ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 3 months ago - John David Clay

Oliver,

This is a familar issue having heard producer Jennifer Hendorf of Borderlands (2013) the other morning I would opt for H4N unit @ £250 hire a good sound recordist /s. also use radio mics if need be. get good lens glass on a 1K budget that can make the image sharp or soft, solid mk 3 would do BTW (200mbs is broadcast quality.) as long it St HD 2k that would probably do I work between 2 - 4K but it depends if its utube or actual screening quality. + invest ina follow focus unit that makes getting parallax shift smooth and consistant.

Best of luck on 2k budget and hope this is informative.

John
Cinematographer / Operator.
BKSTS
W Sussex.

11 years, 3 months ago - John Lubran

Great advice from Tim. It's always more desirable to have all the kit that well budgeted pros rely upon, but for those who have to duck and dive, second best, or even fourth best, at a fraction of the price is often quite good enough provided the film maker actually knows what they are doing and know how to maximise the limitations of the tools available. The number of times I've tricked Hi8 to be accepted as Betacam SP (when delivered on Batacam SP), DV to be accepted as Digital Betacam (when delivered on Digital Batecam) and HDV to be accepted as HDCAM (When delivered on HDCAM) reveals quite a lot.

11 years, 3 months ago - Marlom Tander

The last camera I bought was second hand because my friendly local camera technician said that it was the last model that had a proper robust metal interior mechanism that would last for donkeys years, unlike the new models that were full of horrible "gonna break" plastic. :-)

It's still going strong.

Once you have specific models in mind, always worth talking to a camera tech :-)

11 years, 3 months ago - Tim Fok

I shot DSLR pretty much exclusively for 4 years and never ran into the recording time cap with interviews. There are always sneaky points you can stop start.


A follow focus for a 1-2k budget will also not be the wisest of investments.

What I've found when investing in kit, is you always get what you pay for. Every item I skimped on, I replaced over time. And every item I cringed at clicking BUY due to the price, is still in my bag 4 years later.

With that said however, 1-2k doesn't leave much room for buying a few items only once.

Due to that budget, I'd get a DSLR, providing you understand the limitations.

With that budget I'd go with a 550D/60D/GH1/GH2. Then get a 50mm (or 25mm ish for the GH cameras) and a Canon 24-105mm

Then get a Zoom H1 for your sound, with super cheap lav mic. you can mount the H1 to your camera and use it as a mic in some situations, and in others put it in the talent's pocket and run a lav into it, then sync audio in post (check out pluraleyes software for this).

Get yourself a good tripod, Sachtler ACE L combo would be a good start, and a loupe (copy cat LCDVF would be most cost effective). Add a manfrotto 500 head and monopod and that'll probably be your price limit (with a couple of cards and batteries).

That'll get you shooting without lights, these are the easiest things to hire, and you can get create with practicals by purchasing reflector boards and bounce cards.

11 years, 3 months ago - Oliver Mason

All, thank you for your input. I'll be making a mixture of drama and some interviews / corporate videos.

Tim - that's really helpful. What would be the difference in getting a 550D versus a 5D? I've shot on a 5D mark 2 before and I was happy with the results, though filming some shots in a club meant I got an odd grainy effect in the black areas.

And like you say, you get what you pay for, would you recommend new rather than second hand?

11 years, 3 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

As you say you want to record interviews I'll steer you away from DSLR cameras which have a continuous recording time shorter than camcorders (but are great for shooting drama). That amount of money could be spent several ways, on a cheaper camcorder and external sound recorder plus editing software, or all on the camera. I don't personally think it's worth spending all on the camera though, it's not enough cash for professional kit, so you're shooting on consumer kit anyway. Maybe pick the model with the fewest gadgets you can (who needs a projector on a camcorder?) and feeling simple to use, and then get a decent tripod with fluid head, external sound recorder you can position just out of shot, spare batteries, memory cards, etc? If you spend wisely you could even get a cheap lightweight jib in, which will give you so many more shot choices, might be a nice addition.

11 years, 3 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

550D vs 5D is a couple of grand difference. 5D is the top of the range, full-size sensor, 550D is in the value range, smaller sensor. Both work similarly, both record 44Mbps. 5D is undoubtedly better, but is it a couple of grand better for most uses? That's for you to answer.

11 years, 3 months ago - Marlom Tander

Consider buying second hand. Can be very good deals, esp if people are selling their stuff lock stock.

11 years, 3 months ago - Andrew Morgan

Make sure you know how to use that mic too - most people don't :)

http://juicedlink.com/pages/misuse-of-shotgun-mics