Which camera should I buy?

I'm not purchasing a camera. But remember when we used to get a new thread, with this at the title, practically on a daily basis?

For those who might be considering their first camera purchase, what's the current advice? Are we still recommending mid-level DSLR or EVIL cameras? Or is Black Magic the new hot shit?

I haven't done a ton of research, but if I were in the market, I'd first look into the pros/cons of the Black Magic Pocket cam. Agree/Disagree?

Personally, because I don't aspire to be a camera operator or cinematographer, I'm perfectly happy with my Samsung Galaxy S7. Every time I record video on it, I'm floored by the quality achieved by a fucking smartphone.

But what if I were a trust-fund baby who wanted an actual camera? What if I were an aspiring DP? What are my first options?
 
I decided to go the DSLR route and did some research. I wanted HD of course with at least 1920 × 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. 60 would be better, but I can live with 30. Since I just wanted something to start shooting with and also take better still photos than my Canon Elph, I found out the Samsung NX3000 has a 23.5 x 15.7mm (APS-C type) sensor, which many DSLRs also have. The camera came out a few years ago, so I found one on Craig's List for $140 used. Man, that was easy.

It shoots beautiful video both indoors and out. Low light video has rich blacks that are low in noise. Of course, I'm comparing a lot to my Canon HS800 hi8 camera from the 90s. I think that was the model. It was $550 and the circuit board fried in one year. So if this one dies, it will be a lot less painful.

I plan some outdoor shots this weekend.
 
Sincerely, does anybody have any reason why I should consider shooting an incredible story with anything other than my phone? if I'd prefer to spend the money elsewhere?

Fixed this for you :P

Given this question, then nah not really.

There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't shoot with your phone. But hey, if you're telling an amazing story, and you'd rather use camera money for everything that's not a camera that's more important, like lighting, sound, some kind of lensey attachment etc. etc. then hey why the hell not :cool:
 
Jax, I will not allow you to join the Dark Side! You and I have too much of an online history for me to let you slip away!

Not once, nowhere, have I said that I plan to shoot my next feature on my phone. Fuck that. That would be stupid. No, I want get a proper camera, with somebody who knows how to use it.

I'm going to use my phone as my camera right now because I'm not a DP and I'm not shooting a feature right now. Capiche?

Jax, I know you well enough to know that you will get this logic. I am currently shooting movies on my phone because the movies I'm currently shooting are not intended to be seen anywhere other than youtube. And I'm not a cinematographer.

Don't leave me hanging, Jax.
 
Why are we talking about me in this thread? Why does this keep happening? Please know that I'm not trying for this. I'm actively trying for this to not happen. Apparently, I'm bad at creating threads that won't end up being focused on me.

I'm tying to talk about cameras in this thread. Why are we talking about me?
 
Why are we talking about me?

any reason why >>>> I <<<< should

You remember when I said that slight differences in language can change the meaning. If you didn't want to talk about yourself, perhaps asking what you should do isn't the best option? Perhaps asking "...why starting filmmakers should..." or "...experienced filmmakers should..." will shift the focus from you to a more general discussion. Just a thought.
 
Jax, I will not allow you to join the Dark Side! You and I have too much of an online history for me to let you slip away!

Not once, nowhere, have I said that I plan to shoot my next feature on my phone. Fuck that. That would be stupid. No, I want get a proper camera, with somebody who knows how to use it.

I'm going to use my phone as my camera right now because I'm not a DP and I'm not shooting a feature right now. Capiche?

Jax, I know you well enough to know that you will get this logic. I am currently shooting movies on my phone because the movies I'm currently shooting are not intended to be seen anywhere other than youtube. And I'm not a cinematographer.

Don't leave me hanging, Jax.

Oh yeah man - hey, I use my phone to shoot video from time to time.
Shooting a feature on a phone... Well it's been done before. Would I recommend it? Meh. Probably not. But if you're on a budget... I've always said the best camera to use is the one you have right now. Unless you wanna be a DP, learning to tell amazing stories is better than buying the best camera in the world.


For those that do want to be shooters (and wow, it seems like every second person and their dog is a self-anointed 'shooter/DoP/Cinematographer' these days!), I'll still say use what you have and learn as much as you can. Learn exposure, learn framing, learn creative use of focus. And learn lighting! I see people buying newer cameras with better dynamic range, and auto-NDs and incredible auto-focus and every fancy shmancy new feature under the sun. But they're still disappointed in their image. Why? Because it's not the camera that gets you the image you want.

It became almost funny with the Sony A7s series. I've been using mine for over a year and been extremely happy with the images I get out of it. Look online and everyone will tell how it's a terrible camera because the colours are awful or they don't look right or every other reason under the sun. No-one ever thinks 'maybe it's my own lack of ability that's causing me to get sub-par images'. It's always the camera's fault.

Think of it this way: is a newer/better camera with better dynamic range or less noise at higher ISOs going to make me a better shooter? The answer is never yes. Better cameras with better features can open up more options to you, but it will never make your own skills better.

My advice to anyone who wants to be a DP is to buy a cheap light meter, a cheap 35mm manual stills camera and a few rolls of film
 
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Oh yeah man - hey, I use my phone to shoot video from time to time.
Shooting a feature on a phone... Well it's been done before. Would I recommend it? Meh. Probably not. But if you're on a budget... I've always said the best camera to use is the one you have right now. Unless you wanna be a DP, learning to tell amazing stories is better than buying the best camera in the world.


