Bill Bruner
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks for the clarification, Steve.
In this price range, if they want a clean key, I recommend the $850 (on sale, as of this post) Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera with an $18 XLR to 3.5mm mic adapter and a $31 Canon EF to MFT adapter with manual aperture control – recording to 10-bit ProRes. This setup may not be the “simple video camera” you’re looking for, though.
Here’s a BMPCC key example – the actor isn’t lit or focused very well, but the edges of the key are pretty good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEAEIUZzPnA
If they want something that’s easier to use, with interchangeable lenses and hours of continuous recording and don’t really need a 10-bit key, I recommend the $798 (on sale as of this post) Panasonic GH3 with the same XLR and Canon EF adapters.
This is excruciating to watch, but will give you a pretty good idea of how well the GH3 can key when compared to the 5D Mark III and the C100:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xuEYYGXy7s
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the GH3 and the BMPCC in an interview setting: https://vimeo.com/74435711
I have both of these cameras plus the Hosa adapter, and there is no traditional camcorder in this price range that can beat them for image quality.
Again, hope this is helpful!
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Hi Steve – my first thought would be to recommend the Canon C100 Cinema EOS Camcorder. It meets all of your criteria, can easily share lenses with your 5D Mark III and produces footage that is easily matched to the 5D3 as seen in this short film:
That said, the C100 is pretty expensive, at $4999 for the version with fast dual pixel autofocus and $4499 with no autofocus (these are sale prices, the camera is usually $500 more).
So I guess the question to you is: what do you mean by “mid-range”?
Cheers,
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Hi Ali – I understand your caution. There’s a lot of noise on the internet about noise 🙂
That said, Director Timothy Freeman Jr. was comfortable enough with the Production Camera to use it for his feature film “Checkmate” – starring Danny Glover and Sean Astin:
The movie was shot in its entirety on inexpensive Blackmagic Production Cameras and the even less expensive Pocket Cinema Camera:
News piece w production stills: https://theactionelite.com/2014/07/first-look-at-checkmate-starring-danny-glover-vinnie-jones/
Press Release: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/pressdetails?releaseID=61426
Interviews with the director:
https://hdslrshooter.com/shooting-feature-blackmagic-productioncamera4k/
Interesting that there is no mention of FPN from a guy who has actually shot a feature with the camera. Also interesting is that he plans to use it for his next feature.
Have you considered renting one over a weekend from Borrowlenses for a couple of hundred bucks to see for yourself?
That might save you a few thousand dollars over buying a $6000 Ursa. And there’s no guarantee that internet critics won’t find something “wrong” with the Ursa too.
Cheers,
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Sadly, if you want a global shutter to get rid of jello, your only choice below the $29,000 Sony F55 is the $2495 (on sale) Blackmagic Production Camera 4K.
This camera has an EF mount, so you can use your current lenses.
It is not the best low light camera in the world, but you’ll have to decided which feature is most important to you – while staying within your budget.
Cheers,
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I am not a Final Cut guy, but I am a GH4 shooter and if you’re shooting C4K .mov you should be able to import it directly to your timeline and edit without the need to transcode: https://www.fcp.co/forum/13-made-with-final-cut-pro/20189-gh4-mov-files-work-great-with-fcpx
Whatever you do, don’t record to AVCHD 😉
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi Johnny – Even if you don’t need 4K, a lot of people are selling their $3000+ 5D Mark IIIs for the $1698 Panasonic GH4 and a $600 Canon EF to micro 4/3 speed booster. Here’s why:
– you can “downres” 4K to 1080p and get a much sharper picture – and you can stabilize, crop and pan in post to make it look like you have more than one camera
– you don’t need to buy a loupe or EVF – the camera has a built-in EVF
– the GH4 records at up to 1080/96p for in-camera slow motion – Canons are limited to 1080/30p (except for the $12,000 1D C)/
– you can use almost any lens with a mirrorless camera – to include the excellent Voigtlander f0.95 lenses and every Canon lens ever made (to include FD) – lens selection is much more limited with a Canon body
– you can rotate the LCD for high and low angles – and you can flip it forward so you can see yourself when you’re in front of the camera
– real video camera features such as autofocus, color bars, gamma curve adjustment, master pedestal and hours of continuous recording (no 30 minute limit)
Major Canon bloggers like Dave Dugdale from learningdslrvideo.com and Caleb Pike from dslrvideoshooter.com have ditched their 5D Mark IIIs for this camera and/or the full frame mirrorless Sony A7s, which costs a little more than the Panasonic at $2498.
Here is the review where Dave announces his switch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxGekOHEPuc
And here’s Caleb’s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ci6DYXbKrs
The Nikon 810 is not on the radar screen for most video shooters. It suffers from the same limitations as the 5D Mark III where video is concerned.
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi sumesh – if you want a 4K capable camera that can pretty much see in the dark, you may want to consider the $2498 Sony A7s. It records 4K externally through its micro HDMI port, so you’ll need the forthcoming $1995 Atomos Shogun External Recorder for 4K.
This camera records 1080/60p and 720/120p for slow motion.
Here is what it can do in low light:
The A7s is the best low light camera in your price range.
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi Adam – Congrats on the new camera! When I want to shoot macro with my BMPCC, I use my Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 macro for classic 4/3 with a $100 Panasonic DMW-MA1 adapter
. The Sigma is a little hard to find, but there’s one on eBay for $250 right now
.
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi Agnes – a used Sound Devices would be better than a new anything else 🙂
You may still want to get it checked out at one of these authorised Sound Devices dealers in the UK.
Best of luck!
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Hi Agnes – the £195 Tascam DR-60D
recommended by Brian and Ty is a great choice – but, at a slightly higher price point, you may be able to do better for pro interviews and indie films.
A Sound Devices 702 would be the absolute best choice, but it far exceeds your budget – that said, it might be worth it to stretch your budget a little to see if you can afford a £599 Fostex DC-R302
.
This is a robust, all-metal recorder designed for field use. It has three XLR inputs (as opposed to the Tascam’s two) and better signal to noise and harmonic distortion numbers.
This recorder also has a “Remote Start” function that allows your camera’s video recording to start and stop in sync with the Record button, via infrared triggering or a wired connection. This function only works with the Canon 5D Mark II.
Here’s a B&H Camera hands-on review of this recorder (tested with the 5D Mark II):
Highly recommended.
Hope this is helpful!