Leaderboard

You can film 4K on cheap v30 cards. You can get a 256gb SD card for under $40 and a 512gb SD card for under $60. I use them on my S5 and S5II X.

Instead of spending $7-10K per talking head to get twenty or thirty of the bros to Osaka to film each other eating ramen and doing running to camera AF tests, it would be much better to use that money to fund ten people to make actual small films with their new camera. They’d end up with a far more inspiring showcase of the camera and I don’t doubt the ethical aspect would make them feel better about themselves as well.

I recently switched to an FX3 (from shooting redcode on a RED Komodo) and found the workflow for ProRes RAW to be horrendous. I've helped build an Adobe Premiere plugin which is an entire RAW processing pipeline with proper RAW controls. OCTOPUS RAW Studio You can finally set white balance and ISO and a lot more! It also supports CinemaDNG.

Actually, a used ‘like new’ LUMIX S9 with all the bits & bobs will just sneak into this budget and would double very well as an EDC non-pro looking camera.

...and in L-mount, there's always the Pana S9 - not much larger and heavier than the Fp (both fitted with the Pana 18-40mm collapsible zoom below) - and you get IBIS too:

As it’s the current obsession in camera world, I’m trying to work out what would happen if you used a camera with terrible rolling shutter when filming pottery throwing when it starts to go awry on the wheel and gets the wobbles. Will it make it look like a lava lamp or will it go the other way and cross the streams in the Steven Wright “I put instant coffee in a microwave and almost went back in time” way ?

Meanwhile, in the actual real world, if someone can’t use a piece of kit like this to film a doc, a movie or even just a wedding, it’s the human element that cannot perform. Maybe the next iteration will be up to their needs so best wait until then I think.

And a flip screen. And open gate 6k 30p. And the best LUT support in the game. The FP is cooler though and has cdng… Neither of them are a Z8 however.

Yes, absolutely, I took mine when swimming with dolphins. But sherioushly, it has a weather sealing rating as do some but not all of the lenses. I really did like my S5...at the time, but would easily choose an S1 over it now as a used option. Or an S5ii/S1H and especially the S1H now they are so cheap. And to answer the "is it bigger?" Q, of course, but not by that much. Nothing that would bother me anyway. Looking for something more discrete for travel and galleries and museums etc, maybe better off with something like one of the cropped mirrorless bodies from Canon or Fuji or something like the A6000 range from Sony? An XT3 would be an excellent choice and something like the XS-20 (under 1k used) would also make a good option.

I agree, and a decent U3/V30 rated SDXC card can handle 200 Mbit/s (25 Mbyte/s) no problem, which is very high bitrate for long-GOP HEVC and should be pretty much transparent video quality. I've been using relatively cheap 128GB or 256GB Sandisk Extreme or Samsung Pro Plus UHS-1 U3/V30 cards for years (both rated for over 100 Mbyte/s write speeds by their manufacturers).

Might be too little too late for you but this Arca-Swiss plate SSD mount is quite interesting and is just over $100 Full details here https://www.52weeks.com/product-page/sigma-fp-arca-swiss-ssd-bottom-plate-1-0

@alsoandrew could use a remote record button to start / stop the recordings with, such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Including-Trigger-Compatible-Panasonic-Fujifilm/dp/B0CP1PGWPX That way they don't need to worry about their dirty hands touching their camera! Just a 50mm? Probably won't be wide enough for everything they want to do. Thus why I suggested they get three lenses. If that's the standard you've set your expectations to, then yeah, a Panasonic GH5S/G9/etc is easily good enough. If you're seriously committed to the idea of going FF, no matter what, then at least go for a S5mk1 instead of a Z6mk1.

I don't see why you couldn't get a used Lumix S5, a used 50mm f1.8, a tripod, mic, and lights for $1.5k. If you get the Lumix S5 for $730 and the Lumix 50mm f1.8 for under $250 (https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/panasonic-lumix-s-50mm-f-1-8) then you're already under $1k. That leaves you with $500 for a tripod, mic and lighting. That's very easy. There are so many decent affordable options in those categories these days.

