Best <$1000 Video Camera

[Borkpaladin]

I won $1000 to spend on equipment in a film competition.

We currently have no equipment besides headphones, one decent desk mic and an old fairly decent basic camera.

 

What would be the best value camera we could get for shooting short films under $1000?

 

Thanks 

 

 

 

P.S.

We were also looking at getting a shotgun mic, any recommendations?

[Borkpaladin]

Any thoughts on this: Panasonic MDH1?

[ZetZet]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1057135-REG/panasonic_dmc_fz1000k_lumix_dmc_fz1000_digital_camera.html

 

 

Your thing is 50i...

[ZacDaMan72]

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-Digital-18-135mm-Lens/dp/B00BW6LX20/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1418894439&sr=8-8&keywords=t5i

[ZetZet]

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-Digital-18-135mm-Lens/dp/B00BW6LX20/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1418894439&sr=8-8&keywords=t5i

Don't you think this one is better though? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQXJM6Q?psc=1

[ZacDaMan72]

Don't you think this one is better though? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQXJM6Q?psc=1

Not without a lens.

[Rheinwasser]

i'd buy a dslr.

[ZetZet]

Not without a lens.

Can get this one http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Camera-18-55mm-Lens/dp/B00DMS0KAC/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418895226&sr=1-7&keywords=eos+70d&pebp=1418895262960

Backpack, SD card, don't really need 135mm for video.

[ZacDaMan72]

Can get this one http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Camera-18-55mm-Lens/dp/B00DMS0KAC/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418895226&sr=1-7&keywords=eos+70d&pebp=1418895262960

Backpack, SD card, don't really need 135mm for video.

And what is the price of it? What is OP's budget?

[ZetZet]

And what is the price of it? What is OP's budget?

He could still get 70d and then buy lens himself. I'm just suggesting, it's a higher end camera.

[ZacDaMan72]

He could still get 70d and then buy lens himself. I'm just suggesting, it's a higher end camera.

His budget it $1000 for the whole kit. Why do you think I am suggesting the kit? He'll have money left over for a good mic setup eg. Rode VideoMic Pro, he can go as far as getting a boom pole, a recorder and a Rode NTG-1.

 

BTW, what if he wants more than 55mm? He doesn't need to use the whole 135mm...

[Borkpaladin]

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-Digital-18-135mm-Lens/dp/B00BW6LX20/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1418894439&sr=8-8&keywords=t5i

 

This looks pretty good.

What are the advantages of this over a camcorder?

 

Also, with the 16gb sd card how much footage could we get?

It says it has a 29 min film limit, is this for one continuous shot, or is that about storage?

[Borkpaladin]

With a dslr, would sound recording be an issue?

I would want to use a separate mic, so would I have to add the audio to the video in editing, or do dslrs allow audio input?

[.spider.]

What are the advantages of this over a camcorder?

Bigger sensor which leads to a smaller dof, but also in this case to average picture quality because this camera is using line skipping for sampling down the sensor resolution to 1080p.

Also the build in h264 encoder isnt that great.

[Sokar80]

We were also looking at getting a shotgun mic

 

Rode NTG 1 or 2 are not good they need ampfier to get noise off 

 

But Rode NTG 3 is very good i used few times but too expensive for me

 

NTG 3 use only XLR so no go for basic camera 

 

DSLR or any below 2000e cameras has very bad internal amplifier

 

So i use Zoom H4n now i wanted that Zoom H5 because it has this 

[Guest]

I would go with a cheaper DSLR (like a T3i or something) and then get a really nice lens. A lightly used Canon L series lens will be amazing for video. The lens is way more important than the body. As for a mic, I would recommend the Tascam Dr-100 MKii. Its similar to the Zoom H4n, but I've found the DR-100 works better for filming, but the H4n is better for music recording.

[.spider.]

A L lens is overkill for video.

