Time for an upgrade, but what camera cheap can do this...?

[Darren Taylor]

Hi Everyone.

I'm 7 weeks into my YouTube journey and I made my 10th video this week. I finally have the confidence to say YouTube is something I will continue doing long term!

I am currently using my smartphone (Samsung S7) to record my videos, but I really want a camera that films in better quality. The look I like is a sharp 4k picture with the subject (me) in focus and the background blurred.

Can anyone recommend a cheap camera that can achieve this look? (around the £280 / $370 mark)

Furthermore, I saw this camera going really cheaply in a second-hand store.

Panasonic DMC-FZ330

Can this camera achieve this look? What factors/setting achieve this? Is it to do with the lens? I am literally clueless


Thanks for your help,
Darren

 

[Nikki120113]

To specifically get that affect your wanting, you either need a DSLR camera with a good quality lens or use a good video editing software.
I'm not sure on that camera you mentioned unfortunately, but check the megapixels on the camera you're interested in & compare it to your phone.
Also, i'm sure the people working at the store will be able to help you

 

[Darren Taylor]

To specifically get that affect your wanting, you either need a DSLR camera with a good quality lens or use a good video editing software.
I'm not sure on that camera you mentioned unfortunately, but check the megapixels on the camera you're interested in & compare it to your phone.
Also, i'm sure the people working at the store will be able to help you

Thanks for your help. I'll have a chat with the people in store

 

[VIG]

The blurry background look is called shallow depth of field. If you want that look not break the bank you could snag a Panasonic gh3 second hand for cheap and stick a 'portrait lens' on it. You can use a several types, Panasonic 20mm, sigma 30mm or Olympus 25mm they're all pretty good and not crazy expensive. The more distance between you and the background the better the 'blur' will be. Honestly i wouldn't be in a rush to grab 4k, for what your doing the gh3 would be perfect, maybe invest in a Mic for the cam (rhode mic for about 100) and a light would help (cheap soft box on Amazon) Get these and you'll be vlogging like a pro with super crisp vids. Also if you get a 4k cam you need a computer that can edit it!
Have fun

 

[TYTD]

You'd be looking at minimum for a DSLR with a quality lens DSLR's 2nd hand are relatively cheap (Your looking at between £300 and £500) it sounds steep but thats an investment though you may have to make the sacrifice of living with 1080p or upscaled 2k rather than 4k because 4k DSLR's will set you back into the high hundreds if not the start of the thousands (starting price for a 5d mark 2 is about £700, and thats 7 years old at this point...the latest model will cost closer to 3 grand) theres also the decision of whether to go for Canon or Nikon...Canon is cheaper and more versatile in terms of add ons you can buy, but Nikon offers better colour and a slightly sharper image...its horses for courses but I personally went for Canon down to it being what the majority of my peers used...as for lenses I can wholeheartedly recommend Sigma, they're beautifully crafted. solid lenses that are reliable, gorgeous to use and surprisingly tough. Depending on how much space you have I would reccommend the 1.4 50mm or the 10-20mm both of these will cost a further 200-300 depending where you shop. if you have loads of space Id definately go for the 50mm as its versatile and razor sharp...though if your a bit tight for space or you want to have scope to shoot as wide as possible then I'd go for the 10-20mm as its a wide angle lens

Sorry for bombarding you with info there, thought I'd give you as much info as possible

 

[Darren Taylor]

The blurry background look is called shallow depth of field. If you want that look not break the bank you could snag a Panasonic gh3 second hand for cheap and stick a 'portrait lens' on it. You can use a several types, Panasonic 20mm, sigma 30mm or Olympus 25mm they're all pretty good and not crazy expensive. The more distance between you and the background the better the 'blur' will be. Honestly i wouldn't be in a rush to grab 4k, for what your doing the gh3 would be perfect, maybe invest in a Mic for the cam (rhode mic for about 100) and a light would help (cheap soft box on Amazon) Get these and you'll be vlogging like a pro with super crisp vids. Also if you get a 4k cam you need a computer that can edit it!
Have fun

Amazing! Thanks for the info, really helpful! I'll avoid 4k for now, I'm happy with standard HD to be honest and not 100% sure my computer can handle editing 4k footage. I know what I'll be doing this weekend [DOUBLEPOST=1508489750,1508489587][/DOUBLEPOST]

You'd be looking at minimum for a DSLR with a quality lens DSLR's 2nd hand are relatively cheap (Your looking at between £300 and £500) it sounds steep but thats an investment though you may have to make the sacrifice of living with 1080p or upscaled 2k rather than 4k because 4k DSLR's will set you back into the high hundreds if not the start of the thousands (starting price for a 5d mark 2 is about £700, and thats 7 years old at this point...the latest model will cost closer to 3 grand) theres also the decision of whether to go for Canon or Nikon...Canon is cheaper and more versatile in terms of add ons you can buy, but Nikon offers better colour and a slightly sharper image...its horses for courses but I personally went for Canon down to it being what the majority of my peers used...as for lenses I can wholeheartedly recommend Sigma, they're beautifully crafted. solid lenses that are reliable, gorgeous to use and surprisingly tough. Depending on how much space you have I would reccommend the 1.4 50mm or the 10-20mm both of these will cost a further 200-300 depending where you shop. if you have loads of space Id definately go for the 50mm as its versatile and razor sharp...though if your a bit tight for space or you want to have scope to shoot as wide as possible then I'd go for the 10-20mm as its a wide angle lens

Sorry for bombarding you with info there, thought I'd give you as much info as possible

Don't apologise for the info, it's really useful! I think you've given me a lot to think about in terms of short and long term. Investing in good equipment makes sense long term, but in the short term, a cheaper option will suffice. I have a good steer on what I need now. Thanks!

 

[VIG]

The 3 big brand name dslrs mentioned are very good so it's all about the budget and if you're like most of us you probably have a big wish list in one hand and an empty wallet in the other also there's a gh2 that feels more retro than the gh3 but does equally great video too and very cheap 2nd hand (2. Check out my other music video channel not the one linked to my account its called Uppercut productions, nearly all those vids were done with gh2 and gh3. Also since your doing a lot of talking id recommend looking into a Mic as dslr mics ain't great

 

[veronica33067]

Hi Everyone.

I'm 7 weeks into my YouTube journey and I made my 10th video this week. I finally have the confidence to say YouTube is something I will continue doing long term!

I am currently using my smartphone (Samsung S7) to record my videos, but I really want a camera that films in better quality. The look I like is a sharp 4k picture with the subject (me) in focus and the background blurred.

Can anyone recommend a cheap camera that can achieve this look? (around the £280 / $370 mark)

Furthermore, I saw this camera going really cheaply in a second-hand store.

Panasonic DMC-FZ330

Can this camera achieve this look? What factors/setting achieve this? Is it to do with the lens? I am literally clueless


Thanks for your help,
Darren

I hear it's all about the lens. I always wanted a DSLR but then someone said because it's like a camera it's not really that good for shooting video. I don't know. I want one because I would love to be able to take professional photos and shoot video at the same thing. All in one, you know. I feel photography and videography go hand in hand. I had a lot of practice shooting video. I would like to practice capturing great images. One day, one day.