Given your budget constraints and the intention to have controlled lighting, the suggestions provided by @ironfilm are really strong. If you need to stretch your budget more, you may need to look at third-party used via eBay or FB marketplace (if you are in the US). Fredmiranda is a place I prefer to buy & sell but you need to get known there before you can PM people for purchases, which is a good thing. I picked up a perfect Panasonic 20-60mm there for $210 recently. If full-frame is a requirement for you, the Panasonic S1 has no record time limit but the S5 does - 29:59 (although that limit might now exist with an external recorder). But the S5 does have a screen that flips out and twists so that you can see yourself and see your framing once you get to work and make any adjustments. Helpful. Is filming in 422 Log necessary? Probably not. I can't speak to Nikon and NLog but having filmed so, so many hours of Panasonic's VLog, it's been robust, flexible, easy to work with, produces a beautiful image. The 150Mbps 4:2:2 4K is honestly very efficient for the file that you get and I've never felt the need to record externally with my S1.

If you wait a month or two, the S5 will probably be on sale new at B&H for $999. It's hit that price a few times in the past 6 months.

Nikon / Vimeo have joined up to hand out $30k funding each to lucky filmmakers. https://vimeo.com/shortfilmgrant?utm_source=MKT&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_CA-vimeo-grant-3-12-2025&utm_content=btn&utm_term=ApplyNow&ET_CID=5558147&ET_RID=1080819395 You get the use of a Nikon Z8, Z9 or RED cameras too. Will be interested to see what comes out of this.

I’d hope they would put it in all of them as it’s somewhat annoying when footage does not match and the S9 is very much a B cam to to S5ii/x. Actually, it’s my A cam and the S5ii’s are ‘B’ but burning in that base LUT makes my workflow so much easier. An Arri link up is very good marketing just as Nikons is with RED. They both need to milk these things.

After sitting on the fence for while, after the recent price reductions and a 'used - like new' deal popping up, I bought that combo. Handles rather like a slightly larger and heavier GX85, with much better video quality and C-AF - pretty much as I hoped/expected. That would be nice - but I suspect the more expensive S-series cams would get that first (if it happens at all).

If the bros made The Godfather.

I bought the S9 + 18-40mm kit as a 'used - like new' deal recently in the UK for about £1100 (including 20% sales tax). With the recent price reductions that kit is only £1299 brand new (and only £150 more than the body alone). Quite liking it so far, feels very solid in the hand and the lack of a front grip isn't as much of a problem as I thought it might be. Pretty good value (at the current pricing) for what you get, I think.

I think the S9 is the thinking man’s Fp. Sadly, I’m not so good on the thinking these days! I had a go of the S9 with that lens combo and it’s not bad at all. I’ve said it before but I think if Panasonic want to kick start the S9 after the stuttering launch then they’d bring over the ARRI LogC3 option from the GH7. With the LUT burning option this would certainly satisfy the “film stock” type of thing that @mercer is after and it’s something that I’ve got an interest in myself too. Yes, I know this can be done with what exists in the camera already but for dummies like me it is appealing to hand over responsibility for the base look and think to myself “right, talented people get this known quantity to look good so keep at it until you can as well and if you can’t work out why”. It also saves the endless noodling about on offer in Resolve.

I get it, but you can get fine audio from almost any mic, as long as it's close enough to the source. Add some tweaking in post if needed and 99% of those watching aren't gonna notice the difference between a $100 mic and $500+ mic. As long as it's not peaking, there's no hum or other noise, it will be sufficient for YouTube. I mean, heck, going back to my buddy that uses a cheap Movo wireless mic going into a T3i that has terrible audio preamps! That gets used on the local nightly news on the NBC affiliate! I quite like Lumix colors, and the natural profile on the S5 is what I usually go with when I don't need to do heavy grading. As long as your white balance and exposure is set correctly you'll get very good results, and 8-bit is good enough to do some tweaks as long as you don't try to push the colors too much. Markus is great in that he thinks of some creative ideas, especially outside the box ones. I quite like his video/photo content, though when I read up more about him I cringed quite a bit when it comes to his health/motivational speaking stuff. Aside from disagreeing with most of it, he is accused of hiring people to attend tapings so that it looks like he's giving these motivational speeches in front of large crowds that uses for promotional videos when they are just paid actors. So I just stick to the video/photo channel, haha! I've never had an issue with using manual focus on the Lumix S5, and I usually use the screen instead of the EVF (I know, I know!) You can also buy a cheap 5 or 7 inch monitor if you have trouble nailing focus, but I've never had that problem personally. Also auto focus really isn't that bad on the S5, especially if you are there to monitor it. I definitely understand why people who are used to PDAF complain, but I've used it for year and really don't have a ton of complaints about the auto focus, especially once you get used to its quirks. I know @MrSMW, who also used the S5 a lot, has similar views. Having PDAF on my S5II X is nice, but I still use AF on my two S5 bodies and it's "fine." It's weather and dust proof! Haha! I am not trying to be a shill, but it really does blow my mind that this camera is so readily available for under $1000 on the used market. I just don't think you can beat it when it comes to video features, especially when it comes to full frame. It is very easy to overlook the EVF and auto focus when you take into consideration how powerful it is in every other way. And it's a camera that will still stand up 5 years from now, in terms of image quality and usability. I've had it for a couple years now and I still haven't used all the features, like anamorphic and external RAW. So it's literally a camera that technically I could still grow into using if I decided I wanted to use those features down the road. The only thing that I would warn about those is they can overheat when filming for long times and the X-T3 has recording limits in all modes, from what I remember. I really looked hard at Fuji a few years back; if not for the bad IBIS and the recording limits/overheating it was the system that I honestly thought would have been the perfect, as I really like Fuji colors. It's still over $1,000 here in the States. I've been keeping my eye on the used prices because I increasingly want one haha!

