Good starter camera to buy?

[Ben Syverson]

The Canon 35mm 1.4 L is very expensive and the 35mm f2 is not particularly well regarded

The 35mm/2 is an old lens, but it's still good -- especially for video, where lens sharpness is not as critical... I'm a big fan of those less popular lenses, like the 28/28... They tend to be small, light and incredibly cheap. The only downsides are less "pro" build quality and slightly slower stops.

[Jamie Sides]

You've probably finished your research on this topic by now but...

 

For music videos and the like, the 7D is a much better way to go than a regular video camera, even one like the HVX 200 - although with a Letus Ultimate and some decent lenses it's quite remarkable. I bought the 7D over a month ago and I've already shot a couple spots and a "film" for the UN with it. As for glass - I adapted my Nikons with the Kawamall adapters and and that works great, but I also got an L-series lens and I'd recommend getting this over the less expensive ones, simply because if you are serious about this as a career, it won't be long that you'll find you're ready for the next big thing, the new 5D or 1D or whatever and you'll already have your lenses and support gear (still waiting on my back-ordered z-finder, but something like that is going to be crucial as well). Tom is right in that those cheaper lenses are good, but they won't work on a 5D.

 

There are many arguments for not buying a camera but the sooner you get one in your hands and start experimenting with it and learning things, the quicker you'll learn about cinematography-and the better you'll become. There are so many ways that this camera functions like a film camera, not an HDV video camera and I think that is a big plus.

[Mei Lewis]

I don't have paid work coming for sure, I have a sound engineer friend who records with bands and he is going to hook me up with some of them to make videos so I can get a music video showreel going (my current showreel is just shorts). I'm not sure if they will pay, which is why I thought having my own camera would be a good idea as I can't keep affording to rent (the money for the camera is not mine to do with as I choose, it is an investment from someone else) if I'm not getting paid, but at the same time I want to make these videos for the experience.

 

 

I've done a lot of still photography involving bands and it can be hard to get them to pay for anything.

A lot of them seem to think they should get things for free, and being generally creative people they'll know other creatives interested in photography, video, graphic design etc. who will do stuff for them for free, because it's fun to do music videos.

 

If you buy a camera instead of renting one you still have to pay for it, and you're still paying for it to be used on any free work you do. To put it another way, if you shoot a video for a band and they don't pay you, then effectively you're paying them for the privilege of filming them, which is ridiculous.

 

I'm not trying to put you off, just saying be very cautious, don't expect paid work to necessarily come from free work and don't expect your customers (musicians) to be loyal to you. If you do work for free make sure you get something else out of it, like a good piece for your showreel ideally of a band who you actually like.

 

Who are your investors? Do you have to show them a financial plan?

[Ryan Ramos]

i just bought a sony hvr hd 1000, a cheap entry level hdv camera records in 1080i. Im using it for mainly music videos at the moment. The quality of the camera is exceptional (for a camera that costs a grand) the only problem with it is that its not great in low light situations but with the right lighting setup you can get some great shots. i would get that camera then invest the other 2k in some lights etc and use the sony until you have a constant stream of paid work coming in.

i have had the camera for 4 months now and it has served me well.

 

just another option i thought might interest you if you dont want to spend a fortune on a hdv camera. hope it helps

 

 

 

Ryan Ramos