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HD Camera Comparison

Table of Contents:
Why Shoot HD?
High End Cameras
Mid-Range and Prosumer Cameras
DSLR Still Cameras That Also Shoot HD Video
Consumer Camcorders Capable of Upgrades
A Word on 3D
HD Camera Shooting Hints

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I've noticed a lot of people have been coming to this site looking for camera comparisons. Even if you are only showing your film on the web, I do not recommend shooting in SD (Standard Definition, 640 x 480 pixels of resolution). You should 'acquire' in HD or on film. There are too many possible cameras to list them all, so I've narrowed them down to the ones I believe are best suited for making a low-budget film.

Here are my criteria:

• At least 1920x1080 resolution, 23.98p frames per second (1080p) - There are too many options out there at all price ranges capable of this, which is increasingly the standard. 720p is too soft on big screens and 1080i (interlaced) not as cinematic.
• Interchangeble lenses - I no longer am recommending getting a cheap camera and an expensive lens adapter. It seems pretty clear that filmmakers want the ability to change lenses built into the camera already.
• Tested workflows - This criteria is a bit more subjective, but it encompasses whether I consider the camera experimental when it comes to shooting feature films or not, whether the footage is recorded with enough latitude that it can be manipulated with a color-timing program to achieve more cinematic looks, etc.

For more about what you should keep in mind when buying a camera, read my column on the Mastering Film site: Which Camera Should I Buy for My Movie?

Why shoot on HD instead of film?

Why HD? For the purposes of making a movie, even 16mm film has better 'resolution' than 1080p HD cameras. When it comes to rental costs, HD equipment (especially the decks) can be a lot more expensive than film equipment. But tape stock (or SSD cards or hard drives) are cheaper than film stock (purchase and developing costs). You have to weigh the expense of developing film against how much footage you plan to shoot. Shooting on HD doesn't preclude you from later making a film print that is good enough to be theatrically projected, but remember you'll have to pay an expensive blow-up cost to transfer your final digital cut to film. (One quote I've heard is $350/min -- or about $31.5k for a 90 minute film!) Film-to-film prints will be cheaper, and will look nicer. You can't ever improve on the resolution at acquisition, which is why some TV shows and movies still shoot on film even though they finish in HD.

Audiences and distributors will accept quality 1080p HD video in theatrical distribution and the differences between film and HD are less stark on a TV screen compared to the big screen. It takes a rare filmmaker to give up on seeing his or her masterpiece in theaters. But when a theatrical release isn't in the cards, HD is, in my humble opinion, the optimum choice.

The below cameras are on my radar as being appropriate for use in shooting an independent film. Frequent visitors to this page will notice that I've added several of the higher-end cameras. These cameras are beginning to filter down from major and experimental productions to affordability for indie films.

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High End

RED One
MSRP: $17,500 for camera body only (accessory prices and analysis)

RED One comes from RED, a company founded by Jim Jannard, the guy who brought us Oakley sunglasses. Jim is a camera nut and wanted to make a super-flexible camera that is capable of high-end images. There are some technical tradeoffs that are made and some filmmakers, like Rian Johnson, prefer other high-end cinema cameras like the Genesis or F23. Many major motion pictures have now been shot entirely with RED, including the Stephen Soderbergh-directed Contagion and the David Fincher-directed The Social Network, plus it has become the camera of choice for quality independent films like The Myth of the American Sleepover. So I'd consider it battle-tested. Because it operates like a computer in a lot of ways, having a dedicated tech in addition to the d.p. is recommended. Shoots 720p, 2k and 4k resolutions, PL mount or can be adapted to use B4, Canon EF or Nikon 35mm lenses. Rates for rental are very reasonable as there are many indie filmmakers who have bought these kits and pay them off by renting to other indies. [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE:
RED on Wikipedia
REDUser.net

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RED Epic
MSRP: $58,000

RED's follow-up to the RED One has even more resolution (5k) and high-speed capabilities (300fps at 2k). For most indies, it is probably overkill, but some may consider it an economical substitute for shooting on film. [Last updated 11/22/11]

SEE ALSO:
Comparison footage of RED Epic vs. Sony F23

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Sony F23, F35, F65 CineAlta
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: F23 - $150,000 full package?; F35 - ?, F65 - $65,000 (w/ viewfinder)
Rental Quote: $3200/day (full package)

The F23 was the first version modular camera in Sony's CineAlta system, a line developed explicitly for movie use. It features wide gamut, 444 color, slow-motion and speed-ramping.