OK. Then lighting lighting lighting. With some stage management, so mostly likely, multiple lights. IMO the single biggest thing that will differentiate yourself from the rest.

I've cycled through a lot of cameras to get here (including Blackmagic, Sony, and two REDs) and ended up selling off about a dozen cameras last year. I think I'm finally happy. I can't think of anything else that I really want and I haven't purchased a camera in almost two years, which is a record for me: WORK/DOCUMENTARY/NARRATIVE CAMERAS Canon C70 x2 FUN/EXPERIMENTAL CAMERAS Canon 5Diii with ML Canon EOS-M with ML Lumix GH1 (hacked) Lumix FZ47 STILLS CAMERAS Canon EOS-R Olympus E500 Fujifilm E900 Canon Elan (Film) If I could snap my fingers and add a camera to this list, it would be the Ikonoskop A-Cam. Or, I'd probably buy an Octopus16 if they ever get around to releasing it.

I have seen this and even the set up I have with the SmallRig sled is pretty small. Sadly, it's not the only reason I'm getting bored with it. My amateur eyes, thinks the R7's IQ is damn near almost as good, when you add a touch of Midtone Detail in Resolve, as the FP and it's a lot more fun to shoot with. I believe Sigma is doing something internally with noise reduction in the FP raw files that's smoothing everything over. Weirdly, I feel like the internal 8bit 4K, or your suggested 10bit 4K, actually may look a little better... for what I'm looking for.

I think pretty much any sector on social media (unless it's very, very niche) is going to be saturated with content. All you can really do is make your content as interesting and easy to watch as possible. If you are going to be on-camera and/or talking to the audience it'll probably take lots of practice and time to develop your 'presentation style' unless you have a natural talent for it. Those things are far more important than small differences in picture quality between cameras etc. that your viewers won't notice. Don't over-think the hardware side of things and buy extra stuff that you think you *might* need (and then waste time working out how to use it) - the KISS principle.

To go a different way, and I don't think I saw it suggested yet, why not just get a tripod mount and a decent modern iPhone? On 15/16, you can easily record nice quality ProRes/log to an external SSD (or even to CF with a USB-C to CF adapter). Combine it with a decent mic and you're set.

I'd be willing to bet that if you measure the dimensions of the camera with that plate on it, you'll be really close to an EOS R5 in terms of dimensions. Dark Power Lab has a similar bottom plate (though without the abomination that is an 90 degree offset Arca-Swiss plate) and custom SSD sleds that are really small. I spent a while trying to get the fp and fp-l to a reasonable setup for filming things. Everything had big compromises or ended up as big as the R5 (or bigger). I really wish Sigma would re-release nearly the exact same camera, but with an option for faster internal media. If they'd add 12-bit cDNG support to the bf, I'd probably go buy one. Paired with Leica M glass, it'd be a brilliant EDC.

Not a camera obviously but Behringer released a new mic pre-amp/compressor today and I was having a look at the review. German company but now do all of their manufacturing in China. The reality is now realitying about who’s paying.

Comfortably within budget: LUMIX S1 (used) 20-60mm (used) Rode Micro Tripod Light 🧨 Boom 🧨

I get it, but it's probably the best mic under $100 that he can get and better than the Deity he was considering. For someone just shooting YouTube videos that aren't generating revenue it's more than enough.

