ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

6 years, 3 months ago - Nathan Hannawin

Hi Toby,

For Vlogging a high-end phone will suffice. The camera's on new iPhone and Samsungs are amazing, and it's better to get the full use out of what you have than buying a more expensive camera and only using half of its features. And as you may already have one, you can invest in a gimbal and phone mic.

For short films you can probably get a second-hand a7s for about that price but you will then have to consider lenses, batteries, cards as well which will be extra. Although I highly rate them, I would recommend against any Blackmagic cameras, as they are far less point and shoot and require a lot more equipment to use them well, but again you will be able to get second-hand ones for that price.

Again for editing vlogs I'm sure iMovie or Windows Movie Maker would suffice. As an upgrade, DaVinci Resolve is free but far more complex, or there Premiere Pro which has a subscription of about £20/pm. There are also a bunch of free apps if you will be editing on phone/tablet but I've never actually done this myself

Hope this helps

6 years, 3 months ago - Marlom Tander

DaVinci Resolve - free, and a lot of people love it. But it does assume you are running decent kit. https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-minimum-requirements-for-using-the-DaVinci-Resolve-15

6 years, 3 months ago - Toby Reynolds

Really appreciate the answers for my questions - bless you both and happy filmmaking.

Toby

6 years, 3 months ago - Joop Span

Hi Toby,

Using a phone as camera is a good idea, but don't underestimate the importance of good sound. You will need at least a highly directional mic (so called 'shotgun') for recording interviews, general noise and/or drama dialogue. For recording your own voice, a 'shotgun' is very impractical. A 'lapel' mic is the way to go. And you will need an interface to bring the microphone signal into your phone, or use dual system sound. The latter means using your phone mike for recording a 'guide track', and using a separate audio recorder to record the microphone signal. Using the guide track, your editing software will automatically synchronize picture and sound. A good and cheap combination of recorder and shotgun mike is the Zoom F1SP, that can also record the signal of a lapel mic. Good lapel mics are expensive (my favorites are Sanken and DPA), but cheaper ones will suffice for using training films.

Hope this helps.

6 years, 3 months ago - John Lubran

Whilst telephone cameras are good they are not as good as 'proper' video cameras because of their weak audio and lenses. A consumer video camera from just about any of the propriety manufacturers such as Sony, JVC, Panasonic and Canon in the £600 or so range is going to be exponentially better than any telephone. Those manufacturers have been in the business of producing video cameras for decades. Not only are the lenses and controls much better but audio, even through unbalanced mini minijack ports, will provide superior results. Some of these low cost cameras even offer HD 1080 at 25mbps, which though not strictly EBU HD standard has been good enough for broadcasters on many occasions.

No telephone is able to provide the technical and versatile operation of a properly set up consumer video camera without the addition of conciderable production and post production tools. Even then telephones are compromised by their lack of the most basic camera craft functions by comparisons.

6 years, 3 months ago - Joop Span

I agree with John Lubran about dedicated cameras being better than telephone cameras. However, you cannot spend all your money on a camera, with no budget for audio. The minimal audio set (cheap shotgun, lapel mic, recorder, closed-back headphone) will set you back about £300. If your budget cannot exceed £600, there is only £300 left for the camera (and tripod and gimbal) . And £300 won't buy you a decent camera.

Happy shooting

6 years, 3 months ago - Nathan Hannawin

Hi again Toby,

I would just like to clarify I would only recommend a phone camera if you wanted to do vlogging and not for a short film

6 years, 2 months ago - John Lubran

Sennheiser MK400 short directional mic for unbalanced minijack with fluffy from £130 including VAT. Similar mic available from other manufacturers even cheaper. Clean and noise free for most occasions.

6 years, 2 months ago - Toby Reynolds

Thanks once again for expanding on this subject area - I guessed that film kit was a hot-button topic amongst filmmakers. Really appreciate all of the responses.
Toby

6 years, 2 months ago - John Lubran

As we don't use consumer kit much these days, I've been out of touch. Just googled 4k consumer video cameras and pleased to see that there's several on offer under £600. Also quite a few suitable microphones for under £100. More or less within your budget you can have your cake and eat it. Much better than any telephone.