The best low-budget cinema camera models for filmmaking
Making movies decent enough to be shown in a digital cinema has never been easier. To make a movie in the past, you would need an expensive film camera as well as film stock and film development.
Low-cost digital cameras are now capable of producing films for theatrical and digital distribution. There are numerous digital cinema cameras available, but the majority of them are prohibitively expensive for inexperienced filmmakers.
That’s why certain camera brands today are now developing low-cost cameras to help the low-budget filmmaker looking to film a masterpiece with a cinema camera within a budget that we can all afford.
All of the camera models and brands mentioned here will require additional accessories such as a lens, microphone, and extra batteries. Consider these as well when setting a budget for your camera.
What are the best low-budget cinema camera models for filmmaking?
Want to Learn More About Filmmaking?
Become a better filmmaker with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by film masters, including Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Spike Lee, Jodie Foster, James Cameron and more.
Black Magic Design - Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera’s elegant design packs an incredible number of high-end digital film functionalities into a compact, handheld design.
The low-budget cinema camera is made of lightweight carbon fiber polycarbonate composite and has a multifunction handgrip with all recording, ISO, WB, and shutter angle controls right at your fingertips. Because it’s a high-end digital film camera, the sensor is designed to reduce thermal noise, resulting in cleaner shadows and higher ISO.
Furthermore, the large 5 inch LCD allows for perfect focus at 4K and 6K resolutions. A removable battery door, four shock-proof microphones, a heavy-duty lens mount, and a built-in speaker are also included.
With an incredible sensor and Blackmagic color science, you get the same imaging technology as the most expensive digital film cameras.
The native sensor resolution of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is 4096 x 2160, while the native sensor resolution of the 6K models is 6144 x 3456. Whether shooting in bright sunlight or almost no light, the 13-stop dynamic range and dual native ISO up to 25,600 provide stunning low-noise images in all lighting conditions.
In addition, the 6K models have a larger Super 35 sensor, which enables shooting with a shallow depth of field and anamorphic lenses. All models allow you to shoot at up to 60 frames per second in full resolution or 120 frames per second in windowed mode.
With an incredible sensor and Blackmagic colour science, you get the same imaging technology as the most expensive digital film cameras.
With three models available, you can choose between EF or MFT lenses, making the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera compatible with the world’s widest range and most popular lenses!
The 6K models include an EF lens mount, allowing you to use lenses from other cameras such as DSLRs, URSA Mini Pros, and even the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera! You can use readily available photographic lenses to achieve incredible creative freedom and feature film-quality lens effects.
The active lens mount allows you to adjust focus and iris using the camera’s buttons or the touch screen. For even more versatility, the 4K model’s MFT lens mount can be converted to PL, C, EF, or other lens types!
The camera’s battery life isn’t great, but you can compensate by plugging in an external battery pack. You’ll also need to use an external audio recorder because the camera’s preamps aren’t very good. But don’t let the negativity get to you with this low-budget cinema camera.
The 4k Pocket Cinema Camera is available for less than $1500 and has a plethora of features to offer the low-budget filmmaker. Because of its high quality, this camera has been used in blockbuster films such as The Avengers: Age of Ultron. It can record in RAW or ProRes with a 12-bit log, making it ideal for color grading.
I believe the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is an excellent camera for beginning filmmakers, producing beautiful cinematic images at a reasonable price. It also includes a free copy of the Davinci Resolve editing and post-production software. So there is nothing stopping you from creating your film masterpiece.
Eager To Learn More Tips & Tricks For Content Creation? Check Out These Articles To Help You Grow:
Z CAM is a low-cost cinema camera brand founded by a group of innovative and creative individuals committed to developing high-performance, cutting-edge imaging products, and solutions.
The team released the Z CAM E1, the world’s smallest 4K, MFT interchangeable lens mount camera, in 2015.
The Z CAM E2 was introduced in 2018 as a low-cost, 4K 160fps & 10-bit color cinema camera, and it quickly established a stronghold in the cinema camera market. Following the success of the Z CAM E2, a series of Flagship cinema cameras were developed: the Z CAM E2-S6 (Super 35mm 6K), the Z CAM E2-F6 (Full Frame 6K), and the Z CAM E2-F8 (Full Frame 8K).
