IronFilm

Hell no. No, just no, no. I'd go for Aputure Deity + Audix SCX1-HC + 3x Sony UWP-D11 + Zoom F4 (or Tascam DR70D if the budget is being stretched too far) + multiple OST Lavs + 2x Ultrasync ONE (or Tentacle Syncs if DSLRs are being used a lot) + 3m & 5m carbon fibre boom poles + blimp + Rode WS6 + dead kitten + Rycote InVision INV-HG + Electro-Voice RE50L + RodeLink Newsshooter Kit (note: **NOT** the Filmmakers Kit!!!) + lots and lots of various other supporting accessories you'll need... Together, this makes up a very good "no budget" level soundie's kit to start out with. Edit: although... I just realised you didn't say you're solo shooting? Hopefully you're not! But now I think about it.... you might be? If so, then you choice of audio gear changes quite a bit, and also depends on what camera you're getting, and even more heavily depends on your particular style as a solo shooter as to just how much (or rather: how little!!) you'll care for sound (as this can vary an awful lot from one shooter to the next).

Oh, what did you mean then by a "bad movie" shot on an Alexa?

I feel the next big areas to come down to the average joe level and be democratized is lighting and audio tech. Hopefully we will get more/better/cheaper HMIs, like what CAME-TV is already doing: https://www.came-tv.com/collections/hmi-par-and-fresnel-light We also need more educational material for aspiring gaffers. Luke Seerveld's "Meet the Gaffer" series I think is the **ONLY** regular content on YouTube being produced by an independent working professional gaffer? The good thing though is there is a ***HEAP*** of other film lighting info out there as well to get started with, even if it is often more coming from the DoP's side of things that is being shared rather than the gaffer's perspective. Then there is what companies like Aputure is doing with LED technology, which is going to be (and already is) a massive GAME CHANGER for the lighting world! Especially as cameras are getting better and better at low light, it means smaller lighting packages can be used (such as LED powered ones). Because let's admit it, even something like a Panasonic GH5 with fast lenses is pretty damn good at low light. Gives us abilities to see in the dark that filmmakers in the mid (or even late) 2000's would've killed for!!

I'd disagree, a well shot movie with a D5500 will absolutely be better than someone with an Arri Alexa who doesn't know what they're doing. Lighting, composition, art, costume, audio, etc (I didn't even mention "story") all matter **A LOT**. But all of that stuff hardly cares what camera it is shot on, in the big picture perspective of everything.

While watching one of their BTS videos (which they'd linked to as part of their advert for a new flatmate) of a local kiwi filmmaking duo: I realised from watching their BTS of the film, that their feature film (which is a damn decently good one for a person's first feature and done on a very low budget, absolutely worth a watch!) was shot on the Panasonic AF100 (for those who are somehow not familiar with this camera, think of it as like a hacked Panasonic GH1 but in a camcorder body): I think (?) that their second feature film (disclosure: I was involved myself in its shooting for a very tiny part of it! As the sound recordist for a few pick up shoot days) was primarily shot with a Canon 1D C and a 5Dmk3 ML raw, thus this film when it is released should also be of great interest to members of this forum:

Panasonic G80 is the clear top #1 option with 4K in your price range. The next two contenders I'd suggest are: BMMCC (if you don't care that the Micro lacks 4K and IBIS, and has max slow motion of 60fps FHD) Nikon D7500 / secondhand D500 (if you'd like to keep on using your D530 as a very easy to match B can)

As every year passes by, it seems that Canon falls another 11 and a half months behind. This is why I encourage other people not to buy Canon lenses, as (even if you're "OK" with Canon's current state of development vs the competition... Seriously??) do you in six year time want to feel "stuck with" system than has only inched forward with quarter of a year's worth of progress?

Yes the F4 does do that, as I own one myself and have used it for that purpose.... but I'd like to free up the F4, so thus why I'm looking around at one of these cheap USB interfaces.

A better buy then than the Focusrite 2i2? As it is cheaper, and has more inputs. Sounds like a horrendously expensive USBPre2 in the end!! :-o

That is right Cinegain, it is too easy (and cheap!) to use Nikon F mount lenses on MFT or Sony E mount cameras.

