Brand new and on a budget - Need help with camera choice.

(I wasn't sure whether to put this in Cameras or Newbies, but I'm hoping for some insight.)

Right, so I just started getting into filmmaking within the past couple of weeks. In the past, I've dabbled with photography, so all I'm equipped with is a Nikon Coolpix L830. Not DSLR, but the stills are good. The video, however... Not so great - particularly in even the slightest low light. Extremely grainy.

I've done a little reading for my unfortunately low budget of around $300USD, and I think it's down to either:
1. Panasonic HC-V380K (A bit weary on the lack of 23.97fps filming)
2. Canon Vixia HF R800

Is this a good narrowing down? I Hadn't considered looking into DSLR in my price range.
If there is anything that could be recommended more, I would immensely appreciate it! If there's something substantially better within $300-$400 I'd probably be willing to flex/save for it.

If it helps, what I intend to film isn't anything set in stone. I do need something that plays nice with lower lighting situations, however.
As per intended use... Anything from slowly paced nature pans to quick and dirty action scenes. A "jack of all trades/master of none" situation, perhaps?

Software-wise, I feel like I'm set. Have the whole Adobe Suite and am quite familiar with it. Premiere and After Effects seem to be working fine.

I really would appreciate any input or suggestions!
I'm definitely brand new to this hobby and my knowledge is fairly limited.
Thanks! =)

EDIT:
Did a little more reading regarding post-work, and it appears that a very "flat" input would compliment my love for color-grading and hyper-stylizing? LOG is probably way out of my price range, but I am curious about this concept. The Panasonic test footage I've seen appears to be much more vibrant and contrasted when compared to the footage from the Canon, but I'm not sure if that's due to user settings or not.
 
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Welcome.

Your best bet is probably out of your price range. The Sony a7s II. I have no idea what's good when it comes to the cheaper end of cameras.
Thanks for your response!
While that is DEFINITELY out of my current price range, I still appreciate that you brought it to my attention. Popped it right onto my wish list, in case this hobby goes way further. Really love the selection in that series and Mirrorless certainly sounds interesting.
 
For your budget, consider getting a used Canon T2i. They're still great filmmaking cameras, and can be used to shoot a feature if you wanted. I still keep mine in my bag for shots where my Ursa won't fit. Put Magic Lantern on it, that will really unlock the power of the camera. For a picture style, I can't recommend enough the stuff at Vision Color. Magic Lantern will let you run with two picture styles (a record and a standby). I use their CineLook one for standby as I'm lighting the scene, then when I hit record, I use VisionTech which is nice and flat. It also looks better on skintones than something like Technicolor.

I like the T2i over the newer ones because you can install a viewfinder which is great when shooting in sunlight. Here's an older video I did showing my T2i setups when I thought I was going to use them for my next movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcz3oOTPJR8
 
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Welcome to the Thunderdome, Shin!

I half-agree with El Director. I shot a feature film on the T2i and it serviced me well for many other projects. I do think it's a great "starter" camera. That being said, the reason I only "half-agree" with El Director is because there's one thing I really with the T2i had -- a viewscreen that pivots on a hinge, so that you can get all those difficult-to-find low-angle/high-angle/whatever-angle shots.

And then the third half of me thinks you should actually just start making movies with the camera you've already got in your pocket. Yes, your cell phone probably has a camera that is considerably better than the one I first learned to make movies on. By the time you've learned some of the basic skills of filmmaking, you may have entirely different priorities in mind, like hey, maybe your passion is actually in audio and maybe you want to spend your money on a nice mic? Or maybe your passion is set design and you'd prefer to work on other people's productions? Or maybe your passion is acting? Only one way to find out -- just start making films! And you can do that with the camera you already possess.

Best wishes! :D
 
For your budget, consider getting a used Canon T2i. They're still great filmmaking cameras, and can be used to shoot a feature if you wanted. I still keep mine in my bag for shots where my Ursa won't fit. Put Magic Lantern on it, that will really unlock the power of the camera. For a picture style, I can't recommend enough the stuff at Vision Color. Magic Lantern will let you run with two picture styles (a record and a standby). I use their CineLook one for standby as I'm lighting the scene, then when I hit record, I use VisionTech which is nice and flat. It also looks better on skintones than something like Technicolor.

Oh wow! This is actually looking to be the best solution. Found several on Amazon that come with various lenses for between $200-$300. Your video was also extremely helpful, and I LOVED the look of your Bourne Short - so I might just go with this one. Magic Lantern looks amazing as well.

On the Amazon page, there are several choices for the included lenses. I'm thinking the 18-135mm may be the smartest choice? There's also one that includes a 18-55mm AND 75-300mm. Another one includes a 55-250mm, but it's a little bit over budget. Definitely going to have to do some research or get some input on that.

You have helped me immensely! Thank you!

