The ultimate video recorder | 2500 USD Price range
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Depends on what you consider as video camera. If you speak the traditional concept Panasonic AG-HMC80 is great and really full on features and settings, although it is heavy. if you speak in DSLR 5D mark III is beyond your price range, 6D has moire problems, so is modest 70D does a good job of $ 1200 for the body only.
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With a 2500 budget here's what I would do:
These are all new prices and total 2677 but there you have a complete set up and one you can expand on. The 70D is an outstanding video DSLR and will make me hard pressed to reach for a traditional video camera again. Buy a shoulder rig or something and you've got a great set up when paired with the 18-135 lens - smooth autofocus, it's great.
The next four items are more traditional for video, but very helpful. The Lilliput 569 is a great external monitor at a great price. It offers peaking which helps you know whether you're in focus or not and runs on a standard LP-E6 battery (same as the higher-end Canons). The Ravelli Fluid head is a nice fluid head tripod at a nice price. The follow focus and rails are an investment for the future, but make shooting video using traditional EF mount lenses a whole lot easier as it adds a gear belt so you can easily adjust focus. Finally, the Rokinon cinema prime lenses are wonderful for video - you can adjust exposure smoothly (no clicking and noise) and they come pre-geared. Plus, they're pretty cheap to expand the collection.
Probably not what you're looking for it's a heck of a setup that is very expandable and versatile.
- Canon EOS 70D w/ 18-135 STM Lens: $1549
- Lilliput 569 O/P External Monitor: $260
- Ravelli 67-inch Adjustable Fluid Head Tripod: $90
- EzFoto Follow Focus/Rails: $279
- Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cinema Prime: 499
These are all new prices and total 2677 but there you have a complete set up and one you can expand on. The 70D is an outstanding video DSLR and will make me hard pressed to reach for a traditional video camera again. Buy a shoulder rig or something and you've got a great set up when paired with the 18-135 lens - smooth autofocus, it's great.
The next four items are more traditional for video, but very helpful. The Lilliput 569 is a great external monitor at a great price. It offers peaking which helps you know whether you're in focus or not and runs on a standard LP-E6 battery (same as the higher-end Canons). The Ravelli Fluid head is a nice fluid head tripod at a nice price. The follow focus and rails are an investment for the future, but make shooting video using traditional EF mount lenses a whole lot easier as it adds a gear belt so you can easily adjust focus. Finally, the Rokinon cinema prime lenses are wonderful for video - you can adjust exposure smoothly (no clicking and noise) and they come pre-geared. Plus, they're pretty cheap to expand the collection.
Probably not what you're looking for it's a heck of a setup that is very expandable and versatile.
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ajfotofilmagem said:
The best camera for the money! It can be anything: DSLR, handycam (though i doubt that's the best), pro-gear, full frames. Point and shoots (
). The best video camera for 2500 USD!
wallybarthman said:
Outstanding response!!! Huge props man!!
Say, If you had 2500 USD to spend on ONLY the body ? What would be your pick then and why?
Thank you!
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Still the 70D. Unless you (1) really like the full-frame look for video (2) Need exceptional low light performance there is no need to go above a 70D in price. You can look at something like the Canon XF100 but it's a small chip video camera and won't do the ISO, depth of field, or sharpness of the 70D. The 5D Mark III lacks the autofocus functionality of the 70D which is a huge help for video.
I've used just about every Canon DSLR out there at this point (1D X, 5D III, 6D, 7D, 60D, Rebels, etc) because I own a rental company and I can tell you unless you're ready to spring for a Canon Cinema camera (like the C100 at $5500) your best bet is the 70D. Unless you really want a traditional camcorder and the features (easier zoom, built-in lenses, longer recording times, etc) you can't go wrong with the 70D. The downside of a DSLR is to really make it shine for video you need accessories that you don't need with a stand alone camcorder.
I've used just about every Canon DSLR out there at this point (1D X, 5D III, 6D, 7D, 60D, Rebels, etc) because I own a rental company and I can tell you unless you're ready to spring for a Canon Cinema camera (like the C100 at $5500) your best bet is the 70D. Unless you really want a traditional camcorder and the features (easier zoom, built-in lenses, longer recording times, etc) you can't go wrong with the 70D. The downside of a DSLR is to really make it shine for video you need accessories that you don't need with a stand alone camcorder.
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wallybarthman said:
That's sweeEEt! Thank you for your information!
You're awesome!
On a side note, have you tried the canon 6d?
sjschall said:
Nothing is imposiburururu!
It will be used for most scenarios: Sports shooting (stabilization ring or something is a must for that yes), documentaries and short films. Also i would like the raw footage to be as awesome as possible. Ia'm an VFX artist & like to experiment with 3d and real footage, etc!
Rock on man!
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You say you want the best raw footage, but I doubt you actually want to shoot with RAW do you?
