Starting from scratch!

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theclash4u5

Hey guys!

I just recently found this forum, and while it has been a big help already, I had a few questions to ask. Here's my situation...

I've been looking to get back into the filming/editing game for a while now, and frankly, I need to know where to start, equipment wise. I still have an old digital Sony HC-40 MiniDV that I've used in the past to film a few weddings and various other random events (which has been on it's last leg for a while now), but I obviously need an upgrade. After saving up for about a year, I now have about $1,200-$1,500 ($2,000 at the most) that I'm willing to put into some good equipment (camera + lens + audio equipment). I'm already familiar with the editing aspect of everything, but I'm drawing a blank for what to look to for filming. I would most likely be using it to film live concerts at clubs or bars to start (and eventually into something that would generate some sort of revenue in the future, hopefully), so nothing that's going to be submitted to Sundance or anything.

I've looked into HD camcorders, DSLRs (mainly the Canon t2i) and other more expensive filming devices, but since this is a pretty big purchase for me, I want to get as much advice as possible, so any ideas at all would be great! Basically, if you had this type of money to spend, would you spend it on the camera itself, or get something cheaper and spend more on lenses, equipment, etc?

I really would appreciate any kind of help/suggestions! :)
 
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theclash4u5 said:
So I keep switching back and forth on this subject, so I would like your guys final thoughts.

It's hard to find a good produmer cam used (usually), but people are always upgrading and selling their DSLR bodies. That being said, I've come down to two ideas, either the Canon XA-10 or the Panasonic GH-2.

Since my budget is about 2K, if I got the Canon XA-10, (around 2k?) I would be pretty much set until I was able to get another $500-1,000 for audio supplies.

However, with the GH2, I could get that + 14-140 lens for probably around $1500-$1800, then I could get an audio setup of something like the Audio Technica AT897 shotgun mic kit, Tascam DR-100 as the digital audio recorder and the sE Electronics SE1A (which was recommended by Alcove in another thread). Price range on that...not sure. Would that be over $1000?

That being said, which setup would be better for live concert events? Is the XLR on the XA-10 worth it over the DSLR setup that I'm getting together?

Thanks again for all your help :)
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Just to bump this real quick, I'm also thinking about getting this if I pick up the GH2. It seems like the initial package of GH2 + 14-140 lens + shotgun mic + audio recorder + rig will be more than simply buying the Canon XA-10, but it would probably be worth it in the long run, right?

EDIT: Just to remind those just joining the thread, the main purpose of all of this is to film live concert events in small night clubs/bars. Nothing outside.
 
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The 20mm 1.7 is an amazing lens, great for low light situations. Just be aware you'll be stuck with a wide shot of the performance if you choose it.

Edit: Actually, with the ETC mode you'll be able to get some closer shots as well; I wasn't really thinking. It still won't be as versatile as a zoom lens, though.
 
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To be honest I can't think of any off the top of my head. There's an amazing 14-35 f/2.0 by Olympus, but it sells for $2,000 by itself. If you don't mind being being stuck with manual focus there's some Nikon and Canon FD manual lenses you could use via adapters. I don't normally use zoom lenses, so I'm a bit out of my element here.
 
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SinEater said:
To be honest I can't think of any off the top of my head. There's an amazing 14-35 f/2.0 by Olympus, but it sells for $2,000 by itself. If you don't mind being being stuck with manual focus there's some Nikon and Canon FD manual lenses you could use via adapters. I don't normally use zoom lenses, so I'm a bit out of my element here.
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Fair enough, it sounds like the 20mm 1.7 should meet my demands (low-light setting and no need for super zoom), but I'm still wondering whether to go for the GH2 + accessories or the Canon XA-10 by itself...or even, to wait for the Sony VG-20. Decisions decisions...
 
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