IronFilm

In detail, this is what I'd get personally with that budget: chinese 3.5m carbon fibre boom pole + secondhand Tascam DR60Dmk2 + secondhand NTG1/ME600/ME66/Deity/AT4073a (whatever can be found cheapest, as budget is beyond tight) + Samson C02 + Rycote INV-7 + Rode WS6 + USB powerbank (5000mAh should be enough, 1000mAh if you want to be cautious and have something extra to charge your phone too) + 4m XLR cable + cheapie camera shoulder strap + a strip of velcro. I do not at all understand why the H6 is fine but the DR60D is "too big", they're more or less the same, six of one, half a dozen of the other. And if you do want to be super ultra discrete then just sling the recorder into a casual side bag hanging on your body, and in that configuration the ergonomics of the DR60D becomes drastically preferable over the H6! Thus I don't understand why a person wouldn't want to choose not just the cheaper option (as they're on an extraordinarily tight budget) but also the better option as well. Additionally, I don't see the problem with using a boom in public, I do it all the time. (people care about what you're doing less than you think)

Car cameras is a massive market, could have been a reasonable pivot/sideline for GoPro to have approached that niche as well. Lots of missed opportunities have happened for GoPro unfortunately.

Not a great supporter of using a dedicated external pre amp prior to your recorder in this day and age if you're on a low budget (bit different when people only say had an H4n, then putting in say a MixPre/302 could make a massive difference, but we're in 2018 now), as the added cost/size/weight/complexity just doesn't add up to make sense. With the price of the Beachtek DXA-MICRO PRO Audio Adapter I'd suggest to just buy a Tascam DR60Dmk2 instead, which has pretty darn good pre amps for its low low price and you get a recorder with it too! ;-) (I checked the listed specs for each, and yes the Tascam has a better S/N Ratio than the Beachtek) As a low end pre amp (which all of these are, except the MixPre3, which is a recorder too) is *not* likely to outperform a solid recorder's pre amps such as say the Zoom F4 (or even a DR60Dmk2). And the Zoom F4 is an even greater bargain! ;-)

I'd be running a lav, thus I vote for a screen that flips up/down!

Yup, no Zoom recorder would interest me professionally other than the F series. (well I have the H1 which I purchased when I was the student)

An H1 is "too big"?! The mind boggles.... Perhaps get a Tascam DR10L to use on talent? Please no. Just because people have done this (I've also seen people use broom sticks as boom poles! ha), doesn't mean you should do it!! I wrote up last year my thoughts on the best pics for a recorder: http://ironfilm.co.nz/which-sound-recorder-to-buy-a-guide-to-various-indie-priced-sound-recorders-in-2017/ The only notable changes since then in this niche is the MixPre10T announced and the Marantz PMD-706 shipping. Zoom F series pre amps are right up there at the same level. And the Zoom F4 has more features and a lower price than the MixPre3. Personally the only strong reason to get the MixPre3 in my eyes is its small size, it is shockingly small. So if teeny is what you want, go for MixPre3!

Wish there is a camera with a 1" sensor but a prime lens rather than the zoom lens of a RX100/RX10/etc Something like a fusion between a RX0, RX1, XF100, and a RX100. A compact camera with a 1" sensor and a prime lens, that can easily slip into even a tight jean's pocket.

I'm going to get to work with a Venice tomorrow! :-D

Fingers crossed for a D5600 update with no crop 4K and focus peaking in 4K!

That is exactly the film I was thinking of! When Mercer wrote this:

It was a "paid" shoot, the rate was waaaay low (was less than half what I'm getting on the feature I'm starting on today!). In fact, I half suspect I was either the highest paid or second highest paid crew member on set every day (with the possible likely exception being the gaffer who was bringing a full transit truck to set each day for lighting). The "1st AD" was also the producer, as he'd struggled to find a 1st AD, so he did both!

I've done sound for a short film which was done with an EVA1 (the first in the country). Personally if I was in the market for a small-mid sized camera (not a stills one) then EVA1 would be my top choice if for whatever reason an FS7 wasn't an option (for instance if it is just a bit too big to fit into the "small-mid" sized category).

But if you don't need AF/AE then you can get Nikon F to mirrorless adapters for around twenty bucks each. Although of course when Nikon makes theirs it will need to have maximum compatibility of features.

Shockingly on the film I just wrapped on yesterday, we didn't have an AD (well, technically we had one..... but practically speaking? nah)

Dodged a bullet! Almost recorded leafblowers: Be bold and just ask:

The feature I'm working on now, has a script (which seems to be in a constant state of flux...). But no story boards. Exactly. Even a hundred grand would still be ultra low budget. If you're talking say sub $10K , then I would just call that as "No budget", as it is merely a rounding error.

By NZ's standards we have a few very minor "names" attached to it.

Anything that costs less than a nice new car is definitely ultra low budget. The DoP believes the production got it from Panavision for free for three weeks. I'm very skeptical, I personally reckon they are paying "something" but it is an extremely good deal such as say a one day rental.

Shoot off season, have full insurance, tell them only experienced professionals will touch it.

Like the Sony PMW-F3 ;-)

Heh, I just today got asked "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" when I pulled out my iPhone to snap a few pics in a pet shop to send the pics of kitties to my gf on my FB messenger. But once I explained it to her though, she was all cool with it. Anyway, my point is you can get given sh*t for using ANY camera! Just ignore the haters.

Sure, as a percentage of videos on YouTube it wouldn't be anything at all. But as a gross number? It would be huge! Every single day of the year without fail there would be content destined eventually for YouTube that is being shot with an ARRI. Because if you spin some deals it can indeed be dirt cheap to shoot on an ARRI if you really wish to. I'm on the third week of an ultra low budget feature film which is being shot on an AMIRA. You can see it in the background of quite a few of my recent uploads, such as today's: This scene was shot so super simple, yes the 1st A.C. had a wireless follow focus and Teradeck for his monitor, but lighting was just a scrim and bounce held each by someone from the lighting team. (Plus careful judgement and timing with the clouds, to keep the look consistent for across the scene) I'm not even surprised. I've worked on Instagram shoots too.

If you don't already use belts, you should, they're life changing. Here I am demonstrating a thigh mount:

The DoP just mentioned that their V mount batteries last around twenty minutes on our AMIRA :-o And yet people complain about the battery life of the original BMPCC.... (although yeah, you can buy V mount batteries which last much longer on the AMIRA)