For those looking to get into the market with a low-budget cinema camera model, the Z CAM E2C Professional 4K Cinema Camera is a great start.
Another excellent low-cost cinema camera for creating digital cinema films is the Z Cam E2C 4K Cine Camera MFT. It costs around $800, making it ideal for beginning filmmakers.
It has a Micro Four-Thirds lens mount and a sensor with 11.5 stops of dynamic range, so you can use it with a variety of lenses for filmmaking. It records to standard SDXC cards using the H.264 or H.265 codecs at 30 frames per second at a resolution of UHD 3840 x 2160.
It can be powered by Canon LP-E6 batteries or by plugging it into an external power supply via its DC 12V power socket. If necessary, an Ethernet port included will allow you to live stream to the Internet.
Because this low-cost cinema camera does not have a viewing screen, you will need to use an external portable screen to view your image. These are relatively inexpensive, but they do add to the cost of purchasing the camera.
It has a 3.5mm microphone socket for attaching microphones, but no phantom power or XLR input for attaching professional microphones to the camera. It has Auto and Manual ISO settings up to 25600 ISO and will not disappoint you when it comes to low-light filmmaking.
This low-budget cinema camera is not as easy to use as the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, but it is a high-quality low-cost professional cinema camera for digital filmmaking.
Panasonic - Lumix Cinema Cameras
The Panasonic Lumix BGH1 is a modular, box-style digital cinema camera with a miniature form factor that is ideal for gimbal and drone work, as well as broadcast, live streaming, vlogging, and cinema production, and it expands the Lumix camera range into new territory.
This box-style digital low-budget cinema camera has a 10.2MP M4/3 sensor, an MFT lens mount, and a 13-stop dynamic range to accommodate extreme light changes.
It records video at resolutions up to 4K60 and includes VariCam Look workflows like V-Log L and Cinelike, dual-native ISO using its Venus Engine, anamorphic support, advanced AF (autofocus), a variety of remote and power options, and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) color for vivid imagery to aid professional color grading.
Many features are packed into this small package, making it the go-to production low-budget cinema camera in any mobile or multicamera production environment.
The BGH1 allows you to record footage to high data rate files in the ALL-Intra Long GOP, MOV, and MP4 recording formats using H.264 and H.265/HEVC codecs.
The camera has an unlimited recording time and can record 10-bit 4:2:2 video using the dual SD card slots. It can output up to 4K resolution via HDMI 2.0 or up to 1080p resolution via 3G-SDI. The camera supports simultaneous output via HDMI and 3G-SDI, allowing you to use one signal for monitoring and the other for recording.
It also supports variable frame rates up to 1080p240 for high-quality slow-motion video recording. Using the SD card slots, you can upload custom 3D LUTs into the camera.
The BGH1 is also an excellent low-budget cinema camera for multi-camera environments, not only because it is highly mobile, but also because it has timecode and genlock BNC ports, allowing you to easily sync with other cameras in post-production.
You have to know what you’re getting with this camera — sure, it’s the only Netflix-approved micro 4/3 camera with the same awesome video quality as GH5s in a streamlined video body – but you also have to know that you’ll need some kind of monitor attached to set or view anything.
Ethernet, WiFi, and Bluetooth are extremely versatile, but it takes some getting used to that you can’t set the focus area by touching a touchscreen, for example.
How adaptable is this low-budget cinema camera? My entire home network was able to see and control it as soon as I connected it via WiFi. I haven’t tried Ethernet, but I’m sure it’s the same and much faster.R1 XLR adapter, you can record with professional microphones.
I adore the fact that it transmits both SDI and HDMI at the same time. It has mounting points all over the place, which is incredible! You must experiment/plan in order to reach the various buttons and controls, but this is simple. I’m still putting it through its paces, but I can confidently say that it delivers on its promises, particularly in low light and with the V-Log L profile.
Eager To Learn More Tips & Tricks For Content Creation? Check Out These Articles To Help You Grow:
Peekatthis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Peekatthis also participates in affiliate programs with B&H, Adorama, Clickbank, CJ, and other sites.
If you found this post useful, please consider sharing it or letting your friends know via social media. Have something to add? Please feel free to do so in the comments section below. I really appreciate it!
📌 Don’t forget to save the blog for later, pin the image below!
About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
