Visitor
1
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Filming low budget shorts
John-Newton | Asked  over a year ago | Last response was 9 months ago

I am no expert on cinematography, but some friends of mine and I produce low budget (actually no budget) short films.  We are currently borrowing a Nikon D3100, but we would like to be independent of the one lending it to us and have a nicer camera.  I have done quite a bit of filming and am familiar with what all the settings are and for the most part what they do (as I film more, I will get better at using it).  Price is an issue, but we are willing to spend some money to avoid compromise.  Just to add, our group is entirely comprised of high school students.

Which camera do you recommend for John-Newton?

Nikon D800 - $2,797
36.2 MP|Full frame CMOS|3.2" LCD
Nikon D4 - $5,997
15.9 MP|Full frame CMOS|3.2" LCD
5 Answers
  1. Beginner I
    2
    Score
    over a year ago Sean-Molin recommends the Nikon D800

    Budget is relative. In the world of motion pictures, either of these is budget. While I do recommending looking into a dedicated video recording platform as I've never understood the obsession with DLSR video, between these the D800 is easily the best choice. They have essentially the same video system and the D800 is half the price.

    1. Beginner I
      over a year ago John-Newton1
      I have no knowledge of dedicated video recording platforms. Do have any suggestions that are around this price range (or below) for me from a video platform?
    2. Visitor
      a year ago Andy-Bennison
      ListingDetails.html at www.play.com For Less than £1500 you can have an incredible video camera, which would blow both of these out the water.
    Reply
  2. Expert III
    cameras Community
    Fair Minded
    1
    Score
    over a year ago Philip-Davis recommends neither camera

    The Canon 5D Mark II blows the Nikon D800 out of the water in terms of video quality especially at high ISO... and it costs less money.  Check out the video comparison at NoFilmSchool

    Reply
  3. Intermediate I
    0
    Score
    over a year ago svitekphotos recommends neither camera

    Friend, you are over-shooting the 'Budget' portion of your statement with EITHER of these cameras... I'd recommend a Canon EOS system. Its cheaper and Canon got into the video world VERY early, so you'd be very satisfied with it.

    A Pentax K-7 or a K-5 would work as well (imexpensive and still WEATHER SEALED!) but, for the price, you won't get much out of your videos with a Nikon. Nikons are made for stills, not video.

    Reply
  4. Beginner I
    0
    Score
    9 months ago Alex-Covaci recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

    the 5D MkIII is one of the best cameras for filming, but you can also see the MkII or the 650D wich has built-in focus

    Reply
  5. Beginner I
    -1
    Score
    over a year ago Richard-A-Tan recommends the Nikon D4

    I recommend you the D4 because this powerhouse is worth getting. It may be quite pricey, however all the functions and capabilities are well worth it. This camera has very accurate and fast (10fps) AF, not to mention very good metering. The weather sealing of this camera allows you to take pictures under any weather condition. This camera is much lighter than its predecessor and you can hold this with no problem for long hours of shooting. This camera is worth $5,999 since it can last you for many years to come. 400,000 shutter count life is double the D800, 30% longer than the D3s, and 80% longer than most DSLRs. There is a reason why Canon users switch to Nikon (no offense to canonians) 

    1. Beginner I
      over a year ago John-Newton1
      svitekphotos doesn't agree with you about Nikon and Canon, and as far as I've heard, no one really agrees, and if they do, it is that Canon is better for video while Nikon is better for photos. Also, six thousand is quite pricey and I'm not sure if the added features are that important to me (I'm still only making high school videos).
    Reply

Summary

1 Recommendation for
Nikon D800
1 Recommendation for
Nikon D4
1 Recommendation for
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

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