What's the best camera for the job <5 000€? (Poll)

[HelsinkiZim]

Hi all,

I often read that different cameras are better for different jobs. I, for one, would love to know which camera is best suited for which.

I thought I would try to contribute by making a poll of what I sense, form reading the blog, are the most popular camera's I see here today (in the spirit of DSLR) - that are ready to shoot for under 5 000€ (sensor, battery and storage + tax!).

I also have a rule to please the internet Thought/ Opinion Police*

*Please only vote if you have experience with the chosen camera or have seen the chosen camera do it successfully to your liking on Vimeo or what-not. Don't choose based on promoted tech. stats and readily available specifications. Let the working men and women tell us what's best.

Otherwise, I hope it helps the community decide on their next purchase (which it won't because most of us buy on impulse - also known as... being human/ confirmation bias/ wishful thinking).

Maybe someone else can do a poll with different cameras or a better selection?

[jax_rox]

There's no such thing as a 'best' camera for anything of these things. All of the cameras listed will do a great job on any of the productions listed. But each has their own pros and cons that you need to figure out which align best with what you need and like. 

You can't choose an objectively best camera for any of these situations, as an objectively 'best' camera doesn't exist.

[HelsinkiZim]

2 hours ago, HelsinkiZim said:

 

Otherwise, I hope it helps the community decide on their next purchase

I know this is a mute choice for anyone skilled with lighting gear and time, but what if you just had to choose one for each occasion?

[HelsinkiZim]

1 hour ago, jax_rox said:

There's no such thing as a 'best' camera for anything of these things. All of the cameras listed will do a great job on any of the productions listed. But each has their own pros and cons that you need to figure out which align best with what you need and like. 

You can't choose an objectively best camera for any of these situations, as an objectively 'best' camera doesn't exist.

At some point we have got to put our foot down and just pick a bloody camera. As I mentioned, nobody ever commits to saying buy this cam for that occasion. It causes confusion for the less technically inclined, me included aka cinematography newbs.

What I was hoping is that people could get a general guide. Headaches are guaranteed with each, but which gives less headache in the given situations. 

it's not a PhD thesis, just a poll.

You can view the voters to ease your mind. Matthias has voted and once Aaron, Zach, Kaylee, Jonesy and/ or Andrew do I am a happy camper (and everyone else too, just name dropping folks who I learn from constantly here).

Edit: Here's analogy - what if your best mate came up to you and said...

"I need a camera for a shoot tomorrow about X (listed above), what do you recommend?

You say..

"There's no such thing as a 'best' camera for anything of these things."

He says...

"Ok, Yoda, I understand there are many mountains to climb and dragons to slay before I can tame the wicked beast [sic] into doing my willing, but please just give me a recommendation now."

You say...

"You can't choose an objectively best camera for any of these situations, as an objectively 'best' camera doesn't exist."

Your friend goes and asks someone-else's opinion.

[jax_rox]

30 minutes ago, HelsinkiZim said:

What I was hoping is that people could get a general guide. Headaches are guaranteed with each, but which gives less headache in the given situations. 

But a general guide doesn't exist, unless your general guide is a discussion about the pros and cons of each camera for the situation. A poll provides no context. What's best for a feature film? Well, what's your budget? What sort of film? Is it a sci-fi involving green screen and VFX, or a gritty drama? Is it a studio set-up with jibs and dollies and steadicams, or will you be handheld for the whole thing? What's the intended output (i.e. do you need 4k)? Do you have the budget for a lighting and grip package? There's so many variables that it's impossible to say 'Blackmagic Cinema Camera'. The BMCC, for example, is a worse choice for low light than say an A7sII or a 5DIII. So is your film being shot at night without lighting, or on a set with a full lighting setup?

The premise of the thread is not a bad one, but it should be as a discussion, not a poll with a definitive, or 'general' answer.

[HelsinkiZim]

4 minutes ago, jax_rox said:

But a general guide doesn't exist, unless your general guide is a discussion about the pros and cons of each camera for the situation. A poll provides no context. What's best for a feature film? Well, what's your budget? What sort of film? Is it a sci-fi involving green screen and VFX, or a gritty drama? Is it a studio set-up with jibs and dollies and steadicams, or will you be handheld for the whole thing? What's the intended output (i.e. do you need 4k)? Do you have the budget for a lighting and grip package? There's so many variables that it's impossible to say 'Blackmagic Cinema Camera'. The BMCC, for example, is a worse choice for low light than say an A7sII or a 5DIII. So is your film being shot at night without lighting, or on a set with a full lighting setup?

The premise of the thread is not a bad one, but it should be as a discussion, not a poll with a definitive, or 'general' answer.

Sorry, I edit too much so some of my wit is lost to first responders

I know this is true, we know because we have used the cameras in real life situations. We also know that versatility is like water - it's an art that cannot be confined to a specific set of tools. But if someone is looking to buy a cheap camera it means they are new at the game, which means that sometimes you need to jump in and learn the quirks for yourself so you understand FPN, moire etc.

edit: ... crop factor, DR, ergonomic balance, monitoring options, on and on the list can go...

