If you had $5000 for a camera package

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djbobbyrhodes

Well-known member
If you had $5,000 give or take for a camera package to shoot live events and documentaries which would you go with and why?

I want to get into freelancing more, and I'm interested in getting a new camera. Currently rocking the Canon T2i and it's great for what it is, but it has some serious limitations in the live/doc arena. Ideally the new camera can be used for narrative shooting as well as cut together reasonably with T2i footage if I use it for DOF shots and B-Roll.

Thanks!
 
djbobbyrhodes said:
If you had $5,000 give or take for a camera package to shoot live events and documentaries which would you go with and why?

I want to get into freelancing more, and I'm interested in getting a new camera. Currently rocking the Canon T2i and it's great for what it is, but it has some serious limitations in the live/doc arena. Ideally the new camera can be used for narrative shooting as well as cut together reasonably with T2i footage if I use it for DOF shots and B-Roll.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'd consider the AF100 or FS100...those will run you around $5000 before you start buying any glass, but if nothing else, you can ebay some old Nikon glass and use that to get started. I haven't used either of those -- currently shooting a doc with an HMC 153 and Canon 60D combo -- but when we finish I'm thinking I may sell the HMC and upgrade to an AF100 or FS100, depending on what else is out by then (I can't imagine Canon is going to continue ignoring this market but maybe they are...). They seem to be a good mix of the upsides of DSLR (good low light, replaceable lenses, etc.) with the upsides of prosumer video (pro audio, etc, although the FS100 doesn't have built in ND filters which is sort of a pain).

Barring that....we're using the HMC153 (the asia model of the HMC150) and I like that very much. However, the low light and interchangable lenses of the 60D are so nice we find ourselves using it more often even though it's cheaper and sound is a huge pain.

We also are shooting a doc where sometimes it's best for us to be inconspicuous though, so having a "stills" camera helps a lot. The HMC is a great camera, and we'd use it more if we weren't so afraid of the cops :)


EDIT: I checked; actually you can get the AF100 with a kit lens (Panny's 14-40 zoom) for less than $5,000, it's ~$4,800 on Amazon and B&H. The sony is a bit more expensive though.
 
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You might also consider the GH2? That's another DSLR but from what I've heard it's a bit more video-friendly than the canons. Still has the same audio problems, but it has functional autofocus and -- I think -- doesn't have the 12 minute time limit issues the Canons have? Can someone who owns one confirm this?
 
You will need to define your budget with regard to all the extra stuff you need to make a camera kit. If 5k is your total camera kit, forget the AF100 as it will be way more than that by the time you are rolling with lenses, batteries, memory, etc. And for doc and live events, I'm not sure the AF100 form factor would be the best, though others may have a different take. To make a 5k camera kit, you will probably have to go with a fixed lens cam in the 3k range and then fill that out with extra batteries, filters, memory, etc, etc.

Search is you friend here as there are thousands of threads over the virtues of these cams. But a quick summary would be:

HMC40 and 80 have the same guts in a different form factors; the 80 is a shoulder cam and the 40 is really compact. Only fair performance in low light but in good light have excellent IQ. CMOS imager recording AVCHD on SD cards.

HMC150 is an econo version of the 170, using a different codec and recording media. CCD imager recording to AVCHD on SD cards

HPX170 has the most pro features and uses a more pro memory and codec. CCD imager recording to DVCProHD on P2 memory

Grant
 
Thanks for the replies so far!

The budget is ~ $5000 for camera and (if necessary) 1-2 versatile lenses. Audio is being handled by a separate sound person with their own gear. Lighting will be a separate issue as well.

Lens support/rigs etc will likely be separate if necessary as well.
 
Nothing in your description of what you will be shooting seems to lend itself well to an interchangeable lens camera. If you can spend $5000 on just the camera alone, then I'd get the new AG-AC160 from Panasonic.
 
I agree with Gary, wait until the AC160 comes out and then see if there are any issues by reviewers and first adopters. I've got both the AF100 (with the 14-140) and GH2 (20mm) and although they're good for docs or studio work, they just don't cut it for live events. The lens on the 160 should be the 35mm SLR equivalent of a 28-588mm F1.6 which should be ideal for event work, plus you can economically hand the client the SD card(s) at the end of shoot and still keep the back up for when he screws up or loses his original - not something you're apt to do with P2 cards.
 
Canon Xf100 as main cam, and buy some good lens for the T2i as the Tokina 11-16 and tamron 17-50mm to use as cam B for beauty shots.
 
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