[Omon_Ra]

Congratulations on winning the competition! Did you have to submit a short or something? It sounds like you need a fair amount of kit, this is what I'd go with:

 

Camera:

$500 - Panasonic G6 w/14-42mm kit lens (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-G6KK-Compact-Digital-14-42mm/dp/B00CFCTDD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419223895&sr=8-1&keywords=panasonic+g6)

 

Audio recorder:

$125 - Tascam dr-07mkII (http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-DR-07MKII-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004TE5HBU/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1419224198&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=tascam+dr07+mkII)

 

Tripod:

$80 - Ravelli 67" (http://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-AVT-Professional-67-inch-Camera/dp/B00139XOCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419224084&sr=8-1&keywords=fluid+head+tripod)

 

Lenses/Adapter:

$22 - Fotodiox FD to m4/3 adapter (http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Adapter-Olympus-Panasonic-Cameras/dp/B003EAVUMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419224090&sr=8-1&keywords=fd+m4%2F3+adapter)

$55 (depends) Canon FD 35-105mm, f/3.5 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-FD-35-105mm-f3-5-Macro-Lens-35-105-3-5-174-/141504555303?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item20f2542927)

$30-60 (depends) Canon FD 50mm, f/1.8 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-FD-50mm-F-1-8-manual-lens-w-caps-SN-3055836-Will-fit-4-3-digital-SEE-/141515136277?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item20f2f59d15)

$45 (depends) Canon FD 28mm, f/2.8 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-FD-28-mm-F-2-8-Wide-Angle-Manual-Focus-Lens-/391008876090?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item5b09f1f63a)

 

Variable ND filter/step-up rings:

$30 - UltraPro 72mm (http://www.amazon.com/UltraPro-72mm-Variable-Fader-Filter/dp/B007HOSSXS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1419224077&sr=8-5&keywords=variable+nd+filter)

$15 - Fotodiox 7 ring set (http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Anodized-49-52mm-52-55mm-55-58mm/dp/B001G445Q4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419224339&sr=8-2&keywords=step+down+ring+set)

 

Total: $932, give or take, depending on lens pricing on ebay.

 

The extra could be used on a shotgun/boom mic or lights, depending on your shooting needs. I personally have a lot of this gear; the Tascam recorder, tripod and most of the FD lenses (my 28mm/2.8 is a Toyo). I shoot with a GH2 and the G6 is basically the GH2 but with 1080p/60fps and some other improvements. As far as covering your focal lengths, those three, along with the kit lens, will be plenty. Just remember there is a 2x crop factor with m4/3 cameras; so for example, the 35-105mm is a 70-210mm FF equivalent. Also, the faster apertures versus the kit lens will be beneficial if you have any low light scenes. Any brightly lit or outdoor scenes require an ND filter to maintain your 180* shutter angle; so a 72mm ND filter and step-up rings will let you use the filter on nearly any lens with a filter ring smaller than 72mm. For the audio recorder, whatever you get, make sure its sample rate is 48kHz; otherwise you'll have sound sync issues on longer duration shots.

[Borkpaladin]

-snip-

 

Thanks, it was a 5 minute short film competition.

 

Also, we're in Australia so I might not be able to get some of that stuff, or it'll boost the price a lot.

 

I'm also looking at the Canon 70D, I can get it at a local store for $1089 AUD plus two lenses, would that be a good deal? I'd have to check which lenses it came with though.

Also, would there be much of an advantage of getting this camera over the cheaper G6 that you recommended, or what about the Canon Rebel that was suggested before?

 

I already have an smc pentax-m 50mm 1:1.7 lens from an SLR, would I be able to use that?

 

For filming would I need so many lenses?

Also they are a lot cheaper than many of the other lenses I've looked at, would there be a considerable difference?

 

You added an audio recorder, would I still need this if I was plugging a shotgun mic into the DSLR, or would this greatly degrade the audio quality?

 

Thanks for your help 

[Omon_Ra]

I'm also looking at the Canon 70D, I can get it at a local store for $1089 AUD plus two lenses, would that be a good deal? I'd have to check which lenses it came with though.

Also, would there be much of an advantage of getting this camera over the cheaper G6 that you recommended, or what about the Canon Rebel that was suggested before?

 

I already have an smc pentax-m 50mm 1:1.7 lens from an SLR, would I be able to use that?

 

For filming would I need so many lenses?

Also they are a lot cheaper than many of the other lenses I've looked at, would there be a considerable difference?

 

You added an audio recorder, would I still need this if I was plugging a shotgun mic into the DSLR, or would this greatly degrade the audio quality?

 

Thanks for your help 

 

 

Can you share the film you made? And I didn't realize you were down under, that will definitely make a difference in those prices. Do you have a tripod and other gear already? Because I wouldn't spend the entire $1000 on a camera in that case. But if you can get the other stuff you need for cheap or you already have it, then yeah, get a $1000 camera (I'd probably go with a BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera and a nice lens). I don't know enough about the Canon line to really make a fair assessment of the 70D or the tX cameras, but there are plenty of comparison sites out there.