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

Your poll to be useful, must be complete in terms of camera choices. One very important item is say canon c100 mki which I was looking for to choose in the run n gun category. But out of thrse options a gh4 is definitely best (easy focus and long batteey life are the essentials pkus unlimited recording time and straight off the camera profiles) 

my choices: 

Controlled film/feature: BM 2.5K/4K or 5D RAW
Documentary: C100 or GH4 
Travel/family: XC10 or RX10III
Pro photography + any video kind: Nikon D750
Stock/landscape videography: Bm4k
Youtube/Vlogging: Canon 80D
News/TV broadcast: C100 for large chip and X70 for small chip
Exclusive night/no light videography: Sony a7s II
Low budget film begginer: Nikon D5300 + Manual Nikkors
Advanced yet low budget filmmaker: Panasonic GX80

[HelsinkiZim]

48 minutes ago, Ebrahim Saadawi said:

Your poll to be useful, must be complete in terms of camera choices. One very important item is say canon c100 mki which I was looking for to choose in the run n gun category. But out of thrse options a gh4 is definitely best (easy focus and long batteey life are the essentials pkus unlimited recording time and straight off the camera profiles) 

my choices: 

Controlled film/feature: BM 2.5K/4K or 5D RAW
Documentary: C100 or GH4 
Travel/family: XC10 or RX10III
Pro photography + any video kind: Nikon D750
Stock/landscape videography: Bm4k
Youtube/Vlogging: Canon 80D
News/TV broadcast: C100 for large chip and X70 for small chip
Exclusive night/no light videography: Sony a7s II
Low budget film begginer: Nikon D5300 + Manual Nikkors
Advanced yet low budget filmmaker: Panasonic GX80

Thanks Ebrahim, you were someone I was looking to get an opinion from.

I only thought of the commonly brought up cameras on the forum, but I can see from your list that our options are really quite limitless for producing cheap quality work. I left out the C100 because its such an easy choice for corporate/ documentary that it is too much of a no-brainer (and it's ass is too un-DSLR-ly... but so is the Cinema Camera's but bmcc is square enough to be akward, therefore DSLR-ly, and it has no xlr inputs, so super DSLR-ly compared to C100). But maybe I should have had it instead of Mark III. Anyways, maybe someone can make a more accurate poll in future. These are the camera's on my radar now, so it is subjective.

[HelsinkiZim]

*Mattias NOT Matthias...

[IronFilm]

Too many cameras missing from this!

Where is the BMPCC? Where is the Nikon D750? Where is the JVC LS300? Where is the Sony F3? Where is the Sony FS700?  Where is the BMD URSA Mini 4K? Where is the Panasonic G7? Where is the Panasonic GX80? And the list goes on....  only 6 options in a poll is not going to be comprehensive.

[jax_rox]

2 hours ago, HelsinkiZim said:

Edit: Here's analogy - what if your best mate came up to you and said...

"I need a camera for a shoot tomorrow about X (listed above), what do you recommend?

You say..

"There's no such thing as a 'best' camera for anything of these things."

He says...

"Ok, Yoda, I understand there are many mountains to climb and dragons to slay before I can tame the wicked beast [sic] into doing my willing, but please just give me a recommendation now."

You say...

"You can't choose an objectively best camera for any of these situations, as an objectively 'best' camera doesn't exist."

Your friend goes and asks someone-else's opinion.

Except it would actually go more like this

Friend: "I need a camera for a commercial shoot tomorrow, what do you recommend?"

Me: 'What's the commercial? What's your budget? Are you going to go and buy this camera off the shelf, or can you rent it? What's the plan? Commercial for YouTube or for television? Are you lighting extensively? What are you looking for out of a camera for this job? Will you be grading? Who will be grading it? Studio or location or both? 

Friend answers questions and I can recommend a camera accordingly.

Conversely, if a friend came to me and said 'hey, you know about cameras, what's the best camera for a commercial' (and this has happened exactly like this in the past), I would say 'well it depends on what you're doing, there's no real best camera for a commercial, it depends on so many things - not the least of which is your budget. Tell me more about what you're doing and I can give you a recommendation.'

[HelsinkiZim]

Ironfilm, please make a new one, I was using 'trending' camera's I see referred to here frequently. I didnt think too much and dont know mich either. Super subjective, this one is.

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

It's a great idea but yes I agree a new one with more camera and more genres, I shall make it

 

[zerocool22]

Yeah too bad the Canon C100, C300 are not on the list.

[Mattias Burling]

36 minutes ago, zerocool22 said:

Yeah too bad the Canon C100, C300 are not on the list.

The c100 is in this one, but not the c300.

 

[Andrew Reid]

I put A7S II for feature
Blackmagic for green screen in controlled studio lighting situation
NX1 for run & gun

The reason I chose the NX1 for run & gun was purely ergonomics. If it is run & gun at ISO 12,800 then the A7S II would be better choice. In terms of what is more enjoyable to shoot with though, the NX1 wins every time.

GX80/85 is good for run & gun too... That stabiliser!

[Shield3]

2 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

I put A7S II for feature
Blackmagic for green screen in controlled studio lighting situation
NX1 for run & gun

The reason I chose the NX1 for run & gun was purely ergonomics. If it is run & gun at ISO 12,800 then the A7S II would be better choice. In terms of what is more enjoyable to shoot with though, the NX1 wins every time.

GX80/85 is good for run & gun too... That stabiliser!

I would vote C100 Mark II for run and gun.  No fiddling with adapters if you use Canon glass, built in ND, very quick turn around if you shoot in Wide DR mode.  Plus class leading AF, push button AF/auto IRIS (not found on the C300/500 I don't think).  Remove the top handle and it's barely bigger than a 1dx.  Face tracking and IS with the STM lenses; excellent battery life.