Canon T1i / 500D vs Nikon D5000 Movie / Video Quality
CameraLabs.com has a good set of clips comparing footage quality from the Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i / 500D / Kiss X3 vs Nikon D5000.
The movie clip from the Canon T1i / 500D shows a surprising amount of colored shimmering in the houses on the hills, but otherwise, was the preferred clip when I asked three ladies and a gentleman to view both unedited clips being played back through Quicktime Player on my MacBook Pro from normal viewing distances, and pick out their favorite.
The reasons given for preferring the T1i / 500D / Kiss X3 video:
- Brighter colors and sharper detail.
- Much better and crisper audio quality.
You can follow the links to Vimeo where the original files are hosted and download these Canon T1i and Nikon D5000 clips to play on your HDTV (high-definition TV). To download the original video files on Vimeo, you'd first have to create a free (and fuss-free) login. Then, on the relevant video page, scroll down until you see this download icon on the right:
InfoSyncWorld, in their D5000 review, noted that the D5000 has better video quality when it comes to low-light footage:
Perhaps the most anticipated feature was the D5000's D-Movie 720p video mode. HD video quality was good, but not anything to hold a Gala event for. Footage was noisy in dim and low light shooting environments, and we really had to watch our lighting in order to snag the perfect clip. The Canon Eos 500D performed better in bright light, but it fell flat on its lens barrel when it came to low light. We really admired the D5000's exposure in low light, but couldn't Auto Focus and had to do it manually. Despite this, we'd opt for the D5000's 720p over the EOS 500D's 1080p any day.
Further, in their Canon T1i / 500D review, they said:
The kicker was the low light performance, which fell flat on its face. Video looked adequately illuminated via Live View, but when we watched clips on our HD monitor, it was like watching a sea of nauseating darkness fighting for life.