Since this is essentially product photography, I'd say that the camera doesn't matter as much as your lighting. If you want full frame, probably any full frame camera that shoots video made in the past 10-15 years would do. Then again, on the opposite end of the spectrum, a camcorder will give you the unlimited run times you may need as well. I understand your point about media and that would be a major concern for me as well. The SD cards needed for high quality 4K are expensive so I would pick a camera that uses CF, CF Express or an SSD, although I personally loathe SSDs attached to a camera but for your use, it makes sense. So that narrows your options down a bit. From Canon, any of the 5D series cameras from the Mark II on would work. I'd imaging the Nikon D series full frame cameras would also be fine. The D750 shoots nice video. But you did mention 4K so that will complicate things a bit. Someone mentioned a GH5s, and if you did choose to go with a crop sensor camera, I'd look at the GH6. Professional codecs, CF Express or SSD recording, etc... But I'd also look into timelapse photography because you may be able to get a bigger bang for your buck? To add, not all of my suggestions will give you the 4K you originally stated you wanted, but based on the example you provided, I don't think you need it. Anyway, good luck. And thanks for the post. It's interesting to see what other people are creating!

There is also this short film festival: https://www.festivalnikon.fr/en Many of submitted works are very creative. Edit is professional, color grading as cinematic as it gets: https://youtube.com/@nikonfilmfest So many talented people are out there, and I wonder why we don't see them in this forum? I want to hear their BTS stories.

Also, instead of the Deity I would go with the RODE VideoMic GO II. It will sound pretty good as a boom mic if boomed close enough and is surprisingly decent directly plugged into your computer if you need to do voice overs, since it has a USB-C connection.

Just a small correction: the Lumix S5 has unlimited record times in 4K 8 bit except 60P. Record limits are for 4K60p and 10-bit. There are SO MANY options when it comes to affordable lighting these days. I mean, realistically, you could get away with $7 clamp lights, cheap LED bulbs and using shower curtains as diffusion to start off. Especially if it's only ever gonna be used in your "studio". Here are a couple videos that might be of some help when it comes to lighting. Markus is an eccentric, kinda weird fella and I don't always agree with his conclusions, but his videos are always interesting and he buys a lot of stuff to try out (just try not to get suckered into his health/motivational grift): I was just going by what he wrote in his original post! He mentioned wanting a camera and a 50mm. I'd recommend he goes with the 20-60mm kit lens too. f3.5 isn't bad at all on the wide end and it's a really good quality lens to the point that it's kinda insulting to call it a kit lens when compared to every other kit lens out there. I use it on almost every professional shoot I do. Yeah, the Z6 is a lot more limited when it comes to video than the Lumix S5 is. The S5 is very much a video focused hybrid, while the Z6 was a photo camera that also did some video. It was a big step forward for Nikon in the department, but the S5 is superior in every way other way when it comes to video other than maybe autofocus.

I certainly have been thinking about that a lot! Especially as I'd like to use my Sigma 50-500mm sports lens with something better than a D90. Unfortunately shipping all the way to NZ means I might need to add as much as nearly 50% extra on top of that sale price after purchasing it. (there are benefits but also drawbacks to living in the world's most remote city) Currently keeping my eye out for a keenly priced D700 locally, but pickings are slim and most people want too much for it. (such as nearly three hundred USD for a well used and only semi functional D700) But that's ok, the longer I wait, the more affordable the D750 will become 😉 Ehhh... OG BMPCC / FS7 is preferable in my personal opinion / preferences. (which reminds me, I've got a Canon 50D for ML Raw, I probably should ditch it and pass it along to someone who'd like it. Doesn't work for stills!) I would like having two Fuji cameras, either to use them for quite different purposes, or so I can use them both at once. Although I agree, the X-T3 is a big step up! But overkill for my needs. I also have no idea what the pricing is over on The West Island 😉 😅 It's great also for high speed flash photography , if you're into that. The Nikon D50 does 1/500!! Not even the latest and greatest Sony A1 can manage that, instead the Sony A1 "loses" to the ancient and lowly D50 due to its 1/400 speed. For further comparison the Nikon Z9 is only 1/200

