I've been so indecisive lately that I've decided to reach out to the community. I cannot decide whether a Canon XA10 or the 5D Mark II. I'm in highschool looking to get more into videography. I Have a few short film ideas and have been using the schools Sony HDR-FX7. I want something of my own that I will be able to use for a while, thanks.
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Help Choosing a Camera
- Thread starter PaulDaniels
- Start date
Hi Paul - welcome to the forum. If you want pro XLR mic inputs, manual audio level control, a headphone jack, autofocus, a power zoom, an articulated LCD and moire-free images - save yourself a few $ and get the $1950 XA10.
If you want "cinematic shallow depth of field" - and are prepared to deal with moire, the lack of XLR inputs, no headphone jack, no autofocus in video mode, manual zoom only, a 12 minute shot duration limit and a fixed LCD, get the $1990 5D Mark II and be prepared to shell out more money for lenses and external audio recording equiment.
Since you're coming from camcorders, I think you'll be most comfortable with the XA10 - or perhaps choosing a less expensive DSLR. DSLT or DSLM such as the $836 Panasonic GH2.
Hope that's helpful,
Bill
If you want "cinematic shallow depth of field" - and are prepared to deal with moire, the lack of XLR inputs, no headphone jack, no autofocus in video mode, manual zoom only, a 12 minute shot duration limit and a fixed LCD, get the $1990 5D Mark II and be prepared to shell out more money for lenses and external audio recording equiment.
Since you're coming from camcorders, I think you'll be most comfortable with the XA10 - or perhaps choosing a less expensive DSLR. DSLT or DSLM such as the $836 Panasonic GH2.
Hope that's helpful,
Bill
Living in Los Angeles I know having a 5DMarkII will get you a lot of work. People that don't know much about cameras know that the 5D will get them a great quality image so it is high in demand. It can be frustrating to work with, mostly because of sound in my opinion, but its image quality is stunning for the cost.
Hi Paul - welcome to the forum. If you want pro XLR mic inputs, manual audio level control, a headphone jack, autofocus, a power zoom, an articulated LCD and moire-free images - save yourself a few $ and get the $1950 XA10.
If you want "cinematic shallow depth of field" - and are prepared to deal with moire, the lack of XLR inputs, no headphone jack, no autofocus in video mode, manual zoom only, a 12 minute shot duration limit and a fixed LCD, get the $1990 5D Mark II and be prepared to shell out more money for lenses and external audio recording equiment.
Since you're coming from camcorders, I think you'll be most comfortable with the XA10 - or perhaps choosing a less expensive DSLR. DSLT or DSLM such as the $836 Panasonic GH2.
Hope that's helpful,
Bill
What all would I need for the external audio equipment if I were to go for the 5D?
Sorry for being so clueless, I've never bought any expensive equipment of my own before...
What all would I need for the external audio equipment if I were to go for the 5D?
There are a few very helpful sound guys on here who can give you links to specific pieces of equipment, but you'll need a shotgun mic, boom pole, external recorder, cables, and headphones (for whoever is monitoring your sound). I would suggest if you're just starting to get into serious filmmaking not to spend $2000 on a camera. If you have $2000 to spend, I would suggest spending around half on your camera, at the most, but that will really work best if you want a DSLR. The Canon t3i goes for like $550 now if you catch it on sale, and the 50mm f/1.8 (a good starter lens) is $100. Then, you can budget towards future lenses, and other things that will make your image look more "pro" i.e. a good tripod, slider, etc, plus good audio equipment, which is arguably more important. For audio, you can spend as much as you'd like or as little as you'd like, but your results will vary depending on both the level of equipment and the skill of whoever is operating it. A $50 mic on a painter pole into a $99 recorder will sound much better than the in-camera mic, but you'll need to spend a pretty good chunk of that $2000 just to get barely professional sound equipment.
With all that said, I'm a student filmmaker using the Canon t3i, and right now my sound rig is the Rode Videomic Pro on a Rode boom pole, recording into the Zoom H1. I get passable sound but compared to pro audio, it's not great. Still much better than a lot of student filmmakers. That whole setup costs about $400.
http://www.mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=0200620.6
Would this then be a good decision for me, then focus on other gear, like sound stuff?
Would this then be a good decision for me, then focus on other gear, like sound stuff?