The F35 ups the sensor size to an equivalent of 35mm film, has a PL mount and works with the portable SRW-1 recorder. [Last updated 11/8/11]

In September 2011, Sony announced the F65. Just as the Sony's F23 was an answer to the Red One, the F65 appears to be an answer to the Red Epic. It goes "up to 8k resolution" but has advantages at lower resolutions through a "supersampling" technology that allows for greater contrast in the details. It also has frame rates up to 120 fps, rolling shutter reduction, RAW output, wide latitude and color gamut.

MORE:
Sony Website

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Arri Alexa / Alexa M / Alexa Plus / Studio
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $60,000-$120,000
Rental Quote: $1500/day, $4500/wk

For d.p.'s accustomed to working with Arri film cameras, the Alexa workflow has come easily. As of 2011, it has become super-popular among Hollywood productions of all sizes. Martin Scorsese and Bob Richardson chose it for their first foray into HD with Hugo and Lars von Trier used it to shoot Melancholia. The four versions (Alexa, Alexa M, Alexa Plus, Alexa Studio) represent different configurations of the modular system (and different prices). For example, the M separates the camera head from the recording body and the Studio model features a mechanical shutter and optical viewfinder. A firmware update in November allowed for shooting up to 120fps.

Arri also had success with the D20 and D21 models in its high-end digital camera range, but these look like they are being phased out with the new Alexa line. [Last updated 11/22/11]

MORE:
Arri Website

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Dalsa Origin
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: rental only? ($1750/day not including accessories on Dalsa website)

Introduced in 2003, the Origin shoots 4k images, recorded by an off-board unit such as a Codex. It is designed to work with 35mm cine lenses. Many commercials, short films and vfx sequences have been shot with this camera, including parts of the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. [Last updated 11/22/11]

SEE: Dalsa Origin official site

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Sony PMW-F3

MSRP: $16,000 body only; $23,000 kit

Announced in November 2010, the PMW-F3 has a Super 35mm-sized sensor, accepts PL-mount lenses and can record at 1080/23.98p, as well as slow motion up to 720/60p. If you don't want to record XDCam -- and many filmmakers won't because of the compression and color space (4:2:0) -- you can go out 4:4:4 10bit via dual HD-SDI to an external recorder (if I read this right). I also like the ability to put sound in directly via XLR, which will streamline sound workflows for many indie projects. [Last updated 11/22/11]

MORE: Sony Website

RED Scarlet-X
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $10,000 body-only, ~$20,000 shoot-ready

Officially announced November 2011, the Scarlet-X is less like RED's imagined Scarlet (see below) and more like a junior version of the Epic. It is capable of a dizzying array of resolutions and frame rates. As of November 2011, it is the cheapest camera that provides quality 4k capture. [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE:
Some Thoughts on Scarlet-X and Canon C300

Mid-Range and Prosumer

Here's where we start to get into cameras that would be in purchase-rather-than-rental range for some lower-budget films, although it can still make financial sense to rent these. And don't forget to check Craigslist or other sites for people selling off their old kits.

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Canon XH-G1
MSRP: $6,999

The compact-body version of the XL-H1, much has been made of the Genlock, TC and HD-SDI jacks on this camera. Jammable timecode is something that people who shoot sync-sound will appreciate. [Last updated 11/8/11]

SEE: Studio Daily reviews the XH-G1 and XH-A1

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Sony XDCAM EX PMW-EX3

MSRP: $9,900

The PMW-EX3 was released just months after the EX1 (see below) and has many similarities. It has interchangeable lenses and shoots 1080p to SxS cards. As of October 2010, it looks as if Sony is developing a lens that might be used with this camera to capture 3D. Or they may be planning to release a whole new version of this camera. This is probably a wait-and-see proposition.

