Choosing my first DSLR and gears

B

BennyBlanco

Hello,

it's my first post here so a little introduction may be a good idea ;)

I'm 21 year old student from Poland, which probably sounds quite exotic to you, who has always been fascinated with films and its possibilities for storytelling. I found this forum by accident, I was searching for something on google and one of the links brought me here. I was intrigued by a sub-category name and decided to check the rest. And that was it, I found what I was looking for (actually, not quite, because I didn't know such place existed - but definitely right place for my interests :)). I've had this idea to start doing something connected with filmmaking for quite some time now (amateurly as a hobby - for now) and now I'm excited to think it may be possible.


Back to the topic. I've spent here my past few days trying to figure out which camera would be the most suitable for me, and as clueless as I am about (filmmaking) equipment, I've totally fallen in love with Canon T3i/600D. I also read some good opinions on Panasonic GH2. What camera would YOU recommend? And why?

As for the audio recorders, I came across Zoom H4n Handy Mobile 4-Track Recorder and Rode VideoMic Pro, which seem the most popular. Any others? Which should I choose?

Now the area where I know very little-to-nothing, closer nothing. Lenses. Only thing I know that I want is to be able to get shallow depth of field. What lenses would I need in the beginning? You are more than welcome to give names of some more I should consider getting over time. Also, please, if you could tell a little more about what benefits given lens brings etc. - thank you

I'm planning to start with shorts of course (with an ambition to make something longer, but it's a distant future), and see where it takes me, which is why I don't think I need whole set of lenses right from the start :) And until I plan to make something longer I don't think I need to invest in lighting either, do I?? I think it will be good to learn to make use of natural light.

Last but not least, what I consider a must buy, a tripod and a shoulder rig (2 grasps preferably). I really find it extremely helpful to such an extent that it becomes a necessity, the way it makes filming easy and comfortable. Perhaps I overrate it? I'd tried to read more about them but when I read a very positive review of a very nice rig (or tripod I don't remember) and found out the price of 2k$+ I got an instant headache :p Do you have any propositions?

Have I missed anything?

The budget I would very much like to fit camera and gears in is 2k$, I could save up a little more to a total of 3k$ (but it's maximum-maximum; I don't really want to spend that much on my first dslr) and postpone my purchase if it is reasonable. I don't rush anyway, because I want to buy it early 2013.


Thank you very much for all your help.






too long, didnt read - CLIFFNOTES:
-want to start filmmaking
-which camera to buy?
-which audio recorder?
-lenses? +explain a little more
-tripod/rigs?
 
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There have been quite a few recent discussions here on IndieTalk about the importance of sound, and you should review them. Sound-for-picture is the most overlooked aspect of indie filmmaking, yet holds an equal place with the visuals.

Your project will only look as good as it sounds, because
"Sound is half of the experience"​

As much as indie filmmakers want to be DIY there should be someone on the set whose entire job is the production sound, and not just a PA with nothing better to do than hold the boom-pole somewhere in the general vicinity of the actors. A professional is obviously beyond the budgets of most low/no/mini/micro budget filmmakers, but an ambitious up-and-comer who at least has a basic understanding of production sound and sound technique/technology is essential. Too many otherwise solid productions are ruined by poor sound than for any other purely technical reason.

A basic prosumer sound kit that covers the basics will set you back at least US$1,000. A shotgun mic kit - mic, boom-pole, shock-mount, basic wind protection - is around US$600 to $1,000. A low impedance digital audio recorder will set you back $200 to $600. I always suggest a hypercardioid mic for indoor shoots; $150 to $600. As you can see it adds up fast.

When it comes to digital audio recorders I am not a fan of Zoom, I am more in favor of a Tascam unit like the DR-40 or DR-100. For shotgun mics the Audio Technica AT897 or the Rode NTG-1 are popular, but require the phantom power to be supplied externally, so you will have to add battery packs to your audio kit as budget audio recorders tend to drain the batteries at a ferocious rate when supplying phantom power. The Avantone CK-1 is an acceptable micro-budget hypercardioid.
 
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Thank you for your post. I'll be definitely investing more in audio than I initially planned.


Anybody has an opinion on cameras? 600D/T3i vs GH2? Any other? I've read that lenses for canons are more available and cheaper than for panasonic. If that's true, it would make me more inclined towards 600D/T3i.
I'm going to use it primarily for video, so aspect of GH2 being worse (than t3i) for photos doesn't bother me at all, I think.
 
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If you don't matter to hack the GH2, in my opinion it's the best option. I mean, if you don't need an official firmware operation, and if video/film is your main goal, the hacked GH2 (combined with good lenses - including vintage ones) produces a very high quality image. But you will need some fast SDHC/SDXC memory cards.
 
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Thanks for replies.

Are newest GH2s still hackable? Is there any chance the camera stops working because of it? If so, would reverting to original, stock firmware be a solution?
 
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