Best starter Camera for filmakers, and film school?

Question

My friend and i are aspiring filmakers, we're going to be starting film school this fall. We need to get our own camera before we move. I wanted to know what the best starter camera is? Good enough that we can make our films not look to amatuerish. I know the GL2 is one of them, but i kinda wanted to start with one better then that, like an hd. Any help would be appreciated

Answer 1

Canon GL2 (SD only), XL2 (SD only), XHA1

Sony HDR-FX1, FX7, HVR-A1U, V1U, Z1U (all SD & HD)

Panasonic DVX100B (SD only)

Answer 2

If you have the budget and want to get into filmmaking seriously then check out the JVC cameras. They will get you the best of both worlds in SD and HD. The DV they shoot is awesome and the HD will suit filmmakers that want to get the 35mm/16mm film feel. The PAL variety shoots in 720p 25 natively but has the all important 24p format for film. I use a couple of these for my main business at the moment and they integrate fairly seamlessly with film if needed. They will also teach you a lot about cinematography as part of the learning curve...which is steeper than the other options.

They are also very keenly priced and stand head and shoulders over the Canon and Sony cams (XL2 etc..which I also have here. Check out the specs on these. The EU version is the JVC GY-HD111e and the US JVC-GY HD110

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/featu...

and a good user story using them in Wildlife docs

http://www.wildlifefilmmaking.co.uk/maki...

I hope that helps and all the best with your career

Best of luck.

Answer 3

sony fx1 or if you can afford it the v1p are outstanding cams (particularly he v1)

depends on how much you can spend.

hdv makes some really great images and looks good in a blow up.

hope it helps.