DSLR 5D Mark III - Dream features list...

Yes, overpriced for you! Not for professionals!

I doubt that anyone on IT actually needs a C300 so why are you complaining about an overpriced "camcorder"? The business has ALWAYS been expensive! Always! The C300 is cheap as chips when compared to shooting on film, which was the standard up to now!
 
Yes, overpriced for you! Not for professionals!

I doubt that anyone on IT actually needs a C300 so why are you complaining about an overpriced "camcorder"? The business has ALWAYS been expensive! Always! The C300 is cheap as chips when compared to shooting on film, which was the standard up to now!

So that's what makes a professional? The price of their camera?? :hmm: Whatever...

And your complacency as far the "business" being expensive is part of the inherent problem. As long as there are people willing to pay through the nose for cameras, the price will never go down. It's a shame... :no:
 
I have to say that I'm inclined to agree with Phil. If you want a professional camera then you're going to have to pay prices that reflect that status. Why should camera manufacturers be desperately striving to make professional standard cameras for a couple of thousand dollars?

As Phil says, the 5D Mark III is for photographers, possibly who do a line in videography, not for professional cinematographers. There are only a few things that the average hobby cinematography will feel limited by, using DSLR, and those limits are an approximately drawn line between amateur and professional.
 
I think what you all forget when complaining about features it doesnt have, is that this is a camera for PHOTOGRAPHERS!

If it had all features we need for filming, what would the C300 be?

$12,500.00 more expensive. Have you checked out the official specs on the pre-order form? Don't get me wrong, I want one, but $3,500.00 is a grand more than the mkII and I don't see that much improvement for the dollars from the printed specs. Maybe in 6 months or so when I can actually get my hands on one of these babies I'll see a thousand dollars worth of additional value. Who knows? Has anyone on here actually gotten a hold of one yet?
 
If, somehow, everyone refused to pay the prices of RED or C300, etc. the prices would come crashing down. They only charge that high because people don't mind paying that much.
Or - companies would just stop making cameras like that. You have to ask why people don't mind paying that much - it's because for most professionals who need cameras like this it's not a lot of money. If you're shooting projects with any level of budget on a weekly or even monthly basis those cameras will easily pay for themselves in the first six months or less of ownership.
So that's what makes a professional? The price of their camera?? :hmm: Whatever...

And your complacency as far the "business" being expensive is part of the inherent problem. As long as there are people willing to pay through the nose for cameras, the price will never go down. It's a shame... :no:
No, the price of the camera is absolutely not what makes a professional - making money shooting with the camera is. And if you're actually making money with the camera then none of these prices are unreasonable. Nobody buying these cameras is 'paying through the nose' for them. Their prices reflect their value to the professionals who need them. If they didn't, no one would pay for them.
What's the list of things it would need?
-Use of 35mm lenses
-Ability to shoot 1080p at various frame rates from 24 to 60
-HDMI out
-XLR input(s)
-Weighted and shaped like a traditional camcorder
-Use of SD card, et al...
You've pretty much just described Sony's FS100 or (except for the frame rates) Panasonic's AF100. Both are currently under $5000. How many paid jobs does it take to make that expense worth it? 2, 4, maybe 6 at most? If you're not doing that many paid projects in a year then I wouldn't consider you a professional, in which case there are many other cheaper cameras that will get the job done with a little extra effort.
 
"Why does nobody make a soundrecorder with DSLR-optics in the body of a camcorder at the same price as a soundrecorder?" ;)

Because you need more parts :P

"Why don't they make $1000,- Ferrari's?" :P

Because cheap doesn't fit their businessmodel.

Etc, etc...

Maybe you should try to contact a manufacturer in China or Vietnam to build you such camcorders?
I think it will be wishfull thinking at this moment.
A few years from now it might be reality: things change real fast.
4 Years ago you could choose to buy a house or a RED one.
Now you can choose to buy a car or a RED Scarlet, Sony F3 or Canon C300 (or a DSLR and a car :P)

I'd like to see MKiii-footage and stills.
MK2 footage had some real issues in my opinion, but if moire, anti-aliasing and rolling shutter has really decreased and vertical resolution has been improved: I might be tempted :)
(I shoot stills as well and my 450D is getting old ;) )
 
You guys apparently missed my point and made the argument about something different.

I'm not saying that they should make a $50,000 camera for less than $5000 (although I do feel that cameras, in general, are overpriced.) And the fact that people will pay huge prices for professional cameras plays a part in consumer grade cameras being high priced too. That's simple economics. So all the "professionals" out there do affect what everyone else pays. But again, that wasn't my original point, and I digress...

My original point was that if they can make a DSLR that records video, and produces footage that is considered "acceptable" by many indie filmmakers for less than $1000, why can't they put it together in a package more suited to filmmakers? Why can't they have a filmmaker's camera that features the items I listed before? Namely:

-Use of 35mm lenses
-Ability to shoot 1080p at various frame rates from 24 to 60
-HDMI out
-XLR input(s)
-Weighted and shaped like a traditional camcorder
-Use of SD card, et al...

With the exception of the XLR inputs and a video camera weight and shape, everything else is available in DSLR's for under $1000. So why can't they make a video camera that has the same stuff for the same basic price?

The technology is already there, and it's there for under $1000 as long as it's shaped like a DSLR. Take the SAME technology and put it in a video camera shell... That's all I'm asking...
 
Last edited:
The sony VG20 hits most of your requirements (except for XLR) at $1600 for the body. Add a juicedlink box and it's still under $2k. It hasn't exactly taken the low end filmmaking market by storm though - I suspect that's an indication that the market for what you're describing is pretty small, and probably just too small for any of the major manufacturers to devote significant time, R&D and manufacturing resources to it.
 
Now that's a lot closer to what I'm talking about, even though I've never heard of it. That may be part of the problem when it comes to the low sales...

Only having seven Sony lenses to choose from might be an issue for some as well. At least with Canon, there are hundreds of lenses from various companies that can be utilized. I'm hoping they come up with something similar...

Thanks for the info on the Sony though!
 
Now that's a lot closer to what I'm talking about, even though I've never heard of it. That may be part of the problem when it comes to the low sales...

Only having seven Sony lenses to choose from might be an issue for some as well. At least with Canon, there are hundreds of lenses from various companies that can be utilized. I'm hoping they come up with something similar...

Thanks for the info on the Sony though!

I just checked the specs on the VG20 and there is an adapter available through Sony to adapt the A mount (Minolta/Sony) lenses to the camera, opening up a bunch of inexpensive options. The more I look at this camera, the more I like it.
 
I just checked the specs on the VG20 and there is an adapter available through Sony to adapt the A mount (Minolta/Sony) lenses to the camera, opening up a bunch of inexpensive options. The more I look at this camera, the more I like it.

There are adapters available for most brands of lenses. In general the cheap adapters don't pass through any communication to the lens, so they are better suited for older manual lenses, but that opens up a lot of good options.
 
I was just pointing out the adapter to go from the Sony E mount to the older style A mount. Most Minolta lenses are A mount and quite affordable. Plus, the Sony adapter lets you use metering and auto focus (if the lens is so equipped).
 
Back
Top