Alright let's talk 4k and than some

You have $4k for everything, not just your camera right? At that budget a DSLR would probably still be the best bang for your buck.

I'm about to shoot a feature and I had 4 grand as well. I ended up decided a DSLR wouldn't be good enough for the look I want for my film so I bought a Blackmagic Cinema camera for $3000. I had just enough money left over to buy one lav mic and some storage space for all the footage I'll be shooting.

Luckily I could get away with this because my cinematographer has a nice shotgun mic/boom pole, I already own a nice tripod, and between the 2 of us we've got a few lenses. Now all I've gotta worry about is finding some money so I can feed my actors... And then more money for post production and festival submissions. It might take a miracle to pull this off.

To answer your question, there's tons of good reasonably priced equipment, but I would recommend buying this:

Canon 60D camera
50mm or 30mm lens (spend at least $400 on it, don't go too cheap)
H4N Zoom sound recorder
Rode NTG-3 shotgun mic
boom pole

I think that's the bare minimum you should shoot a feature film with, but even then it will probably be crappy.

With your extra money I would invest in more to improve sound, such as a nice lav mic, and windshield to cover your shotgun mic to block wind, also you'll want other lens sizes for different options and looks for your scenes.

Tripods are a tricky thing. It costs a lot of money to buy a tripod that doesn't look terrible with any movement. I would recommend locking off your shots if you're going to use a cheap tripod, and just doing most of your movements either handheld or a dolly if you have access to one. There are great DIY links that teach you how to make your own dolly or steady cam rig, I would recommend those as well. Good luck/

You're going to make a feature film, and you're asking which camera to buy? If your intent is strictly to use this feature as a learning process, then continue as planned. But if you want the film to be seen, I think your money would be better-spent hiring a DP with their own equipment. And in your price-range, we're probably talking about a college student with a DSLR and a small light-kit. Doesn't mean you can't make an awesome movie though.

I should also mention that i'm shooting it mostly steadycam to give it a documentary-ish look to the story.

Buy a cheaper DSLR, like the Canon T3i price range. You should probably spend more money on sound equipment, because I was told by a guy who judges movies for film festivals, that 9 out of 10 times why a movie is rejected is because of poor sound, so something to think about. Or higher a sound person who has his or her own stuff. A DP with their own stuff is a good choice too, if you can get one.

I don't see why cheap tripods have crappy movement. I saw a fluid head on sale for 230, and tried it out, and it seemed good.

moonshieldmedia said:

I think that's the bare minimum you should shoot a feature film with, but even then it will probably be crappy.

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I agree. The fact that it will probably still be crappy has nothing to do with using the bare minimum equipment though, and everything to do with your skill and experience.

joncasto said:

im wondering how long it will take for me to figure out how to use these cameras and lenses for maximum video quality.

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I'm assuming you don't have a lot of video experience, or you wouldn't be asking the equipment questions in the first place. Based on that assumption I'd say probably two years minimum, if you really put some effort into doing a lot of short films or other production work in that time and focus on refining your skills and technique.

Go with the t3i and save a little money. The 60d and t3i have the same sensor. For video, they're pretty much neck and neck.