What Camera should I buy with this much?

J

JustSomeGuy

First off sorry if this question is asked a lot, I've just found the forum, so yeah...sorry if there is already a gazillion threads on this.

OK so I better mention that I make films with friends just for fun so please don't start recommending me very advanced camera's, or ones outside my budget, but at the same time I do want a step up in quality from what we have and we do want some footage that will be noticeably different than what we have.

I have £400ish to spend on the camera, not including sound and lighting equipment. So if someone could tell me the best camera we can get for this price that would be great :D Thanks for reading and hopefully replying :D
 
Last edited:
Sort by date Sort by votes
Well, it's a little more complicated than "I have XXX money, what camera should I get." It really depends what you want the look of your project to be, what file formats you can work with, and what features you need from the camera.

On the high end, I would recommend a PD-150 or PD-170 if you don't mind shooting SD.

We've used a Canon HV30 for B camera work on some of our professional releases, such as Les Gamins and Another Take on Catherine. We also use it for behind the scenes stuff. It's auto focus all the way, but if you know how to play with it, you can get great results. And it preforms well in low light.

But really, what will you be using the camera for and what do you need it to do? That's the most important.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
hapychkn said:
Well, it's a little more complicated than "I have XXX money, what camera should I get." It really depends what you want the look of your project to be, what file formats you can work with, and what features you need from the camera.

On the high end, I would recommend a PD-150 or PD-170 if you don't mind shooting SD.

We've used a Canon HV30 for B camera work on some of our professional releases, such as Les Gamins and Another Take on Catherine. We also use it for behind the scenes stuff. It's auto focus all the way, but if you know how to play with it, you can get great results. And it preforms well in low light.

But really, what will you be using the camera for and what do you need it to do? That's the most important.
Click to expand...

Well we just need a camera in general for shooting our movies. We currently have really bad tech so we need an upgrade that we can use for a wide range of projects really. We need something that's versatile. But remember we're not looking to release the movies or make any money off them so whilst we do want an increase on what we've got, it doesn't have to be pro/semi-pro quality.

On the Canon HV30 I can get one of those inside our budget if its used, would you recommend I avoid buying a used camera or are they generally still in good shape?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
£400ish is about US$600ish
http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=400&From=GBP&To=USD

In this price range your first priority is to stay above SD quality.
Consider nothing that can't give you at it's max at least DVD quality 720p.
Broadcast/feature quality 1080 resolution may be a bit more than you need fool with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_resolutions

Also consider how fast your editing computer is (or isn't).

Second consideration... probably waffles between using SD cards or having manual controls, especially manual focus.
SD cards just make your life clean and simple.
No silly mini-DVDs.
No tape transfers.
Just plug N play.

Manual aperture, shutter, and especially focus are kinda going to open up a new box of creativity beyond basic composition.
I don't know if you can get a manual focus ring in this price range, I don't think so.
So, just settle for preset focal ranges.

Third, well... you can start the whole camcorder vs DSLR debate.
You have the best idea of what kind of work your team does.
If you find yourself running and gunning and occasional super long takes then stick with a ENG-like camcorder.
If you find yourself setting up elaborate settings and know you'll be piecemealing a bunch of short edits together then you might as well go with DSLR.

It sounds like you're already doing seperate audio, so you're good there with either CC or DSLR. Doesn't matter, now. ;)

And a bonus - hopefully it has a filter thread so that you can protect your lens with a UV filter and maybe attach some wide angle lenses on occasion.

Okay, so let's go shopping...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ns=p_PRICE_2|0&ci=1871&N=4294548093+4293918093&srtclk=sort

That Canon VIXIA HF M400 looks nice.
Has the Holy 24p thing going on.
1/3 CMOS chip

The JVC GZ-HM690 has a b!tchin' 40x zoom, but I don't like that tiny 1/4CMOS chip.

Sony HDR-CX350V is also nice.
12x optical zoom

Canon VIXIA HF M32 also looks nice.
15x optical zoom. Nice.


DSLRS:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ns=p_PRICE_2|0&ci=6222&N=4291645407+4293918093&srtclk=sort

Canon EOS Rebel T2is are popular, but you gotta buy the lenses seperate, but that's just a thing.


I dunno.
Hope this helps some.
Lord knows I have fun just looking.
GL!
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
What's silly to some may be practical to others.

Checking your computer first is the way I'd go. Emptying your pocketbook on a golly-wow product and finding its no-go with your computer is a huge buzz kill.

Better to have a miniDV tape camera that actually works with your existing stuff.

Good luck! :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
rayw said:
£400ish is about US$600ish
http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=400&From=GBP&To=USD

In this price range your first priority is to stay above SD quality.
Consider nothing that can't give you at it's max at least DVD quality 720p.
Broadcast/feature quality 1080 resolution may be a bit more than you need fool with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_resolutions

Also consider how fast your editing computer is (or isn't).

Second consideration... probably waffles between using SD cards or having manual controls, especially manual focus.
SD cards just make your life clean and simple.
No silly mini-DVDs.
No tape transfers.
Just plug N play.

Manual aperture, shutter, and especially focus are kinda going to open up a new box of creativity beyond basic composition.
I don't know if you can get a manual focus ring in this price range, I don't think so.
So, just settle for preset focal ranges.

Third, well... you can start the whole camcorder vs DSLR debate.
You have the best idea of what kind of work your team does.
If you find yourself running and gunning and occasional super long takes then stick with a ENG-like camcorder.
If you find yourself setting up elaborate settings and know you'll be piecemealing a bunch of short edits together then you might as well go with DSLR.

It sounds like you're already doing seperate audio, so you're good there with either CC or DSLR. Doesn't matter, now. ;)

And a bonus - hopefully it has a filter thread so that you can protect your lens with a UV filter and maybe attach some wide angle lenses on occasion.

Okay, so let's go shopping...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ns=p_PRICE_2|0&ci=1871&N=4294548093+4293918093&srtclk=sort

That Canon VIXIA HF M400 looks nice.
Has the Holy 24p thing going on.
1/3 CMOS chip

The JVC GZ-HM690 has a b!tchin' 40x zoom, but I don't like that tiny 1/4CMOS chip.

Sony HDR-CX350V is also nice.
12x optical zoom

Canon VIXIA HF M32 also looks nice.
15x optical zoom. Nice.


DSLRS:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ns=p_PRICE_2|0&ci=6222&N=4291645407+4293918093&srtclk=sort

Canon EOS Rebel T2is are popular, but you gotta buy the lenses seperate, but that's just a thing.


I dunno.
Hope this helps some.
Lord knows I have fun just looking.
GL!
Click to expand...


Yeah I think a camcorder, rather than a dslr, is best for our style :)

And thanks for the links, those cameras look great. I think we'll probably end up going for one of those.

And as for the whole editing side, that's done by someone else, so I'll have to check with him first whether his computer can handle it.

Anyway, thanks for the help :D

EDIT: BTW the website you posted is selling those cameras cheaper than they're being sold on British websites. Can I still order one off that site or will I get charged extra for them, because I'm in the UK? Not sure how it works with trying to buy US products with £'s :S
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
JustSomeGuy said:
...Can I still order one off that site or will I get charged extra for them, because I'm in the UK?
Click to expand...

Whatever the price is in dollars, convert it to pounds, that's how much you'll pay. You'll need to add shipping cost on to that. Then, the biggest sting cold be import duty and VAT. If Customs decide to check your package, they'll charge you for it. Something with a value of £400 may end up casting you an extra £100 or more.

Do a Google search for "import tax calculator", that should help you out.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top