The best DSLR set up for music videos $2,000 can buy...

[runnah]

that much $$?? disamn son. we shot a wedding a while b ack where they also hired a videographer and he had one. don't know what kind, or if it was electronic or whatnot....just that his T2i and 35mm lens were sitting in some sort of handheld rig with handles on the top and sides and he just kinda swung it around all over the place.

Oh you are thinking of one is these.
http://fstopdirect.com/dv02

I was talking about this.

 

[pixmedic]

that much $$?? disamn son. we shot a wedding a while b ack where they also hired a videographer and he had one. don't know what kind, or if it was electronic or whatnot....just that his T2i and 35mm lens were sitting in some sort of handheld rig with handles on the top and sides and he just kinda swung it around all over the place.

Oh you are thinking of one is these.
DSLR Support Rig Hand Held with Mini Follow Focus

I was talking about this.

yea...it wasn't that ^^
definitely the cheaper one.

 

[Exco]

Gh4 it is amazing even if you don't use 4k it has fps low as 2fps to 96fps. I love mine and friends with 5d3's have tried it out and are switching over.

 

[Greiver]

The best camera with video right now, for the $, is the Panasonic GH4. It will give you 4K video capabilities. Blows Canon, Nikon and everyone else outta the water video wise...and it's only a m4/3 sensor. Grab the Panasonic Lenses and you'll be good to go. The other one to look into, which I don't know a whole lot about, is called the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Hope that helps.

With 4k comes extra issues. You need a ton of storage space, fast storage medium/external record deck and a very heavily built PC to edit the whole thing.

Stick with HD until you can afford all the extras that come along with it. I doubt the OP even has a 4k monitor.

That's why I shook my head at the GoPro and got the Sony Action Cam instead. Plus I saved 200 bucks. 4k isn't ready to be taken too seriously when it comes to our video recording devices just yet.

 

[SnappingShark]

Tripod shots are great but for a music video it's kinda boring.

Says who?!

 

[bif]

I saw the manfrotto heads, just didnt know if they were compatible with any legs or just manfrotto as most of their tripods are pretty pricey.

My main tripod is a used Manfrotto 501 head ($150) on a set of Velbon carbon fiber legs (ran me about $269 3 years ago), second is a Manfrotto 701HDV head on a set of SunPak 7575 aluminum legs. Both heads use 501PL quick disconnect plates.

any ideas on a good shoulder rig? This is the part I'm torn on as they all just look cheap to me

This is what I use:

Spiderbrace

They make a DSLR version now, mine is an older version. They are made from PVC (black) and I use a Manfrotto 577 quick disconnect adapter (uses the same 501PL plates my tripod heads use). So I can go from shoulder brace to tripod in mere seconds.

I also use this "cage" (again with a Manfrotto 577 adapter - watch videos), cameras are Panasonic GH3s, GH4, GX7, and Olympus OMD E-M5.

Photography and Cinema - Store · GB-1 GearBox Video Cage

 

[bif]

Skip the 4k, his budget is way to small and he'd need a monster PC and storage to handle the footage.

Not necessarily so. I'm using the GH4 and so far I've been recording in C4K, editing in 4K (did have to upgrade software...$89.95 cost), and rendering to 1080p. Computer is an HP with 2nd gen Core i7 processor. Healthy but not a "monster" PC.

For storage I was already using a pair of 2TB externals with a 3rd as "standby" if needed.

I suggested the canon 70d because of its AF system is like that of a regular video camera. No fiddling with focus rings.

That is an outstanding camera but "continuous autofocus", while seemingly better than others, can lead to disaster if you're working in an environment with a background having lots of contrast. Continuous autofocus begins "pumping" back and forth between subject and background. Doesn't "track" as good as camcorders.

With 4k comes extra issues. You need a ton of storage space, fast storage medium/external record deck and a very heavily built PC to edit the whole thing.

Storage space: You should already have that "ton", I'm not having that issue

Fast storage media: Standard 7200RPM external drives are doing fine.

External recording deck: Not necessary, 4K recording on my 95Mbps SDHC cards works fine

Very heavily built PC: For 1080p he should already be using something with a quad core fast clock speed processor and a decent graphics card.

Stick with HD until you can afford all the extras that come along with it. I doubt the OP even has a 4k monitor.

Nor do I have a 4K monitor, and I'm definitely going to wait on the 4K TVs until prices come down A LOT!. So what am I doing with 4K?

Video filmed in 4K, edited in 4K, then rendered to a 1080p file (I usually render to an MP4 as that is "cross platform") displayed on a 1080p TV looks a bit better than 1080p from other sources. Image tones and tonal details look better, delivery to others is often on a "thumb" drive.

My opinions are from first hand experience. I have the camera and am learning some of the ins and outs. A GH4 owner does not have to shoot 4K, there are other options and reports from the field indicate shooting in 1080p with this camera still seems to result in slightly better looking footage than with previous models.

One of the big improvements over the GH3 was in the EVF which is brighter, sharper definition, and much easier to see focus with.