Best Camera(s) for New, Unexperienced Filmmaker?

N

newont

New member
Hi there. Over the past year I've developed a strong passion for filmmaking, of which I'm sure you can relate.

I am interested in writing films, creating stories/dialogue, directing them, etc.


I want to buy a camera to shoot my films. However, I also want to be able to take still photos - because I want to learn through experience what makes a good shot, I want to learn about the different types of shots, lenses, etc. I feel that to write a good scene, you need to know what makes a shot beautiful and what type of shot would enhance the scene as best as possible.


I am asking what I should buy? I am not sure if I should buy a camcorder that can only shoot film and also a cheaper regular camera for photos, or if I should buy an all-in-one, like a Canon T3i?


I have looked at the Canon T3i, the 7D, and the Panasonic Gh2. Are there other ones I should look at? What would be the best for my goals? Should I get instead the camcorder and a cheap stillphoto camera instead? Thank you very, very much.

I can spend up to $2,000 but would prefer to spend only $1,000. If it was $2,000, it would have to be what I would use for all my films for a long time, about 8 years.
 
First, welcome to DVXUser! There's a wealth of information around here. You might want to start by looking through the individual camera forums first... see what's out there. This question has come up before, several times, and a search of the forums may bring up some of the previous responses.

Shooting with a DSLR can provide great results in the right hands, but it does have its shortcomings. Sound is a huge concern with DSLR, as these cameras all have lousy audio circuitry in the grand scheme of things. Yes, there are ways to make it work, but that requires all sorts of adapters and workarounds. By investing in a traditional camcorder with better sound interface, that's one less headache for a beginner.

Don't forget sound, by the way, in your effort to learn. Bad sound will kill your picture in a heartbeat.

But the best thing I can tell you now: the camera is just a tool, and the user makes the difference. No matter what camera you get, there are several great books and tutorial DVDs out there that will teach you about cinematography, lighting, and sound. It's the applied knowledge of these things that will impact your final images more than anything else. There are also plenty of members here who post their works looking for critique. It may be helpful to look through those (both in User Films and in the footage subforums of each camera) and read the feedback comments. You'll start to see patterns of which shots work (and why) and which shots don't work (and why).

newont said:
I feel that to write a good scene, you need to know what makes a shot beautiful and what type of shot would enhance the scene as best as possible.
Click to expand...

That's kind of putting the cart before the horse. The screenplay comes first: character development through moving dialog and proper plot devices. The shots are created later through storyboarding in order to bring the screenplay to life.

EDIT: I should add this question: is HD important to you right now? If not, there are great deals (read: under $1k) to be had on cameras like the DVX100a/100b, and that's a great learning camera that still packs a punch.
 
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Alex H. said:
First, welcome to DVXUser! There's a wealth of information around here. You might want to start by looking through the individual camera forums first... see what's out there. This question has come up before, several times, and a search of the forums may bring up some of the previous responses.

Shooting with a DSLR can provide great results in the right hands, but it does have its shortcomings. Sound is a huge concern with DSLR, as these cameras all have lousy audio circuitry in the grand scheme of things. Yes, there are ways to make it work, but that requires all sorts of adapters and workarounds. By investing in a traditional camcorder with better sound interface, that's one less headache for a beginner.

Don't forget sound, by the way, in your effort to learn. Bad sound will kill your picture in a heartbeat.

But the best thing I can tell you now: the camera is just a tool, and the user makes the difference. No matter what camera you get, there are several great books and tutorial DVDs out there that will teach you about cinematography, lighting, and sound. It's the applied knowledge of these things that will impact your final images more than anything else. There are also plenty of members here who post their works looking for critique. It may be helpful to look through those (both in User Films and in the footage subforums of each camera) and read the feedback comments. You'll start to see patterns of which shots work (and why) and which shots don't work (and why).



That's kind of putting the cart before the horse. The screenplay comes first: character development through moving dialog and proper plot devices. The shots are created later through storyboarding in order to bring the screenplay to life.

EDIT: I should add this question: is HD important to you right now? If not, there are great deals (read: under $1k) to be had on cameras like the DVX100a/100b, and that's a great learning camera that still packs a punch.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the welcome & reply. I will visit the individual forums to continue learning about the different models. I'll be buying books later today to begin to learn a bit more and will be perusing this site for a long time to learn about everything film related.

