Nikon D3100 vs Camcorder

[CrosCntryAccord]

First things first: My parents have given my wife and I present for Christmas. They want us to buy a camcorder that we can use when we have the baby.

I, having slight knowledge of DSLR's, began to weight the pros and cons of picking up the Nikon D3100 (compared to the Canon T3i and Pentax K-R it has the best video potential)

Obviously each has their own obvious advantages. My question is for people who have this specific camera, what are your experiences using it to for filming videos, both good and bad?

Any input is greatly appreciated, I will respond to questions as quickly as I can.

 

[tnguyen600]

I haven't had any experience with Nikon's dslr video feature but the 5D MKII & 1D MKIV's video is amazing. I feel that many of the video dslrs have better video quality then many of the consumer grade camcorders. One of the things you'll lack with the dslr is that there is no auto focus.

My buddy just picked up a D5100 for a pretty good price and from what I saw, the video was pretty nice.

Bottom line: Get a dslr with video capabilities. Regardless of whatever dslr you get, I'm pretty sure there won't be any auto focus capabilities. I think Sony's A55 has af video.

 

[Wildman]

I'd definitely go with the camcorder if I was hoping to catch my kid's movements as he/she grew up. Camcorders are going to have image stabilization, better autofocus, and better portability which will start to matter when you're going to games or whatever and you want to fit it in your wife's purse.

The DSLR would be more fun for you, but if the reason you're getting it is to film your kid, I'd go with the camcorder for a primary.