Nikon D4 DSLR Camera This is currently Nikon’s Flagship sports and photojournalism camera. The extreme high ISO quality is insane which makes the D4 great for low light stills AND video. The D4 also has amazing features for videographers with 3 different crop modes and in camera audio monitoring. This is the camera we’ve dreamed of for filming Fstoppers Originals! [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Nikon D800 DSLR Camera Nikon shocked everyone when they essentially replaced their $8000 Flagship D3x camera with the new D800. It features 36 megapixels for amazingly sharp studio or landscape photos. It has almost all the same video features as the D4 and even works in a smaller 15mp crop mode. I never would have thought this camera would be less than $5,000 so you know we had to pick one up! [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Nikon D700 DSLR Camera When we need super low light capabilities at weddings or for natural light portraits, the Nikon D700 is our goto camera body. It integrates flawlessly with our other favorite camera, the Nikon D300s while offering all the benefits that come with a full frame sensor (better ISO, smoother bokeh, shallow DOF). If there was one camera to have for still photography, the Nikon D700 would definitely at the top of that list. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Nikon D300s DSLR Camera The D300s is definitely our goto camera for video at the moment and heavily used for wedding, macro, and telephoto stills. We love the 1.5 crop factor and having video on us at all times is pretty crucial. About 70% of the video you see on the Fstoppers Originals have been filmed on this camera. Until a D700 replacement comes out with video, the D300s is our top pick camera for both professional and notice photographers alike. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Nikon MB-D10 Vertical Grip Many people think having a vertical grip is only beneficial for extra battery life but the truth is, it makes taking vertical photos 1000x times easier. Every Nikon camera Fstoppers uses has a grip on it, and when you start using large pro lenses you can really feel the difference in stability compared to a camera with out the grip. Of course you will also want to pick up a few extra EN-EL3e batteries for when you want to take over an hour of video footage. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Nikon D7000 DSLR Camera The D7000 is one of the newest cameras in the Nikon lineup and until the D700 and D300s are replaced we aren’t quite sure how to rank this one. The low light capabilities for both still shots and video are among the best of any Nikon camera and for its price it really bridges the gap between entry level camera and professional camera if you make such a distinction. It uses a new grip and battery so I have to believe the D7000 is the first of a series of changes coming to Nikon’s lineup and so far we love what we are seeing![Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Nikon D3100 DSLR Although Fstoppers does not currently own this camera, we have used it a bit and think it might be the finest entry level camera ever made. We shot our first 1080 video with the D3100 (Twitter Contest Video) and the quality you can get from this camera is pretty amazing. We’ve proved in the past that good results are not dependent on the best gear so this camera should suite you well if you are just getting into photography or video with DSLRs. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Canon 7D Digital Camera Lee and Patrick are known for using Nikon equipment but there are a few Canon bodies being used as well. The main reason for using Canon cameras at the moment is for the beautiful slow motion video they produce when shot at 60 fps. We have probably never taken a single still shot with this camera but the build is great and is much more similar to the D300s and D700 cameras the team is used to using. If slow motion video interests you and you want a more than capable still camera, consider the Canon 7D first. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Canon T2i Digital Camera This is one of the best budget cameras out for both still photography and video. It can be a little tough to use manually because it has far fewer buttons than the 7D but if you are investing in your first camera this is a great choice. We only really use the T2i for slow motion video with its 60 fps mode and with this adapter we can even use all of our Nikkor Lenses. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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GoPro HD Hero Kit The Gopro HD camera (which has a lot of extra names associated with it) is one of the most fun cameras we use when filming Fstoppers videos. The 720 and 1080 video quality is great, and because it is small and water proof you can use it in places you normally wouldn’t dare to place a camera. We original added this camera for its slow motion ability but have since found it to be the most versatile video camera we own. [Amazon | B&H Video | Rent it ]
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Panasonic Ts2 Every photographer has been through a dozen or so point and shoot cameras. The Ts2 has become our favorite travel camera because its one of the best water proof cameras out and it also shoots usable HD 720 video (in the dark too with it’s LED light). The Panasonic Ts2 is to the still image as the Gopro HD is to video. [Amazon | B&H Video ]
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The guys over at Stillmotion video have come up with a rather interesting way to film point of view video. Instead of mounting something small like a GoPro to a helmet, Stillmotion decided to use a Canon T2i. The camera was upside down directly in front of several football players’ eyes as they trained in the 2011 NFL combine. Everything was made from common parts you can find at Home Depot or Lowes and the results are pretty interesting. After you watch the behind the scenes video below, head on over to the NFL Network to check out the final promo piece.
