Camera and external recorder that will hold it's value the most for the next year!

TheDingo said:
Look for the best deal you can find on a used camera that is still competitive. ( just make sure that you are happy shooting with it's work-flow )

Depending on what you want to shoot, a Sony F3 might be the best bet in your price range, as I don't see it getting much cheaper over the next 12-15 months.
Click to expand...
The question is... is it going to be saleable after one year? It may hold it's value but if it's going to be very hard to sell there's no point.
 
Osslund said:
Any camera is sellable. I sold a Hi8 video camera this weekend with +15 years of use and plastic that had started to deteriorate!
Click to expand...

Did you also sell them a bridge in North Dakota?

Lenses hold their value, cameras do not. While it is said far too often on this site (and in far too self righteous tones), most modern (cameras issues in the past 4 years or so) will produce a nice image if you adapt to their idiosyncrasies. IE- if the footage sucks it's not the camera's fault, it's yours.

Far as an outboard recorder goes, the vast amount of opinion seems to be that unless you're shooting an all green screen flick, don't bother - the small amount of increased fidelity doesn't outweigh the pain in the ass factor of using them (of course, you mileage might vary, and technology is changing).

Personally, I think it's been a pretty weak past 2 NAB/camera release cycle. While I respect what Black Magic and Digital Bolex have been able to do, those cameras are still just a bit too garage made for my tastes. Even though their tech is going on 4 years old, it's still pretty darn hard to beat a Sony FS100/Panny AF100 for the money if you want a larger size sensor. The GH4 is the only new camera out there that interests me in the slightest, yet I still want a proper "video" camera (to wit, see the proposed AF200 threads).

But again, video cameras do not retain their value very well. The real investment is in glass - and likely will always be the case. You can - right now - buy 8 varieties of the Sony-HDW-F900 for $2,300 or less on ebay (it's the camera used to shoot the last 2 STAR WARS prequels). But if you have to buy new, I'd guess the D16 or GH4 will keep their value the most over the course of 1 year's time (not necessarily based on technical merits, rather consumer demand/relative rarity).

State of the art... in 2000:
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Sony-HDW-F900-Camcorder-Black-/100006943
 
I may go "lens route", and buy A7S, Atomos Ninja Blade and lenses. Then next year sell it and get a camera of choice. But I'm still not sure about any decision...
 
If you are going to go with a still camera... Just grab a 5DIII and hack it.

A high end Canon DSLR will hold it's value and have a good resale market.
 
If I will go this route I will much more prefer something freshly released. I will post this week a list of possible choices and will ask you guys what do you think of each position. Thanks!
 
Buy a PMW 300. It will hold its value as a news camera and add a variety of shooting formats and codecs. Let's face it you are buying tech which is always going to drop in value nowadays. If you are shooting news you are probably better off with the features on the PMW300, like zoom lens and XDCam codecs long battery life and it's ease to add accessories to the camera. I bought it for this purpose and kept my "classic" FS100 & Ninja2 for the other stuff. I have sinced decided to stop chasing gear that I want to own and just buy gear that services the needs of my clients.
Sidebar:
i recently provided coverage for a Major American Network . Their specs were 720p. They want nothing to do with big bandwidth video.
 
Last edited:
In all honesty it doesn't matter what we think. We are not going to be using the camera. You need to pick the best tool for the work that you do which covers your clients needs, and will make you the most income in the shortest amount of time based on your investment. Buying a camera based on which one might or might not give you the highest resale value next year is a crap shoot at best, and really a poor business model to implement. Not trying to be hateful, just being honest.
 
David W. Jones said:
In all honesty it doesn't matter what we think. We are not going to be using the camera. You need to pick the best tool for the work that you do which covers your clients needs, and will make you the most income in the shortest amount of time based on your investment. Buying a camera based on which one might or might not give you the highest resale value next year is a crap shoot at best, and really a poor business model to implement. Not trying to be hateful, just being honest.
Click to expand...
You are absolutely right, it will unfortunately be a compromise. It's not going to be what I actually want, I have to wait till the next year. If I could I would probably just wait this one year, buy something very cheap (even second hand) till that time. But I can't. Filming it's not my main revenue generator at the moment so I can sacrifice it a little bit - that's why my choice fluctuate from eng camera, through vdslr to used red. I know it's kinda strange buy I have situation like that and have to find close to perfect solution.
 