Ohhh.... the bigger version looks rather tempting should I ever decide to take this much further, and get a Boom Recorder set up with a laptop: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1116980-REG/resident_audio_zuac8_uac_8_usb_3_0_audio.html

After some more thought/research into it, it appears Focusrite is in general the popular "default" recommendation. But I often like to go against the grain ;-) Steinberg UR22MKII seems to be my preferred choice at the moment, because I get the feeling from reading reviews it might have a small edge in having better pre amps, but also it has the nifty feature of being able to run from a USB power pack which gives it some extreme portability! (you can hook it up then with a iPad) Tempted to wait for the reviews of the new Roland Rubix24 to come out, plus tempted still by the Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD (because it has four inputs, and is only $100). Meh, the price of the USB Pre2 is so high that the MixPre3 would make more sense to buy instead! Indeed, the MixPre3 is cheaper: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734341-REG/Sound_Devices_USBPRE_2_USBPre_2_Microphone.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1333778-REG/sound_devices_mixpre_3_mixpre_3_mic_preamps.html But nah, the MixPre3 is too pricey! I already own a Zoom F4 after all :-) Just looking around for something extra that is very cheap that I can leave around at a director friend's place for when he needs to voiceovers/ADR now and then.

MIDAS is a pretty famous name is it? If so that does possibly make it a cracking good deal for a hundred bucks and four of those MIDAS pre amps.

Yup, I can still pick up a secondhand Lenovo ThinkPad T420 for a fraction of that (which is just one example quite a few people have had success with as a hackintosh).

Strangely I basically never ever see the Arri Alexa Classic used with stills lenses :-/ https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1095114-REG/behringer_x_air_xr12_12_input.html Hmmm.... that looks quite tempting, if you paired this with an affordable laptop (Hackintosh!), running it all over V mount batteries, or even car batteries, and then an ultra cheap trolley (then heavily modified) to make yourself a small cart set up: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/saxon-hand-trolley_p03350614 You'd be running Boom Recorder on your Hackintosh laptop: http://www.vosgames.nl/products/BoomRecorder/

Wondering about what low cost audio interface to get? Important points for me, in order of priority (but I could potentially be flexible on these): 1) 2x XLR inputs 2) 96kHz & 24bits 3) good pre amps 4) good limiters (which doesn't seem to be that common? Though a few like the Roland Rubix24 has them) A few I've been considering (all prices in USD, sourced from B&H Photo, seems $150 is a very common price point here): Zoom U-24 ($150) Steinberg UR22mkII ($150) PreSonus AudioBox 96 ($100) Tascam US-2x2 ($150) Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD (has **four** inputs, and only $100!) Roland Rubix22 ($150, a new release! Not shipping just yet) Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd Gen (also, $150. What is the difference between 1st and 2nd generation?) And one more, just because it is just so crazy cheap: Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 2x2 (only one XLR input, and the other is 1/4", plus is just 48KHz, but is an insanely low price of $29.99!! And is the big difference between this and the Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 2x2 for ten bucks more??)

Heh, even easier in New Zealand, don't need to fill out any forms like that! Just go out and do.

Photogrammetry is what you want to do, and I've dabbled in this before myself. For a living object (especially a dog!) you'll need an array of cameras. Not one by itself!

I'd certainly be holding out for the Panasonic EVA1 If you need a camera **NOW** then get a secondhand FS700 with an external recorder.

Exactly. I wish more people would realise this. Heck, the 50D was capable of video and even had a microphone designed in it for video. But Canon didn't go ahead with it. Was only the Nikon D90 which finally *forced* Canon to add video to their next DSLRs. Perhaps now the D500 & D7500 (& the next D5x00 update?? & the D750 mk2? Plus of course the D900 will have 4K) has got 4K, then that will finally force Canon to bring out 4K to their future camera releases. Once again, it is Nikon (not Canon) who is leading the slow push forward with DSLR innovations.

Audacity is actually pretty good, plus is the best price.... FREE! (is, open source)

You can thank having slightly less screwed up IP laws than the USA!

Simple, this is how:

Never a smart idea to buy a camera on the promise of what is to come in the future. Plus by the time it comes out, there will be even more other alternative options.

Wow. THIS.IS.SO.ME. (although these days it is more audio gear instead)