Best possible resolution?

I see all kinds of numbers. 24i, 25i and 50i.

Is there any other kinds of resolution for an amateur?

Considering a camera in the price range $400-$700.

Those are frame rates, not resolution.

If you are in PAL land you need 25p or 50i, in NTSC you need 24p, 30p or 60i, or 60p; though most camera these days are switchable from one to the other.

Resolution would be simple various different flavors of HD, namely 720 or 1080.

simonpwood wrote: Those are frame rates, not resolution.

If you are in PAL land you need 25p or 50i, in NTSC you need 24p, 30p or 60i, or 60p; though most camera these days are switchable from one to the other.

Resolution would be simple various different flavors of HD, namely 720 or 1080.

I ment fram rate, sorry.

In what frame rate is movie filmed with? What are the pro using?

It really comes down to personal preference, the style you're going for & the subjects you're shooting.

The popular film look is generally shot in 24p. Though the new Hobbit film is trying to change that.

www.fcp.co/forum/2-off-topic/15751-highe...the-future-of-cinema

If you're shooting something that you want to show in slow motion (sports, action, etc), then probably a higher frame rate is best. Unfortunately most of the lower priced cameras drop down to 720 resolution once you move your frame rate up to 60p. Though the new GoPro Hero 3 Black films 1080 at 60p for $399, but you can't change lenses to get that shallow depth of field most filmmakers want.

You should read all the online reviews & decide which camera is best for you & what you plan to do. Having just gone thru all that, the camera I settled on is the Canon T3i, which many experienced shooters say is the most bang for the buck.

TrixTrax9000 wrote: but you can't change lenses to get that shallow depth of field most filmmakers want.

You should read all the online reviews & decide which camera is best for you & what you plan to do. Having just gone thru all that, the camera I settled on is the Canon T3i, which many experienced shooters say is the most bang for the buck.

What is actually shallow depth. Do you have any examples?

The Canon T3i is not only a video camera, it´s mostly a digital photo camera?
Is that practical, taking the size and weight, if you want to do just filming?

Read:

www.digitalrev.com/article/the-dslr-video-revolution/NTgyNA_A_A

Great article, Simon. Thank you.

Ok, Neguah... Depth of field is the cinematic trick that makes the flat picture look like it has great depth, or in a sense, three dimensions instead of two . (click that link)

When you view footage shot with a regular camcorder, the image looks flat. By that I mean everything is in focus, it's all sharp & clear. The person up close & the one fifty feet back. That's what you want when you're watching the football game. But when you need to be drawn into the story, we have to isolate our subjects, they are sharp & clear, while the background or foreground is blurry, so our eyes & mind focus where they should.

To accomplish this, you need different lenses than the average consumer camcorder carries, & a larger sensor helps too. Ultimately for the cine look we need fast lenses (low F-stops) & a full 35mm sensor. The cameras mentioned in the article have those large sensors. The Chinese video on that page uses a lens which costs almost $2000. That's just for the lens, but the camera he used, & was able to achieve some impressive results, doesn't have a particularly large sensor (13 x 17mm) whereas the T3i which is around the same price as his Panasonic GH1, has a considerably larger sensor of 15 x 22 mm.

Don't worry about what the camera looks like, be concerned about what your film looks like. You think the DSLR's big & bulky? Then you're probably planning for skater vids & the GoPro would be perfect for you. Just wait till you see a Panavision so big you couldn't even lift it, that's what most of your big budget action features are shot on. I've been on sets with 4 of those rolling at once. Each one comes with a suitcase filled with a quarter million dollars worth of glass. The revolution the article is trumpeting is that these cameras can produce the cine look on the big screen for a fraction of the cost. The Terminator cinematographer just shot Act Of Valor on these cams & they can turn a 40 million dollar picture into a 10 mil one. Yet it still looks like the big budget. Now, that's exciting. Think of what it can do for your music video or commercial...

The T3i has the largest sensor & flexible creative capabilities for the price point (in your range). The next step up is a full sensor on a MKII (or equivalent). Or you could wait another year & see what new models come out... (yes it's an exciting time for that)

But a year of shooting & playing in the light... who knows what you could have become...

Thank you very much for a great answer!
I´m a bit closer to unserstaning some of this. Really think I need course in filming, and all what comes with it.

But one think I don´t understand. I have a Canon Legria HF R27. On the lens, it says 3.0-60mm. On a friends camera, Canon 60D(don´t know if it has a different name in USA. 600D is T3i, which you are referring to) says 18-55mm on the lens.
I would then think the Legria would give me more wide-angel. But it didn´t. There was i significant difference between the wide angel on the Legria and 60D.

So what does actually 3.0-60mm(Legria) and 18-55mm(60D) mean?

