Help out a newbie

[Tuan209]

Hi Guys!

 

My first post so be kind  :D!  My name is Tuan and I am glad to have found this forum.  

 

I am looking to get into the video side of cameras and SLRs.  I am a complete noob when it comes to anything video related.  

 

I currently have a Fuji X100s (my gf is "borrowing" it from me ;)) which I guess isnt all that great when it comes to videos, so I am thinking about picking up something easy and and convenient to use, such as the Sony RX100 III or RX10.

 

I know there are better cameras out there, but like I said, I want something easy to use at first to learn about how to take good videos.  

 

Anyhow, Ive started out by buying "How to Shoot Videos That Doesn't Suck" by Steve Stockman.

 

Do you guys have any suggestions on any other must reads or websites for a noob starting off?

 

Tuan

[jonpais]

Without knowing what you are planning to shoot, it is impossible to make any meaningful recommendations.

[Ben Prater]

What do you want to shoot? And what is your budget? 

 

Music videos? Get a BMPCC, it's magic. 

 

Corporate videos? The C100 is a small beast that won't let you down.

 

Travelogue? The RX100 III is insanely awesome for it's size.

 

Want to shoot a movie on a budget? Then you want the BMCC and it's killer image.

 

Really want to save a bunch of cash? Get a Rebel, like a T2i or T3i. You get a magically beautiful APS-C sensor (near 35mm) for under $500, including lens.

 

Want the best camera money can buy today? Get a GH4. A $2k camera that will run all day on one battery and pump 4k to an SD card.

[Tuan209]

Sorry Guys!

 

I just plan on shooting travel videos and a little bit of snowboarding clips.  Hope that helps!

 

Tuan

[jonpais]

Once you've shot your award-winning video, you've got to, hmmm, edit it, right? Here are some sites worth visiting:

For color grading tutorials and stuff, you might check out David Vickers' superb DaVinci Resolve training videos, iseehue (for grading breakdowns) and Toolbox, an outstanding resource, to name just a few.

For highly opinionated advice on setting up a Mac and storage advice, you should have a look at Lloyd Chambers' Macintosh Performance Guide. Storagereview.com and TweakTown have reviews of, well, storage!

The best FCPX tutorials I've seen are found at lynda.com, while Larry Jordan has free training over at YouTube. He also publishes a newsletter and has created a series of free filmmaking videos with Norman Hollyn called 2 Reel Guys.

 

For inspiration, check out Ruben Latre's atmospheric work at Vimeo or listen to lots of music.

Or you could check out this

[Christina Ava]

Hello! 

1.go http://nofilmschool.com/dslr/  and download the dslr cinematography guide, its free and made for people with basic understanding of vdslr.

 

2. Buy some good books from amazon on film cinematography editing

 

3. go enroll in your local dslr seminars ( they are everywhere these days)

 

good luck and good start..

 

p.s lurk in forums like this one for a long time and you will gather knowledge

 

i have been a long time lurker 2 years plus+ before i became a member

[Tuan209]

Thanks guys!  Thanks for all the links and suggestions.  Keep them coming!

 

Ive done a lot of reading on here and various forums and websites over the weekend, and I think I have narrowed down my choices, either the RX100 III or RX10.  

 

Now I know there are better options that will provide better footage quality such as the m43 w/ speed boosters and lenses, and I have certainly toyed with the idea of going this route, but I like the idea of getting something simple and working on the technical aspects of shooting good footage rather than getting caught up with gear, at least initially.  

 

So given my choice, which of the two would you guys recommend for me?  

 

I like that the RX100 III is smaller and comes with the better codec, but I not sure if the optics of the RX100 can match the RX10.  It is also missing the mic input and doesnt nearly have the range.  

[jonpais]

I work with external audio all the time and wouldn't consider purchasing another camera without a hotshoe and microphone and headphone jacks. In-camera microphones suck. For example, I might be interviewing young musicians in the park. I have an assistant handling a Rode VideoMic Pro on a boompole attached to a digital audio recorder. I still monitor the sound in camera with a set of earphones, even though that won't be the sound heard in the finished project. And I have a Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro mounted on camera, allowing me to capture some of the performances. If you go to YouTube or Vimeo and watch some travel videos with no ambient sound, only some background music, and compare them to ones where ambient sounds are used creatively, you'll recognize the difference immediately. 

[jonpais]

Although it is commendable that you care more about getting the technical aspects of shooting out of the way before committing to expensive gear, I'm thinking you'd be better off reconsidering... The RX10, while a fine camera, costs $1,300. The GH4 is a far superior camera in every regard, and costs just $400 more. You could pick up a cheap adaptor and start working with some inexpensive used Nikon AIS lenses right away. Or some reasonably priced MFT Sigma ART lenses.

[Jonesy Jones]

In my opinion, doing all the research that you are doing is great, and absolutely necessary, but there is nothing like experience. Here's the thing that I have learned, you're going to buy a camera, and it's not going to be perfect, regardless of the one you choose. You'll learn a ton from your experience with that camera, but then you'll want to upgrade and so you'll buy another one, and it won't be perfect either. So, you'll upgrade again eventually, and so on and so forth. Until eventually you realize that investing in cameras is like pouring money down the toilet. So you'll begin investing in lenses and tripods and mics and other things that don't lose value so quickly. But your tastes will change regarding those things, so then you'll eventually replace that gear with other gear, until one day you realize all that stuff doesn't really matter because it's all about story. 

 

Along the way you'll waste tons of money and time, but unfortunately there's no way to skip from A to Z. The journey is very important and unavoidable, and fun. Just be prepared for the world you're about to enter, and jump in with both feet. You're gonna make mistakes and there's no perfect anything. At least that's been my experience. 

[jgharding]

Don't drive yourself mad with codecs, tech and lenses.

 

The RX100 or RX10 are great cos they're all in one and very light. give one a blast. screw a little handle to the bottom and let the stabiliser turn your arm into a steadicam!

 

I used an RX100 and added a screw on filter for a little fader ND and it was awesome. I sold it as i didn't use it enough, but it was great when i had it. Sure, you can't grade it as much as some other cameras and it's not the best in low light (the RX10 is better for that) but it is really fun and easy to shoot with.

 

Focus on constructing completed pieces more so than technical tests etc. Use you cat/kitchen table tests to learn but be sure to actually make a satisfying and complete piece at some point.

 

Better off, start cold by making a whole piece on pure instinct, look at what goes wrong or could be improved, and use that to decide your next learning stage.

 

Contextualising knowledge is very important, abstract figures or ideas are just that: abstract. By putting them into practice we learn very fast indeed.