Three Cameras to Start Your Marketing Video Journey With

  1. $600 Panasonic G7 / $1000 G95

    Step up: $1300 Panasonic GH5 / $2000 Sony A7iii

    After the dust has settled from the great DSLR war, the Panasonic and Sony cameras have been looked at as one of the best in terms of price, specs and features.

    If you need a cheap camera to start off with the G7 is a good place to begin.

    1. Pros:

      1. Up to 4k resolution

      2. Slow motion up to 180 frames per second

      3. Rich footage that's easy to color correct

      4. Tilt-out screen

      5. Cheaper lenses

      6. Light enough for gimbal work

      7. (G85 & GH5) In-body stabilization

      8. (GH5) Dual high speed SD card slots.

      Cons:

      1. Autofocus is not as reliable as the Sony A7 III or Canon cameras.

      2. (G7) Smaller sensor means more difficulty in low light situations.

      3. If you have Canon lenses you’ll need a speedbooster adapter.

3. Black Magic Pocket Camera

I’ve really enjoyed this camera, the footage looks great, easy to operate and can match up with a lot of higher end cameras including my Canon C-Series cameras. A big pro is it matches great with higher end cameras and have a crips image.

Pros:

  1. 4k and Pro Res Shooting

  2. Raw and higher resolution files

  3. Large Screen and touchscreen

  4. Great image out of camera

  5. Screen visibility filming outside

  6. Gimbal work

Cons:

  1. Short battery life

  2. No lower quality video codecs (files are HUGE)

  3. No XLR input needs adapter

  4. Dynamic Range compares with GH5 and Canon C-series

  5. Cropped 120fps

  6. No Flip Out Screen

  7. Gimbal needs extra balance if you have additional battery/storage mods attached

3. Canon C-Series (C100)

I’ve been using Canon cameras since I first started in 2010, they are built like tanks and just work. The last fives year I’ve used a C100 and it really is a great all around camera. Slightly bigger than a DSLR it’s still pretty light and easy to carry around. The XLR inputs make audio a breeze compared to smaller DLSR packages.

If you like what the C100’s have to offer but need 4k then the C200 is a great choice and is what I’ve been using the last year. Besides 4k the focus technology is amazing for both metering what is in current focus and it’s tracking autofocus abilities.

  1. Pro:

    1. Better ergonomics for gun & run filming

    2. Longer battery life

    3. Good in Low Light

    4. Dynamic Range (improved greatly with C200 and C300ii)

    5. Internal ND filters

    6. On Board XLR audio inputs

    7. Dual SD slots for backup recording

    8. MP4 and ACVHD

    9. Weather seal and durability

    10. In-camera slow motion for faster post production workflow

    Con:

    1. No 4k unless you upgrade to C200

    2. Focus is ok, but C200 and newer Canon DLSR’s now have better tracking autofocus.

    3. Too heavy/big for smaller gimbals

    4. Slow Motion only up to 60fps (C200, C300 have 120fps)

PS. Canon 70/80/90d or 6dii

I got a bit of a soft spot for the 70d, which has been improved greatly with the 90d (4k). The autofocus is the best of the smaller DSLRs by far. And if you have a lot of Canon glass or are more comfortable with Canon cameras this is a great safe choice.

Extra Gear:

Travis Wilber