Who said you have to spend a fortune to get a decent video kit to be able to capture some stunning professional videos for your productions especially when you’re just starting out? For instance, you can get a decent secondhand entry-level camera with some nice neat video features on board along with a few brand new inexpensive lenses covering the most frequently used focal lengths for around $500.
Sound too good to be true, right? Well, find out how Warren of Photogearnews managed to pull this off by getting a complete video shooting camera kit for the above price as he talks about his experience and gives advice in the video below on how you can build a similar setup on your own as well.
Apparently, you can’t expect wonders for this price, but at the same time if your goal is to get into video work on a budget the products included in the list below will be more than enough for the job. Without further ado, here are all items that Warren managed to get for $500.
- Sony A6000 (second hand)
- Meike 28mm f/2.8 (new)
- Meike 50mm f/2 (new)
- Opteka 85mm f/1.8 (new)
- Nikon-NEX adapter (new)
As young filmmaker points out, all of the three lenses on the list are cheap manual lenses that provide some decent image quality and allow you to capture not only some striking wide shots but also get multiple mid-range and tight shots as well. It’s also great that all these lenses have a manual de-clicked aperture control as well which allows you to control your aperture smoothly and flawlessly on the fly.
The Sony A6000, on the other hand, doesn’t shoot 4K unfortunately, but it can capture some stunning 1080p footage at 25/29.976fps or 50/60fps. Plus, the camera provides some other neat features such as Zebras and Focus Peaking which can be extremely useful when it comes to nailing your exposure and pulling focus manually.
Of course, keep in mind that the camera itself doesn’t provide any form of image stabilization whatsoever, which can be challenging on certain occasions, but you can easily deal with this by using some additional support gear.
Overall, considering that you could currently get a brand new Sony A6000 for around $500, it’s fantastic that you can put together a decent basic video kit for the same amount of money. Of course, you’ll need a few more bits and pieces to get a full-fledged video kit, but if you’re just starting out and want to get into filmmaking, you can definitely do so without breaking the bank.
[source: Photogearnews]
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My little panasonic fz300 shoots 4K, has image stabilization, mic input, weather sealing, and a killer built-in 25-600mm zoom lens at a constant f2.8. You can get one brand new for about $500. It’s not the greatest in low light, but I think it’s a lovely budget option…
I think the best and cheapest video oriented camera you can buy is the Panasonic G7 with the 14-42mm OIS II + 25mm f/1,7 lenses (new or second hand).
The video quality out of the A6000 is pain terrible, full of moire and aliasing and in 720p resolution wise territory.
I think the best and cheapest video oriented camera you can buy is the Panasonic G7 with the 14-42mm OIS II + 25mm f/1,7 lenses (new or second hand).
The video quality out of the A6000 is pain terrible, full of moire and aliasing and in 720p resolution wise territory.