For those that do want to be shooters (and wow, it seems like every second person and their dog is a self-anointed 'shooter/DoP/Cinematographer' these days!), I'll still say use what you have and learn as much as you can. Learn exposure, learn framing, learn creative use of focus. And learn lighting! I see people buying newer cameras with better dynamic range, and auto-NDs and incredible auto-focus and every fancy shmancy new feature under the sun. But they're still disappointed in their image. Why? Because it's not the camera that gets you the image you want.

It became almost funny with the Sony A7s series. I've been using mine for over a year and been extremely happy with the images I get out of it. Look online and everyone will tell how it's a terrible camera because the colours are awful or they don't look right or every other reason under the sun. No-one ever thinks 'maybe it's my own lack of ability that's causing me to get sub-par images'. It's always the camera's fault.

Think of it this way: is a newer/better camera with better dynamic range or less noise at higher ISOs going to make me a better shooter? The answer is never yes. Better cameras with better features can open up more options to you, but it will never make your own skills better.

My advice to anyone who wants to be a DP is to buy a cheap light meter, a cheap 35mm manual stills camera and a few rolls of film

Much love! Yes! If there are any new filmmakers out there who want to make the image your particular art, listen to Jax! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
 
Shooting anything serious on your cell phone is a terrible idea, unless it's an undercover doc on corruption or forbidden animal sex acts otherwise just the size of a phone is a big liability and the shake factor is going to be distracting to the audience. Ask yourself this- if you had a ton of money would you still use one- of course not, what a fucking joke, huh?

If I start using any support at all (with a phone) I'm going to ask myself is this the best camera for the job and the inevitable answer is going to be no, no I could do better- a lot better. I don't want any of the other wannabees thinking they could do a better job than me because they have the same camera. I wanna buried them in a technology blizzard so they fucking freeze to death and don't think about it. I win.

Even with DSLR's which are naturally suited to a tripod (haha) quickly end up being too light and small when you start moving them. Harder to stop on tracks, in air focusing is a nightmare. Why do you think the URSA was invented- filmmakers want weight, size..put the LCD screen on there, hard drives and batteries adds up to handful that can be pushed a little harder, faster and without much thought producing impressive results during shooting.

Ditch the whimpy phone and step up to 4K, the cameras have never been more affordable to rent, lenses are relatively cheap. Capture a ultra-high definition image you can degrade, filter and fuck with all you want (and get fucked by it) and still end up with an awesome image. Remember, this isn't film. Those lab costs are gone and they're never coming back- yay! And if you're cinematographer you can go fuck yourself because I don't care what you think.
 
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Shooting anything serious on your cell phone is a terrible idea, unless it's an undercover doc on corruption or forbidden animal sex acts otherwise just the size of a phone is a big liability and the shake factor is going to be distracting to the audience. Ask yourself this- if you had a ton of money would you still use one- of course not, what a fucking joke, huh?

If I start using any support at all (with a phone) I'm going to ask myself is this the best camera for the job and the inevitable answer is going to be no, no I could do better- a lot better. I don't want any of the other wannabees thinking they could do a better job than me because they have the same camera. I wanna buried them in a technology blizzard so they fucking freeze to death and don't think about it. I win.

Even with DSLR's which are naturally suited to a tripod (haha) quickly end up being too light and small when you start moving them. Harder to stop on tracks, in air focusing is a nightmare. Why do you think the URSA was invented- filmmakers want weight, size..put the LCD screen on there, hard drives and batteries adds up to handful that can be pushed a little harder, faster and without much thought producing impressive results during shooting.

Ditch the whimpy phone and step up to 4K, the cameras have never been more affordable to rent, lenses are relatively cheap. Capture a ultra-high definition image you can degrade, filter and fuck with all you want (and get fucked by it) and still end up with an awesome image. Remember, this isn't film. Those lab costs are gone and they're never coming back- yay! And if you're cinematographer you can go fuck yourself because I don't care what you think.

Holy shit, that's a lot to process dude, especially since I just smoked a fat bowl! I'm going to try my best to give a meaningful response. This might end up being gibberish.

Just to be clear, I absolutely would not even think about shooting a feature or any other "serious" project on a cell phone. Hell no! For those types of projects, I want a legitimate DP, and I want them to use the equipment they want to use.

Nah, dude, I'm talking about people's first films. Like when they're just experimenting with whether or not they even enjoy filmmaking. I know so many people who bought DSLRs at that stage and they ended up not becoming filmmakers.

I'm also talking about films that just don't require a good camera. Like the 48 Hour Film Project. I'm totally doing it this year, can't wait. No chance in hell I'll give a damn about trying to find a camera better than the one on my phone.

The camera on the Galaxy S7 is pretty fucking sweet, by the way. It's WOW. I shot a feature film on the T2i. If I could go back in time, I'd have rather shot it on the Galaxy S7. I'm being serious here. The camera on my phone is fucking dope!
 
I dunno man, Tangerine was shot on three iPhone 5S'. And geez that movie has done better than many others that have been shot on Blackmagics, DSLRs, even REDs...

I don't know that I'd highly recommend shooting only on iPhones, but hey - they make Steadicam specifically designed for iPhones, and you can get lens attachments. Most phones record in 4K these days, and even record 100+fps.

Is the the best tool for the job? Not really. There are plenty of other great and better tools you could use to shoot your film. But can it be done? Of course. Have a look at the old Zacuto shootout and see how well it stacks up.

The point isn't to say 'you should only ever use your phone to shoot'

The point is if you only have access to a phone, dont let it stop you. The guys who made Blair Witch didn't let the lack of a decent cam stop them from making a film, and the camera in your phone is going to give you a better picture than they got on that movie.

I'm a guy that will always fight for a better camera on a production, and I wouldn't shoot a film with just an iPhone.

But if you want to make a film on your iPhone, all power to you!
 
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