Returning to photography/videography but which camera to buy???

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AWM

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Hi, I'm hoping to use these forums while I get myself back into exploring photography and mainly videography with a new camera.

My first post being, which camera?

Here's a brief overview of the situation. I'm mainly a video editor, using final cut pro and am also familiar with photoshop and other creative computer software. I used to make corporate films, shooting on a Sony PD150 and then onto a Sony Z7 HD camera. On each of these I did very basic stuff, using the standard lens, shooting on auto lots of the time but I know some about manual photography/videography and lighting too. I know the basics.

I did an introductory still photography course and through this I got myself a Nikon D200 of which I still use now. So I have a basic understanding of how to adjust shutter speed, ISO levels and the aperture, balancing them out to take some nice photos. I've enjoyed doing this and experimenting with light sometimes.

I haven't done much photography for the past few years whilst I chose on a career change but now I'd like to get back into photography/videography, mainly as a hobby, hoping to make my own films especially. I'd like to buy a video and stills camera in one with the intention to go and capture some real high quality stuff. Maybe I'll start playing with different lenses and things too.

For now I just need to take the first step. My budget is around £2000 initially and currently I'm looking at the Canon 5D mk 3.

I just wondered if anyone had any tips/suggestions after reading above and if anybody could recommend where I buy the camera body from and what to do about lenses.

I am based in London.

Hope to hear from you soon and I really appreciate any advice!

Thanks,


AWM
 
tbh, if you are MAINLY going to be shooting video, might it not be better to purchase a dedicated video camera?
 
No, I'll be using it for stills and video.

And I would rather carry one camera around with me for both.
 
gh4 or whatever the new panasonic is called, 4k and better quality than 5d3
 
Panasonic GH4 is your best bet. Offers very good video features and the photo quality isn't too bad.


Having a budget of 2000 won't get you very far with the Canon 5d3 as you need to factor in lenses and any video stability gear. The beauty of the Panasonic is you can budget for the body, a 14-140 or even 12-35 as a general lens and then get some legacy glass via adapters to really get creative with the video side of things. You can also pick up older Panasonic cameras to act as B-Cameras if you every need to shoot with 2 cameras.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/panasonic_gh4_report.shtml covers a lot and https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=GH4 Lumix worth a look.

Good luck with your search.
 
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A lot of people have said good things about Panasonic GH-4 ,and in your price range to inc lenses, well worth a look :)
 
write a list of the equipment you think you will likely need, and work your budget from that
 
The problem with compact system cameras is not so much their image quality but the field of view you get from legacy glass. Personally I would look at getting a used 5D2, install magic lantern, and then you should have the best part of £1k to spend on glass and accessories.
 
I would also suggest a GH4 or even GH3.

Fantastic video quality, superb photo quality. And some very interesting lenses available for within you budget. I really like my SLR Magic 12mm for example with stepless aperture adjusents etc.

M43 is a great format for both photo and video.
 
5D3, you will not be disappointed :canon:
 
Right, I'm going for the Canon 6D, I think that's a logical next step for me.

I know about taking photos but need to learn about lenses, which I don't know much about...

Say I have a budget of about £700 for lenses, what would people suggest I get to get me started?

I want something suitable for filming and stills and something I can play with and learn that way.

Thanks!
 
Plenty of info on http://www.eoshd.com/ about cameras and lenses for video that will also do stills. Spend a few evenings reading the articles there and you might see why so many people were recommending the GH4.

Have you allowed for audio recording equipment within your budget?
 
Yes, I've allowed for other accessories, that's why I went for the 6D over the 5D mk 3, to save that money.

The GH4 looks awesome but I think I feel more comfortable with a Canon camera to start and then maybe I'll move onto something like the GH4.

Thanks.
 
see if you can find youtube video of setup and useage of what you want todo
its the basics you need to know, that will transfer across systems

people are moving to gh4 and a7s atm, just better systems for video
 
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