With the budget you've got, RAW isn't the path, unless you do have a scorching fast computer with tons of HDD space, and the extra budget for cards or even off-camera recorders + extra SDDs.
Now, the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera looks very promising, as it can shoot RAW, but also ProRes in near full quality with a lot of the dynamic range and color data preserved. Shooting in prores will save you space, editing time and for most situations just as useful as RAW, but all without the hassle of working with it.
The BMPC is only a $1000 camera and there's all sorts of lenses out there, and I'm basing a lot of this on what Andrew has said on EOSHD, but the new Sigma 18-35mm + speed booster for mFT is just about the best set there is, and all of that together with some fast cards and batteries is just about your budget.
The camera itself is small, very easy to rig up, and it has pretty good low light performance, although a draw back could be it's small sensor, the lens choice I just suggested should cover most everything, just need to grab a decent telephoto for sports work.
Personally I've got a Panny GH3, Olympus 12mm F2 and Panny 25mm F1.4 for video stuff, with extra battery and new 64GB card it was all just about 2000 USD. The quality of image, 1080P up to 60FPS, usability of manual controls, tilt screen for tight angles, overall small size and low weight along with the high bit rate and nicely editable MOV files makes it a versatile video camera. I did choose this mostly because I needed a second stills camera as well, so it fit the bill, and have been impressed with how well it does.
Really, I would like to try out the Pocket Cinema camera, but if i can afford it I would get a 5DIII and install the ML hack for RAW video on that for the absolute in image quality and low light performance... but again, with all the high speed cards I can't get close to that set up
With the budget you've got, RAW isn't the path, unless you do have a scorching fast computer with tons of HDD space, and the extra budget for cards or even off-camera recorders + extra SDDs.
Now, the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera looks very promising, as it can shoot RAW, but also ProRes in near full quality with a lot of the dynamic range and color data preserved. Shooting in prores will save you space, editing time and for most situations just as useful as RAW, but all without the hassle of working with it.
The BMPC is only a $1000 camera and there's all sorts of lenses out there, and I'm basing a lot of this on what Andrew has said on EOSHD, but the new Sigma 18-35mm + speed booster for mFT is just about the best set there is, and all of that together with some fast cards and batteries is just about your budget.
The camera itself is small, very easy to rig up, and it has pretty good low light performance, although a draw back could be it's small sensor, the lens choice I just suggested should cover most everything, just need to grab a decent telephoto for sports work.
Personally I've got a Panny GH3, Olympus 12mm F2 and Panny 25mm F1.4 for video stuff, with extra battery and new 64GB card it was all just about 2000 USD. The quality of image, 1080P up to 60FPS, usability of manual controls, tilt screen for tight angles, overall small size and low weight along with the high bit rate and nicely editable MOV files makes it a versatile video camera. I did choose this mostly because I needed a second stills camera as well, so it fit the bill, and have been impressed with how well it does.
Really, I would like to try out the Pocket Cinema camera, but if i can afford it I would get a 5DIII and install the ML hack for RAW video on that for the absolute in image quality and low light performance... but again, with all the high speed cards I can't get close to that set up
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paul13walnut5
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Purely for video and in budget?
This would shoot an edited programme, but no use for longer events etc:
600D
Sigma 70-200 f2.8
Sigma 17-50 f2.8
Polariser
Fader ND
Tascam DR60D
Rode NTG-2
Decent headphones, AKG-455?
SM-1 'cowboy' or Manfrotto video Monopod.
Constant aperture fast zooms, audio taken care of. Money for batteries and cards.
70D has better video AF. But you don't want to use video AF.
This would shoot an edited programme, but no use for longer events etc:
600D
Sigma 70-200 f2.8
Sigma 17-50 f2.8
Polariser
Fader ND
Tascam DR60D
Rode NTG-2
Decent headphones, AKG-455?
SM-1 'cowboy' or Manfrotto video Monopod.
Constant aperture fast zooms, audio taken care of. Money for batteries and cards.
70D has better video AF. But you don't want to use video AF.
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In fact, there is no correct answer to a vague question. For events over which I have no control (journalism, social events, documentaries) I prefer a camera shoulder with complete features such as Panasonic HMC80. For works of fiction, with scenes shot one by one, the most versatile option is 70D with audio accessories and stabilization, as lenses Image Stabilizer not replace tripod or steadicam. For jobs that require simulation of traditional cinema with low light available, 5D mark III is the best choice. Unfortunately 6D has serious problems of moiré and missing some features that 5D mark III offers.
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It really depends what the goals and needs are.
But for that price you might get (almost) a 5D3 body, certainly a used one. That, when used with ML RAW, delivers tops in IQ in that price range I think, certainly far better than any other DSLR in that range.
But for that price you might get (almost) a 5D3 body, certainly a used one. That, when used with ML RAW, delivers tops in IQ in that price range I think, certainly far better than any other DSLR in that range.
