ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy

Is he buying new or used?

8 years, 10 months ago - Cole Whitelaw

Your friend could get a new a7s for that sort of money, or even nearly stretch to a canon c100 which would kill most of those options.

8 years, 10 months ago - Jordan Simpson

Agree with Cole. I know someone who uses a C100 and is really into making docs and the like, they love using it. Plus its functionality would serve him well, he can get amazing deals on eBay and even add the option for a warranty with SquareTrade if he is worried about buying on there.

From personal experience, I have used a GH3 and GH4. I think the GH4 is a beautiful camera that shoots amazing images, but so does the GH3 and I moved from a 600d to a GH3 thinking it was a sidestep, boy was I wrong!

I can't comment on other options too much, but the stronger XAVC-S codec of the Sony cameras and their low light functionality should make them very appealing, tell him to shop around the a7 options to see what prices he can get. Hope that helps.

8 years, 10 months ago - Cole Whitelaw

Jordan hit on a good point there as well that I didn't really elaborate on.

The c100 is an all in one doc makers dream in terms of usability, variable nd etc and EF mount, also in terms of codec prores canon log etc. Are a safe bet.

I shoot on a Blackmagic and it's a usability nightmare in the field really.

I'm all setup for it's quirks so can cope, but I'm seriously considering an eos next purely because it is properly set up for film making, something that can't be said of dslrs really. All of them need additional kit to really feel like an efficient setup.

8 years, 10 months ago - Cecelia Morgan

Thanks guys. So it could be new or used, but has to include use of existing his existing EF lenses, or new lenses - and be light enough to fit on a single-grip gimbal (so under 1.2kg with lenses - also better for his back). Otherwise the C100 would be very tempting - though over budget. The A7s is a nice thought - though would need new lenses because adapters lose the autofocus ability - any recommendations there? Apart from not recording internal 4K, how does it compare to the much more expensive A7sii, or the GH4? Thanks again for your help!

8 years, 10 months ago - shirley day

HI Cecilia I got a GH4 recently and have been really pleased with it. You can get a metabones adapter for the lenses. I've found focusing really easy on the gh4 as it has the focus peaking. I also got the Yaghe for it, which is the sound mixer. I've had some problems attaching a Matte box to the Yaghe but am still playing around with that. Also the Yaghe needs to have an electrical feed, it's not battery operated, so that means you've got a lot of wires sticking out of your camera. I think the 4 K recording is pretty good. I am pretty sure its 8 bit rather than 10 bit, and the slow mo of 96 fps is not great but it seems to work really well at around 60 FPS. I think it's probably a really good, easy to use starter camera. It's micro-four thirds and I am beginning to think I am missing a bit of depth as opposed to a full frame sensor. It has no ND filter, so you will probably need a mattebox with it. The battery life is good. It's really light, and as I said, very very easy to use.

8 years, 10 months ago - Cecelia Morgan

Thanks Shirley!

8 years, 9 months ago - aaron trinder

GH4!