this is a loooong post but I just had to give my 2C!

therwol Loc: USA

I think that we are in agreement on most things. A full frame mirrorless camera that can take uncropped 4K video will take better video than a consumer grade camcorder and even one costing a couple of grand because of the sensor size.

You mention shoulder support for a camcorder or camera. I mention it also. This takes away from the "inconspicuous" advantage of using a camera for video. When I talk about the ease of holding up a just a camcorder, I'm referring to one of the light weight consumer ones. I have no problem with that, only with the quality of the output.

I've been a Nikon user since the late 60s. I can upgrade my video options with any of several brands, but I am looking at options within Nikon first. I have a D850 DSLR with video options that look great on paper, but there are focus issues in Live View. Not good enough.

Here is how I see it.

Option 1. Nikon Z6ii. Nothing negative, but if I'm going to go Z, I'll need to replace a bunch of lenses that will not autofocus on the camera. The cost of the FTZ adaptor will add to the cost of the purchase if I'm going to use any of my G lenses.

Option 2. Nikon D780. Same capability as the Z6ii because it has phase detection built into the sensor, but no EVF. The advantage would be that all of my lenses would be compatible for use as a still camera.

Option 3. I already looked at the Sony camcorder you mentioned. No issues as far as I'm concerned.

Of course, all of these options will cost money.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

@Opsafari--I got into the industy not long after you, in 1983, but in NTSC, definitely inferior to PAL. Anyway, these days without CRT screens and rasters, we don't have to worry about progressive anymore. And with progressive comes much higher resolution, even in standard definition since interlaced is only half the resolution for each field.

I used the Sony and Ikegami tube cameras, and then camcorders when Beta arrived. Of course it is better to have the camera on your shoulder for stability, but these days with a decent counterweighted railblock rig, and with a camera with IBIS and stabilized lenses, you would be amazed what is possible. I can shoot decently handheld now with a 400mm lens on FF, something unimaginable only a few years ago. And a good EVF on a mirrorless wipes the floor with a DSLR and the rear LCD. I invite you to have a look at the docu links I posted earlier. The first sequence in Dutch Harbor was shot almost entirely handheld, including on the boats. This is way ahead of anything I ever did with a camcorder, and a lot better than a Canon DSLR, even on a rig and with stabilized lenses.

Sony has introduced a new digital hotshoe, which takes care of the usual audio problems. You bypass the usual D/A converters in the camera, and you can mount an audio dock that includes the standard shotgun and two XLRs, with full manual control. In addition, Sony has introduced a digital mic with 8 mic capsules and digital signal processing that is truly an amazing piece of work. It has a small chip that analyses the signals arriving at each capsule, and can digitally create omni, cardiod and hypercardiod pickup patterns. Add to that a noise reduction feature similar to noise cutting headphones for a mic. I did interviews from six feet away and it sounded like a pin mic. I also did interviews at a distance in noisy environments and on a ship travelling at speed with a lot of wind, and it was all usable. Kicking technology!

I completely understand your wish not to have to shoot both video and stills. It is not possible to do either justice in such a situation. I highly recommend that you get a GoPro Hero 10 Black camera. You can get (or could get) the camera, extra battery and a 32 GB card for $350 with a GoPro subscription. We filmed a lot of the aforementioned docus with GoPros, and they are truly amazing. Rock solid stabilization, horizon levelling and decent audio. For about $70 you can get a Media Mod that adds excellent audio. For traveling shots, and walking shots, they can't be beat. Just leave it in your pocket and hit the record button from off when the moment comes. The newest GoPros have a number of features that make them even more useful: you can lock exposure and add exposure compensation while filming. You also have a number of "Protune" options that are useful for high quality video. They are not hard to learn. You have lens options from (IIRC) about the equivalent of 40mm down to like 18mm. The only thing you can't do is telephoto shots. I highly recommend you consider adding that to your kit, which will also free up your main cam for stills in most situations.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Thanks for chiming in. The whole PAL and SECAM progressive vs. interlaced issue seems to be moot here in the USA.

You're right, though, the major use is YouTube/Vimeo, and other Internet distribution where broadcast standards really don't come into play.

Audio is not that big an issue IF you have professional audio chops and half decent equipment. The better MILCs have these audio features:

> Microphone inputs (stereo or two channels)
> Low noise pre-amps
> Level controls without AGC
> A 27db adjustment range on the input, for use with wireless receivers and other devices
> Mic/line switching
> Switchable peak limiters
> Optional XLR input adapters for mic/line level signals (with independent level controls and independent +48 volt phantom power per channel)
> Peak level meters in the viewfinder and on the rear screen
> Headphone output with level control
> Monitor input/recorded signal switch

Most of these features have been available for the last five years or so on Panasonic GH cameras and the S1 series. I'm pretty sure Sony has most of them, too, and if Nikon and Canon haven't put them on their latest video-centric models, they soon will.

The stabilizers in the GH5 and GH5 II are excellent when used in tandem with Lumix stabilized lenses. They approach tripod steadiness when used with a monopod, and when standing still without a monopod, as well. Stabilizing in post gets rid of most of the rest of any jitter and drift. Only when running with the camera or riding in a vehicle going over rough terrain is there a need for a non-stabilized body and a good gimbal.

Canon's newest R5-C and Lumix' GH5s are examples of cameras without stabilizers. They need gimbals and tripods or monopods. The R5 has stabilizer technology, but it isn't quite as video centric. The GH5 and GH5 II are highly video centric.

I think the case can be made that we have viable options, now. Several brands are cranking out very good to excellent video-capable hybrids.

In 2012, Will Crockett was saying we would see the market shift from dSLR to MILC within five years. It's taken ten years, so far, and dSLRs are not dead yet. But I think ten years from now, it might be extremely difficult to buy a new one. And low end camcorders will be hard to find, too.