I am looking at used Red Scarlet's at the moment. Seriously considering it, but is it going to hold it's value for the next year? What do you guys think? Does the firmware still have freeze problems or it is now improved? Would like to know how reliable it is to work with it.
 
Where have you found a used Scarlet package for your $6500 budget?

As a side, with the new Dragon sensor available now, used Scarlet prices should start to drop.
 
It's very slightly more and it's a brain only. I will then get rest of the accessories within next two months. Yeah, I know about that upgrade but it's a model that will be eligible to do it. Hmm... don't know really, seeking for some wise words.
 
You are likely looking at between $11k-$16k to put together a complete shooting package with everything you need including the brain, but excluding lenses. Do you already have a quality head and sticks for support?
 
David W. Jones said:
You are likely looking at between $11k-$16k to put together a complete shooting package with everything you need including the brain, but excluding lenses. Do you already have a quality head and sticks for support?
Click to expand...
Yes, I've got Cartoni sticks and 502hd manfrotto head which should be enough for minimum setup.
On the other hand, I've got Macbook Pro 2014 model (maxed out), I don't know if it's going to be enough - what sort of performance I will get.
 
Thanks for info! Yes, I want to buy gdrive (just one for the begining). Have you got any info about Scarlet's firmware "freezability"? It's important for my as I won't be able to rent second cam just to be sure that shots will be taken. Want it really like is the fact that Red's are upgradeable, so after one year instead of selling it I may just upgrade it.

It's probably one of the worst years to buy camera in my price range as I feel that within next year there will be a lot of new ones, with a lot of value added on, coming out. It will be a shift from full hd to 4k, so cameras bought today will drop a lot next year, as many people will upgrade (market will be flooded). JVC will release it's 4k version by the end of 2014, Canon will announce successors of C line for sure as well and who knows what else...
Eh... Still don't know, but here are my choices so far:

- used Canon C300 (will have to stretch myself - get additional loan)
- used Sony FS700 + Ninja Blade
- used Red Scarlet brain with maybe few minor accessories.
- new Sony A7S + Ninja Blade + lenses
- new Canon C100 + Ninja Blade


I am not really keen on getting F3 or Red One (to heavy for me).
 
Last edited:
Don't have much info on the Scarlet. I just sold my Epic not too long ago and it was OK, except the fan started getting loud. Be aware that you will also need to pay a transfer fee to Red to register the Scarlet.
 
alohype said:
have to record broadcast ready footage (50mbs up and 4:2:2), so as long as it will be recording internally I don't have to buy recorder.
This will be for shorts, music videos but also for documentaries and some broadcast work.

Thanks for help!
Click to expand...

Do you really need to acquire in 4:2:2 for all your projects? Might want to check spec sheets for your clients.

Could you not rent, or purchase a recorder when you need it?
 
alohype said:
but here are my choices so far:

- used Canon C300 (will have to stretch myself - get additional loan)
- used Sony FS700 + Ninja Blade
- used Red Scarlet brain with maybe few minor accessories.
- new Sony A7S + Ninja Blade + lenses
- new Canon C100 + Ninja Blade
Click to expand...

So what will be easy to sell in a year, without losing much value ?

If Canon finally delivers on the rumor of C200/C400 cameras, then I would imagine the dollar value of the C100/C300 will drop quite a bit.

Sony A7S is brand new, so you are bound to lose some of it's value if selling it a year later. ( but fortunately it's not that expensive )

Used Red Scarlet brain may completely strain your budget once you've got a camera that is outfitted to be ready to shoot.

Used Sony FS700 might be a keeper, especially if you can afford the 4K upgrade along with a Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q recorder. ( I am totally blown away by the footage I see with this combo )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top