Best camera for under £1000?

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paulbrighton

Hi I'm looking for a camera for my new Indie Film. I wan't a cinematic look rather than a home-video look. So I need a good camera with high quality. I think that means I need one with a large sensor.

I've narrowed it down to 3: which shoot full HD at 1080p

Canon 7D (about £1000)
Canon 5D mark ii (about £2000)

both SLR's that shoot full HD and according to wikipedia have been used in motion pictures and TV.

Sony NEX-VG10E (about £1600) - a camcorder with large sensor and changeable lenses. Can't find any sources which say this has been used for TV or film. But has the advantage that it has integrated sound and

I don't really want to spend more than £1000 on the camera. Any ideas? What if I would settle for 720p are there any that give that filmic quality?
 
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I did consider hiring a camera for example from here: hireacamera.com but then I thought once you'd hired it out 10-20 times it would cost the same as buying it. But maybe the secret is to shoot the film very quickly over a few weekends.

As for sound yes I expect that if I went for an SLR camera then I would definitely need to buy a directional microphone to go with it as they don't come with big microphones.

Also for lighting I could get away without much if shot in bright sunlight I think but I would also need to buy some extra lights for side lighting people in door scenes.

Is there general consensus here to go for an SLR camera that also shoots video?
 
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NickClapper said:
Well if you don't want to spend more than £1000 then your best option is the Canon T3i (or the EOS 60D as it's known in the UK).
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(I think it's called the 600D in UK).

I am considering this. I have seen some nice footage.


The Canon 5D Mkii is desribed as having full 1080p HD
while the T3i is described as having Full HD EOS. (Not quite sure what that means!).

I think it would make sense to save the money though is the T3i substantially worse than the 5D? It's very confusing seeing as you can't really tell watching Youtube videos! Then there's the T4i to consider too. :huh:
 
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FernandoAndre said:
Look for what experienced people have been making with DSLR and judge if it worth for your purpose. I always take several hours watching videos about anything I want to buy, but specially videos from people who know what they are doing. So you will get a true idea about the equipment potential.

Like this film shooted with a hacked GH2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLF4BcqPyTk&hd=1
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That is very cinematic. I'll have to check out the GH2. It has quite an arty feel with the green colour pallette.
The style I personally would like to achieve is the more vibrant "Hollywood" studio style or Fifth Element/Barbarella style which are French productions. Sort of like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6srBixtc28
 
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Memory

Just thinking with these DSLR cameras, how much video could you shoot on the memory that is supplied? I would imagine a hour of video recording would be adequate for any days shooting? (My naiive estimate!)
 
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lightcameraction said:
Hello.


I guess somebody already mentioned that,but are you aware that 7D and T2i has the same video capabilities ?

Get T2i and some descent lenses . That's my opinion though.
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If that is true then I think I will get the T3i (since it seems to be the same price as the T2i and I'm assuming T3i>T2i). That will save me a load of money! :lol: With the spare money I might get one of those Loreo 3D lenses just for fun.

I wonder why the 7D is so more expensive then? Just style over substance?

I'm glad I came here it is very useful!

.... or perphaps the T2i is just as good? I'm confused again!

Well this article says that for video T2i is the same for video as the 7D and as the 7D has been used in TV and film maybe I should just get the T2i and save a ton of money!
 
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If you're curious to know what a T2i with nice lenses, good lights and a great DoP can look like for narrative work, have a look at this promotional scene we shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofDvi9Y2lxk

We didn't shoot the full feature on the T2i but, in my opinion, that scene looks very impressive for having been shot on a £500 camera.
 
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paulbrighton said:
Just thinking with these DSLR cameras, how much video could you shoot on the memory that is supplied? I would imagine a hour of video recording would be adequate for any days shooting? (My naiive estimate!)
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8gb is about 30 minutes on a Canon DSLR.

It depends on the shoot, how many scenes, how long, how many takes, etc... We've shot around 400gb on a two and a half day shoot once.

SD cards are cheap, the more expensive Canons use CF cards and cost a little more. Either way, as long as you have two per camera and a computer on set you can dump one card while the camera is shooting with the other.
 
