For video do I want 1080 or 720? 24 fps or 30 fps?

Depends upon your use. Here in the US, 1080i/60 or 1080P/60 would be the likely choices, along with 4K/30P if you’ve got a camera capable of it.

If your intended distribution has any possibility of broadcast or commercial distribution, then 1080P/30 would be the lowest choice you should make (again, 4K/30P would be better), 720P/30 would be the worst choice (in areas where PAL is the norm for TV, substitute 25 for 30 fps). Professional broadcasters or distributors can downgrade any video you shoot to the standard they need, if necessary. But they don’t like trying to upgrade video. 

For online distribution, both 1080P and 30 fps are probably too much at the present, though as bandwidth improves worldwide it will likely become favored. 720P and 24 fps are perfectly fine for online work right now, and don't push the storage size or delivery bandwidth too badly. But if you were "playing it safe" (hoping your online video will make it viral and get picked up commercially), I'd say stick with 30 fps. 

For home use, shoot what you want, but realize that 1080P creates bigger file sizes than 720P, and 30 fps creates bigger file sizes than 24 fps. If you shoot much video, you're going to find that that extra storage space adds up rapidly.  

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mirrorless: sansmirror.com | general: bythom.com| Z System: zsystemuser.com | film SLR: filmbodies.com


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