Newbie advice please...

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5
Name
Ryan
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

I've been shooting cars for a while now and wish to start moving into the area of video.
I currently only have a canon 1200D and a small selection of lenses.

I think I have narrowed my next steps down to the following 2:
Buy a Canon 70D and a DJI ronin to ensure smooth shots and easy movement around the car.
Buy a Canon D7x (or The Sony RX100 that offers 4K) and a simple handheld gimble.

I am looking for smooth footage, very crisp and clear images and wondered - which of these set ups would be better for me and is 4K really going to make a huge difference?

Thanks all

Example of what I'm after:

Examples of my photography:
IMG_8539.JPG IMG_8861.JPG IMG_9270.JPG
 
Yeah, I was just looking at the guy's website who shot the video above.
I like the video, although I'm not interested in cars, he uses some nice camera angles.
It looks like he also uses a Red Camera, which is a high end dedicated video camera.

I went the same route as you are thinking of a couple of years ago, I bought a Canon 70d, and a GoPro silver with a feiuyu gimble for movement shots.
There are some good features on the Canon, I like touching the screen to pull focus for instance, but I'm starting to get to the point where I want better quality, and the way the Canon encodes video is not great. I'd also like 4K now which would give better quality zooming and panning in the editing software.

Having said all that, it's a good starting point to practice the craft with, and it's a good stills camera. For 4K you could consider the Panasonic GH5, but you'd have to buy an adaptor to use your Canon lenses.
If you do get the bug, expect to be looking to upgrade in a year or two.
 
How much video are you planning to do? The gimbal is a big investment. I would rather add it to my camera budget and get something with ibis like a A7ii or whatever a7 it is.
 
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Thanks for your replies guys :)

I will be looking to shoot footage to piece together a 5 minute video for the owner, possibly shooting a few car events as coverage too.

I hadn't thought about the Osmo.. although it's fairly restrictive with what could be done I'm guessing, like you say no change of lens, etc. Also is there a way of viewing the current view the camera has at the time?

Thanks all!
 
You link it to your phone, which is what has put me off buying one.
Although those that have one say it works well, I don't really want the faff of linking it, then you've got to make sure you have enough battery on the phone etc., although you can just point it at something and shoot.
The gopro screen goes after 30 seconds (?) or so as well to preserve battery life, although that does give you enough time to compose the picture, but if you need to reframe you have to guess or link your phone up.
 
The Osmo is a fantastic bit of kit and is really only as restrictive as your imagination. It's not going to go macro close, but you want panning and smooth footage while moving, then it's one of the financially better options.

If you don't mind swapping brands for camera then I thoroughly recommend something like a Sony A6300 paired with the new zhiyun gimbal and crane duo. Cheaper then the ronin and a lighter setup. Some seriously good reviews coming out.

My personal opinion would be to carry on doing what your doing, look at getting a slider and a shoulder mount and see how it goes.
 
The video you linked to had 2 cameras in it, one I'd guess was a RED Scarlet. The other camera has a slight colour cast and no where near the same resolution.

If you want a camera like that, expect to pay £20k+
 
The video you linked to had 2 cameras in it, one I'd guess was a RED Scarlet. The other camera has a slight colour cast and no where near the same resolution.

If you want a camera like that, expect to pay £20k+

The video was an example of the type of video I would be shooting. I understand that this guy has some serious kit haha.

With the osmo I have seen a few people commenting on the fact it's not great at focussing - I just want to make sure I've made a good love cost wise and able to produce half decent videos :)

Thanks all for your replies thus far!

Ryan
 
The advantage of shooting in 4K is truly wonderful. Having the ability to recompose when editing has been very useful and the extra resolution captured helps with creative transitions in 1080.
If I was to purchase another camera now, I would always make sure I have the option to record in 4K if I need to.
 
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