Bill Bruner
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Valentina, I have seen this with the GH2. It is usually an exposure setting issue. It is possible to have different settings for stills and video. In addition to checking ISO, you should also check shutter speed and exposure compensation. What shutter speed do you have set? Do you have any +/- exposure compensation dialed in?
Hope this is helpful,
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Brent,
The $3299 5D Mark III is a great camera, but would take all of Chris’ budget. The $1298 GH3 is less than half the price and produces video images that are as good or better straight out of the box, as seen in this side-by-side comparison from Ryan Mancuso on Vimeo:
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With a $2500 to $3000 total budget, the less-expensive GH3 seems the better choice for video.
Cheers,
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You’re right, Miguel. The good news is that, since I wrote the post above, they’re no longer in short supply, and are in stock for $1298 at Amazon, Adorama and elsewhere. You can save even more by getting one used on eBay.
Cheers,
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Glad I could be helpful, Chris! On external recorders – I have a $167 Tascam DR-40 (a better value for money than the $270 Zoom H4N, in my view) – and I don’t use it because the camera’s preamps are good enough for most of what I do. I regret having to use battery powered mics and being limited to one mic, though, so my next audio purchase will be the JuicedLink RM222. Robert from JuicedLink and Olivia from OliviaTech explain why in this video:
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An Audio Tutorial for Recording Quality Audio Into the Panasonic GH3
Pro quality onboard sound, with no more clapboards, no more forgetting to turn the recorder on, no more syncing sound in post.
As far as lenses go, if you want a fast, wide angle system lens, I recommend the $500 Olympus 17mm f1.8 instead of the $348 Panasonic 20mm f1.7 because the focus motor on the Panasonic is so darned noisy and will ruin your soundtrack. It’s too bad, because it is the only modern Panasonic lens with this problem.
On tripods – I use a $140 all metal Ravelli AVTP with dual handles, two quick release plates, a fluid head, 75mm bowl, and crutch style legs (you can get the same tripod and head with the Fancier brand on it for $125).
Best of luck, and welcome back to the world of digital video!
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Hi Chris – I am pursuing exactly the same strategy. I have the GH3 and have pre-ordered the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera.
Starting out with the ,$1298 GH3, unless you’re in a huge hurry, all you really need to get started is the camera and one or two good lenses.
Since you’re looking at cine lenses, it sounds like you want the camera for filmmaking.
Instead of somthing like the $514 Rokinon 35mm T1.5 for Nikon and a $27 Nikon mount adapter, you can save some money with the SLR Magic equivalent, the 35mm T1.4 for micro 4/3. Sadly, these are hard to find, so I would either buy one used (here is a guy selling one for $321) or I would buy a new one for $349 for Fuji X Mount and a $32 Fuji X to micro 4/3 adapter.
Something to be aware of – 35mm is a pretty long focal length with MFT’s 2x crop – you may want to start with a wider prime – perhaps the SLR Magic 12mm T1.6 (again, hard to find new – but you can get one used on eBay for $557).
With your first couple of lenses in hand, you will need to deal with sound. I use a simple $17 impedance-matching Hosa XLR to 3.5mm adapter, a $25 Campro Deluxe mic mount and a used, battery powered Audio Technica AT835b mic (pictured below) – but you may want something that improves on the camera’s built-in mic preamps and gives you cleaner sound.
The most compact solution is a $329 JuicedLink Riggy Micro RM222 preamp/XLR input/phantom power solution. With the RM222, you can plug any unpowered or powered XLR mic straight into your camera and get clean sound. A high quality unpowered mic such as the Audio Technica AT875R is only $156.
Eventually, you will want to get the mic off the camera and onto a boom, but this setup will get you started.
Hope this is helpful!
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Stephen – I recommend the NTG-3. It is the best mic you can buy for less than the $1000 Sennheiser MKH416. You can get one for $500.95 new from Jeff’s Music Gear via eBay
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I am not an “anal audio sound man”, but I do know that a balanced mic with an XLR output will sound better after a long cable run than an unbalanced mic with a 3.5mm output 🙂
Good luck with your decision!
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Hi Carl – to get all the features you want, you will probably have to buy used – and the cameras will likely be over $2000 each.
The least expensive camcorders I could find with HD-SDI out were this $2275 Canon XL H1
and this $2288 Canon XH G1
on eBay.
The Panasonic AG-AF100 also has HD-SDI, but they start at $2489 body-only on eBay
. Micro 4/3 power zoom lenses are not that expensive
, but they’re not free either.
The Canon XF105 is the next step up, but the least expensive used unit I can find is $2675 from Adorama.
Sorry I couldn’t find any options below $2000, but I hope this was helpful. Good luck with your project!
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This is a great suggestion, there are half a dozen “Buy it Now” or “Best Offer” F3’s
on eBay for less than $10,000 right now.
Of course, that doesn’t leave a lot of headroom for lenses.
Another option is the 8 bit Canon C100, which is on sale for $5500 right now. Since you already have a Canon 5D Mark II, lenses are less of a problem.
Good luck with your decision!
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Hi Christopher – if you want a large sensor, interchangeable lens camcorder with a power zoom for sports, I recommend the $3425 Sony NEX-EA50 instead of the $2698 VG30 – because of the EA50‘s shoulder mount, pro XLR audio inputs and better in-camera control of contrast and color.
Here is a soccer promo shot with the EA50: https://vimeo.com/63106150
That said, large sensor CMOS cameras are vulnerable to a phenomenon called “skew” or “rolling shutter” when panned quickly or when recording fast action (see example on the moving sawblade at 0:40 in this video). This will not be a problem for shooting football from the stands – but may be a challenge for extremely fast action in close-in sideline shots.
If you plan fast pans or closeups of fast-moving action, and don’t need the depth of field control provided by the large sensor of the NEX cameras, a small sensor CCD based camera, such as the $1995 JVC GY-HM150, may be a better camera for you. CCDs are not susceptible to rolling shutter.
Here is a slow motion rugby short shot with the HM150 (please watch at 1080p): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn09w4cNIpU
Hope this is helpful,
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Hi Andrew – on your first question – the list of advantages and disadvantages will differ for each shooter based on their individual needs. For me, the main advantages of the BPCC over alternatives in its class will be price, size, dynamic range, and ability to shoot 10 bit ProRes (and eventually 12 bit CinemaDNG RAW) to SDXC cards. I am also very glad the camera has a headphone jack and is compatible with lenses I already own.
The disadvantages for me will be lack of a viewfinder, 1080/60p and still camera capability.
On your second question, I like the top and bottom mounting screw holes – but there is no way to know how robust the camera is until we get our hands on it. But for $995, I will worry less about it than I would a $5500 non-RAW shooting 8 bit Canon C100 🙂
Cheers,
