ANTI-TROLL DISCLAIMER: This is just my personal opinion. Stay cool.<\/p>\n
JUST GETTING STARTED<\/em><\/strong> \uf0b7 CANON EOS REBEL T5i – $599 base price – $650 ready to shoot.<\/p>\n \uf0b7 HONORABLE MENTIONS: Panasonic GH3, The Nikon whatever, Sony Alpha series. BEING A PRO<\/em><\/strong> \uf0b7 PANASONIC GH4 – $1,499 base price – $1,800 ready to shoot 4k is here to stay. In fact some companies are already pushing beyond 4k. But for the next 5-10\u00a0years, no one is going to shun you for 4k resolution. Having truly affordable options in this price\u00a0range means, to me anyway, that you really need to be shooting at 4k to be relevant. Along came the GH4. When the GH4 and the SONY A7S were getting ready to be announced,\u00a0many professionals were waiting with bated breath. They promised to be 4k DSLRs with no\u00a0compromises at achievable prices. While Sony fell short with rolling shutter and no ability to\u00a0record 4k internally, Panasonic hit it out of the park. \uf0b7 HONORABLE MENTIONS: SONY A7s with ATOMOS Shogun recorder – $5,000 ready to\u00a0shoot – Expensive and there is still all that rolling shutter. But the lowlight performance and\u00a0full frame look are phenomenal.<\/p>\n \uf0b7 Chinese Red Knockoffs – They just aren\u2019t QUITE there, but let\u2019s talk next year! Until then, here is EOSHD\u2019s ARTICLE on one such camera, if you are curious.<\/p>\n LOOKING LIKE A PRO<\/em><\/strong> \uf0b7 SONY FS7 – $7,999 base price – $9,500 ready to shoot. \uf0b7 HONORABLE MENTIONS: Red Scarlet, Blackmagic Ursa, Aja Scion. This was a category\u00a0that Red Digital Cinema has held for a long time. They still offer wonderful options but at\u00a0about twice the price of the FS7 it is hard to recommend any more. The Blackmagic line\u00a0has had a number of technical bumps along the way and remains untested. The Aja Scion\u00a0looks quite promising…<\/p>\n I HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY<\/em><\/strong> \uf0b7 RED EPIC DRAGON – $26,000 base price – $38,000 ready to shoot \uf0b7 HONORABLE MENTIONS: Alexa, Phantom Mira. The problems? Price, price, price.<\/p>\n CONCLUSION<\/em><\/p>\n We will try to update this article as new cameras release. Probably every 3-6 months. This is a\u00a0very exciting and wonderful time for filmmakers, you just have to be willing to accept that things\u00a0will change. So instead of worrying about buying the \u201clast camera you will ever need to own\u201d you\u00a0need to go for the best camera you can afford right now. Jeffrey T. Morgan is a Professional DP and filmmaker. For more information, check out his\u00a0website – www.PrometheusMotionPictures.com<\/p>\n It is easy to get caught up and overwhelmed in the ever-changing landscape of digital cinema. To\u00a0get your brain in a twist, we have to\u00a0worry about sound, camera, computers, non-linear editing\u00a0software\u2026 and within there you have codecs, dynamic range,\u00a0color spaces, … Continue reading
\nYou are going off to school, in school, or just leaving school. You want to make pretty and clear\u00a0images that you can edit together for YouTube or Festivals or your aunt\u2019s Etsy site. Or you have a\u00a0story that deserves a documentary and like all documentarians, you have no budget. Take heart! \u00a0You are a badass and no one can stop you.<\/p>\n![\"1\"](\"http:\/\/www.michiganmoviemakers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/1-300x300.jpg\")
The affordable DSLR is still a great way to get going. I would also say that this is not a throw\u00a0away item! I have fed my family and won awards for cinematography with my T2i. You can\u00a0absolutely make these sing, and the best part is that when you get good here, everything else will\u00a0seem super easy!<\/p>\n
\nThese don\u2019t make my list mostly because you will need lens adapters to get a comparable
\nframe size with the GH3, Nikon lenses rotate in the opposite direction of cinema lenses,
\nand I am not familiar with any great options in the lower level of Sony\u2019s line (though I am
\nsure they exist).<\/p>\n
\nPeople actually want to give you money for what you do! You want to be able to do narrative,\u00a0commercial, and documentary content that can play in any venue, on any screen, but you don\u2019t\u00a0have to impress the old guard. Take heart! You might make a career out of this.<\/p>\n![\"2\"](\"http:\/\/www.michiganmoviemakers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/2-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nThe best thing I can say about the GH4? I own a Red Scarlet and a GH4, I shoot on the GH4.<\/p>\n
\nYou have outgrown your local market or you want to officially take over. Your clients have
\ntrademark icons after their logo and you are becoming a name dropper. When you walk on set\u00a0you need there to be no doubt you know what you are doing and that you have the best tool for\u00a0the job\u2026 even if the people you are impressing don\u2019t know anything about cameras.<\/p>\n![\"3\"](\"http:\/\/www.michiganmoviemakers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/3-300x295.jpg\")
\nHoly cow is this camera awesome! Sony really responded to Red cameras well with the FS700,\u00a0but the form factor and external recording for 4k kept it off my lists. That is all rectified with this\u00a0beauty. The dynamic range, ND filters, internal recording, XLR inputs, adaptability to any lens\u00a0system, high-speed recording\u2026 and a phenomenal image!
\nThe media is professional but reasonable, the codecs are widely supported, and all the controls a\u00a0professional could want are there for you to access. To learn more check out The Camera Store\u2019s\u00a0two part review: PART 1 and PART 2.<\/p>\n
\nSeriously, why are you reading this article? If money is no option than you should know all this\u00a0yourself, or you are jumping in to the top of an industry with a lot of dough but not much\u00a0experience. You don\u2019t need a camera, you need to hire me! \ud83d\ude09 Just kidding, but always keep in\u00a0mind you can rent\/hire what you need before making a permanent choice.<\/p>\n![\"4\"](\"http:\/\/www.michiganmoviemakers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/4-291x300.jpg\")
\nRed cameras are awesome. No one will question you if you show up with one of these bad boys.\u00a0And they are half the price of their Arri competitors with more features. These cameras are\u00a0effectively an infinite film camera.<\/p>\n
\nHappy shooting!<\/p>\nIf you would like to submit an article for next month\u2019s \u201cWhat Am I Up To\u201d, or if you have suggestions for articles you would like to see, \u00a0please send us an email: m3@michiganmoviemakers.com<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"