I know even less(if that's possible) of the sound aspect of films. I was at a couple of filmings recently and they had all the large adaptors and apparatus. There was someone holding a big microphone and they were worried about getting the microphone as close to the actors as possible and things like that. I know so little that I can't understand what to make of that so learning more will be a priority for me.

I apologize for making that idiotic statement about making a good scene as if I even had even the slightest clue of what I was talking about, lol. Your statement about bringing screenplay to life is profound but I'm not sure I fully grasp it yet. It will linger in my mind as I learn more about writing and creating films.

I thought HD was important to me. Your question is making me wonder if there is a whole new field I haven't a clue about, lol. I thought HD was basically a given if you want your films to be shown on the big screen or for film contests? Are they not? I had the impression that every film today sent in to competitions or shown on the big screen or even any student film was shot in HD? Not necessarily so?

I'm planning to buy books and videos today. Are there any must-haves that you recommend?
 
If your story is interesting, people will watch. HD is nice, but far from necessary for a lot of people.
 
If I were you, I would stay clear from dslr's, I suggest going with a camcorder, at least this way you can learn how to shoot without jumping though a bunch of hoops, which is what dslr shooting is about. Don't get me wrong, I shoot with dslr's when the job calls for it, but I also shoot with camcorders as well. And it's a heck of a lot easier to start out with a camcorder.

I would look for A used XHA1, or hvx200. This way, your HD, have sound covered, they both have xlr mic inputs, they can both shoot tape, the hvx, can record straight to card, they both make a beautiful picture, both heavy duty. the list goes on. You can still add a dof adapter if shallow dof is your thing. I just think with your budget, it's the best way to go, hands down.
 
newont said:
I thought HD was important to me. Your question is making me wonder if there is a whole new field I haven't a clue about, lol. I thought HD was basically a given if you want your films to be shown on the big screen or for film contests? Are they not? I had the impression that every film today sent in to competitions or shown on the big screen or even any student film was shot in HD? Not necessarily so?
Click to expand...

Most film festivals still accept submissions on DVD, which is a standard def format. The beauty of the DVX is that it shoots a really pretty picture (that has been used for several projects shown on the big screen) that can be gracefully conformed to HD frame size.

newont said:
I'm planning to buy books and videos today. Are there any must-haves that you recommend?
Click to expand...

Check out the Sound for Film and Television and Lighting for Film and Television DVDs available through the DVXUser Store.

Also, Film Directing Shot by Shot.
 
I also welcome you to DVXUSER! I don't think you find a forum that offers as much real world information for independent filmmakers, as well as lots of support and inspiration. Welcome aboard. I agree that HD is not absolutely necessary, but I would suggest trying to go with a HD camera if you can. I would suggest really digging through the threads hear about cameras for suggestions. If you are just starting, I also suggest shying away from the HD-DSLRs, to start. A camera like the Canon T2i can make some great images, but they really do need to be man handled, by someone with at least a little bit of experience, to work as a video production camera. I would go with a camcorder also.

What I did, when I first started, was sign up for a film production class at my local community college. This gave me access to gear that I could nowhere near afford, and I was able to get the very basics of filmmaking down before I bought a camera. You may want to look and see if your local community college has a media production class or two and sign up for them. They will not only probably have gear that you can afford to get now, but will have a structured program for introducing the basics and, with your classmates, you will have a dedicated group of collaborators to work with. That worked out for me greatly, and I made great friends with the group I met in the couple of classes I took. Two of the folks I met are still my best friends, and we first met almost 20 years ago. There is something about working long hours on a student project, with cool people that can cement a friendship.

You may want to also see if you local cable television has a public access program that you can get into. They should also have access to gear that you can not afford right now, and give you a great opportunity to learn.

I also recommend "Film Directing Shot by Shot". A great book. My bedrock book however is "The Five C's of Cinematography".

Good luck.
 
The best camera for a beginner is.........the one you can afford to own and not starve to death because of the purchase. As has been suggested, a small video camera, like the DVX would be a good start, but even then, that could be out of your budget.

Figure out what you can afford first. Whatever it is, have a plan (script, shotlist, etc.) and just go shoot.

Tsk, tsk, JR.
 
J.R. Hudson said:
When I shut it down it was valued at 10G's ......................... whateva
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Yea but even when you aren't talking it's worth $1800.:)

Oh.:huh:

$1800 not to hear from you, maybe it's from your former.... :kiss:

Na, never mind........:kali:
 
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