Also, beware, there are apparently quality issues with how the bottom of this attaches to tripods. [Last updated 10/16/10]

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Sony XDCAM EX PMW-EX1 and EX1R

MSRP: $7790 and $6500

The PMW-EX1R supercedes the EX1 with an improved hand grip and some other features, that indie filmmakers might not need -- do your research. They both have the same 3 x 1/2" CMOS chips as the EX3, shoot progressive up to 1920 by 1080 and offer variable frame rates (1-60fps at 720p). They record to SxS memory cards or there's an SDI with timecode out. Originally when released this only went out 1080i not 1080p. I cannot determine if firmware updates have fixed this. Overall, this is a more compact, 'run and gun' version of the EX3 (see above). [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE: Adam Wilt's PVC review

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Panasonic AG-AF100

MSRP: $4800 (from B&H with kit zoom lens)

This has a micro-four-thirds sensor -- so smaller than the popular Canon DSLRs (see below) but it is designed expressly for video, which gives it some advantages over them. It was announced in April 2010 and I still haven't seen a major film that has bragged of being shot with it, but the workflow seems to be pretty straightforward and I'm guessing it will be easy for filmmakers who already grew up with Panasonic's popular DVX100 and HVX200 cameras to make the transition. [Last updated 10/9/10]

MORE:
Panasonic Website
Philip Bloom test and review

DSLRs

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex, which is the basic type of pro stills camera, the one where you look through the viewfinder, and thanks to a mirror (the 'single lens reflex'), you can see what the lens is seeing -- right until you pull the shutter and the mirror lifts. When these went digital -- the D in DSLR -- it became a no-brainer to add video. Recently, the video quality and manual features on some of these DSLR's has gotten to the point that indie filmmakers have begun using them to great effect.

The advantages are: cheaper lenses and great depth-of-field and everything else that comes from nice photo lenses, bigger sensors than many HD video cameras meaning more light and color info. People who are already familiar with shooting stills find it easy to make the transition. The disadvantages -- rolling shutters that create a "jello cam" effect when there are fast pans or handheld motion, heavy compression of image, lack or poor implementation of some video-centric features, such as sync sound.

Canon 5DmkII
Buy: $2,370 (body only) from Amazon $2,399 from B&H

The 5d mark 2 is Canon's top-of-the line full-frame stills camera (is has a larger sensor size than the 7d and T2i). It has always shot beautiful video, but originally it did not shoot 23.98p, the standard for most film-like workflows. The hue and cry from the indie shooter community caused Canon to release a firmware update that added the option, so be sure to download and install this update, which only affects the internal programming of the camera. Adapters to use cine lenses are available, and Zeiss's CP.2 line is specifically designed for movie use. [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE:
5dmkii vs. Red vs. GH1 test shoot
Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, ASC, his tips for menu settings and equipment

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Canon EOS 7D
MSRP: $1,699

The 7D was the first Canon DSLR to shoot 23.98 progressive -- the same speed as standard film projection. Other flavors can certainly be used, especially if you're going straight to the web and not into a feature film-type workflow. This camera has the same chip as the T2i, but has an option for HDMI out (useful for attaching an external LCD monitor) and is much more rugged. If you are going to be shooting in adverse conditions, I recommend ponying up the extra cash, as my T2i felt fragile, for example, when I used it in the desert and there was a lot of dust blowing around. [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE:
I talked about the 7D's drawbacks when it first came out

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Canon Rebel T2i (550D) / T3i
MSRP: $799

I own a T2i at the moment -- so you get sense of my budget. I got it when it came out because the initial tests showed that the images created by the 7D were identical to those created by the T2i. The 7D does allow some better ISO customization and has HDMI out, but neither of those were dealbreakers. T3i is not much of a change from the T2i, just adding a swiveling display.

