im about to shoot my first big project with real actors from craigslist, and all i have is a junk canon hg20 that i bought for $200. do you think they will care or notice that its a piece of garbage? im gonna rent a crane and steadicam tho
Are you paying the actors? What are they expecting?
If you've led them to believe you're shooting on RED, or that this is a bigger production than it really is, they may be a bit surprised when you show up with a handycam. That said, if you are paying them, then they should just do as they are told.
Based on my experience most of the actors are not so technical focused so I think the camera will not matter....
If you pay and feed your cast and crew properly, handle your equipment well, and shoot quickly and efficiently, they will not care. If they do care, then get someone else. Someone should not judge an artist by what they paint with, but how they paint.