Cameras: Episode One

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PainTheGame

Member
I couldn't exactly find a right forum for this so I decided to post it here. My apologies if if this is the wrong section.

I'm a twenty two year old who is interested in filmmaking and has been trying to learn the craft for about six years. I went to film school for a couple of years and found it to be a waste of money and now I'm trying to learn independently and I'm requesting your knowledge to help me wrap my head around the subject of cameras. I've been reading "The Filmmaker's Handbook" and while I find it the best source I still get lost at points and have a hard time grasping the big picture at times. I guess my main questions are

What are the five things to look for in a camera?

What are the top five companies that produce the best camera?

How long will most cameras last before they become outdated?

What is the best source for storing information on a camera (Mini DV, P2, etc)

What is the best camera out there for a budget?



Basically I just need to find a source that can easily wrap the subject up. When I look at digital photography cameras I know to look for things like optical over digital and to get a higher pixel count because the more pixels the better the quality.

Thank you,
Painthegame
 
First of all, the book that got me going was The Shut Up And Shoot Documentary Guide by Anthony Artis. Fantastic book!

In my opinion, in these times, you don't necessarily need high definition capabilities depending on what you shoot and where it will be shown. In North America, more and more cable companies are starting to broadcast in 16:9 widescreen, but in places like Europe and Asia, the standard is still standard def. 4:3 transmission. For the web, you definitely do not need HD or even 16:9.

I would say 5 things to look into a camera would be:
-easy to access manual controls (eg. focus ring, iris control and manual audio levels.)

-XLR ports to connect professional microphones or to connect directly to a sound board if you are filming a live performance

-good color/image control

-high resolution viewfinder/lcd for more accurate focusing

-solid state recording because tapes are so expensive and it eliminates hours of importing in real time

The top 5 companies are really the only ones you see in the field with the exception of digital cinema cameras:
Sony, Canon, Panasonic, JVC, RED.

The reason I say RED is because they are soon to release a more affordable camera, but it would really only be useful and practical for films of any sort.

MiniDV and other tape-based cameras are starting to become outdated. Almost all the cameras released now record to either a SD card or the company's own device (eg. Sony=SxS, Panasonic=P2) Plus, it saves time and money.

The DVX is still very popular amongst filmmakers with a budget because it can be found for very cheap now. You can even find one equiped with the Andromeda mod, which requires an external Mac or Hackintosh computer but it records uncompressed HD 720p24 video. There is also the newer Pansonic HMC150 which shoots 1080p or 720p video to SD cards. The camera brand new is about $3800. There is also to highly acclaimed Panasonic HVX200 or its newer companion the HPX170. Though it has minor newer features, the 170 really only emilminates the tape drive, making it lighter. The HVX records to either P2 cards or MiniDV. The HPX170 is around $5100 and the HVX200 is about $300-$500 more. The P2 cards come in either 8, 16, 32, or 64GB capacities and are relatively expensive, but they will save lots of time and mpney on tapes and head cleaning repaires. Canon also has some good HD cameras as well as the XL2. The XL2 is better if you like a shoulder mount style camera. It has a removable lens, shoots SD video to MiniDV, but has native 16:9 chips, so you don't cut off resolution when you shoot widescreen. It has been said to produce flatter colors and give more of an 'electric feel', and it does not have an lcd. However, the viewfiner can flip up its magnification part and then display to 2" screen.

Hope this helps!

Andy
 
andythefilmer said:
In North America, more and more cable companies are starting to broadcast in 16:9 widescreen, but in places like Europe and Asia, the standard is still standard def. 4:3 transmission.
Click to expand...

Er .. Europe has had 16:9 since the early 90s (PAL plus) and Japan has had HD (16:9) longer than anyone else. It's the US that's lagging behind the rest of the world in this.
 
There is a certain difference between "the local norm supports" and "widely spread". By far not all European stations are supporting 16:9 and of those that do, many only use it for small fraction of their programming (which is understandable as the vast majority of made-for-tv contents is 4:3).

My personal experience is that the situation in US and Europe is more or less comparable.
 
Warthog said:
the vast majority of made-for-tv contents is 4:3.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about back-product - yes, but most major network film product has been originated in 16:9 for many years (with 4:3-protect). I recall a seminar in Montreux in 1995 where WB demonstrated the production of Murphy Brown, shot in 16:9 (on 35mm) and edited in several different versions - 4:3 NTSC/PAL, 14:9 PAL (letterboxed in 4:3) and 16:9 PAL plus. Certainly here in Oz we moved to 16:9 (using Super 16) from the mid 90s for film drama and documentary production.

One of the problems that Oz networks are facing here at present is that US product is being produced 16:9 and aired in Oz in 16:9, but as it is airing within a week of US networks, the network promo beds are only 4:3 because that is the way it's airing in the US. By comparison, UK product is 16:9 from start to finish, as is the local product.
 
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