The best video DSLR for under $700?

1 - Canon isn't better than Nikon, and vice versa. It's what you make from your camera. 2 - At DSLRs it's because they've been the oldest and managed to stay on top 3 - Sony is new, but beats Pentax already and is going only up. Their a77 and a65 are quite good for videos! 4 - Nikon D5100 or D3100? T3i has better fps in video and better audio, but those have faster AF while recording, but that's useless for now as it's loud and not accurate. 5 - Look, all DSLRs have good photo and video quality. If it comes out bad that's your fault ;) 6 - Only their latest two models are really good, the rest is just not that good for the price 7 - You are correct there, but one has to decide if you will get rid of better AF and other benefits of real DSLRs 8 - Olympus has been out for a long time, Pentax is struggling but alright. That's it! Canon T2i is the best choice! The T3i and T2i have the exact same sensor so you'll get the same thing. Here's a DSLR Buying Guide - http://www.the-dslr-photographer.com/2009/11/which-dslr-to-buy/

If you want a Canon, the T2i is probably the bang for the buck option. I don't own Canon or Nikon but I read so many reviews, spend a lot of time on the forums, and of course here. Over and over again, Canon seems to get the nod for being a slightly better video shooter overall. However Nikon just released 2 brand new shooters, only problem is they are crazy expensive, that would be the Nikon D800, and D4. To be honest, I've looked at video taken by all the dSLR brands and they all shoot very good looking video. But understand that will have a lot to do with the skill of the shooter as well, and avoiding high ISO at all costs with any entry level dSLR is a must when shooting video. So it really comes down to the little things. The Sony A33, 35, 66, 77 are a different thing. They are not dSLRs, they are technically SLTs and they gain some advantages over Nikon and Canon, and there are cons too. All Sony dSLRs and SLTs have anti shake in the body so every single lens you attach is stable. Canon and Nikon do this in the lens, and not every lens is anti-shake, and they don't make anti shake primes at all. Another thing SLTs gain is fast phase auto focus when shooting video if you want it. Canon and Nikon don't have this at any price, they both use slow contrast detect, so for sports, it's nearly worthless in AF mode Lens selection on the Sony side is not as wide as CaNikon, but most of your popular primes and zooms options are there. You also can use any auto focus Minolta lens, and there are millions out there, along with Tamron and Sigma. To gain that fast video autofocus, the Sony has to lose the optical viewfinder and replace it with an LCD screen in the A33, 35, 55, and OLED in the A65, 77. Back to Canon and Nikon, the Nikons use better Sony image sensors and will do better at high ISO for stills versus Canon. So you still have some research to do. All the different brands shoot clean video, and are capable of delivering professional quality, but that's in the right hands. You'll need to understand lighting, the technical side of actually shooting video, and have skills in post production. At this point with your budget, pay close attentions to the pros and cons of Nikon, Sony and Canon, go for the features you might actually use and just pull the trigger. If forced to buy right now, I would be looking at the Canon T2i, Nikon D3100 and Sony A55. Nikon, Canon, and Sony are close to replacing all their entry level offerings. So you can wait for those, or wait for softer prices on the current models. http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/