ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXCanon mark iii
11 years, 1 month ago - sophie dixon
Hi,
I'm looking to buy my own equipment for filming. Having recently graduated I now have no access to equipment and feel lost without something to film with!
I'd like to film documentary but I place a strong emphasis on cinematography. I was thinking about purchasing the Canon Mark iii, a rig and an external audio source..... does this sound like a wise decision? It's a huge investment for me so if anyone has any advice on a better way to go I'd really like to hear from you! ideally I'd hope this set up could last me at least a few years....
Also I was told that a lens adapter can be used with the Mark iii soI can buy good quality lenses at a lower price....does anyone have experience with using a lens adapter on this camera?
Thank you,
Sophie
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11 years, 1 month ago - Alwyne Kennedy
If going down the 5D MKIII route, I'd advise you to install the (free) Magic Lantern firmware add-on to make the camera more usable for video - it adds focus peaking / zebra, etc. It also allows the camera to shoot RAW video if you want, although you have to use expensive high-speed CF cards to taste that delight.
I have 5D MKIII rig myself (plus Beachtek XLR active adapter feeding into a Zoom H4n recorder). I may even be tempted to sell it, as I need to buy a Sony FS700 soon for its slo-mo capability and can't afford to have both.
My 5D kit is all housed in/on a modified camera cage which is a bit bulky, and maybe not something suitable for running around with doing docu work.
Response from 11 years, 1 month ago - Alwyne Kennedy SHOW
11 years, 1 month ago - Alwyne Kennedy
Oh, re adapters: the cheapest way to stick a decent lens on a 5D is to buy an EF to M42 adapter (costs about £5) and buy cheap M42 mount lenses on ebay, such as were made by Pentcon. You could pick up a 50mm F1.8 Pentacon lens for under £20. You'll be left with manual control only for the lens, though.
A few years back, when I was skint and had no posh kit left, I bought a Canon 550D and some M42 lenses and installed Magic Lantern on it. Today that route would set you back only £300 on ebay. Or you could use modern Tamron zoom lenses - their 17-55mm and 28-75mm F2.8 lenses would cover you for most situations, maybe adding a cheap Pentacon tele lens. The 550D is also called the t2i. Here's a short short on it - http://vimeo.com/94390460
Response from 11 years, 1 month ago - Alwyne Kennedy SHOW
11 years, 1 month ago - Peter Ward
I'd go Sony A7S. Impressive dynamic range and the sharpest video out of a stills camera I've seen by a long shot, even in HD mode--in 4K it gives around 1500 lines (a friend just ran a bunch of tests on the camera).There is no way to easily record 4K from it at the moment, but the fact they avoid line skipping makes a world of difference. Because it's a mirrorless system it can adapt to any lens mount you want--notably range finder lenses. And the low resolution helps with older lens--a lot less fringing and other artifacts normally seen when putting old lenses on high megapixel cameras.
Canon still have cache, but their cameras are pretty stale at this point. Unless its a good deal second hand, personally I'd look elsewhere.... The GH4 is another strong choice if you can deal with the weird crop factor.
Response from 11 years, 1 month ago - Peter Ward SHOW