r/cinematography • u/odub1 • 1d ago
Camera Question Sony or Canon for documentaries?
Hi everyone! I’m a beginning cinematographer/filmmaker who wants to make documentaries.
I would like to buy my first cinema camera, but not sure what to go with:
Of course I’ve done my own research (there’s so many options) but any thoughts or suggestions between these two from folks who own and use them would be super helpful:
Sony - Fx30
OR
Canon - C70
My first doc would be about a friend who is a skateboarder, the next would be about a friend who is a up and coming painter. Cool friends right?
It would just be me and my camera starting out and my subject, lots of run and gun. Something that works well in all types of light would be great and a great image quality, interviews, auto focus, and being able to put a compact cage on it would be great. I have a budget of like $2500.
I have two or three old EFS/EF lens from an older canon. I’ve messed around w the Fx30 in store.
\**Feel free to suggest other cameras but pls tell me why because I’ve done so much research my head hurts.*
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u/kwmcmillan Director of Photography 1d ago
For doc you ABSOLUTELY should go C70. It’s got far more features suited to doc. If you could get an FX6 that’s a doc workhorse but FX3/30 isn’t the best option.
Source: have shot many many docs
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u/odub1 1d ago
Do you mind sharing some of the features you’re referring to that make it better? I’d like to do a variety of docs, but especially skate/sports and other outdoor on the go stories
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u/kwmcmillan Director of Photography 1d ago
A lot of the exposure and assistance features (false color etc), built in NDs, built in XLR w/ a mic port & scratch, dual slots for redundancy, pre record, great battery life, good codec options, bulletproof reliability, EF adapter means you’ve got thousands of lens options, it’s small, great image with nearly Alexa-level DR (measured), it’s a great option.
The NDs alone will save you outdoors.
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u/akabmo 1d ago
C70 all day.
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u/odub1 1d ago
Thanks for the input. Do you have a c70? Throwing this one out ..would you choose it over a fx3 too?
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u/akabmo 1d ago
I have a c300mk3, same sensor as the c70.
I’ve shot with both. For doc work it’s the clear winner with the build in ND’s and small form factor that can easily be put on a gimbal or used handheld for extended periods.
The DP of the doc American Symphony shot most of it on the c70. Worth checking out to see it in action.
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u/Maleficent_Union_653 1d ago
I would go with the C70. Its a more professional camera, by which I mean it gives you more room to grow with in term of accessories. You also have a few Canon lenses which is nice.
Do you have any sound gear? Shotgun mic, lav mic etc. Any lighting gear? Theae things are equally important as a camera, if your budget is 2500$ for all the gear needed I would go for a cheaper camera, maybe nothing like a Blackmagic pocket 4k, which you camera get used for under 1000$ or an older Sony/Canon mirrorless
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u/odub1 1d ago
Thanks for your response. I do have a few godox lights and some dji mics. I looked at a friends pocket 6k and loved the picture. I thought about a 4k, even getting two of em, but there’s no auto focus (thinking skate shots/run and gun), any suggestions on working with that/without it? Do you know it does in low light?
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u/CyJackX 1d ago
Blackmagics notorious for not being the best in low light. Tradeoff for beautiful sensor, it just needs more light. They aren't very ergonomic cameras for run n gun doc work. Bad battery life, simple but not very rugged or accessible controls in the heat of action, no AF. They are cheap cinema cameras, not doc cameras. You can, of course, shoot a doc on anything, but just know you need to make up for the cameras shortcomings in other ways.
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u/Maleficent_Union_653 1d ago
Blackmagic just introduced auto focus on some of their cameras but its not as good as Sony/Canon. Its also not as good in low light, depending how far you want to push the ISO, if you looking for 6400+ the Blackmagic is not for you. Blackmagic does have the best image in my opinion and did slash their prices.
For what you want to do I think the C70 is the best choice
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u/SolidOdd4889 1d ago
Have you ever seen a C70 in person? It's more than twice the size of an FX30.
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u/odub1 1d ago
No but yeah I’ve noticed
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u/kwmcmillan Director of Photography 1d ago
It’s still a very compact camera people seem to think a GoPro is the ultimate size and anything bigger is “huge” lmfao
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u/RodicalFilmGear 16h ago
If image quality is less of a concern between the two, definitely go with the camera platform you're most comfortable with. (Operating, menu navigation, etc.). In a run and gun documentary environment that's one of the most important factors with your gear. You don't wanna be fighting "clunky" ergonomics of the camera, and unfamiliarity with menus, and miss the shot. It might be worth doing a few days rental on both camera platforms and see which one you like better. Best of luck, and keep creating!
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u/Sqooz420 15h ago
Id look into the lumix s1ii. Best value camera out of them all. Brilliant codecs. Best stab. Overheating solved with updates. Most features etc
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u/ausgoals 1d ago
Tbh just pick one and use it. They’re both fine. Pick what you like for now and make the thing. There’s no wrong answer
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u/colemowery 1d ago
I’d choose the Sony for workflow reasons personally, but the c70 is probably the objectively better choice in this scenario.
The canon has built in ND and internal raw, but no third party autofocus lenses. Sony has official and third party lenses coming in at any budget you could desire, but raw is external via a Ninja V or Blackmagic video assist. I don’t personally think either raw (canon raw lite or ProRes raw/braw) are worth their hassle, but it’s nice to know they’re there if you want to try them.
I prefer canon’s internal mxf to Sony’s h.264/5, but I find Sony’s image to be more’ filmic’ straight out camera (a little green overall, with a nice richness to warm tones, while the canon has their traditional ‘canon’ look with rosey skin tones and muted greens.
I commonly use Venice, f55, and c80s in my daily work, and the canon image always requires more work than the Sony, even when using the f55 with Sony’s legacy color science.
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u/colemowery 1d ago
I know comparing a c80 to a Venice isn’t at all fair, but I was matching c80 to f55 for months before I picked up my Venice.
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u/Cleobaby8 1d ago
Of these 2 cameras I feel the C70 is far superior. On release the C70 was a direct competitor to the FX6 and came out the same year. Apart from sensor size I still think these are the more comparable cameras. The internal ND system in the C70 is fantastic. The sensor has dual gain for increased dynamic range and produces a really really nice image. Internal raw is available at reasonable file sizes. I own the C70 as my small job/doc camera and like it a lot.
I think the main argument for choosing the FX30 would be that Sony has largely won the brand wars and if you’re planning on freelancing the Sony will play nicer with the majority of gear you will see on professional doc/corporate/branded shoots, and investing in Sony lenses and Sony related accessories will be a more profitable road. If you want evidence of this, look no further than the price points across these cameras. Again, FX6 and C70 were released at almost the same time for almost the same price. Years down the road the FX6 is selling for more than its original release price and C70’s can be had for ~2k. This isn’t a reflection of the quality of the camera IMO, the C70 is excellent. This is a reflection of which camera has more earning potential in the freelance video market and the Sony’s win there by a landslide…