What is the best video camera!?

J

johnathandoe

Member
I am looking into getting a camera for film making. I already have a $600 Sony HDD SD cam. I am thinking I need a pro or prosumer cam with HD, 3CCD as big as I can get, ect. I'm looking at spending anywhere from 1k to 20k depending. I really want a professional cinematic look. I am not even sure all that I need to look for in a cam for advice is helpful like depth of field, lense, motor, new technology coming out or new cams coming out, file format, ect. So price does matter, but I also want a bang for my buck and so if I can get what I need for cheaper then so be it. Once again I'm very motivated to get an A class look. So which is the best cam? brand? ect? It seems that JVC has the most recent out. I have looked at RED and they seem to be interested but am unsure. I hear Canon's are popular in the still camera category so they must have good optics and lenses. Sony seems to have been in the business for a while and have their own editing software. Please let me know any info and advice is very welcome and I love details and insightful experience as well thanks.
 
At the 20k level you're much better off renting if you have rental houses nearby.

Honestly, it doesn't sound to me like you're ready for that level, since you said yourself you don't know what to look for. If you're motivated to get an A class look, spend a large portion of your budget on lighting and learn how to light. The Red One is going to total over 20k. The other things are more valuable than the camera; high end tripod, audio, recording system maybe, things like that.

What, exactly, do you need 'the best video camera' for?
 
RED ONE!
But Cassius is right, there are many pieces of equipment that are just as, or more important than the camera of choice. It took me a long time to build up the equipment I have now and I still have a ways to go. Most of the brand names will have some excellent cameras available. I don't think you would go too wrong with the camera as long as you know how to use it, and you have the equipment..... lighting, audio, fluid tripods... etc...
 
Cassius,

Yes I think you are right about being better off renting.

However, I thought if such is the case that a 20k is 100x better then a 5k then I should probably get it. Or if I could not get a professional look with a 5k then I might have to go 20k.

I want an A class cam because I want to make A class movies and am very determined to do so.
 
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Kdawg,

yeah other then the mainstream cams like Canon, Sony, JVC, ect Red is the only other that wasn't of a well know brand at least outside of video camera making that I have heard of. I would like to hear of more. I did hear some good things about it and I think the main thing is that it has a lot of depth of field like film? I think I also heard it has extra large 3CCD's? I also just generally heard it is revolutionary in that it is closer to the consumer level and carries much higher quality then the rest? If that is so and it blows away the 5-10k cams and almost reaches the 50-150k cams then I thought maybe I would stretch for it.
 
So I guess you guys are saying the difference between a 5k cam and a 20-150k is not that much different if you have the right lighting and other things?

In such a case. I guess I need to learn much more about props and extra equipment like lighting, sound, fluid tripods, recording system. Maybe even swinging crane for the cam I have seen those and they're pretty cool or rollers or at least wheels on the tripod. Hmm.
 
The best camera SHOULD and IS the one in your hand...don't go nuts for spending too much cash.

If you simply MUST have the best of the best in the digital realm I'd say Arri, Red, or some of the really high end Panasonic P2's.

If you want to make amazing films, and have some cash left over to buy all the amazing number of accessories out there, then go with the HPX-170.

If you want something with all the bells and whistles to really get into the fullness of high end digital film that's a little more middle of the road, AND still have some cash for accessories, get the HPX-500.

Edit: And I also agree with everyone here that you'd prolly be better renting if you must go for Arri/Red/High end P2(includes the HPX-500)
 
I want an A class cam because I want to make A class movies and am very determined to do so.
Click to expand...

just letting you know there is a LOT more to making an "A class movie" than a top of the line camera. Don't blow all your budget on a camera. You still need a killer script, lights, tripod, an editing computer, talented person behind the camera, media storage, audio, crew, actors, planning, food, etc. etc. The camera alone can't make a blockbuster.
 
Amazing films have been shot on dv cams, still cams, prosumers as well as cameras like the red and so forth.

27 dresses was made with several $250,000 Panavision 35mm cameras.

In other words, it's not the camera that makes an "A class" film.
 
Andrew McCarrick said:
The RED ONE has a Single 35mm sized CMOS sensor,with a bayer pattern to achieve a full color image. It's resolution is roughly 4000 by 2000 which about 4 times the resolution of 1080p HD.
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HAHAHAHA full color? Yeah, it's not bad, but it's not full color... especially when used in the same sentence as bayer pattern. It's not bad, but yeah... when my pixel is an average of the photo sites around it, it's not true full color. Just a pretty good averaging system.
 
Its not the camera, its the operator, director and all the people who make the film. The equipment will make it LOOK better, but good equipment cant make up for a shotty script, actors, etc.

In the 20k range, your best bet would be the HPX300 with some accessories like P2 cards, a really good mic, maybe a sharper lens. If you dont have an editing computer, then get a mac pro and final cut studio (almost all colleges and film schools use final cut mainly) then instead of an HPX300, get an HPX170, Letus Extreme and some Zeiss or Nikon lenses: nice lenses (plus the p2 cards, tripod, mattebox, filters, etc.)
 
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