ok so am dropping photography for video. I was a videographer but atvthe time of svhs. Looking to exchange my gear at mpb in the uk and currently they have available a sony nex fs100, blackmagic ursa ef mount etc. My budget around 2k. My shooting goes from documentaries to maybe again weddings. Any suggestions ?
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Which camera should I go for ?
- Thread starter Godwisper
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Andrew S10
Senior Member
The Panasonic GH5s has a ton of video features for $2,500. You should be able to find one for around $2,000 used.
Not looking for a dslr type if camera
am swapping infact my sony a7rii. Prefer a full sized dedicated video camera tbh Andrew S10
Senior Member
Could you please stipulate what you're looking for in a camera so that we can make relevant recommendations?
Is that for the camera body alone, or for the whole kit?
Yes, put some ice in your hat and reconsider your options without hurry.
Sorry if I sound a bit blunt, but that sounds like a daft plan to me.
Sounds like you're in a hurry to throw away your photo kit or your money, or both, because you're limiting your options to just one place and one trading method.
Why would you need to buy from them alone, and why until Monday?
For starters, if you haven't been shooting any video since the S-VHS days, you should consider not investing (or trading) in the 'proper' gear just yet. There will be a learning curve despite your previous experience. Unless you've been shooting some video with your existing gear, which would shorten it a bit.
But in case you haven't, and since you already have something like the Sony A7rII, I'd suggest take a pause and use it to practise video production with the A7 whilst looking for other options without any deadlines.
Second, the FS100 may be getting a bit dated, but the big Ursa is massive. It has also been discontinued already, so it probably won't be getting all the firmware updates the Ursa Mini models will. Other than that, it's still a nice tool. Nevertheless, it weighs nearly 8 kilos even without a battery, so you'll need to invest quite a bit in the kit, like a tripod that can handle the weight gracefully. Two grand is not going to be much, at least if it needs to cover lenses, tripod, batteries and other stuff as well.
If you absolutely must throw away your existing gear and choose between those two and during this weekend, (which doesn't sound like a good plan), provided that you'll get a great price for the FS100, you could consider it as your practise rig to use before investing in the actual gear. Use your existing E-mount lenses with it, so don't trade them in just yet.
But I'd still say take your time, practise with existing or some 'humble' gear first, and look for other options and other dealers (CVP or Cinegear, perhaps?), along with the option of selling the old gear directly.
Save your money by not rushing into an unnecessary and expensive loop of gear-centric mistakes. Do a 'practise run' first. Learn what you like and don't like.
You'll thank me later.
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I always buy from this place for many reasons such as good second hand products, very fast shipping and pro support. Reason for Monday cause I have already booked shipment of my gear on Monday which should arrive Tuesday and consequently need to decide by than what replacement items to be shipped which eventually shall be with me Wednesday.
Videography was my profession. I stopped just few months after the transition from analog to digital but had a digital camera and just a year ago had a bmpcc.
Thanks for the adviceSecond, the FS100 may be getting a bit dated, but the big Ursa is massive. It has also been discontinued already, so it probably won't be getting all the firmware updates the Ursa Mini models will. Other than that, it's still a nice tool. Nevertheless, it weighs nearly 8 kilos even without a battery, so you'll need to invest quite a bit in the kit, like a tripod that can handle the weight gracefully. Two grand is not going to be much, at least if it needs to cover lenses, tripod, batteries and other stuff as well.
If you absolutely must throw away your existing gear and choose between those two and during this weekend, (which doesn't sound like a good plan), provided that you'll get a great price for the FS100, you could consider it as your practise rig to use before investing in the actual gear. Use your existing E-mount lenses with it, so don't trade them in just yet.
But I'd still say take your time, practise with existing or some 'humble' gear first, and look for other options and other dealers (CVP or Cinegear, perhaps?), along with the option of selling the old gear directly.
Save your money by not rushing into an unnecessary and expensive loop of gear-centric mistakes. Do a 'practise run' first. Learn what you like and don't like.
You'll thank me later.
I did photography for a year only and enjoyed it and did quite nice portraits. True selling part of my photo gear but shall be replacing it for a video camera and a sony a6300 so I can still do photography when I want and use the strobes, lights and sony lenses. I have a Manfrotto tripod....all I need is the video head and a glidecam hd4000
Andrew S10
Senior Member
What do you mean? Define good cinema quality. Are you wanting UHD or 4K DCI?
