What camera and lens should I buy for short films?

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John Crow

I'm a freshman film student and have limited knowledge of cameras and accessories (lenses, mics, etc). At the end of this semester, I will have around $1500 to spend on a camera and a lens.
I've looked around a little bit, read and watched some reviews as well as tests for each camera and lens but I have mainly been looking at DSLRs.
Most of what I'm wanting to do is Fictional films if that helps to narrow the type of camera and lens any.

Answer
As a film student, I would think that your instructors would have the best answer to your question. With your budget of only $1500, whether you are shooting drama or documentary the camera you buy will not matter.

Just the accessories you will need to turn a dSLR with a video feature into a viable video camera will eat up your whole budget.

I would look for a good used Panasonic video camera with 3-CCD's and all the on-board accessories needed like built-in SMPTE color bars in interlace and progressive modes, zebra settings, XLR audio inputs with a 48-V phantom power supply for external microphones, built-in SMPTE time-code generator/reader and others

What is the best zoom lens for canon EOS 50D?

Raquel

I don't have enough knowledge about camera lens. I just bought a new canon camera EOS 50D. I am also planning to buy zoom lens but I have no idea what is the best lens for EOS 50D. Your recommendation is highly appreciated. Thank you.

Answer
For the 50D you will need a 'good' lens if you want excellent image quality. A cheap telephoto lens is not a good idea for a camera like this, so don't even think about getting a budget one that only costs a couple of hundred dollars or so, because it won't deliver on image quality and will not be good enough for lower lighting. One with a wider (faster) aperture of f/2.8 is an excellent choice.

From the Canon lens/camera review site below (of the 50D)...
"Because the quality of the lens makes a big difference in the image quality delivered by a DSLR - especially one with the resolution of the 50D, I recommend buying (now or later), one of the better Canon general purpose lenses available. At this review date, the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens is my most-recommended 1.6x lens with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens being excellent alternatives."

Another excellent lens with a longer starting focal length is the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L, with or without IS or the f/4 version with or without IS.

Check out the links below for reviews of all the lenses above (and the 50D) and other lenses...

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Can someone name the differences between a digital camera and a DSLR for me?

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nessalynne

I wanna get a Fujifilm Finepix 2800HD camera. In a review it said that it had the model of a DSLR camera but it wasn't ACTUALLY a DSLR camera.

Answer
The term DSLR generally refers to cameras that resemble 35 mm format cameras, although some medium format cameras are technically DSLRs.
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras (digital SLR or DSLR) are
digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and
pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.
The reflex design scheme is a major difference between a DSLR
and an ordinary digital point-and-shoot camera, which typically
exposes the sensor constantly to the light projected by the lens, allowing the camera's screen to be used as an electronic
viewfinder.

Looking to getting into photography (mainly to take pictures of my kids) Is this a good start out camera?

Holly S

Not looking to buy anything really expensive this will be more of a hobby not for professional use, but I would like to get some professionalish looking pictures, something more of the quality that I get with my plain sony cybershot.
Nikon D3100 14.2MP DSLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens, 3" LCD, HD Video
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nikon-D3100-14.2MP-DSLR-Camera-with-18-55mm-VR-Lens-3-LCD-HD-Video/15222286

It has pretty good reviews but I really would like to hear from someone who knows about photography vs the average mom who takes pics of her kids.

Answer
Yep, the Nikon D3100 is an excellent entry level DSLR, and combined with the kit 18-55mm lens (equivalent to 27-82mm lens on a film/full frame digital camera) will cover a decent range.

However, you should realise that the reason it is selling for so cheap at the moment is because it was replaced by the Nikon D3200 last year and thus stores are sellign out stock to bring the replacement model in. Still, it is a very good camera and has all the capabilities you will need for your purposes. A word of advice, if it comes with free training be sure to use it! For someone new to DSLRs that intro training is superb, explaining not just the functions of the camera but some of the theories behind the way cameras work to let you start utilising the camera to its best rather than just relying on the auto mode

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