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paulbrighton said:
As for sound yes I expect that if I went for an SLR camera then I would definitely need to buy a directional microphone to go with it as they don't come with big microphones.
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DSLR cameras need to be treated as film cameras; you have to record with a separate audio system. If you want all the "perks" of DSLR you also have to put up with the drawbacks. This includes the expense of a separate recording system. These days it is a much smaller expense than even three years ago. Assuming that you will be getting a shotgun or hypercardioid mic, headphones, boom-pole, shock-mount and wind protection - which you need no matter what format you are shooting - all you need to add is the audio recorder. The Tascam DR-40 is about $200, the DR-100mkII is less than $450 and a used original DR-100 can be had for around $225.

Still, even a basic audio kit will run you a minimum of $700. You can save a few by doing a DIY boom-pole and shock-mount, and it's even possible to do DIY wind protection - but you had better be very handy and willing to put up with their inconveniences.

As always I recommend that you hire a pro or at the least hook up with a knowledgeable audio up-and-comer who wants some experience. Barring that I recommend that you rent rather than buy. If you do buy your own audio gear at least make sure that you designate a person on your set to do audio, only audio, and nothing but audio.

Your projects will only look as good as they sound, because "Sound is half of the experience."
 
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Paul - before you get too far down the road - a couple of caveats about Canon that are not highlighted in the promotional literature and that new shooters are often not aware of:

1) Canons are limited to a 12 minute long maximum video clip (except the £2500 5D Mk III, which shoots for 30).

2) their optical viewfinders go blank in video (live view) mode (blocked by the mirror)

3) they are unable to autofocus in video mode (except the new 650D).

- and even with STM lenses on the autofocusing 650D, Canon autofocus motors are so noisy they can be heard on your soundtrack

4) they have serious problems with a phenomenon called moire (shimmering colors in striped or patterned objects)

My first video DSLR was a Canon. I sold it and bought a Panasonic GH2 because:

1) the GH2 shoots unlimited length clips (in the US, straight out of the box - in the UK, with a hack);

2) It has a bright electronic viewfinder that is usable while shooting video;

3) autofocus continues to work in video mode;

4) it is relatively moire-free. Here are a couple of side-by-side moire comparisons with the Canon 60D. The 7D, the 550D, 600D and 650D have the same problem:

https://vimeo.com/20565849
https://vimeo.com/21962491

You can make great videos with Canons, but it's a lot more work.

I strongly recommend the Panasonic GH2 both because it is a much more video-friendly camera and because people are using it (and its predecessor, the GH1) to make movies like these:

Roberto Miller - US
Mandorla anamorphic narrative trailer - (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/40844162

Gami Orbegoso - Spain
Musgo narrative trailer (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/33025136
Musgo intro - first 5 minutes (hacked GH2): (Warning: NSFW) https://vimeo.com/45596420

Ryan Elliott - US
Unattended narrative short - (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/41379315

Harvey Walton - UK
Salome narrative short (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/34569159

Stephen Nguyen - US
Dysphoria narrative short (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/42892833

Michael Tsim - UK
Blacks spec commercial (unhacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/42204451

J. R. Dise - US
release anamorphic narrative short (hacked GH2): https://vimeo.com/42252615

Gunther Machu - Austria
Oh Angkor documentary (hacked GH1/GH2): https://vimeo.com/42107369

Tomasz Ślesicki - Poland
Cinematography Demo Reel: 2011/12 WARNING: NSFW (hacked GH1): https://vimeo.com/43625636


For £947, you can get the GH2 with its video-optimized silent autofocusing 14-140mm lens.

If you want to spend less, you can get the camera with the 14-42mm lens for £600. This will leave you with a few pounds for an external recorder and a mic.

Hope this is helpful - and good luck with your project!

Bill
 
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paulbrighton said:
If that is true then I think I will get the T3i (since it seems to be the same price as the T2i and I'm assuming T3i>T2i). That will save me a load of money! :lol: With the spare money I might get one of those Loreo 3D lenses just for fun.

I wonder why the 7D is so more expensive then? Just style over substance?

I'm glad I came here it is very useful!

.... or perphaps the T2i is just as good? I'm confused again!

Well this article says that for video T2i is the same for video as the 7D and as the 7D has been used in TV and film maybe I should just get the T2i and save a ton of money!
Click to expand...



Well .As far as video goes it is exactly the same,but 7D is much better than T2i/T3i for Photographers . Let's not forget that DSLR is not all video .
The photography side of 7D is much stronger .
 
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