"FILM-LOOK" FOR UNDER $5000?

liezl · May 8, 2010

ok guys, besides shooting a couple of short films on a really old video camera, i'm pretty new to filmmaking so take it easy on me!

what is the cheapest camera that will let me achieve good picture quality, shallow depth-of-field and 24p? In other words - is there any way to achieve that "film-look" for under...say...$5000? i'm a university student with a bad paying part-time job, so my finances don't allow for anything too fancy at this stage...

liezl · May 9, 2010

TheOpusFuller said:
Hey Ernest

I might actually look into buying a 7d as well bud... hahaha.

Liezl - I know you are somewhat limited with certain things. Iris control, etc. Not sure if this pertains to the camera you are thinking about buying...

do you mean i can't adjust the aperture? i don't understand... why would i not be able to do this on a dslr? sorry if this is a stupid question.

liezl · May 9, 2010

WalterB said:
One big difference is the body: the xxxD-series is far less water, moist and dust resistant than a xD (x is a digit). This might be interesting to know in case you'd like to shoot near the sea, on the beach or in a desert (or in that room you just don't seem to be able to find the time to clean it ), etc. The 5D body is also heavier and stronger.

Another difference is chip-size. The xxxD has a cropfactor, the xxD and xD are fullframe. Fullframe also means less DOF. So if you want the shallow DOF-look a 5D or 7D has more of that (I mean less DOF) than a 550D.

i know the part about the 550D not being weatherproofed like the others, but i don't think that's too much of an issue for me at the moment.

this thing about chip-size and cropfactor vs fullframe has me worried though. i have a very simple understanding of what cropfactor means, but i don't understand how it affects depth-of-field... does it make a huge difference?

Ernest Worthing · May 9, 2010

TheOpusFuller said:
ha ha, yeah. Been snooping around and comparing.

The way I figure, I drop a grand and a half on this camera and shoot my feature... I'm not stuck with having this camera for the rest of my life, if I'm not happy with how it performs, then I upgrade for my next feature and so on. I plan on doing that anyways. Every film, upgrading and upgrading. That is, if my wallet allows me! Yikes...

yeah and itll be good to have it for still pics, behind the scenes pics, behind the scenes video etc anyway. thats my thinking as well.

what kind of lenses are u planning on using with it? nikorrs?

Cracker Funk · May 9, 2010

TheOpusFuller said:
p.s.

Storytelling > Worrying about getting a film look.

Well said. That being the case, my vote goes to the DSLR. Currently, I shoot on miniDV, but I think I'm about to convert. The Canon Rebel t2i is only $800! 5D and 7D aren't that much more.

ozmerican · May 10, 2010

DVX 100A or B

liezl said:
ok guys, besides shooting a couple of short films on a really old video camera, i'm pretty new to filmmaking so take it easy on me!

what is the cheapest camera that will let me achieve good picture quality, shallow depth-of-field and 24p? In other words - is there any way to achieve that "film-look" for under...say...$5000? i'm a university student with a bad paying part-time job, so my finances don't allow for anything too fancy at this stage...

Someone has already mentioned this but Panasonic DVX 100A or B

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/panasonic-ag-dvx100a/4505-6500_7-30790135.html

WalterB · May 10, 2010

liezl said:
i know the part about the 550D not being weatherproofed like the others, but i don't think that's too much of an issue for me at the moment.

this thing about chip-size and cropfactor vs fullframe has me worried though. i have a very simple understanding of what cropfactor means, but i don't understand how it affects depth-of-field... does it make a huge difference?

Fullframe has less DOF.
The bigger the chip (or the negative), the smaller the DOF gets.

I'm not a crop-factor expert, but I'll give it a try:
Crop-factor has to do with the fact that the chip sees 'less' than the lens does.
A cropfactor of 1,5 means that a 50mm prime lens produces a view angle of a 75mm lens. The edges are being 'cropped' because the chip is smaller than what the lens 'projects' on the chip.

For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_factor
(And I wasn't wrong

)

TheOpusFuller · May 10, 2010

Ernest Worthing said:
yeah and itll be good to have it for still pics, behind the scenes pics, behind the scenes video etc anyway. thats my thinking as well.

what kind of lenses are u planning on using with it? nikorrs?

That's the thing. Aside from basic camera knowledge and basic camera operation I know zilch about lenses, etc. I'm not really sure what lenses I'll end up buying. Might go with Nikons, Canons... not sure. This is something I really need to do more extensive research on.

So far right now my crew consists of one person and that's me. So aside from writing a groundbreaking script that will set a new standard for independent zero budget science fiction, i'm also working on camera research, lens research, location scouting, website design, etc. etc. etc. A lot to do for 1 person until I can build up a team... I say team because I'm looking for long term people and not temporary crew. I'm going to put such a blip on the radar with this beast of a story that I want my team and I to go all the way. Simple as that.