Hey fellow members,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma right now and I was hoping a few of you could offer some insight. You see, I used be a director but took a hiatus to get my career started. Now that I'm a bit settled, I'm looking to go back into shooting. However I don't know what kind of camera to purchase. I plan on using the camera for two things. First, I'll be making "model videos." I work as a talent agent and models are looking for videos which highlight them moving during photoshoots. Second, I plan on turning some of my sketches into shorts. So I need a camera that can film personal shorts while mainting that "film" look.

In addition, I'm looking to spend about 2-3 grand. I'll be editing all of the footing on my mac and want to shoot in HD.

I was looking into HD camcorders, but it seems as though DSLR's are giving camcorders a serious run for their money. The footage from DSLR's is so much clearer and more focused (unless you compare it to a RED). So I'm leaning more towards a DSLR, but still considering both.

Do any of you have a preference?

Thanks so much for your help!

DSLR.

Bear in mind that you'll also need a selection of lenses and other grip equipment to get the most out of them. You'll want a fast wide angle lense, a fast 50mm or equivalent and a longer lens.

The Canon 60D is worth a look. Not very expensive but exactly the same video quality as the more expensive 7D.

Canon 5D MK 2 is still the daddy in terms of look, but it's older, lacks some ease of use compared to the newer ones and is more expensive.

Cheaper alternatives are the Canon t2i rebel...really good video quality...not visibly different to more expensive models and a hacked Panasonic GH2.

There are a lot of hacks for these cameras that significantly increase their capabilities beyond the factory defaults. Obviously you take the risk of breaking it, but no-one has ever reported breaking them if you follow the instructions correctly.

Lenses are more important than the body. They also last decades if looked after, so you can use them when you upgrade.

Bought a Canon t2i six months ago. Thats an entry level dslr. Like it alot because of the versatility. The latest short I had filmed was all on Canon 5d Mark II. That's the more pro version. It looks great. The rigs ar expensive as are the lenses though. And you'll need the rigs. Trying to hold a dslr and film is ridiculous. Good thing is if your crafty, you can build many urself on the cheap. Expect to buy external sound, too, because most on board mics suck.

Know nothing about shoulder cams, so I can't compare. Maybe rick or Pia will chime in...

James

Edit: see Rick already chimed in. He's the man to listen to.

DSLR.

The t2i is a pretty solid camera for on a budget. Keep in mind Canon also have a newer model, t3i, they've just released. You might save some money for lenses investing in one or the other.

The 7D's also dropped considerably in price. If you get the body only, you can save around $300 spent on a better lens than a kit lens.

There is one thing to consider I've not mentioned:

DSLR's tend to have certain problems that dedicated video cameras don't have, or suffer from to a lesser extent.

These particularly being Moire and Rolling Shutter effects.

Dslr's tend to suffer more with handheld or fast moving shots.

Moire is a kind of rainbow effect caused by the camera essentially making up colours/inforamtion in the lines between its resolution.

It happens when you film certain clothing, point the camera at brickwork...these kind of things.

It's something worth bearing in mind if you're filming models. Some of their clothing might not be very dslr friendly.

You should look into it anyway, just so there are no nasty surprises.

Panasonic GH2 is the way to go.
None of the overheating issues you have with the Canons.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=37249
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=36241

And its 4/3 sensor size allows some good DOF control.
http://www.consumermate.com/uploads/sensor-sizes.png

The most important issue and a half is collecting "good" audio.
For that you'll need to get off the camera just as James pointed out.
The "and a half" part is that you need a boom operator that does a decent enough job of keeping the mic pointed at the person speaking.

GL

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films These particularly being Moire and Rolling Shutter effects. Dslr's tend to suffer more with handheld or fast moving shots.

Yeah, that big ol' sensor allows the Jell-O to roll about.
http://www.youtube.com/results.....l0l0l192l981l1.6l7l0
Fortunately, there's rarely a need for fast panning, so it's not a frequent problem.

I'm gonna chime in for a third mention of sound. If you want to shoot shorts, I'd try to pal up with a sound guy, preferably with their own equipment (otherwise, I'd rent some). Hooking a mic directly to the camera (which is more complicated than it sounds when dealing with DSLRs) still entails settling for a lot.

Hey,

I have a Canon 7D and started off only using it for photography....recently, I shot some video on it, and it is very comparable with some professionally shot footage.

The thing with the 7D too, it's very small and portable...you can fit it in a car, small, tight places easier than the bigger cameras.

I've been happy with mine, but like I said, I used it primarily for photography. Only recently have I discovered the quality video it puts out.

D

My vote would be for a Canon DSLR.  I'm used to shooting on the 5D, and I'm generally impressed with it.  Rick's point about handheld/fast shots is well taken though; if you're planning on Bourne-style action sequences, for instance, it might not be the best way to go.  For what it's worth, I haven't personally experienced overheating issues with the 5D, 7D, or t2i.

The t2i is a great little camera as well and we actually have a few shots in Truth that were taken on it.  It plays well against the 5D and the difference doesn't really register in the film.  There's a hack for the t2i designed to make it more video-friendly which is pretty impressive.

hey everyone,

first and foremost, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

seriously, buying something like this sucks ass. SO many options and everything has draw backs. even worse, you rarely find testimonials you can trust.

after some extensive research, i've narrowed it down to the following:

Canon 7D (good in low light, but has crappy audio)
Canon 5dmkII (read several reports of over heating)
Canon t3i (still researching a bit)
Panasonic GH2 (just throwing in a panasonic for good measure)

furthermore, i hear canons have a 12 minute shoot limit. kinda sucks but i doubt i'll be shooting a given scene for longer than 12 minutes.

regarding the jello effect, can that be fixed by adjusting the shutter speed? trying to avoid this at all possible. granted, i wont be shooting models like i'm paul greengrass (hopefully not anyways), but its something to be mindful of.

also, it sounds like i should avoid the kit lens. i'll have to do some more research on this as well

lastly, the audio. i wont have to worry about this for the model videos, but it does sound like something i'll need to focus on when shooting shorts. as for the equipment, i'll resarch an adapter/plug in for some of the canons.

right now i'm leaning towards the 7D....

thanks again everyone. seriously, you guys rock.

Quoted from albinopenguin Canon t3i (still researching a bit) regarding the jello effect, can that be fixed by adjusting the shutter speed? trying to avoid this at all possible.

The T3i is just the T2i with a swing out video screen. I didn't spend the extra because I didn't think I needed it.

No pro, but from most that I've read, you should set the shutter speed at double your frames per second and leave it for video. 24fps should have a 1/50th shutter. 60fps should have a 1/125th shutter. Been shooting like this and I like the results. Everything else is messing around with film speed and aperture to get the best exposure. That part still mystifies me...

James

Am I the only one that thought this was a request for a loan from the thread title?

thanks for the tip James.

haha good point Shelton. Should have renamed it to "need help selecting a camera." then again, if you're willing to contribute....