Equipment Priorities?

S

Super Funky

Hello, everyone! I've been lurking around this forum for quite a while and I've learned a lot of pretty cool things. I think it's finally time for me to start posting, though. I have about $1,600 to spend on equipment for filmmaking. I need a lot of things and I wasn't quite sure which I should acquire first, or if I should just save more and buy it all around the same time.

I have a crappy old camcorder I have been using to make movies and I think the quality of the video, among other things, is really starting to hinder my creativity and productivity. It's a really bad camera. The battery on it is at a point where it only lasts about 20 minutes and replacement batteries don't exist because it's so old. I have no sound equipment at all. I do have lights that I use, but they are just lamps that I position around the room when I need them. They work though. Also, I guess I probably need a better computer to edit higher quality footage from whatever camera I get. ( I only have a single core, 2gb ddr2 ram, 100gb HD PC right now).

I realize there is no way I'll be able to get all of this anytime soon with $1,600, but that's the point. What should I buy first? Or should I wait? To sum things up I need:
- A good camera
- A good computer
- Sound equipment

P.S. Sorry if I should have posted this in one of the other forums. Thanks in advance.
 
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If you fancy shooting the films, the first thing you want is a camera. The next thing you want is a computer to handle the logging of footage, and potentially editing the footage.

Then I'd look around for friends with light kits and sound equipment. If you can't find any collaborators, I'd say pick up a good boom mic. If you get an HD cam, you can plug directly in via XLR, which will be fine as a starting point. If you get a DSLR, you'll need to buy an external sound device (and a boom pole and mic).

For $1600...I'd get a camera. Which one, I can't tell ya. If you want an HD cam, you can find many posts on these forums for cameras $2000 and under (or you can Google that phrasing).

If you want a DSLR, get a T2i (or 7D) with a nice lens (the one it comes with ain't that great, but will do to start).
 
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The real question is what do you want to do in the industry? Direct, DOP, Editor, Gaffer, etc.? Then you should let that be the driving factor in what you should spend your money on. Just a thought...
 
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First things first, when you get a camera get a tripod.

Now that's out of the way, it seems that everyone and their dog on this forum recommends the canon T2i, nothing wrong with that, it's a good camera, but you've got to look at it as an investment, which means you're locked into the canon system unless after spending your hard earned on canon lenses you want to give it up and jump ship to Nikon or Sony. Okay at the moment Sony DSLR's don't shoot video, but the camera that does is rumored to be announced in a week or two (good news for me as I have invested ~1k in the Sony system).

So, this is why I'm gunna recommend you look at the Nikon alternatives.

1) Better ergonomics. This is purely opinion, but I think Nikon cameras feel better than Canon cameras when you're holding them for hours on end.

2) Better Glass. Nikon lenses are (imo) far better than the offerings from Canon. This is something that beginning photographers and film makers alike tend to ignore and then kick them selves 5 months down the line for. Also, CANON ARE STINGEY!!! Canon lenses do not come with lens hoods until you get into their L Series (professional quality) Which start at about £1200. There is no excuse for that, it is just poo.

Sound recording equipment and a better computer go hand in hand. Imo there are very few downsides to recording onto a laptop via an audio interface (for example http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardw...annel-24-bit-48khz-usb-audio-interface--30382). A lot of interfaces also come with stripped back versions of popular DAW's (digital audio workstations) which are a little too stripped back for music production but are more than enough for one or two tracks of speech and a handful of sound effects.

Remember you also need a good microphone, if you were trying to set up a recording studio I'd recommend a Rode NT1A as your 'go-to' microphone, and I expect it would do a passable job of capturing audio for film, but there are probably better options out there, options that other members of this forum will likely recommend.

As for computer recommendations my knowledge is somewhat more limited. I am a huge Apple fanboy but am also the first to admit that Windows 7 has made huge leaps towards being a good operating system. It still has it's holes but hey, so does OS X (the apple operating system).

Depending on what you want to do (how much video you're going to be working with, and what you want to do with it) your computer is probably up to the task. I've done extensive video editing work and produced albums on 1.8 Ghz dual core machines with 1GB of RAM, so don't go over the top or you could quite easily swallow your entire budget with a top of the line machine.

Final point: Don't skimp on cables, a cheap XLR lead can ruin a good audio set up. Remember a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.

Hope I've been some help.

Cameramonkey.
 
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Ooooo. Yes. Great advice, and I can't believe I forgot that seeing as how I always knock people for handheld work.

Get a tripod. If you can afford a 'fluid head' tripod, it will make your life so much easier.

His other advice...not so good. :) lol. Kidding. But serious, don't get a Nikon. If you're going DSLR, get Canon.
 
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M1chae1 said:
don't get a Nikon. If you're going DSLR, get Canon.
Click to expand...

Okay, I'm interested now, my advice was from a photographers point of view primarily not so much a film maker. Do Nikon really suck so much when it comes to video? And more importantly why??

Although you have to agree that not supplying a lens hood on anything but their most expensive lenses is rubbish.
 
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cameramonkey said:
Okay, I'm interested now, my advice was from a photographers point of view primarily not so much a film maker. Do Nikon really suck so much when it comes to video? And more importantly why??

Although you have to agree that not supplying a lens hood on anything but their most expensive lenses is rubbish.
Click to expand...

At this point, Canon is really your only option. The 5D, 7D and T2i are really terrific, and that's pretty much all there is, at this point. IF DSLR is the way you want to go.
 
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Fair enough that is something of a killer advantage.

That's still only the short term picture though. Personally I'd rather invest in a system with quality glass, considering Nikon will blatantly be releasing a full HD DSLR soon. Full HD has become the iPod of the film world, if you don't have it you're the short fat kid your parents make you hang out with.
 
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I have a friend who owns both the D90 and the 7D, and he says the 7D blows the D90 out of the water for film. One of the stronger suits against the D90 is that the 'jello effect' prevalent in DSLRs is *way* worse on the D90. And of course the HD thing...which is the deal breaker.
 
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I swear I'm not a Nikon fanboy ( I shoot Sony) but the D90 was the first DSLR to shoot video, it's bound to have some floors, plus the 7D is 4 times the price and is full frame (35mm equivalent).

Just checked and even the Nikon D3s, their flagship model doesn't shoot in 1080p. Fail. Nikon you disappoint me.
 
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Thanks for all the info guys. I think I will just save up some more pocket money. I could buy the t2i now with some nice accessories and what not, but it would be my luck that my computer wouldn't be able to handle the full hd footage. I guess I'll just wait a little bit longer so I can upgrade my PC and buy the camera.
 
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