I am looking to buy a camera. I'm either going to buy a nikon d7100 or a canon t5i. So my question is what lenses and filters should I buy if I were to get one of those? What else should I buy as well besides a bag and tripod?
What are you planning to use the camera for? Is still photography important or will you just be shooting video? What is your budget? Do you already have any other equipment? Do you have friends/family/coworkers that own either of these camera systems? Do you really need to own the camera? Where will the results of your work be displayed/distributed?
Hi Dreamer - If you're intent on buying a camera, and you want it for video, and not stills, instead of a $1147 Nikon D7100 body, you may want to look at a $998 Panasonic GH3. With this camera, you can adjust your aperture while in video mode, you can shoot for more than 30 minutes continuously if you need to, you will have a swivel LCD, you will be able to shoot at 1080/60p for smooth action and slow motion, you will have built in wi-fi for wireless file transfer and control of the camera from your phone or tablet - and you will have a viewfinder that works when you're shooting video. You will have none of these features with the D7100.
Here is what the GH3 can do:
Documentary: "Mme Sokhna Fall" by Bas de Meijer: http://vimeo.com/54076272
Documentary: "French Documentary" (no subtitles) - by Gregory Vasseur: http://vimeo.com/58740161
Documentary (please watch at 1080p): "Angels at War" - Kickstarter Trailer - by Joey Daoud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y82SM45idS4
Music Video: "Sky" by Shae Sterling: http://vimeo.com/53834993
Narrative: "Clash" by Tim Manders: http://vimeo.com/59543338
Narrative: "The Tide" by Hugo Goudswaard: http://vimeo.com/64129362
Narrative: "Genesis" by Bruce Logan, ASC: http://vimeo.com/49420579
At the lower price point, instead of a $649 body-only Canon T5i, you may want to look at a $598 (on sale as of this post) Panasonic G6 with the 14-42 kit lens.
Here is what the G6 can do:
Narrative: "I've Got My Fingers Crossed" by Avner Levona: http://vimeo.com/78037118
Doc: "Creative Space: Kathy Ponce " by Kevin Mayuga: http://vimeo.com/73561266
Music video: "A. BELKIN - Good Morning Mr. Blues" by Romas: http://vimeo.com/76081090
Wedding: "Junwei + Daohua" by Jon Wide: http://vimeo.com/72010967
Sports: "Wavetest 2013 / Side On - Onshore Impression" by Gleiten.TV: http://vimeo.com/76875252
Travel: "Riverbanks" by emeric: http://vimeo.com/72107884
One more caveat as you make your decision. The D7100, the GH3 and the G6 are all moire-resistant, but the T5i is subject to a phenomenon called moire. Here is what imaging resource had to say in their review of this camera:
"We saw a fair amount of moiré artifacts in the standard problem areas like window screens, roof shingles, and fine patterned fabrics. Moiré and aliasing were even more pronounced in 720p video, which has been the case with other Canon DSLRs we've seen in the past. Overall, moiré artifacts look very similar to those seen on the other Canon DSLRs (with the exception of the 5D Mark III). This isn't a deal breaker by any means, and while it could be a deciding factor for professionals or high-end video shooters, most users should just be careful where they shoot and be on the lookout for problems with the patterns in people's clothing, etc."
Here is what Canon moire looks like, when compared to a Panasonic camera:
http://vimeo.com/21962491
http://vimeo.com/20565849
Hope this is helpful,
Bill
I figured that brunnerww would jump in with a recommendation for the GH2/3. ...
I figured that brunnerww would jump in with a recommendation for the GH2/3. I have multiple Canon cameras, mostly 5Ds, but I agree with the GH2/3 for someone just starting out who is not invested in any particular mount lenses. You can get more for less with the GH2/3. Remember, you buy cameras but you invest in lenses. With the GH series you can get inexpensive adapters and use almost any lens, vintage or modern, that you want.
Save money where you can, but get good sound. If you must purchase your own sound gear, check out any of the fantastic posts by Alcove Audio. Sound is more important than picture. Many audiences will forgive marginal video but will stop watching a film with bad audio.
ETA: I went with the full frame Canons because I am primarily a still photographer who occasional shoots video as opposed to a video shooter who occasionally takes stills.
OK. So supposing I get the gh3. What lenses should I get for it? I keep seeing these lenses that say 18-55mm. Which ones would be best for filming?
...With the adapters can I use any canon or nikon lens with the gh3? Or only certain ones?...