BlakeWink
01-29-2009, 02:46 PM
Hey everyone,
This is my first post on the boards and I'm looking for some advice. I intend on buying my first set of film making equipment in the next month or two and am having a difficult time deciding how to distribute my budget. I have between 3 and 4 thousand dollars to spend. I want to purchase a camera that shoots 1080 and shoots 24p. I recently got to work with the Panasonic HVX-200A and was very impressed with it. Unfortunately it seems a bit out of my budget if I buy from a reputable source like B&H. I've done a bit of research and the 205a may be an option for me seeing as it is much cheaper but it will be at the high end of my budget still and i'm worried a bit about waranty. The P2 option isn't all that important to me because although I'd love to be able to shoot straight to memory I don't think my budget will afford the price of a P2 card very soon. I was also looking at the Sony HDR-FX7 because it really fits well into my budget leaving money left over to buy a nice shotgun mic and maybe a professional light or two. The reviews I found on the Sony are very mixed and it seems like not many people who give it good reviews use it for films. They use it more for weddings and events. I also read it doesn't shoot well in low light situations and has a compression issue when trying to edit?
I have to admit i'm a newbie when it comes to alot of the aspects of a professional camera. However i've worked on several feature films and am persueing an education in film. So i'm looking for advice on how most of you would spend a budget like this. My hope currently is to buy a nice camera (meaning a HD prosumer instead of a DV prosumer) because even if I can not manage to make this a profession it will be a hobby for a long time and i'd rather not have to buy another camera in the near future. I say this because I know alot of the advice given is that the camera is not the most important thing for making a good film. I am completely aware of this however i'd still perfer to spend my entire budget on a nice camera then save up money for sound and lighting than buy a mediocre camera to have those right away. This being said i'm looking for opinions on how you would spend the budget. Hopefully there are some choices i've overlooked. Also if there are any recommendations on prosumer shotgun mic's and Lavs I would apreciate that also.
Sorry for a somewhat rambling first post and thanks in advance for the help.
This is my first post on the boards and I'm looking for some advice. I intend on buying my first set of film making equipment in the next month or two and am having a difficult time deciding how to distribute my budget. I have between 3 and 4 thousand dollars to spend. I want to purchase a camera that shoots 1080 and shoots 24p. I recently got to work with the Panasonic HVX-200A and was very impressed with it. Unfortunately it seems a bit out of my budget if I buy from a reputable source like B&H. I've done a bit of research and the 205a may be an option for me seeing as it is much cheaper but it will be at the high end of my budget still and i'm worried a bit about waranty. The P2 option isn't all that important to me because although I'd love to be able to shoot straight to memory I don't think my budget will afford the price of a P2 card very soon. I was also looking at the Sony HDR-FX7 because it really fits well into my budget leaving money left over to buy a nice shotgun mic and maybe a professional light or two. The reviews I found on the Sony are very mixed and it seems like not many people who give it good reviews use it for films. They use it more for weddings and events. I also read it doesn't shoot well in low light situations and has a compression issue when trying to edit?
I have to admit i'm a newbie when it comes to alot of the aspects of a professional camera. However i've worked on several feature films and am persueing an education in film. So i'm looking for advice on how most of you would spend a budget like this. My hope currently is to buy a nice camera (meaning a HD prosumer instead of a DV prosumer) because even if I can not manage to make this a profession it will be a hobby for a long time and i'd rather not have to buy another camera in the near future. I say this because I know alot of the advice given is that the camera is not the most important thing for making a good film. I am completely aware of this however i'd still perfer to spend my entire budget on a nice camera then save up money for sound and lighting than buy a mediocre camera to have those right away. This being said i'm looking for opinions on how you would spend the budget. Hopefully there are some choices i've overlooked. Also if there are any recommendations on prosumer shotgun mic's and Lavs I would apreciate that also.
Sorry for a somewhat rambling first post and thanks in advance for the help.