5D Mark3

I'm looking at 5D Mark3 as a much needed upgrade from my DVX100. I know I need at least 3 lenses, prime, zoom and tele. Any suggestions on the lenses? Thanks in advance!
 
GH2 or T3i is your best bet. I favor the T3i (I'm a Canon guy), but the GH2 is a great camera as well.

One thing to remember is that THE GLASS IS WHAT MATTERS. Lenses are just as - no, more important than the actual camera in most situations. Good glass will give you a better image.]

You can buy a used body, then start building a lens collection starting with a good zoom, 3 primes (35, 50, and 85mm), then buying a good wide angle lens.

If you are getting a Canon DSLR, go for a Canon 24-105, as well as a Nikon 35, 50, and 85mm.

The rest of the money should be spent on audio and lighting.

Links below:

Camera

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/panasonic-gh2-used\
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/753760-REG/Canon_5169B001_EOS_Rebel_T3i_Digital.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/397662-USA/Canon_0344B002AA_24_105mm_f_4L_IS_USM.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/92011-GREY/Nikon_1923_Wide_Angle_AF_Nikkor.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/766516-USA/Nikon_2199_AF_S_Nikkor_50mm_f_1_8G.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838798-REG/Nikon_2201_AF_S_NIKKOR_85mm_f_1_8G.html

Audio

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/551607-REG/Audio_Technica_AT_875_Shotgun_Microphone.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/821259-REG/Tascam_DR_40_DR_40_4_Track_Handheld_Digital.html

Lighting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUSrpcGf3gc

Best of luck!
 
I have use several DSLR cameras, and I currently enjoy using the 5D3 and the 70D. Both will require an external audio recorder which I use the Tascam DR-60D.

For lens, it's all depends, you should consider a prime lens, maybe a kit lens for in case you want to do steadycam work, and a wide angle lens.. that's probably all you will need for video recording. Get to learn about the camera and visit several photography or youtube to find out more about the camera.

Currently the Canon 5D3 is about $2600 (amazon). body only new.
 
Get a Blackmagic and spent most of your money on glass.

You don't need 'at least 3' lenses. It's good to have a minimum of three primes, if you do indeed decide to go down the road of primes.

You could quite easily get away with one zoom.
 
I have a couple of 5Ds. I love the camera system and have about $15K in glass. That said, I do not think that it is the best investment for a beginner who wants to focus on filmmaking. I primarily use my cameras for still photography, so that factored VERY heavily in my decision. I will trot out that old adage, "you buy camera bodies, but you invest in glass." Make a list of the features that mean the most to you, not just camera features but lenses and accessories as well. Compile a list of all of the cameras that you are considering and choose according to which fills the bill better in your total investment price range.
 
Hi ATH - coming from DVX, unless you're looking for a still camera, I don't recommend the 5D Mark III (even though it is on sale at Amazon for $2999 right now). No autofocus, no XLRs, a 30 minute clip length limit and a viewfinder that goes away when you're shooting video. Before you start buying lenses, you have to buy an external monitor or EVF plus follow focus rigs. Then you have to start worrying about sound.

In my view, you'd be better off with a camera with a viewfinder meant for video, unlimited clip length for long takes/interviews plus fast autofocus and a headphone jack (eg., the Panasonic GH3 - on sale for $998 until tomorrow, when it goes back up to $1198).

Or, if your goal is 2K theatrical distribution and you're comfortable with 10 to 12 bit ProRes or RAW workflow, you may want to think about stepping up to a RAW camera such as the $1995 2.5K Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF - or, if you want a 2K camera with a true Super 35 sensor, perhaps the €3807 Kinefinity KineRAW Mini with a €415 side handgrip (image below courtesy of Andrew Reid on Twitter):


BXazLdkIIAAhRof.jpg



The KineRAW Mini will be able to record at up to 4K with the upcoming KineDECK external recorder.

When this camera becomes widely available, Blackmagic, RED (and Sony and Canon Cinema EOS) will have a real problem.

Sorry we couldn't be more helpful with your 5D Mark III lens choices, but, given the price points for Blackmagic and Kinefinity Cinema Cameras, $6000 for a DSLR and still camera lenses doesn't make sense to many of us.

Good luck with your decision,

Bill
 
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Hi ATH - coming from DVX, unless you're looking for a still camera, I don't recommend the 5D Mark III (even though it is on sale at Amazon for $2999 right now). No autofocus, no XLRs, a 30 minute clip length limit and a viewfinder that goes away when you're shooting video. Before you start buying lenses, you have to buy an external monitor or EVF plus follow focus rigs. Then you have to start worrying about sound.


Even though I do agree that 6000$ for DSLR is just a bit too much , the first paragraph is something that I can say is not true at all .


I don't see how not having an autofocus is problem and unless you're Emmanuel Lubezski I don't see how the 30 minute clip length is a problem too for narrative filmmaking .

Having nice quality glass and good audio is much much much more important than external monitor and follow focus.


It all comes down to what kind of filmmaker are you and what do you love to shoot and what do you have to shoot . This way we can tell you what's the best camera for you .
 
All I'm saying is that these are things you miss when you come from camcorders to DSLRs.

