I have a 7D and T2I... i was going for a professional camcorder now...any suggestions

C

Crossroads Films

Active member
sorry for asking so many dang on questions here but I like to learn from the more experienced if I can

I wanted to get a more professional looking camera and wanted to know what u thought about that...should I do that or stick with DSLR's

I was wondering if I should go with the sony NEX VG10 or 20 , the Canon XA 10, or the Canon XH A1...would like some good answers and maybe more cameras u guys use to get the job done....nothing over $2,100 please
 
Professional or professional looking?

If you want to get a high end camera you should sell your 7D so you have a budget of $3,300 or so. Depending on the state of your 7D and included extras. The cameras you mentioned, in my opinion, would not be an upgrade worth getting.
 
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As a general rule, if you have to ask, you're not ready for the upgrade. The dslr's you have are very capable of great looking images, I'd recommend using them for a while until you really get a handle on what you need. A good benchmark is, use the equipment you have until you run into specific limitations you need to overcome, then figure out what camera you need to overcome them. You can go out and buy an Alexa today, but if you don't know why you want one, you're wasting your money.

My vote: stick with the dslr's.
 
Crossroads,
If I understand your question, your main concern is how impressive your camera looks to your clients. I'll leave it to you to decide if that's the type of client you want:).

So.... I assume you've already tried adding things like a big honkin' mattebox, an external LCD monitor on an Israeli arm, and a bulky fluid head tripod. Renting a beefy looking camera (like an Alexa or a Red) is an idea, but that doesn't get you much time to really get familiar with the camera. If you have the money, buying a Sony F3 would certainly be impressive. If that's out of your price range, consider a Panasonic AF100. It's affordable, has lots of manual controls, and can take just about any DSLR lens made (with appropriate adapter, of course). Barry Green has made both a book and an instructional DVD for the AF100. They make great introductions on how to set up and use a professional video camcorder.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!
-- Ken
 
thx on the feedback...the reason why my director is pushing for a professional looking camera is because were having a professional actor come out from the midwest and to give the illusion of a legit film company we need to have a professional looking camera because he might not like our set up im guessing...
 
If your "professional" actor kicks up a fuss because you're not shooting on a big fancy camera with a load of buttons, then he/she shouldn't be calling themselves and "actor". What they do, and how they act should not matter on what camera they have pointing at them.
 
besides, most actors these days should be familiar with the dslr's.

on longer shoots if i feel people aren't taking me seriously on a dslr shoot i'll edit some footage together in a kind of montage to show to cast/crew, that usually raises morale
 
That actor will know if your amateur or legit by everything else going on during the day of shooting, crew size, lighting, sound, professionalism, catering, etc..

The camera is the least of your worries.
 
starcentral said:
That actor will know if your amateur or legit by everything else going on during the day of shooting, crew size, lighting, sound, professionalism, catering, etc. The camera is the least of your worries.
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Now, now, all that has to be done is show off your shiny new Panasonic JVC camera and the actor will immediately forget about all that.
 
I've got the solution:
Hide a little consumer camcorder within the bowels of an old Technicolor 3-strip camera. And rent a couple big arc lights. Your actor will be in awe (or he'll think you're crazy). :grin:

Good luck!
-- Ken
 
i always think it's funny when people talk about how amateur-ish the dslr's appear, when really... the reds and alexas, body only, aren't all that much bigger. it doesn't "look" like a camera until you add rails, matte boxes, monitors, a big-ass lens, etc. etc. etc.

and that's independent of the camera.
 
Crossroads Films said:
thx on the feedback...the reason why my director is pushing for a professional looking camera is because were having a professional actor come out from the midwest and to give the illusion of a legit film company we need to have a professional looking camera because he might not like our set up im guessing...
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Sounds like a terrible director, sorry. A professional "looking" camera is not going to help you in the slightest. Anyone who puts any thought, at all, into making the set "appear" professional is unfit to lead a film crew, they simply have no grounding in reality. I would just back out of the production if I were you. Do people really think big hollywood blockbusters look so good because they have "big pro looking sets"? Nobody see's what the set looks like! The audience doesn't give a crap! That's not why movie look good! Sorry, to be harsh... but I'm trying to help with you with the dose of reality you need. If you pour recources into making your set "look legit" over actually trying to make the project legit... the end result will look like crap, and the actor will be pissed off that they wasted thier time. The 7D/5D have already shot multiple festival-award winning films that have sold for unpresidented amounts simply because they "looked so good already" and the distributors won't have to put any more money into pollishing them up. If you know what you're doing... a 7D with good glass (just rent some Ziess CP's if you want to "look legit") is more than enough to make a convincing product in the end. If you end up shooting on something like a XH-A1, then your movie, no matter what you do, is just going to look like a student project or TV-re-enactment special at best. Trust me, I used to own one. They can't touch on the look of a 7D... no matter "how big" they are. You'll be shooting yourselve's in the foot.

If the actor says anything on set, do what I did when DSLRs first came out... show the actor some footage from the "big pro looking" XHA1 (I use to own one actually) and then show them some footage from a 7D, then ask what they would like to be filmed with? You won't hear them mention the camera or (lack of) crew ever again on set.
 
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nothing said:
The Alexa and Red One are actually quite a bit larger than any DSLR.
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I would say that the Epic is not that much bigger, especially against a 5D or 7D with a battery grip attached.

FrontFilms said:
Do people really think big hollywood blockbusters look so good because they have "big pro looking sets"? Nobody see's what the set looks like! The audience doesn't give a crap! That's not why movie look good!
Click to expand...

Actually, unless you mean something else by the word "set", you're quote wrong on this point. A pro looking set is exactly why Hollywood blockbusters look good. If you don't have a set, what do you have?
 
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