Canon 5D Mrk II or Sony EX3? My first short film

Ironman

Ironman

Active member
Hello all

I have a choice of two camera kits and after doing few days of research, I can't make up my mind.

I don't know how accurate this video does justice to these cameras but I've narrowed my choice to Canon 5D Mrk II or Sony EX3

Canon with kit will cost me about $425 for a two day rent.

Sony EX3 with kit will cost me about $365 for two day rent.

The kit with the Canon is as follows:

Canon kit
50mm
85mm
24-120mm zoom lens
Tripod
Rod system
Follow Focus
48GB memory
3 battery
Redrock Matte Box
Shoulder mount

Sony EX3 kit
Tripod
Headphones
16GB memory

I'm leaning more towards the canon because of the lens kit it comes with.

The project is outdoors

What do you guys think?
 
Well. You can't go wrong with either one. BUT the audio solution looks like it is missing from the Canon kit. If you don't have something in place for that beforehand (zoom H4N or juicedlink) the Sony will be the way to go.

And what you are shooting would determine the best choice.
 
Err .. you can go very wrong with a canon if you are not experienced at pulling focus

Also you might need some ND filters outside

Id never shoot canon without a lot of practice

S
 
If you do go with the 5d i would say if you have any deep focus shots it could be a problem because of the aliasing. The only fix is to leave it on a tripod then its not noticeble. I also think going hand held with this camera is fine as long as you have a subject in the foreground. Taping a busy street handheld with cars and people going buy gives me a headache with all the little seperated lines. I have the camera a little over a week now and really love it. Just have to work around the limitations. LOL my film professor always said don't go handheld. This camera enforces that!!!
 
The title is 'shooting my first film' one assumes the OP or a partner of theirs has put significant effort time and possibly money into locations, actors, plot etc

DSLR DOF is a game changer from shooting 2/3 chip, if the OP has experience fighting with an adapter shooting the DSLR will be a breeze

'my first film' is not the environment to learn the foibles of DSLR shooting which IMO is a fairly exacting skill

Of course a couple of days practice with the kit before and keeping the shots simple would keep it safe

I hate operating under pressure of other eyes with kit I dont know intimately which is why I make loads of films like 'my office manager makes a coffee''

(laugh at this .. First 7d film)

the proposed package doesnt have a Zfinder or a monitor - which will make focus a nightmare !

S
 
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Thanks for the reply guys.

We are a group of 5-6 production crew and about 7 actors & extras. The project is character driven and is a dialog heavy. We do have a sound recordist with his own gear (H4N & shotgun mic with its kit).

I am going to have to get a Camera Operator as I have found a 1st & 2nd AC. Before I put the ad out there, I am planning to specify a camera. Which is why I am asking this here.

The shoot will be mostly shoulder mounted, there will be a lot of running involved (with stabilizers\steadycams).

I'd like to get te best image quality of either of these cameras.

p.s. I have secured a HD field monitor for $100 for the 2 day shoot.
 
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morgan_moore said:
Of course a couple of days practice with the kit before and keeping the shots simple would keep it safe

...

the proposed package doesnt have a Zfinder or a monitor - which will make focus a nightmare !
Click to expand...

I second that completely. With well prepared shots though you can use marks on the follow focus for perfect control over focus. But a Z finder should be there to save some spontaneous shots.
 
if you have an operator then the 5d is the tool of choice over an ex imo

I prefer the EX on a steadicam though unless you have a remote FF

S
 
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