ATH's DVX100 has autofocus, a viewfinder that works when recording video and no clip length limits (besides how long the tape and battery lasts). The limits that DSLR shooters take for granted are often a surprise to people coming from camcorders.

They were certainly surprises to me, so I ditched my Canon DSLR as fast as I could and got a DSLM. Some people can live with these limits, some can't. I chose not to.

Cheers,

Bill
 
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It's a good suggestion Jax but I'd caution that it depends how comfortable and competent the OP is with having a longer post workflow, particularly color grading and associated tools such as e.g. using Davinci Resolve (Lite). If they hate that stuff, don't get a Blackmagic.

http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/black-magic-pocket-review/

I would've agreed with you in the past, but even if you never touch the 'Film' (i.e. Log) gamma mode, or ever dial to the 'raw' shooting mode, you can shoot in 'Video' (i.e. REC709) gamma mode with an extended dynamic range, and without having to worry about all of those things - in fact, the post workflow will be easier, and the files will be better on your computer, because you'll be shooting in ProRes.
 
I would've agreed with you in the past, but even if you never touch the 'Film' (i.e. Log) gamma mode, or ever dial to the 'raw' shooting mode, you can shoot in 'Video' (i.e. REC709) gamma mode with an extended dynamic range, and without having to worry about all of those things - in fact, the post workflow will be easier, and the files will be better on your computer, because you'll be shooting in ProRes.
I'll defer to your experience Jax, which is significantly more than mine. Dave Dugdale made a big issue of the post production workflow hassle of the BMPC compared to a 5D3. The color grading was a big issue for him and he struggled with it big time. He loved the quality of the output though. To be honest his review put me off the BMPC - otherwise I would have considered it an excellent potential upgrade path.
 
I'll defer to your experience Jax, which is significantly more than mine. Dave Dugdale made a big issue of the post production workflow hassle of the BMPC compared to a 5D3. The color grading was a big issue for him and he struggled with it big time. He loved the quality of the output though. To be honest his review put me off the BMPC - otherwise I would have considered it an excellent potential upgrade path.

I don't know who Dave Dugdale is, but either way colour grading is only an issue if you decide to shoot in Log or raw modes. Now, the big drawcard of Blackmagic cameras is the fact that you can get raw, or log ProRes in a cheap body - so one would wonder why you would shoot in REC709 (or called 'Video' mode on the BMCC).
That said, shooting in REC709 will still give you a much more extended dynamic range over a 5D3, and ProRes or DNxHD are much better codecs than H.264, which have much better compression rates, (some) are 10-bit, and are much easier for your computer and software to work with than H.264.

If you are going to shoot in log ('Film' mode on the BMCC), then it becomes a tad more complicated, as you either need to apply a LUT before grading, so you don't have grey, washed out images in your timeline, or edit with grey, washed out log images, and then colour grade everything later.

If you're going to shoot raw, then it becomes even more complicated - I hate RED's workflow simply because you can't shoot anything other than raw, and 9 times out of 10 you really don't need it, even though it's 'nice to have'.

Many television shows (at least locally) that don't have the time or money for a proper grade shoot Alexa in REC709. It still looks like Alexa, it still has most of the dynamic range, and it has the ease of not having to spend copious amounts of time in a grade - you might get away with a day in the suite, rather than a week.

I can't see any reason why the Blackmagic wouldn't be the same.
 
Thanks for the explanation Jax, hugely appreciated.

If you are going to shoot in log ('Film' mode on the BMCC), then it becomes a tad more complicated, as you either need to apply a LUT before grading, so you don't have grey, washed out images in your timeline, or edit with grey, washed out log images, and then colour grade everything later.

If you're going to shoot raw, then it becomes even more complicated - I hate RED's workflow simply because you can't shoot anything other than raw, and 9 times out of 10 you really don't need it, even though it's 'nice to have'.
That's what the reviewer (Dave Dugdale) did hence his nightmares - he was new to color grading etc.

I don't know who Dave Dugdale is.
He's the guy I linked to earlier. Owns the Learning DSLR video website - has lots of free DSLR tutorials on his site and youtube etc. He's good at explaining things for the new folks (like I was last year).

http://www.learningdslrvideo.com
http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/black-magic-pocket-review/

Thanks again for the explanation. Noted and bookmarked.
 
One could make the argument: why would you get a camera that shoots raw only to shoot in REC709 ProRes all the time...

But I'd counter with - why would you not get a camera that's cheaper than most of the popular VDSLRs and provides you with a higher dynamic range image, even in REC709 mode, as well as the option to shoot log or raw?

They are, however, not great cameras to learn on. If you want to learn to expose, or learn how to light, as opposed to just 'expose' - a DSLR's probably a better way to go as you can 'see' the changes you're making on the camera; or alternately a Blackmagic with fully manual lenses.
 
Lenses for 5D3

Thank you all for your posts! After all the readings and reflections on what I really want to do for the next 3-5 years I think the 5D3 will be right for me for the time being. I like its look and it's the right price.
Now I have to select lenses and would like to have at least three -- prime, wide, and zoom. The more I dig into this the more I get confused. For instance, I was looking at Cannon prime lenses 50MM and prices run from under $200 to $2000. Can someone enlighten me?
 
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