Introduction
§It is a fact that some of the best directors of photography and indie filmmakers grew up often using the cheapest camera they could find.
§Recently there are loads of upgraded/high tech cameras, but many of the greatest directors had a very basic equipment to start their journey
§Always it is important to remember Equipment makes things easier, not — always — better.
I have often noticed adversity is the greatest teacher. So, not being able to do too many things with your camera forces you to think creatively to make your vision a reality.
§In this list, I’ll show you the five best budget filmmaking cameras you can get without breaking the bank nor sacrificing quality
My top 5 choices as the best budget filmmaking cameras
Here are my top 5 choices as the best budget filmmaking cameras with Amazon link;
1.Canon 5D Mark IV (Best budget filmmaking camera for beginners) -https://amzn.to/3u7DV5i
2.Fujifilm XT-4 — https://amzn.to/32RCrQY
3. Sony A6600 — https://amzn.to/3tUc7BD
4. Canon EOS M50 (Lightest camera for filmmaking) — https://amzn.to/3tQBzb0
5.Blackmagic Design (Best Budget Filmmaking Camera) — https://amzn.to/3aGlk8Z
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MY PERSONAL REVIEW
§Canon 5D Mark IV: Best Budget Camera
Pros;
you will like about the camera is the sheer number of lens choices. OEM and third-party Canon’s EF mount enjoys the largest number of compatible lenses. Most of the OEM ones are image stabilized, but many of the third-party lenses are not.
Cons;
A downside of this camera is the lack of built-in image stabilization. So it’s always recommended to use a stabilization rig such as a Flycam or a gimbal stabilizer or using one of the OEM lenses with image stabilization for handheld shots.
§Fujifilm XT-4
First, you get built-in image stabilization. That’s a big bonus when working with sharp lenses, which are not image stabilized otherwise like Meike, Rokinon, and SLR Magic lenses.
The second important advantage is that you get to shoot at a maximum of 60p in DCI/4K and UHD/4K when compared with the XT-3. This helps in recording at a higher frame for those beautiful slow-motion B-rolls.
If you prefer to shoot in full-HD only, you can now shoot at a stunning 240p for amazing super slow-motion footage.
F-log Gamma was already there on the XT-3, so this is a feature that has transitioned into the new camera as well. Incidentally, the 5D Mark IV does not have this feature.
§Canon EOS M50: Lightest Budget Camera for 4K Video Creation
It’s a lot simpler camera to shoot with. It does not have a Zebra highlights warning either
But you get built-in 5-axis image stabilization. That comes in handy when shooting hand-held — which you’ll want to do with this camera.
4K/UHD shooting is limited to a maximum frame rate of only 24p. So, you cannot produce slow-motion B-rolls in 4K/UHD.
Autofocusing performance is decent. Eye-tracking is excellent, and as a vlogger, you will find this useful to keep yourself in focus when talking to the camera.
§Sony A6600
There are a few fundamental reasons I prefer the a6600 to the a6400. One of them is built-in 5-axis image stabilization. For hand-held shooting, this is a valuable feature to have..
Users looking for a taste of the advanced Sony cine cameras will love the S-Log2, and S-Log3 Gamma Curve borrowed from those cameras.
This camera also gets Hybrid Log-Gamma. The effective dynamic range of the a6600 is 14-stops.
A handy feature on the a6600 is the Zebra functionality for checking highlights, Zebra highlights give you a lot of control.
§Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K: Best Budget Camera for Filmmakers
It is a pocket cinema camera with 4K capabilities and the ability to use a range of 1.33x Anamorphic cinema lenses.
The Blackmagic Design camera supports an array of codecs, including Blackmagic RAW. You will have additional support for the pocket battery grip. Additional languages are also supported.
The Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema uses a micro four-thirds lens mount. A long list of lenses is supported.
Unlike the other cameras on this list, the Blackmagic Design camera isn’t a still shooter. So, if you are looking for a hybrid camera that shoots stills and videos, this is not a camera you should be looking for. This camera is designed for cinema makers and cinema makers only.
The rear LCD screen is the largest on this list. At 5-inch, it is a lot easier to check what you are recording without the need for an external monitor.
Selecting the Right Camera for Filmmaking
Here is what we need to consider
§4K is not a must
§Having Log is Essential
§It needs to shoot Raw footage
§Check the Frame rate
§Autofocusing over touch to focus
§Don’t spend on build-in-image optimization
4K/UHD To Have or Not to Have?
4K/UHD isn’t the standard yet. Yes, YouTube has many videos that are available in 4K, but the fact is many users still don’t have a 4K tv at home, plus, they don’t have a 4K supporting smartphone. So, what is the point of having 4K in the first place?
- First, because you would ideally want your videos to be future-proof, you don’t want anyone to shirk and stop watching your videos a few years from now when 4K will become a standard or more people will watch 4K.
- The second reason is 4K captures more resolution, giving you a bit more room to play with during post-production. You can crop stuff from your footages that bother you and still have enough resolution to qualify for full-HD.
Why does your camera need a Log Profile?
If you are not aware of the potential for Log profiles, you are going to like this. Log profile is all about retaining as much detail in the footage as possible.
The brightest parts of your footage will be pulled down, and at the same time, the darkest parts will be pushed up.
That means your footage retains a lot more information to play with during post-processing. You can use your preference to add contrast or color or tone and pretty much control everything on how the final footage looks.
RAW shooting and its benefits
The single most important advantage of shooting in RAW is that you get clean footage that has not been compressed or tampered with.
All the data that has been shot by the camera is intact and has not been processed by the camera’s built-in image processor.
Is that a good thing? Yes, of course!
If your footage is not processed, that means you have all the information to play with. You can color grade the footage the way you want, and it is a lot easier too when you have RAW footage to play with.
Like in RAW stills, you can change the ISO of your footages and adjust the White Balance.
Frame Rate
A higher frame rate allows you extra frames that you can, later on, slow down and create smooth slow-motion videos.
The problem is that your cameras need to have a high-end image processor for handling a lot of high-resolution frames. Only the high-end professional cameras come with high-end image processors.
Budget cameras only handle full HD resolution at a higher frame rate. At 4K/UHD resolution, the highest frame rate you will get is 24 frames to 30 frames max.
Note: being able to shoot at 4K is not always a necessity, as explained above.
Autofocusing
When it comes to autofocus, you need a camera that offers snappy responsive autofocusing.
Most important, as a vlogger, you need decent face and eye-tracking.
The touch to focus feature on many cameras is an excellent option, but it is not always practical because a vlogger won’t be able to lock focus on himself.
Image Stabilization
Image stabilization is a requirement only when you are shooting hand-held.
Most vloggers set up their cameras on a tripod, and that is why they don’t need built-in image stabilization.
When shooting outdoors, though, a hand-held stabilizer is a great tool to have.
Unless you are shooting hand-held, the lack of in-body image stabilization (IBIS) is not a big deal.
Hopefully, by now, you know exactly what to buy. If you don’t, let me know what you are working on in the comments, and I’ll help you pick the right camera for you.
Happy filmmaking!