 

You can get a Pentax-K to m4/3, Canon or Nikon adapter and use the lens you have. For filming, you may only need the 14-42mm kit lens and a longer lens, like the 35-105mm to cover your focal lengths, but they're both relatively slow lenses (you'll have that with kit lenses and telephotos). The other two I posted will give you better low light performance and shallower depth of field. They are cheap, but it honestly doesn't make that much of a difference. The majority of my shoots I use cheap legacy glass. They do get soft wide open, and there's a different feel to the footage versus a modern lens, but the feel is slightly more organic and helps the footage lose some of the digital 'sharpness' that the Panasonics have. They may not get the best DxO marks or pixel peepers may scoff; but let me know the last time you stopped a movie and blew up the frame to 400% or more to analyze corner sharpness, chromatic aberration and so on..

 

You wouldn't necessarily need the audio recorder if you're plugging a shotgun mic straight into the camera, but most DSLR's lack even rudimentary audio controls. Not to mention it ties your sound guy to wherever the camera is and that is not always practical. You do avoid having to sync audio in post, but with visual waveforms and software, it's pretty much a non-issue now.

 

 

Also, with the 16gb sd card how much footage could we get?

It says it has a 29 min film limit, is this for one continuous shot, or is that about storage?

 

One 16GB card, depending on the camera and settings, should get you at least an hour of footage. You are going to want Class 10 SD cards, and at least two makes swapping cards/transferring data much easier during a shoot. The 29 minute limit is for continuous shots. That is there because cameras that record longer than 30min shots are classified as 'camcorders' in certain countries and that would mean a different tax bracket... or something. I forget all the details, but it's basically corpo-politics that mandate that.

[Electronics Wizardy]

This looks pretty good.

What are the advantages of this over a camcorder?

 

Also, with the 16gb sd card how much footage could we get?

It says it has a 29 min film limit, is this for one continuous shot, or is that about storage?

16 gb card is around 40 min footage the bitrate is around 40mbps on canon dslr's. The 29 minute limit is due do a eu tax for video cameas. new clips are made afters the file reaches 4gb or around 12 min at 1080p.

[Ramonn]

1000 bucks is not a lot, because u want a decent camera, with good glass (lens) and good audio.

I would get a relatively cheap Canon  600D or 700D, then a Rode Videomic for the audio, and the best lens u can get with the leftover preferably one with an image stabilizer. Will probably still be a cheap lens, so u might want to get something like a Canon 24-105 F4 (real good all-purpose lens) later on. (you should rid "kit-lenses" that come with the camera)

If you do get a Canon DSLR for video, I would highly recommend that u take a look at the magiclantern website. Be sure to pick a camera that Magiclantern supports. Magiclantern make third party firmware for a few Canon DSLRs. They add in loads of features that you would otherwise not have with your usual DSLR, but are essential for good video.

Afterwards, you might want to check out a few different useful things.

-Obviously a tripod
-Lightinggggggggg
-ND filter
-Circular polarizing filter
-Camera slider
-Steadicam (flycam)

I would not suggest you to buy an external audio recorder for now, but if you do so.. Tascam and Zoom have really good ones.

[Ramonn]

Oh yeah, everyone has sd cards but..

http://www.komputerbay.com/ have the fastest cheapest ones. Always worked great for me

[Sokar80]

I used many different cameras tees are my pinion maybe not useful for you 

 

 

For filming would I need so many lenses?

No

when i had Canon 5D D mark II i had only two lens 24-105L and 70-200L +  i had Sigma 50-500 but that was too slow and noisy motor bad for video

 

But for 100% video work L lens are too expensive and video quality are not bat in kit lenses

You added an audio recorder, would I still need this if I was plugging a shotgun mic into the DSLR, or would this greatly degrade the audio quality?

 

Cameras own amplifyer ad "hiss" sound so YES

 

Som cameras like Canonm 5D mark II has 3 party soffare macig lander that remove 90% "hiss" sound but not many camera has good internal amplifier

 

 

Also, with the 16gb sd card how much footage could we get

i newer had 16g card but 32G in Canon 5D mark II i get about 1h40min + 100 pictures

 

And what goes for external audio recorder i only had Zoom H4n so i dont know who best now I heard that Tascam is one of the best brands

 

Tripod i only say it must have fluid head and resistant to wind so wobbly around when you filming

[TroubleKlef]

I would advise against spending all your money on a camera body.

 

Make sure you have plenty of cash for some prime lenses. Also I can already see you've been given advice on audio which is equally as important.