ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXWhat camera should I get on a budget?
8 years, 10 months ago - Andy Wain
I'm a student and looking to get a decent-quality camera, most likely a DSLR. I think I want full frame and (if possible) 4K. I want something that is capable of professional-looking results, so that I'm not forced to upgrade again any time soon.
Let's say the budget for the camera body is an upper limit of £1000, and that cost of lenses is also going to factor into the decision. I've found myself getting baffled by the sheer range of options so some advice from somebody more experienced would be very welcome. Thank you.
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8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy
On a good day, for well under £1000 you could get a used Sony FS100 body on ebay. Stick an adapter on it and you could mount Canon EF lenses.
You failed to mention audio. A plus for the FS100 is it's built-in XLR ports, taking mic or line level signals.
Not 4K, though, either internally or externally.
Don't think it has built-in ND filters, but neither would a DSLR.
Here's a vid someone made regarding buying a used Sony FS100 (note: I haven't watched the video so don't blame me if there's anything weird in it) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wjplfBnkyE
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy
Typo correction: it's = its
I'm suitably mortified.
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
^^^ Don't panic Alwyne, it's not Reddit ;-)
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy
Too late, Paddy - I've already ordered the cyanide pill. The Dark Net has its uses.
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
I can't make specific camera suggestions, but in the bigger picture, think why you want 4k? Cheap 4k will indeed produce lots of pixels (usually interpolated), but as file sizes for 4k are HUGE, they'll be heavily compressed, so all that quality you're aiming for is wasted in a lossy MPEG. And at the affordable end of the market, the 4k sensors are tiny, so bad light is a real issue. And your post workflow is more costly and slow, with 5 times the dots to render. And if you're going to put the film on YouTube, there's no benefit TBH.
Instead, you might like to look at the current 1080p DSLR's which are dirt cheap by comparison, a used Canon 550D might be a few hundred quid and produce an image technically superior in every way but pixel count. Leaves you cash for the other essentials - legs, glassware, mics, etc. Any decent laptop these days can edit 1080p, too. And 1080p isn't so far off 2k, and that's what a lot of cinemas still project at. Beware of chasing dots for dots sake!
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Andy Wain
Thanks for your replies. To clarify, I'd like a camera that I can stills with as well, and one that's reasonably compact.
The 4K thing is partly for editing flexibility, and partly because it will become standard eventually. If there's nothing of decent quality in my price range though, 1080 is perfectly acceptable.
A full frame sensor is (to my understanding) far better for taking DSLR stills, but does it make any difference for normal speed video? What about high speed (say up to 120fps)?
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Andy Wain SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Andy Wain
Also, audio in would be a nice bonus, but I'm happy to use external audio recording.
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Andy Wain SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy
Full frame? A used Canon 5D MKII on ebay for £600. A used 5D MKIII for around £1000. Install Magic Lantern and video shooting gets a lot more pro. Also, Magic Lantern allows RAW shooting on the MKIII (perhaps even the MKII - long time since I looked at Magic Lantern).
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Alwyne Kennedy SHOW
8 years, 10 months ago - Simret Cheema-Innis
Black Magic Pocket Cam with Speedbooster and other cool bits. :)
Response from 8 years, 10 months ago - Simret Cheema-Innis SHOW
8 years, 9 months ago - Lalit Bhusal
Panasonic Gh4 worked well for me
Response from 8 years, 9 months ago - Lalit Bhusal SHOW
8 years, 9 months ago - Andy Wain
I've just been looking at the Canon 70D. It's not full-frame, but everything else about it looks very good. It seems to be possibly the best camera with an articulated viewscreen, which I find invaluable for getting interesting angles when shooting. Does anybody have experience of the 70D?
Response from 8 years, 9 months ago - Andy Wain SHOW