Hi guys .. i am a miniDV camera user and just saw a crew shooting for the movie SALT , they had 3-4 large camera .. was just wondering what kind of cameras do they use .. i tried searching it online and wasnt sure how to look for it ... what camera are used in motion pictures? what price range?

what camera are used in motion pictures? what price range? 35mm Film. A few hundred grand per.

Usually it's something like this:

http://www.panavision.com/product_detail.php?maincat=1&cat=78&id=63&node=c0,c3,c4,c5

Sometimes they use video, in which case it might be something like a Sony F950, F900, or F23:

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-HDWF900R/

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-broadcastcameras/cat-cinealta/product-F23/

Many TV dramas and some comedies (comedies are usually shot on tape but some still use film) use something like this:

http://www.panavision.com/product_detail.php?maincat=1&cat=72&id=28&node=c0,c100,c101,c102

wow these are expensive. .. why r they THIS expensive ..compared to some very cheap camera like Canon xl2 ... which claims to do pretty good job at film look... ?

For the same reason a Ferrari is more expensive than a Yugo.

But your point is well-taken ... there is some amazing technology available to us that was unheard of ten years ago.

For the same reason a Ferrari is more expensive than a Yugo.

But your point is well-taken ... there is some amazing technology available to us that was unheard of ten years ago.

is there differnnce in media too ??? dose that matter a lot too on price? what make these camera sooo dammm expensive?

is there differnnce in media too ??? dose that matter a lot too on price? what make these camera sooo dammm expensive?

The lenses are also expensive. A number of factors come in such as build quality, the size of the market. The high end professional market is a lot more demanding and is a lot smaller than the mass consumer market. There's a lot of R & D which has to be spread over a smaller number of units and specifications are demanding.

The RED camera costs less, but it doesn't have the expensive specialised VTR, rather it uses computer technology which has it's R & D costs spread over a larger number of units such as hard drives which also have a market in IT.

Most productions rent their 35mm film cameras, you can't buy a Panavision camera.

Tape stock for the high end cameras is more expensive, but so are other costs.

You can get a lot for your money on the consumer camera and prosumer cameras

The lenses are also expensive. A number of factors come in such as build quality, the size of the market. The high end professional market is a lot more demanding and is a lot smaller than the mass consumer market. There's a lot of R & D which has to be spread over a smaller number of units and specifications are demanding.

The RED camera costs less, but it doesn't have the expensive specialised VTR, rather it uses computer technology which has it's R & D costs spread over a larger number of units such as hard drives which also have a market in IT.

Most productions rent their 35mm film cameras, you can't buy a Panavision camera.

Tape stock for the high end cameras is more expensive, but so are other costs.

You can get a lot for your money on the consumer camera and prosumer cameras

thats a lot of information.. ! thanks !

I think there is something else left unsaid ... the picture quality, the depth of view (or rather, lack of) that comes with the large 35mm film / sensor size - that you cannot get using a smaller sized sensor. Therefore, the Canon XL2 will most likely represent the pinnacle of performance that you can EVER get out of a mini DV format. Even HD cameras using 1/3" CCD or CMOS are unlikely EVER to approach the quality of a 35mm Panavision film camera. You can only push electronics so much. Panavision also has 70mm film as well - how does that compares with a tiny 1/3 inch "film"?