Almost every day, readers of this blog ask me which digital SLR camera to buy and how to best set it up for shooting video without spending too much money. The purpose of this article is to explore just that – with the price cap set at $1000, I’m going to recommend some options related to the camera, gear, and other basic accessories you need to build an inexpensive theater-ready package.
My philosophy when setting up any camera for narrative filmmaking is to really treat it like a film camera, or at least like a high-end digital film camera. While the average film shot with a RED or Arri Alexa does look much better than the average film shot with a DSLR, I think the difference is more due to the way the camera handles, exposes, and shoots. reflection of ability. In other words, having a better camera doesn’t mean your final images will necessarily look better. I’ve seen a lot of great movies shot with a DSLR, and I’ve seen a lot of terrible movies shot with a RED, Alexa, or other great digital movie camera. If you use a DSLR like a RED, you’re already ahead of the game, especially since it doesn’t take a ton of time or money to get your kit ready for theater shooting.
camera
When it comes to the brains of your setup, I’ll give you 2 options, each priced under $550. You might be thinking that if you had a total of $1,000 to spend, you’d rather buy a more expensive camera and not worry about accessories, but I strongly advise you not to. Digital SLR cameras in the $500 price range look just as good (if not better in some cases) than cameras in the $1000 range. There may be subtle differences, but you won’t notice them on screen as much as you’ll notice the effects of your gear. Plus, even if you’re not crazy about accessories, you’ll still need a lens or two to get started (we’ll talk about that later), so ultimately keeping your camera budget under $500 is ideal for this example. Here are the two camera bodies I recommend:
Canon T3i – $499
Canon EOS Rebel T3i SLR camera (body only)
Lumix G6 – $549
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens
Any of these cameras would work well as the centerpiece of a system. They are both great cameras, especially for the price, but between the two I would personally choose the G6. The reason is that I love that the Micro Four Thirds format allows you to fit almost any lens, and I also find this camera to be sharper than the T3i. That said, if you have a lot of Canon glass, or like a shallower depth of field, the T3i does have its advantages.
lens
Even in more traditional film settings, zoom lenses have their time and place, but for the purposes of this article I’m going to stick with some very basic prime lenses. While zooming can be useful in some situations, being a little old school in this regard and sticking to primes is your best bet as this can get you a lot of benefits. Below I’ve listed three lenses, all under $200. With our set goal of $1000 for the full set, you can simply choose one of the lenses below to get started. You can always expand your kit with more lenses later to cover all focal lengths, but for now let’s not underestimate the power of a single lens. After all, there have been many great feature films shot over the years using only 35mm or 50mm lenses.
Nikkor 50mm 1.8-$109
Nikon Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D autofocus lens
Canon 50mm 1.8 – $125
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 – $196
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G DX lens
The reason I only list 35mm or 50mm lenses here is that generally these are the “normal” focal lengths that are best for everyday photography. You don’t want your only lenses to be wide angle or telephoto because in most situations you won’t be able to use them easily. If you choose the G6 (which has a slightly smaller sensor than the Canon), you’re better off going with the 35mm, as the crop factor makes the 50mm feel like a telephoto lens. Of the three, the Nikkor 50mm is my favorite.
drilling machine
The key to choosing gear within this budget is to keep it as simple as possible. You can get some amazing effects with small, inexpensive gear as long as you don’t overload it, and based on our minimalist approach to this $1,000 movie camera, we didn’t need any heavy equipment. Since we’re only dealing with a t3i or G6 (both of which are very light), we have access to an extremely compact and basic rig. Here’s one I’ve used before and highly recommend if you’re on a very tight budget but still looking for a more traditional style shoulder rig:
Revo SR-1500 Dual Grip Shoulder Rig – $159
Revo SR-1500 two-hand handlebar shoulder support equipment
If you prefer a more compact setup, this is a good choice:
Dotted Line Magic Gear – $94
Dot¤Line Magic Rig V1 for HDSLR cameras
Again, there is no right or wrong choice here. If having smaller gear is important to you, magic gear is hard to beat. It will still give you a good and stable image and can significantly improve your handheld footage compared to using no equipment at all. A dual-grip shoulder rig, on the other hand, is more of a long-term solution and will probably give you slightly more stability in most situations. Also, if you start building your rig more over the years and want to add more accessories, you will be able to add to the Dual Grip rig, while the Magic rig is not designed to be expanded or accessory-based.
follow focus
Some shooters can focus perfectly with their hands just fine, but no matter how steady your hands are, having a dedicated follow focus unit will always improve your ability to focus. Like other items on this list, you don’t need to spend a ton of time to get something that works well – Especially since you’ll be shooting on digital SLR glass, which can be handled with cheap solutions. For example, the products I’ve listed below work great right out of the box. Unlike follow focus systems that require you to add lens gears to all your shots, this is a gearless system that works based on friction:
IndiPRO Toll Follow Focus – $118 USD
IndiPRO¤Tools follow focus through friction drive
Again, if you are going to use a follow focus system, you will need the larger rig listed above as it has the 15mm rail required to mount this accessory, which is important.
ND filter
There is no doubt that ND filters are an important part of any shooting kit. However, unlike a traditional cinema camera setup, we needed to bypass the matte box and use a screw-in variable ND filter, which allowed us to stay within the $1000 limit. Is this the best option? Absolutely not. A matte box with a full set of ND/IR filters always looks best, but most variable ND filters aren’t actually that bad. Some of these may cause some color casts in the image, but usually you can color correct the image in post to compensate fairly easily. I recommend using a fairly large filter like this:
Bower 77mm Variable ND – $39 USD
Bower 77mm variable neutral density filter
If you’re wondering why I recommend using a 77mm filter when you have a lens with a smaller thread size such as 58mm or 52mm, that’s because you can adjust this filter to any lens 77mm or smaller, This will make it even more versatile in the long run. By adding some very cheap step-down rings, you can use this filter on almost any lens. There are of course lenses larger than the 77mm thread size, but personally, almost all lenses are 77mm or lower, and I don’t like to have overly large filters on small lenses if I don’t need to – so the 77mm size It’s a happy medium. That said, if you’re planning on buying a larger lens or one with a larger thread size, be sure to buy the larger lens first.
generalize
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to set up your camera for narrative shooting. The key is not to spend your entire budget on camera bodies, and remember to leave enough money for your gear, filters, and other accessories you need to get up and running. You should be able to use any combination of the above items while easily keeping your initial setup costs within the $1,000 range. Over time you will need to expand this package, but as a starting point you should be able to achieve very powerful results even with such a basic setup. It’s also important to keep in mind the small expenses – SD cards, extra batteries, magnifying glasses, etc., as you may or may not need to add some extra items to your kit right away. Also keep in mind the larger accessories you may want to buy in the future – LCD monitors, external video recorders, more lenses, etc. Kit: Definitely needs more gear. You’ll be surprised how much you can do with so little money.
Having the right gear is only one third of the equation to getting great images. The other two components are your skills as a DP (lighting, framing, etc.) and your skills during post-production (i.e. color correction). For more information on making the most of images in your posts, check out my post Achieve a striking look with color grading.
For those of you who want to take the next step, be sure to check out my Click here for a guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLR.