How many frames per second is that, and at what resolution?
You might find a C100 with dual pixel AF more intuitive than an Ursa.
LingoDingo
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I would look at the Sony Z90 handy-cam style ENG camera. It's close to your price range, shoots 4K and HD video, has good AF, a long zoom range, and can shoot LOG and HDR formats.
Yes, I assumed that much from your OP and nothing wrong with business loyalty per se but the fact remains that doing things like that you're putting yourself in an artificial and unnecessary "scarcity." Which is rarely an ideal place to operate in. Like in this case, where your two options (mentioned) are interesting but probably not ideal, and your existing photo-centric gear still have some monetary and practical value.
If you opt for the big Ursa and start kitting it, your existing Manfrotto (which model?) tripod may turn out to be a bit on the light side, and the video head needs to be on the sturdier side, too. Like said, two grand may not be all that much for the essentials, unless the budget was allocated for the body only.
Good luck!
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No. I was merely saying that if YOU decide to go for the big Ursa option of those two, you'd better be prepared for investing in some serious kit as well. The CFast cards being just one part of the essential kit. A heavy duty tripod being another.
If you re-read the previous comment, my main suggestion was to wait and look for other options as well, without locking yourself to these two options, let alone the time window.
That said, in my previous comment I sort of suggested that IF you MUST go with either of these two, you could go for the FS100 option, provided that it's cheap enough, and perhaps get an external recorder, too. Then use the FS100 as a practise tool for the time being, maybe with your existing E-mount lenses.
That way you'd save some money whilst you get re-acquainted with videography and soon get a much better idea of what is it that you really want (or need). Then you wouldn't even have any need to outsource your decision making process.
Besides, if you didn't trade in the A7, you could use it as a secondary camera, maybe for more mobile shoots, for example. Just a thought.
Well, that would be more or less my 2c, anyway.
Zoltan Csuka
Leading Member
To be future proof you need 10 bit hdr HLG at 24-30-60p. Apple provides easy workflow for you with their pro software.
For $2000 you cant get a dedicated video camera with these specs so your quality will be lower.
Oh, you will also need an OLED or QLED TV to be able to properly view your HLG videos which is another $1500.
For $2000 you cant get a dedicated video camera with these specs so your quality will be lower.
Oh, you will also need an OLED or QLED TV to be able to properly view your HLG videos which is another $1500.
LingoDingo
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It all depends on what you want...
- The Z90 ENG style 4K camera has a fast and long parfocal zoom lens, with very good autofocus. It also shoots 10-bit 4:2:2 HD footage, and features both LOG and HLG shooting profiles.
- The FS100 is a discontinued Sony HD cine camera that comes with no lens at all. The cost of a parfocal zoom lens for the FS100 would likely start at $4,000+ just for the lens by itself and it would not have usable autofocus. The FS100 also has no LOG or HLG profiles, so the dynamic range would be limited compared to the Z90 shooting LOG or HLG footage. Also it records ONLY 8-bit footage. So no 10-bit recording and no 4K recording.
These are very different cameras.
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uncle dunc
Senior Member
If you need to impress clients with a big fancy camera rig, you could mount a handycam on rails with a matte box in front.
what is the difference between the Z90 and X70 ?
LingoDingo
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The X70 came out a few years ago, the Z90 came out a few months ago.
The X70 has terrible autofocus. The Z90 has great autofocus.
The Z90 has LOG and HLG HDR camera profiles that provide 2 stops more dynamic range when shooting. The X70 has no LOG and no HLG profiles.
The X70 needs a $500 firmware upgrade to shoot 4K footage. It's a 1080p ONLY camera without this upgrade.
The Z90 needs nothing to shoot 4K footage.
The X70 has no slow-motion frame rates.
The Z90 can shoot slow-motion up to 960 frames per second.
I have been shooting with the X70 for the past 2 years (along with my GH5 cameras), and it's a good camera but the autofocus is useless. I always bring a 7 inch monitor with me to make sure things are in focus, because you can't trust the X70 AF to do this for you.
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