Right know I´m filming kids in their daily activities, and then editing into to a movie. It´s more convenient carrying a camera like Legria( www.canon-europe.com/Support/Consumer_Pr...tcmuri=tcm:13-520816 ).

But having a camera like the the 3Ti will actually be better. Great video camera and great digital camera.

You could probably learn a lot by searching tutorials on youtube. I use that avenue frequently, often happily finding experts in any field I seek, usually one with a particular style that fits my individual learning capabilities.

Vary your search words & marvel at the results.

The numbers on the lenses we're talking about, refer to 2 things - Focal Length & F-Stop.

Focal length is the distance between the lens & the film or sensor. So a 400mm lens is a great long one, while an 18mm lens is short. The longer lens brings you much closer to your subject, you can film them from a long distance, or get a particular look you're seeking. F-Stop refers to the diameter of the lens or how much light can pass thru, we also call this the speed of the lens, so a fast lens has a low F-Stop & allows a lot of light thru to the lens. The faster the lens, the more expensive. A 50mm lens with a higher F-Stop of 1.8 is a slower lens, less light less picture = 100 bucks , whereas a 50mm lens with a lower F-Stop of 1.2 is a faster lens, more light more information = $1600
Once you get into the prime lenses for cine, you'll often hear them referring to T-Stop instead of F-Stop, this is basically a more precise form of light measurement thru the lens. A 50mm lens in this category lets the most light thru, providing the highest quality image, but expect to mortgage your house to pay for the glass .

More light means more information, more clarity & lower light capabilities. Notice how owls have large eyes & thus can see at night, more light comes thru the larger lens.

3.0 I'm thinking is a fairly small diameter, for a 60mm lens, but typical for a little camcorder. The standard "kit" lens for the T3i that you mention is an adjustable zoom lens between 18 & 55mm it also has a variable F-Stop, going down as low as 1.3, so it lets in much more light than the 3.0 60mm on your Legria, thus the wider view you speak of. Also, as mentioned in my previous post, the sensor size on the T3i allows for a much wider field of view as well as greater depth of field & lower light capabilities.

This page explains a lot on lenses, focal length & F-Stop

www.paragon-press.com/lens/lenchart.htm

Eventually you just have to make a decision, based on your research. Watch as many youtube videos on the subjects, read the reviews from guys who are doing what you want to do. In the other thread you mentioned filming children. Using a large camera around non-professionals can effect their behavior especially at first, you want them to be natural, either film them from further away with a longer lens (which can be kind of creepy), or film them up close with a tiny camcorder as you have been. From my experiences working with children on a set, I've found they soon become accustomed to even obtrusive cameras, lights & gear, & rapidly settle into their normal wonderfully exuberant selves. That's the natural look you want to capture. If they're you're own children, they might relax quicker. It's the director's job to create an environment where actors feel at ease so the emotions can flow thru them unhindered. If they're not your children, make sure you have release forms signed by their parents before hand & make sure a parent is on set, hopefully watching from a distance that doesn't effect production.

Ultimately it will all come down to what you are trying to achieve. If you just want to make some happy memories of the children playing in the yard before they're grown up & gone, then your little camcorder is just perfect. But if you have aspirations as a filmmaker, wanting to get artistic with some of these variables, then you have to spend more money for the equipment, starting with camera & lens. Then you might find you can't stop, needing a jib, slider, stedicam, etc (it never ends). You can try & explain it to your wife that a man could have worse hobbies...

Neguah wrote: I would then think the Legria would give me more wide-angel. But it didn´t. There was i significant difference between the wide angel on the Legria and 60D.

So what does actually 3.0-60mm(Legria) and 18-55mm(60D) mean?

Look at martybugs.net/blog/blog.cgi/learning/Fie...f-View-And-More.html for more info. The field of view depends upon both the focal length and the sensor size. Since the two cameras have different sized sensors you can not directly compare one lens with the other.

Another interesting read: dofmaster.com

BTW, also have a look at Panasonic GH2/3. I like their image better than what I see from the Canons.

Cool link, I've bookmarked it, thanks CGBier.

Yes there are plenty of cameras in the price range Neguah mentioned, & some online reviews seem to like the Panasonics you mentioned, but they do have smaller sensors than the similarly priced T3i.

I must confess, I was almost overwhelmed with all the choices, & nearly bought the Nikon D5100, but finally went with the T3i & a couple of basic lenses. If I like experimenting with this side of my creativity, I'll eventually move up to a full frame camera & more expensive lenses.

Probably we need to hear from Neguah & what he really wants to do with video... but if someone had asked me that, I'm not sure I'd be able to answer. My passion is expression & deep meaningful communication, if that can become art, I'm in love, but with any art... man you've got to get good with those brushes.





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