Cinema or Convenience?

[kennethhansen11]

Dear filmmakers.

I'm currently in a big dilemma and can't choose between which camera to get.

I'm a solo filmmaker shooting mostly handheld run and gun stuff and sometimes do small to medium sized setups. 95% of the time it's only me beeing the producer, director, cinematographer, gaffer etc. I currently rent cinema cameras for my productions and i own a A7iii which i almost never use - but i'm tired of renting so i want to invest in a camera.

I've been looking for a new camera for months now. My first thought was a RED Komodo (which is my realistic dream camera) - but it costs around $8.000 here in Sweden + $2.000 for accessories. Then i looked for some cheaper "cinema" cameras and found the BMPCC 6K Pro ($2.700). I've also looked into the FX3 ($5.000) but i ended up buying the Pocket 6KPro. I just received the camera a few days ago and i'm not sure if i made the right choice. The first thing that made me question it was the micro jitters when shooting handheld - which is a big problem for me. So i'll have to rig it out to make it usable.

I'm considering selling the 6KPro and going for a FX3 now. My thought is that if i go for the FX3 which is much more convinient then i can focus on the more important stuff instead of dealing with "small" stuff like manual focusing. Stuff like being able to get a quick shot outside when it's dark because of the FX3s amazing lowlight, instead of having to think about renting lighting gear and setting them up because the 6KPro has very bad lowlight. Stuff like being able to pull the FX3 out of my camera bag very quickly while walking through the city and getting a shot instead of having to pull the 6KPro out and screw all the rigging parts together. Stuff like being able to throw the FX3 on a gimbal without having to setup some kind of follow focus or automatic focus rig on the 6KPro.

The benefits of the 6KPro is that it looks and feels more cinematic, you get a lot of flexibility in post and my clients would probably be more impressed when they see my pull up with a rigged out 6KPro rather than a small FX3 (even thoe i hate to say it, but it's true). And then i started thinking about the Komodo again. If i'm already dropping $5.000 on a camera why not save up some more and go for my initial thought? But then again, i need i camera right now...

I haven't bought any accessories for the 6KPro, except two extra batteries and a SSD mount because i wanted to test it out first - so it wouldn't be a big problem to get rid of everything. I really hate all the micro jitters when using it handheld so i have to rig it out if i go for this option because i shoot a lot of handheld. If i go for the FX3 i would also rig it out a bit, but it's not as necessary because it of the ISS. I think that the FX3 easily could be used handheld with no rig, but the 6KPro is almost unusable without a rig. When reading this through it sounds like i think the FX3 is a bad camera, but don't get me wrong, the FX3 is also an amazing camera with great image quality and up to 120fps in 12-bit 4:2:2 which is crazy! The 6KPro can only do 120fps in 2.7K which is really disappointing because i use a lot of 120fps slowmotion. My heart wants to go for the 6KPro but my brain is telling me that for me personally right now, the FX3 is the better option - even thoe it's more expensive.

So my question is, what should i do? Keep the 6KPro as my A camera, rig it out and keep the old A7iii as a B camera? Or Sell both the 6KPro and the A7iii and go for the FX3. I don't see a point in keeping the A7iii if i get an FX3. I don't do multiple camera shoots so i only need one camera. and the A7iii and FX3 are so similar anyways so it doesn't make sense for me to keep them both. If i sell the 6KPro and the A7iii it's equivalent to the price of the FX3, so if price didn't matter, what do you think i should choose?

6KPro or FX3?

THANK YOU!

 

[Maura N.]

Hello and welcome to our community!
In cinematography, what matters the most is the end result, for example, the short film. It does not matter what gear you use to create that short film - as long as the quality is decent. You already have good gear. A7 III and 6K Pro are both very good. I am also using the same gear at the moment. With proper lighting and lens, you can do wonders with them. You are currently a solo filmmaker, it is not worth investing $8.000 in a new camera + $2.000 in accessories. And it is not worth going for another gear when you already have very good gear.
Most people start with less and invest as they start making money with the gear they already have. Start using the gear that you already have, I do not see the point of replacing that Sony for the time being, and upgrade once you have used it as much as you could to create as many projects as you could.

As for the manual settings and lowlight...you will always get more if you set it up yourself than by using auto settings. I haven't met a pro who would rather use auto instead of manual. But once you know your settings, it takes very little time to set it up. As for the lowlight...you can d wonders in post and you can use external lights too. There is a reason why big production has a gaffer... even if you are a solo filmmaker, you still need to use some sort of lights for some projects.

 

[Oskar Kuusk]

You should start working with what you already have. It is not like you have a Sony A6 camera. You have a Sony A7 III. Is it by any chance an A7R III?
With lens, proper camera settings and lighs (which can be either outdoors at 6 AM in the morning or with $100 ringlights), you can film high quality scenes.
As for the Blackmagic, wasn't it a Netflix approved camera at some point? I saw a member of this forum create a TV Show for Netflix with that exact same camera. He posted some cool stills, too.

 

[kennethhansen11]

Hey guys, thank you all for helping out and trying to answer my questions. I totally agree with you, in the end it doesn't matter which camera you have, if your settings are right, lighting is good etc. When i read my post through again is sounds like i'm new to this filmmaking thing and it sounds like i think that getting a better camera = better end product. I have used the a7iii since it was released and i have made the most of it. The reason i want to switch to a A7Siii/FX3 is because the newer cameras have 10-bit color and 120fps in 4K (i use a lot of 120fps and release in 4K so the A7iii is not usable for me because it delivers it in 1080p).

All these cameras a great, but i can't decide on whether to go for convenience or for a more cineamatic look (6kpro). And yes, i have also never heard of a top professional dp who uses autofocus. But for me autofocus is like having a focus puller. Every crew has a focuspuller but i'm alone, so in my mind it's "okay" for me to use autofocus in situations where autofocus is needed. I'm not saying that i will use autofocus for everything. But i do a lot of handheld run and gun stuff and sometimes i have to track fast moving object like cars, people running etc. It's really hard to first of all track a car going 200km/h while keeping the camera steady while framing the shot so it looks aesthetically pleasing AND pulling focus at the same time.

When i shoot with the BMPCC 6K Pro and look at the footage after grading it it just looks... amazing. I truly love the image it produces. But it's just not as easy to operate it as a FX3 for example. I know this post is kind of wierd because no one can really tell me whether to get a FX3 or a 6KPro because in the end it's really a personal preference. I'm just stuck right now and can't decide so i just wanted to clear my mind in words and hear some other peoples opinions.

Autofocus is not the main problem for me. It's the micro jitters that ruin my handheld shots with the 6KPro. I've read a few posts on the internet stating that a rig/weight can reduse micro jitters - but i haven't really found any videos comparing the 6KPro with and without a rig. I'm not sure if i should order a rig and spend more money on this or just give up, return the 6KPro and go with the safe option, the FX3.

 

[Maura N.]

Hello again!
You seem to have all the reasons you need to upgrade to FX3 But most people these days can't even play 6k on their devices. They can barely play 2k or 4k.
By the way, I'd love to see some of your work, if you wish to share it with us! You can post in :

Video Showcase​