Also, those tripod antics... I am so glad I know about that now! XD

EDIT:
Looks like the best deal is on one that actually includes a 50mm lens. $260, but the seller isn't sketchy at all and it includes Amazon Fulfillment to boot. 50mm is the "all-rounder workhorse" isn't it?
 
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Welcome to the Thunderdome, Shin!

I half-agree with El Director. I shot a feature film on the T2i and it serviced me well for many other projects. I do think it's a great "starter" camera. That being said, the reason I only "half-agree" with El Director is because there's one thing I really with the T2i had -- a viewscreen that pivots on a hinge, so that you can get all those difficult-to-find low-angle/high-angle/whatever-angle shots.

And then the third half of me thinks you should actually just start making movies with the camera you've already got in your pocket. Yes, your cell phone probably has a camera that is considerably better than the one I first learned to make movies on. By the time you've learned some of the basic skills of filmmaking, you may have entirely different priorities in mind, like hey, maybe your passion is actually in audio and maybe you want to spend your money on a nice mic? Or maybe your passion is set design and you'd prefer to work on other people's productions? Or maybe your passion is acting? Only one way to find out -- just start making films! And you can do that with the camera you already possess.

Best wishes! :D

You make a very good point with the phone idea! I actually just picked up a newer phone the other day (Alcatel Idol 4s) and was giddy when I found out it could shoot 1080p at 24fps with MORE video options than my Nikon. It actually seems to handle fast motion and low lighting a lot better as well. Will need to do more testing on that to see about using it until I go for the step up.

You're also spot on with your last comment. I've been doing illustration and music/audio engineering for over a decade now, so both of those play a lot into what I enjoy about filming. Art goes towards my shot composition/color and music goes towards my scoring choices/SFX. I've actually started doing all of my audio processing in my DAW with really low quality renders of my project and re-importing the audio file to Premiere afterwards... lol
Just need to find the right adapter to start using my Shure SM58 mic to film with! That would be perfect with a miniature pre-amp.

I'm sure I'll start to narrow down on something as I keep going, but for now I just enjoy the whole process. Particularly the grading... I don't know why, but I love going shot to shot and dialing in that "Cinema" look. Been really hooked on the infamous Matrix style grading for some reason. I love the really stylized looks like that one.

Thanks for your input! It certainly does inspire me to keep on with just having fun with it. It's so easy to fall into the gear trap with these kinds of things.
 
EDIT:
Looks like the best deal is on one that actually includes a 50mm lens. $260, but the seller isn't sketchy at all and it includes Amazon Fulfillment to boot. 50mm is the "all-rounder workhorse" isn't it?

I almost think the 50mm might be too much zoom when you're starting out. The 18-55mm kit lens is adequate, I shot a feature with it. The only downside to that is you need light, but that's a cheap fix after a trip to Home Depot. The Bourne video was shot with a 7D kit lens, the 28-135mm. I personally feel that anywhere from 24-30mm is the sweet spot on these cameras as far as a normal field of view goes. Glad the video helped!
 
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I almost think the 50mm might be too much zoom when you're starting out. The 18-55mm kit lens is adequate, I shot a feature with it. The only downside to that is you need light, but that's a cheap fix after a trip to Home Depot. Glad the video helped!

Ditto again. 18-55 is versatile. Anything longer is impractical.
 
I almost think the 50mm might be too much zoom when you're starting out. The 18-55mm kit lens is adequate, I shot a feature with it. The only downside to that is you need light, but that's a cheap fix after a trip to Home Depot. The Bourne video was shot with a 7D kit lens, the 28-135mm. I personally feel that anywhere from 24-30mm is the sweet spot on these cameras as far as a normal field of view goes. Glad the video helped!

Ditto again. 18-55 is versatile. Anything longer is impractical.

Thanks again, guys! You have both been extremely helpful. =)
 
...there's one thing I really wish the T2i had -- a viewscreen that pivots on a hinge, so that you can get all those difficult-to-find low-angle/high-angle/whatever-angle shots.

RE: Cracker's above quote... If you feel like a pivoting screen would be useful (which it will!), the t3i has a pivoting screen. It's pretty much the same as the t2i, and, being fairly old now, one might only set you back a few extra $'s. Might be worth looking into. :)
 
Nice! Don't forget Magic Lantern, it's free :D A good picture style to start with too is Neutral, then turn sharpness all the way down, contrast all the way down, and saturation down two clicks. Let us know if you have any questions, it's a great camera. You'll love it!
 
So glad I checked out this thread! I'm in the same position - beginner filmmaker on a limited budget searching for a starter camera. People have been recommending the Canon T5i or T6i , which is still a little too pricey for me. But I was really impressed with your video El Director and the cinematic quality. :clap: Going to have to check it out.

I think some of us newbies need to keep in mind that even these older models are still far and away so much more advanced than what was ever available to the general public before.

Casey Neistat gives some great advice / perspective on filmmaking, which I am also trying to keep in mind as I embark on this exciting new journey -

https://youtu.be/nLSUrTxquyE
 
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