So far, this camera is working great, and I feel like a got a steal with the much lower price -- but I do recommend with any DSLR to budget for the accessories that will turn it into a rig. [Last updated 11/22/11]

MORE:
T2i vs. 7d shootout

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RED Scarlet
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: not yet available

This entry has been here as a placeholder for years. While RED announced the Scarlet-X (see above), it has yet to deliver on the 3k for $3k promise. The Scarlet-X seems to be descended from development on the RED Epic line of cameras rather than the HDR DSLR system that RED discussed in October 2010.

I believe RED will eventually create a DSLR product in a lower price range, but I wouldn't wait for it. I eventually pulled the trigger on a Canon T2i and have gotten years of use out of it while RED delayed and changed plans. [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE:
ScarletUser

Consumer Capable of Upgrades

Panasonic GH1/GH2
MSRP: $1,199

I had to move this out of the DSLR section since a commenter reminds me it is technically an EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) camera. Still, it operates much like a DSLR. While it lacks some of the features and lenses of the Canons, there's a good chance you could find a used one with a whole digital-shooters kit already put together for a song cheaper.

UPDATE 10/6/10: A GH2 has been announced and pre-orders are available at Amazon: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch Screen LCD and 14-42mm Hybrid Lens (Black)

MORE:
This blog's original coverage of the GH1
The GH1 formula
Mounting the GH1

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Canon HV20 and HV30
MSRP: $1000

The specs for the Canon Vixia HV30 are nearly identical to the HV20. The main upgrade is the ability to shoot 30p or 30 progressive frames per second which should help with certain kinds of for-web work. (Like the HV20, it can also shoot 24p or 60i.) Other upgrades include making the zoom button bigger, making the LCD screen resistant to solarizing and making it possible to attach a particular battery pack called the BP-2L24H.

The Canon HV20 excited a lot of budget-conscious filmmakers because, with accessories like a Kona card for direct capture of the HDMI out and a lens adapter, it can produce amazingly high-end images. If you're willing to do some hacking, this might be the camera for you. [Last updated 10/9/10]

MORE:
CamcorderInfo HV30 review
This post at HD for Indies sums up a lot of the HV20 customization and workflow techniques.

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Panasonic DMC-LX3, LX5
MSRP: $400

I shot and edited a film in two weeks using the LX3, which was so stealthy that we were never spotted the whole time we shot in public. True, it only goes up to 720p and to attach lenses I had to do some modifications, but I was only ever planning to distribute the film on the web.

The LX5 has similar specs (only does 720p) but now compresses in AVCHD Lite codec, which should mean a better image (theoretically). [Last updated 11/8/11]

MORE:
The Gear used to make #2wkfilm Natural Victims

A Word on 3D

Shooting in 3D increases the complexity of the shoot enormously, and is not for the faint of heart. As of November 2011, 3D camera rigs for indies are still very experimental. Still, it is worth considering because it will help future-proof your film.

I'm bullish on 3D, because it is the inevitable next development once consumers have finished upgrading to HD. That may take a while in this current economy, but the biggest Hollywood movies are now almost uniformly coming out in 3D and I expect that to filter down -- just as color and sound did when they were introduced to movies.

I plan to write a post soon that looks as some options indie filmmakers have when shooting 3D. Just know that, if you are building your own 3D rig, you will probably be looking to buy two identical cameras.

Hints

A hint on shooting good footage in any format: Hire a d.p. who knows the camera you are using or budget time for the d.p. to do extensive tests if he or she is unfamiliar with the camera!

A hint on avoiding headaches in post: Know your post-production workflow before you shoot, so that you can organize the footage appropriately while you shoot. HDV vs. DVCProHD vs. HDCam vs. HDCam-SR vs. some data format like XDCAM or .dpx makes a huge difference!

A hint on making the decision between two similar cameras: Flip a coin. It doesn't matter that much. Other considerations like lighting, acting, production design etc. will affect your film much more. Mark Stolaroff of No Budget Film School is very eloquent on this topic.

If you have experiences with these HD cameras, share them in the comments below.