SmartShoot Producer's Blogg

Great Resource for Affordable Glass

Whether you shoot you're a photographer or DSLR filmmaker you know the value of good lenses. Camera bodies are constantly being updated but a solid lens will last a lifetime. 

One of our favorite resources for inexpensive optics is KEH. They sell new gear but also specialize in used and vintage equipment so whether you're looking for modern features like AF or want to try out some older generation kits you can find some screaming deals.

Buying used can be a gamble to some but one great feature of the site are KEH's conservative and accurate quality ratings - everything they sell is rated so you'll know exactly what condition your hardware is in before you purchase.

Our personal favs are the 1980's Nikon primes and CanonFD lenses - solid build quality and optical quality that bests most modern lenses.

Always remember - invest in glass not camera bodies

HD Cams on the Cheap

It goes without saying nowadays that if you're shooting on SD (or even first generation HD gear) that you're seeing your camera show it's age when it's footage is stacked up against the newer models coming out.

Fortunately there are a few excellent options for making the jump to newer HD technology without breaking the bank.

A few notes - all the following cameras shoot at 1080/24p (and other resolution/framerate combos) and record to SDHC cards (tapeless workflows rock BTW)

Without further ado here are some of our favorite budget HD cameras starting with the more traditional HD camcorders:

 

CANON XA10

Pros: XLR inputs, Dual SHDC slots (allows continuous and dual recording), Small form factor (for discrete shooting)

Cons: Fewer manual settings, menus can be cumbersome to navigate

 

CANON XF100

Pros: XLR inputs, Better menu and button layout than XA10, manual control of all settings, Excellent image quality for the price

Cons: Single chip sensor, single ring dedicated to zoom, focus and iris

 

Here's a great in depth review from Philip Bloom on both the XA10 and XF100:

Review of Canon XA10 XF100 XF105 from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

 

PANASONIC HMC40

Pros: Least expensive camera with full-manual audio, 3-chip sensor

Cons: 1/4" chips and old image-processing tech can be trouble in low-light, XLR inputs only available by buying separate hotshoe accessory

 

IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO MAKE A HUGE LEAP IN IMAGE QUALITY THEN A DSLR MAY BE YOUR BEST CHOICE. THESE CAMERAS SHOOT CINEMATIC QUALITY IMAGES BUT LACK THE CONTROL OVER AUDIO LEVELS THAT YOU'RE USED TO SEEING IN A TRADITIONAL VIDEO CAMERA. IF AUDIO IS CRITICAL FOR YOUR PROJECT GRAB AN EXTERNAL AUDIO RECORDER AND RUN DUAL SYSTEM SOUND

 

CANON 60D

Pros: APS-C Sensor, Same imaging system found in the more expensive 7D, Articulated LCD screen

Cons: No audio input = no monitoring w/ headphones, 12-minute record limit on clips

 

PANASONIC GH2

Pros: Easy to navigate menus, very low aliasing and moire in images, bitrates up to 176 MB/S (if you're brave enough to patch the firmware), some manual control over audio levels, can accept a dizzying array of lenses by using inexpensive adapters

Cons: No audio input = no monitoring w/ headphones, Micro 4/3 chip creates a 2x crop factor on lenses, slightly noiser than larger chip cameras at high ISO's

 

At the end of the day it's all about the person behind the camera rather than the camera itself; this being said HD has become the new standard so you've got to keep up with the times.

AF100 vs. FS100 vs. F3

 

If you're in the market for a new camera chances are you've taken a look at these latest interchangeable lens cameras from Panny and Sony. 

Fresh from Philip Bloom's blog is some of the first side-by-side-by-side test footage shot with all threecameras. 

Check out the low-light test above and the rest of the videos here

Definitely some stunning imagery coming out of each of these cameras; more to come soon hopefully. Keep your eyes peeled for the 2011 Zacuto Shootout coming soon for a real in depth analysis of each of these bad boys.

 

 

Ready, Aim, Fire! - The 2010 Zacuto Shootout

 

 

     A little bit older update here (from May 2010) but if you haven't seen this yet you're in for a treat. Zacuto -- Fine purveyor of camera accessories specifically designed for the Indie Filmmaker clique -- does an annual side-by-side comparison of the most popular prosumer camera systems and this year's Shootout is very interesting to view -- here's the link:

www.zacuto.com/shootout 

For 2010 the Zacuto team took an in depth look at the top line video DSLR's (1DMKiv, 5DMKii, 7D, T2i, D3s and GH1). What's especially amazing about these tests is that they shot these cameras alongside traditional cinematic 35mm cameras so you really get a look at how these DSLR's compare with the gold standard of filmmaking

 

Whether you love or hate the idea of shooting video on a DSLR you'll find these webisodes (3 in total, about 90 minutes of material all told) really interesting to watch.

*check out the 2009 shootout for all you'd want to know about the last crop of HDV camera's