Getting Back Into it - suggestions?

Dick Campbell

Dick Campbell

Veteran
Hi Everyone - hope this finds you well and safe.

My church has decided to start video productions for outreach during these interesting times, and they have asked me to get them started. Unfortunately, I've been out of filmmaking for over ten years (changed jobs, my crew moved away, etc. etc.) so I'm looking for some advice to get back up to speed.

I dusted off my HVX-200 and P2 reader, shot some footage, and transfer it to FCP 6 on my cheese grater Mac (Snow Leopard), it's all working fine (except render times are horrendous). So, you say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But the church wants to establish a permanent set up with new equipment:

- I'm thinking FCP X with a 27in iMac Retina 5K

- need advice on what the latest and greatest cameras are, probably "prosumer" level, especially work flow issues, logging and transfer, etc.

- I'll also be setting up what is essentially a sound stage

Anybody want to jump in, your thoughts freely accepted.

Dick
 
Which type of camera? Cinema, DSLR/mirrorless or fixed-lens zoom rocker?

Assuming it's a fixed lens one...budget? (Some $3,000 "prosumer" cameras are 90% of $8,000 "professional" cameras.)
 
Help us narrow it down a bit. What's the budget? What type of camera are you thinking of (mirrorless, camcorder). How will the church be lit (do you need a low light camera)? How will you capture sound? Paint us a picture and you'll get more focused responses.
 
I would suggest editing on Davinci Resolve vs FCP X. The transition from FCP 6 to Resolve will be much less painful than going to FCP X, which is an entirely different editing paradigm. Resolve is also free. The studio version of Resolve is 299 and offers a few more high end features and formats, but the free version is pretty fully featured (you get the studio version free if you buy a blackmagic camera). With Resolve, you can buy a cheaper PC instead of overpriced Mac Hardware and save some money, but it will also work on Macs.
 
For simplest workflow, I would suggest a camera that can record in PRORES to avoid transcoding. On the low end, the Blackmagic Pocket and Zcam E2 and E2c can record to Prores, and to external hard drives. Other option is to get an external recorder like the Atomos Shogun, which will record PRORES from just about any DSLR that outputs an HDMI signal. Popular DSLR options these days are the Panasonic GH5 and the Fuji XT-3.
 
Batutta said:
PRORES to avoid transcoding. On the low end, the Blackmagic Pocket and Zcam E2 and E2c can record to Prores,
Click to expand...

Most modern computers dont need prores. Id be looking at a fixed lens video camera which is none of the above for church work

One could start by investigating 1in chip and auto focus.
 
morgan_moore said:
Most modern computers dont need prores. Id be looking at a fixed lens video camera which is none of the above for church work

One could start by investigating 1in chip and auto focus.
Click to expand...

Prores is an easy lossless format to deal with in post. It's not very taxing on processors and renders quickly. I work in film, delivering trailers and the occasional feature and every distributor and streaming outlet requires PRORES...Not sure what type of work the OP is delivering but PRORES will give most flexibility and ease of workflow.
 
Outputting the final in edited render in Prores may or may not make sense.

The OP appears to be working in a church.

If they are filming services I guess they need to roll for 45mins on three cameras. Prores probably would not be a good aquisition format for that kind of job. The kind of cameras that offer Prores are also 'cinema' cameras - probably the OP needs cameras with zoom and auto focus and a super efficient 265 codec. Not cinema cameras.
 
Various things steered me away from the Panasonic DVX200... I’ve never worked with one to soundly recommend it, but it always seemed to be a solid choice for these kinds of applications (on paper, at least)

One of the newer Sony models with a smaller sensor but good AF (Z190?) might also be a good choice for scenarios where volunteers might be recording services of the like.
 
Thanks for the responses. I will check out Davinci Resolve.

Sorry I wasn't more detailed with regard for the camera. We are not recording in a church (we don't have a building anyway, we are an outside minstry with a small office building). We want to make videos to post to Youtube and similar services, recording in a studio (we have created a sound stage in our office building), so I guess a modern cinema camera? Not really wanting to use a DSLR.
 
Dick Campbell said:
Thanks for the responses. I will check out Davinci Resolve.

