Best Camera?

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DoubleTapStudios

Hi! I'm an indie filmmaker trying to get into feature films, and have been using a quite crappy camera for a while now, and am finally upgrading. I narrowed it down to a few choices, and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips.

My choices are the Pentax K-30, the Nikon D3200, and the Sony SLT A57. I only have about $600-$700 to spend, or else I would be looking in the more professional range. But this is just a step in the right direction, and I was wondering which camera would lend itself best to filmmaking. If anyone has better suggestions I'm all for it, but I found the best prices on these, and the better the price on the camera the more I can spend on other things I really need for it. Thanks!
 
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I honestly don't know much about the cameras you mentioned. However, I don't think Pentax or Nikon (short of the D800) are well known as video making tools.

For your budget, Canon has some good cameras which are widely used for video. Look at the Canon T3i with the 18-55 kit lens. It is under $700.

If you want to save even more on the camera, try to find a used T2i or T3i.
As a secondary lens, the canon 50mm f1.8 is a very good bang for your buck. Get the 1.4 if youi can afford it.

I was going to mention the Panasonic GH2 but for some reason the price is now over $800.
 
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Double Tap, you can still get a new GH2 with the 14-42 kit lens for less than $700 on eBay, or, if you're willling to wait for a February 5th shipping date, you can get one from Amazon for $699. But pick one up while you can, they're clearing them out to make way for the $1300 GH3.

With this camera (or the A57), you'll have a viewfinder that keeps working while you're shooting video (not true for the Canons or Nikons). You'll have fast, silent autofocus in video mode (unlike the either noisy or nonexistent autofocus from Sony, Canon or Nikon). And you'll have unlimited clip length, with no shutdowns after 12 minutes (Canon), 20 minutes (Nikon) or 30 minutes (Sony).

This camera is optimized for video.

Here are a few features that have been shot with the GH2:

Mandorla (trailer): http://vimeo.com/40844162

Musgo (First 5 minutes - caution, NSFW): http://vimeo.com/45596420

Splitting Bethany (teaser trailer): http://vimeo.com/57994627

Hope this is helpful,

Bill
 
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Thanks for the tips everyone.

I actually have looked at the Canon T3i, and it was actually my first choice. I especially liked that you could have an external mic with it. But then I found these other camera's and I thought they looked really neat too. I know that a lot of the filmic look comes from color grading and correction in post, but I'm just looking for the highest quality image that I can work with to make my life a little easier.

And I honestly haven't heard much about the GH2. It looks very nice, but I will obviously have to do more research. Thanks for the clips, though. They were very helpful. :)
 
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