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Thank you all for great feedback!
It all comes down to two cameras.
TheBlackMagic Cinema pocket camera or the Canon 70D.
I do know that theblackmagic requires color grading, something i'm set to learn if i buy it. But it's superior image quality is outstanding even compared to the Canon MKIII. And it's "only" 995 dollars. Though battery life got me concerned with the Blackmagic pocket camera. Also how weather-proof is it? I'm gonna shoot outside in cold weathers.
Back to the Canon 70D compared to the blackmagic, it just looks so washed out. But its still more "affordable" with additional lenses in the package. And "good" video quality.
I'm all about video with my camera. As i'm a VFX & 3d artist "i'm in love" with post production.
If you had to choose, which one would you buy and why?
Thank you!
I'm off to work now!
It all comes down to two cameras.
TheBlackMagic Cinema pocket camera or the Canon 70D.
I do know that theblackmagic requires color grading, something i'm set to learn if i buy it. But it's superior image quality is outstanding even compared to the Canon MKIII. And it's "only" 995 dollars. Though battery life got me concerned with the Blackmagic pocket camera. Also how weather-proof is it? I'm gonna shoot outside in cold weathers.
Back to the Canon 70D compared to the blackmagic, it just looks so washed out. But its still more "affordable" with additional lenses in the package. And "good" video quality.
I'm all about video with my camera. As i'm a VFX & 3d artist "i'm in love" with post production.
If you had to choose, which one would you buy and why?
Thank you!
I'm off to work now!
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If you're in love with the visuals of the BMPCC, you should go that route. Just understand it's going to take a bit more effort in other areas (batteries, stabilization, crop, lenses....) The 70D is more ready to go out of the box, but it seems like you would be settling 
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Sigh. There is no "best" overall - you have to tailor it to the kind of shooting you do. It sounds like right now, you don't know, so buying the best will be of no benefit - most PAID video work has little to do with absolute best IQ. I have a documentary production studio and do well into 6 figures of profit a year in video work - I could "afford" any video camera on the market, including something like an F55 or the like. I choose to work with a 5DIII right now because it fits what I do, not because it's best. I don't want slow setups, I don't want people gawking at me when I am working on the street, I just want to get my work done quickly and the DSLR does that, while providing me control over the image in a way I'm comfortable with.
I look at my work just 3 years ago and now and it's worlds apart and it has nothing to do with the equipment I use - it's about understanding what I want to get and how to get it. You sort of hit a pet peeve of mine (common in some of my clients) that they can "buy" their way into video work by having the right equipment. I've watched documentaries that were shot on $500 handy cams that blow my work, shot with $25,000 worth of gear, out of the water - because they knew *exactly* what story they were trying to tell, how to tell it, and how to use their gear to the absolute best of its ability. Get a camera you can afford (the suggestion of the 70D is a good one) and start shooting. You'll start to figure out what works and what doesn't - then upgrade later. I did more than $150,000 worth of work on a Canon 7D ($1300), secured another $200,000 worth of work based on that previous work, and sold the 7D for $1100. Just get something and learn.
I look at my work just 3 years ago and now and it's worlds apart and it has nothing to do with the equipment I use - it's about understanding what I want to get and how to get it. You sort of hit a pet peeve of mine (common in some of my clients) that they can "buy" their way into video work by having the right equipment. I've watched documentaries that were shot on $500 handy cams that blow my work, shot with $25,000 worth of gear, out of the water - because they knew *exactly* what story they were trying to tell, how to tell it, and how to use their gear to the absolute best of its ability. Get a camera you can afford (the suggestion of the 70D is a good one) and start shooting. You'll start to figure out what works and what doesn't - then upgrade later. I did more than $150,000 worth of work on a Canon 7D ($1300), secured another $200,000 worth of work based on that previous work, and sold the 7D for $1100. Just get something and learn.
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bluegreenturtle said:
Thank you for knocking some common sense into me.
You're dammed right about those words, and i must say, that during the last year or two, my handycam has just been laying of on a shell. It cost me 700 bucks when i got it in 2011, but the picture quality bugged me so intensely that that was what i ended up want to fix the most, and therefor maybe "forget" about why i picked up a camera, or bought that handycam in the first place. To shoot something awesome for others and myself to enjoy. I have absolutely no experience what so ever when it comes to leneses, glass, what does that refer to? (quick google search: it's the lens right?).
But there is something that i love about video making. It's like a sunset and the sea, mount everest and the achievement and the icing on the cake for me.
I would sincerely like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your outstainding response, and reminding me about the core reasons why i picked up filming in the first place.
I'll go with the 70d and upgrade later.
Btw, i'm interested in your work. Could you leave a link to your website here, or send it in a PM?
Best Regards,
And thank you all for your awesome responses people!!
Especially bluegreenturtle!
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