Sorry I wasn't more detailed with regard for the camera. We are not recording in a church (we don't have a building anyway, we are an outside minstry with a small office building). We want to make videos to post to Youtube and similar services, recording in a studio (we have created a sound stage in our office building), so I guess a modern cinema camera? Not really wanting to use a DSLR.
Click to expand...

It's still difficult to provide you options without a budget, but the most popular modern cinema cameras are:

FS7 (I or II)
C200/B
FX9 (new)
C500 Mark II (new)
URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2

Some others...

FS5
C300 Mark II
EVA1
Z CAM (various models)

Mirrorless cameras have mostly replaced DSLRs and are used by the majority of people who produce video content.

Some popular options:

X-T3
X-T4 (new)
1DX Mark II
1DX Mark III (new)
EOS R
a7III
a6400
a6600
GH5
GH5S
S1H
Pocket 4K
Pocket 6K
Z6

If you share how much you're willing to spend and what your main features should be (auto-focus, IBIS, 10-bit, etc), we can narrow them down more or provide other options.

Cameras are very, very different than they were 15 years ago, so a lot of research on your end is mandatory.
 
Dick Campbell said:
Thanks for the responses. I will check out Davinci Resolve.

Sorry I wasn't more detailed with regard for the camera. We are not recording in a church (we don't have a building anyway, we are an outside minstry with a small office building). We want to make videos to post to Youtube and similar services, recording in a studio (we have created a sound stage in our office building), so I guess a modern cinema camera? Not really wanting to use a DSLR.
Click to expand...
Nice thing is, all cameras are relatively good these days. Not like 10years ago, when the gap was bigger. Even some mirrorless cameras make for pretty nice video cameras. Panasonic S1H and the GH series have been nice.

The trick is, only you know what you want. And since there really isn’t a bad camera in the bunch today, pick the camera you want to work with.

If budget is tight, and you are just going to web, why not grab an old C300. The 1080p 50mbps workflow would be huge savings, especially if archiving footage to hard drives. Not to mention the low cost of buying a used C300. And the internal ND make quick work.

After that, i mean, it is hard to go wrong with any camera choice. If you like the idea of a camera, chances are, you’ll like the camera in use, as well. The question these days, is more which one is bad. I gripe a lot about camera designs here on dvx, but that doesn’t mean i don’t get good images at the end of the day. And lately my issues have been more about XLR placement, or not including a mid tier codec. 10yrs ago was a pretty different landscape. We’re still not where i wish cameras were, but it isn’t because cameras are bad, but more about what they could be. That said, i shoot on whatever is available. Some of my favourite shots were made on a T2i after it was outdated.


For editing,
Davinci is an interesting choice. It is what i use, but i’m not sure i’d recommend it over FCPX or Adobe CC, at this time. Luckily, FCPX and Adobe offer free trials, and Davinci has a free version, so download them all, and give them a try.
 
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You guys are great. With the list of stuff you've given me, I can begin my research.

I'm not opposed to learning new software, I'm most familiar with the older FCP, but have also used Premier Pro. I installed the Davinci and will look at that first.

Appreciate all the good advice.
 
There is a lot to learn...there are similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses, settings, sensor sizes, crop factors, essential and non-essential additional accessories ($$$), lenses, workflows, etc.
 
Go secondhand to get the max bang for buck, a Sony FS5 if you want a S35 sized sensor, or a Sony X70 if you want an all in one integrated camcorder
 
Start with Resolve Free, it's amazingly capable for zero dollars. Once you get into it, upgrade to Studio for $299.00. I have been on FCP Studio and then X for 20 years (I had FCP Beta even in 1999!)
and there things that Resolve does a lot better like CC and grading, than FCP X. But FCP X is a faster tool if you are on deadlines, nothing touches FCP X for speed. I really like both FCP X and Resolve.

AVID and Premiere are off the table for me, I refuse to pay a monthly extortion fee for life just to access my projects, even if I am not editing. If I was a heavy After Effects user though, I would consider
using Premiere because I'd be paying the monthly extortion fee for AE anyway so why not? All of the Adobe tools do integrate nicely, so it just depends on your toolkit and workflow.
 
If you are kind of interior scripted narrative,

(no fast lens changes, not using ND filters, maybe offboard audio etc)

then black magic make (and have made) some great cameras.

The more you ramp up the pressure towards live events, variable light and contrast, fast turnaround, the more you should drift in the direction of canon and sony.
 
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