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A (possibly cheap) camera to get a cinematic look
Hi everybody, not sure if this is the right section, I would like to ask you an advice on the camera I should use for a short movie I would like to make.
Last year I bought moondog labs anamorphic lenses for my iPhone 6, and they worked pretty well. However, as you probably can imagine, trying to make videos look “professional” on an iPhone is not an easy task. As a consequence, I was thinking about buying a videocamera or a dslr. My objective is to shoot a short movie during next summer, and I want it to look as much as possible like a real movie (specifically an action movie).
I was thinking about buying a Canon 70d, however, although I owned a reflex in the past, I never made videos with these instruments, and I do not know which lenses are the most indicated to get the cinematic feel I would like to achieve. Talking about the anamorphic lenses I’ve bought, they really give iPhone videos a strong cinematic feeling. Indeed, one of my worries is that without acquiring proper lenses or anamorphic adapter for my possible new camera it would be difficult to achieve the same feeling. Do you think the dslr is appropriate for what I want to do? Which I repeat is doing videos that look as much as possible like professional movies, or do you think there are other suitable videocameras or dslr that could suit this?
Lastly, also the budget is important, otherwise I would have thought about buying a Canon EOS C100 instead of a 70d, I will try to buy an used camera, however I would not like to spend more than $1000.
Let me know if I was not clear or if you need other info
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3 Replies
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Short answer: it is not the camera that makes a “film look,” it is the mind and eye behind the camera. After that, it’s lighting, camera placement/angles/movements, it’s great acting, great story (script,) it’s great sound, great editing. For now, why not continue with your iPhone?
Your budget allows you to buy a camera body but no lens, though right now there are some pretty good deals. Check out Canon refurbished cameras (https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-digital-slr-cameras). Heck, a Rebel T5i with a kit 18-55mm STM lens could be a great way to start. I found one for my sister for $349 at Canon’s web site (refurbished.) Add an external mic and recorder and you’re still below your one grand limit. (Though I haven’t seen nearly that good a deal for a while. Just keep looking, every day.)
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Thank you for your message. You are absolutely right, cameras do not make movie by themselves. Indeed, without proper lighting and recording instruments (but also a good editing, good shot and obviously good actors) the quality of a movie reduces drastically.
So, I should continue filming on an iPhone, even because I need to acquire a good mic (I have a Rode videomic go but it broke few months ago, so I was thinking about buying the rode videomic pro) and other equipment.
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Hi, I agree that the cinematic look is not merely dependable to a camera. It also depend on who will exactly do the filming. Creativity could also add something. By the way, a Canon EOS C100 could help in some other way because it is categorize as a cinema camera.
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