Sensor size is not your issue. Just get yourself the battery grip (to unlock longer recording times) for the X-T2 and you've got a good starting setup at a very low cost. oh well, that crosses out the X-T2 option. Get a Panasonic S5 mk1? $1.5K in total once you include everything? So only $500 for lenses/tripod/mic/lighting/accessories/etc?? Gee, spending $1K on the body is waaaaaaay too much. Especially as you're not making any money at all on this. Honestly I'd suggest you instead spend your money on getting a dirt cheap Panasonic GH4 (or perhaps a GH5S if you can stretch it, as I see the cheapest are nearly six hundred bucks: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126984184008 ) Then put the rest of the money into: lighting, tripod, lenses, media, audio. You'll find that money will very quickly disappear. Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 => https://www.ebay.com/itm/146362468802 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1725975-REG/ttartisan_c2520_b_m43_25mm_f_2_aps_c_compact.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1732932-REG/7artisans_photoelectric_a010s_m_35mm_f_1_4_lens_for.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1774976-REG/smallrig_3751b_ad_01_heavy_duty_tripod_with.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1852610-REG/tascam_fr_av2_32_bit_float_recorder_timecode_generator.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/850444-REG/Impact_ls_ct40mbk_Turtle_Base_C_Stand_Kit.html (two or even four+ of these) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1606022-REG/auray_bp_59a_5_section_aluminum_boom_pole.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/242661-REG/Audix_SCX1_HC_SCX1_HC_Microphone.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1155648-REG/rycote_037340_universal_shotgun_mount_for.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1488633-REG/trp_worldwide_4848uf_48x48_ultrabounce_floppy_with.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1484381-REG/aputure_lantern_360_degrees_softbox.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1753989-REG/amaran_apm022da10_amaran_cob_200d_s.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1387572-REG/genaray_blt_60_bullet_led_focusing_spot.html etc etc etc For a $1.5K total budget then a secondhand GH4 seems like the right way to go, or maybe a GH5S.

I'm seconding a used Lumix S5. GH5 and G9, if full hdmi is necessary. Also the additional 4K S16 mode is super cool. GH5II for full hdmi, preinstalled VLog and also sporting 10bit in 4K60p just like the S5. It further shows the least sharpening of the bunch.

Also a previous wave of cinematic experimentation. Turns out its been done.

Curious about the wish to record externally. The internal codecs are so good these days and SD cards so cheap that you don't need to. What continuous run-times are we talking about, will it be many hours? I would try and find a used Panasonic S1H for under $1k or cheap Sigma Fp deal. Nikon Z6 is a decent choice and best value. Sony a7 III? OK it's not 10bit but S-LOG2 grades well in 8bit, small file sizes in 4K and it has decent low light too. The older a7s II is also worth a look. But the cheapest 10bit camera is the Panasonic S1. Also worth a look but check the recording time limits!

I can tell why he doesn't shoot now.

I'm keen on our own findings, footage, artistc work, analysis, concepts, our creative work in general and reflection about it. Like in my post above, I am with @kye and @QuickHitRecord on this. Well designed challenges are a great. I'd love that. I don't care about the endless repetition of specs and mediocore youtube links over and over again, which have been bloating some threads. Less hot air, more artistic work and experiments. Like in pre corona times. The cinematography . com forum has tons of that kind of great stuff. Why not getting back to focus much more on that rather than recycling internet discussions.

How were they to know the internet would decide to obsess and fixate on RS for this camera. Only a month ago we thought we were getting SL3 sloppy seconds. Up til now Panasonic's most consistent weak spot has been AF and now hilariously AF isn't even in the discussion. Rolling shutter is a non-issue in that many other cameras have the same limitation. There's nothing remarkable about the S1RII's RS worth multiple Gerald videos. What I see most consistently in commentary about the S1RII is that it's not an S1HII. The S1RII is taking flack for not being the camera the online crowd wants the most from Panasonic.

They are pretty silly not to have a reduced rolling shutter 24p mode straight off the bat to avoid the bad publicity. Just run the sensor in the 6K 48p mode with 1/48 shutter and conform in-camera to 24p. Job's a good-un.

Sure but why limit yourself to the 8 or 9 film simulations only two of which are cinema film stock? The best for that approach would be LUT recording enabled cameras, assuming you have a favourite/custom LUT collection in your NLE. S9 has as far as I know best implementation with stackable LUTs, opacity etc and a phone app to edit/manage them. I think you can even add film grain to video. you can also use the LUTs on stills which is pretty cool as it even differentiates log from standard sources. I really hope more manufacturers use this approach. Never been a fan of stock picture profiles especially for video.

I'm a long-time Canon shooter and my next camera will probably be an R5C or R5 mk2. That said my on-going workhorse camera is an FS7 because it gives me work. Logic would dictate I get an FX3/FX6 but I'm just not a fan of the camera specs / price ratio in 2025: No 6K/8K, No open gate, No RAW, No EVF etc.. with a price tag here in Europe still at 4500€ for FX3. Sony's dominance comes at a price, to me they are the overpriced and under spec'd cameras today.

Late last year I saw Goodfellas projected on 35mm film. Absolutely incredible movie. I've been going back and watching more classics, some that I've seen a long time ago and some I've never seen. Lots to watch and enjoy if you zoom out and watch the best from the entire catalogue of cinema history.