High quality video camera and lens for under $3,500

[GregButcher]

I'm looking for video camera and lens suggestions for filming modelling shoots and close-ups in as high definition as possible within my budget of $3,500.

Being compact is not a concern as it will be kept in one location. 

I would be happy to go refurbished/used if that's advised.

There would be very minimal movement when shooting (e.g. video camera will be mounted on a tripod or held by a cameraman for a slow-moving modelling shoot or interview). It will also be used for taking still photos but this is much less important than the video quality.

I would be very grateful for any advice please as I'm quite new to this - I've used a Sony RX100 iii for several years and I feel like now is time for a considerable upgrade.

[newfoundmass]

17 hours ago, GregButcher said:

I'm looking for video camera and lens suggestions for filming modelling shoots and close-ups in as high definition as possible within my budget of $3,500.

Being compact is not a concern as it will be kept in one location. 

I would be happy to go refurbished/used if that's advised.

There would be very minimal movement when shooting (e.g. video camera will be mounted on a tripod or held by a cameraman for a slow-moving modelling shoot or interview). It will also be used for taking still photos but this is much less important than the video quality.

I would be very grateful for any advice please as I'm quite new to this - I've used a Sony RX100 iii for several years and I feel like now is time for a considerable upgrade.

The S5II with the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 if you're looking for a zoom lens

Or

The S5II with Panasonic Lumix S 24mm f/1.8 and the Lumix S 85mm f/1.8 

I went with 24 and 85mm because it'll give you a wide shot and a great portrait lens.

The Sigma primes are also excellent, and are faster (f/1.4) but the 24 and 85mm would put you over budget.

[Kisaha]

Bmagic Pocket would be ideal for the job description. Braw internal also..

[Snowfun]

BM Pocket. Either the 4k or 6k - I’d let your lens preference decide. But only if you’re looking for the best image quality at the price - if convenience is a priority then I guess any of the affordable mirrorless cameras on the market (Sony, Sigma, Panasonic, Canon etc) will do a superb job in capable hands.

if the camera is fixed and you know the preferred focal length then the 6k plus a Zeiss EF would be a good combination. Or a used (and cheaper) Nikon alternative with F-EF adapter. 

The choice isn’t really “what camera?”, it’s how do you want/need/like to work? AF or MF etc.

[newfoundmass]

No offense to the other posters, but the original poster mentioned taking stills with the camera so Blackmagic isn't a good option.

[Kisaha]

1 hour ago, newfoundmass said:

No offense to the other posters, but the original poster mentioned taking stills with the camera so Blackmagic isn't a good option.

"It will also be used for taking still photos but this is much less important than the video quality."

There is nothing like BMPocket for video quality for the money though..the camera is taking stills also!

[MrSMW]

S1H + Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 if you don’t mind a bit of size & weight, otherwise S5 + Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 for something more compact, plus costs less.

The jury seems to be still at lunch re. image quality of the newer S5ii and I have not done enough work with mine yet to comment…though I suspect I will see zero difference.

[deezid]

Right now the S1H definitely has the better image right out of camera in comparison to the S5II and you can find it below $2000 even. Selling mine for 1600€ atm, PM if interested.

The problem of the S1H is its horrific autofocus, so it's a manual focus only camera, at least for video.

Lenses I would recommend:
Sigma 28-70 F2.8 lens
Lumix F1.8 24, 35, 50 and 85mm lenses

[MrSMW]

4 hours ago, deezid said:

The problem of the S1H is its horrific autofocus, so it's a manual focus only camera, at least for video.

Really? Compared with ‘The Latest Sony’, yeah, not in that league, but it’s not too shabby! 

But yes it’s a better image than the S5ii. 
In fact it’s better in every way other than AF or if size & weight are a priority. And it’s cheaper!

I bought another a couple of weeks back, it’s that good.

I use its AF all the time, but mainly to acquire focus in the first place and then flip to manual with the switches on the side of the lens that Sigma provides along with manual aperture control 🙌

I do have a need for reliable AF every now and again and the S5ii takes care of that, but at a pinch, even the S1H’s tracking is not bad if you use a few tricks…

[gt3rs]

High definition in term of "sharpness" or you mean overall image quality (sharpness, dr, noise, rolling shutter, etc)?
Do you need high-quality  slow-motion or not?

Highest definition is one out of the 8k cameras R5, R5c, Z9, A1, REDs or BM 12k. The only kind of option in this price bracket is a used R5. 

4k there are quite a bit of choices now.

If you need AF, and for modelling is imo very useful, and photo, buy either Sony or Canon and a good used 24-70 or a couple of primes 35/85. Investing in the nice L mount not sure it is wise. Panny is a nice player in the photo/video business compared to the big boys. You want to move up or down in chain Panny has not much to offer with the same lens mount... so you need to sell and buy lenses. Now they finally have a better AF but they dropped in the quality.... 

 

[IronFilm]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:04 PM, Kisaha said:

Bmagic Pocket would be ideal for the job description. Braw internal also..

And it is so dirt cheap to buy a P4K that there would be plenty of spare cash left over to buy a secondhand Panasonic G9 for the photography as well! And you can share the lenses easily between both cameras. 

[mjfan]

@deezid which camera will you buy next after you sell your s1h?