First post but been reading threads for a while and really appreciate the wealth of information a lot of you guys freely share with newcomers such as myself. I am going to shoot a low budget horror feature next year, the film is a paranormal thriller without a lot of gore or special effects. I have complete control over the locations so I can light as I like and there are no exterior night shots the film is more story driven than anything else and my goal for this first film is great story good image. Anyways I was looking at different camera options and wanted to get tap the wealth of experience and expertise here.
Right now I have a Canon T4 which I use for in a real estate company I own with my wife. I shoot real estate videos (virtual tours), client testimonials, about us type corporate videos and will be shooting 2 commercials for digital distribution one this month one next. I love the image out of the T4, its ease of use and the workflow into Final Cut Pro X makes my life easy but I wonder if it will be good enough to shoot a feature with a distribution plan that include VOD, festivals and at least one theater screening? If I have to have the footage color graded or corrected will I be shooting myself in the foot with this type of footage. (our film is self funded with a budget of 50k, the locations are all free to me, and all the equipment will be bought via the other company I own so not roll down to the film balance sheet). So my thoughts were:
Canon XF 105 - this seems like a great camera in the right price range for me, wondering about the workflow, ease of use and the image quality for distribution, and how will it cut with the T4 assuming I use the T4 for some shots?
Canon Mark III - seems like a good upgrade from the T4 with a familiar form factor, but is that upgrade enough to justify the price and passing on a dedicated video camera with an easier sound capture system, considering the Mark III or T4 both require me to capture sound separately.
Panasonic AC90 - really this one came up through reading DVX threads, seems like a lot of people here really like this camera, was wondering though how would it cut with the T4 and regardless of price is the XF 105 a better camera for my goal?
Ideally this camera would serve two purposes: used on this film and then used in commercial shoots (digital distribution). My main concerns are image quality, ease of use, and the workflow into FCPX. Are there other concerns I should have? Are there other camera's I should be considering?
A few answers to some questions you may have:
Why not rent - because I can use the purchase as a write off for the other business
Why not Black Magic - from what I read the workflow is very demanding
Why not Buy a Red - well cause I can only write off so much equipment without them red flags popping up
Why not hire a camera person - um childhood dream here
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Dan
Right now I have a Canon T4 which I use for in a real estate company I own with my wife. I shoot real estate videos (virtual tours), client testimonials, about us type corporate videos and will be shooting 2 commercials for digital distribution one this month one next. I love the image out of the T4, its ease of use and the workflow into Final Cut Pro X makes my life easy but I wonder if it will be good enough to shoot a feature with a distribution plan that include VOD, festivals and at least one theater screening? If I have to have the footage color graded or corrected will I be shooting myself in the foot with this type of footage. (our film is self funded with a budget of 50k, the locations are all free to me, and all the equipment will be bought via the other company I own so not roll down to the film balance sheet). So my thoughts were:
Canon XF 105 - this seems like a great camera in the right price range for me, wondering about the workflow, ease of use and the image quality for distribution, and how will it cut with the T4 assuming I use the T4 for some shots?
Canon Mark III - seems like a good upgrade from the T4 with a familiar form factor, but is that upgrade enough to justify the price and passing on a dedicated video camera with an easier sound capture system, considering the Mark III or T4 both require me to capture sound separately.
Panasonic AC90 - really this one came up through reading DVX threads, seems like a lot of people here really like this camera, was wondering though how would it cut with the T4 and regardless of price is the XF 105 a better camera for my goal?
Ideally this camera would serve two purposes: used on this film and then used in commercial shoots (digital distribution). My main concerns are image quality, ease of use, and the workflow into FCPX. Are there other concerns I should have? Are there other camera's I should be considering?
A few answers to some questions you may have:
Why not rent - because I can use the purchase as a write off for the other business
Why not Black Magic - from what I read the workflow is very demanding
Why not Buy a Red - well cause I can only write off so much equipment without them red flags popping up
Why not hire a camera person - um childhood dream here
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Dan
