This has been covered a dozen times, I would suggest a search for more details but it gets down to this.

• You want a camera with 3cc and 24p to maximize the film look.
• You want decent lighting to maximize the cinematic look.

One or the other can often fool folks but its the combination you really want. I would suggest the Panasonic DVX100 or Canon XL2 combined with a decent lighting kit.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

It definitely depends on your price range. If you do not have a lot of money, get any three CCD camera, that allows you to do manual focusing and iris changes (exposure changes). If you are serious about getting a film look, there are two steps. Without a lot of money, you can do one of them. Post Production. If you can get your hands on the magic bullet editors and a good NLE(Non Linear Editor) you should be able to take well lit video and give it a great "Movie" feel. It will still not movie like film though. If you are willing to spend the money here are my suggestions:

The Panasonic DVX100, DVX100a, or DVX100b. The "B" model just came out so the others are much cheaper. The B version is 3500.00 and the original DVX is down to 200.00.
OR
the Canon XL2

These Cameras can both shoot at 24 progressive (Non-Interlaced, and at 24 frames per second which is what film is shot at.)

These are amazing cameras and well worth the money. The new movie "November" with Courtney Cox was shot on the original DVX. Go to www.whatisbroken.com and www.silentamy.com to see some examples of footage from a DVX100a.

When you shoot at 24p, the image moves exactly like film. You then set your sharpness a litle lower, use the magic bullet editors and a great NLE for color correcting like, Premier Pro, Sony Vegas, Avid Xpress, or Final Cut Pro, and you come out with a look that is as close to 35mm as you can get without spending 50,000 on a pro HD cam.

Remember that even with 24p and Magic bullet, and an amazing NLE, if you light poorly, you will come out with nothing good. It is ALL about the lighting for a movie look. Light well! (Overlight and dim in post) (You can't brighten a black image in post, but you can dim a bright one)

So the moral of my story:
24p prosumer camera+Amazing Lighting and Sound+Magic Bullet Editors+Amazing NLE+ experience and talent=a movie that people will think was shot on film and looks incredibly professional but at a digital video price range.

Of course, other people will have other opinions, but I have been researching this exact question for the last 5 months.
I hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Matthew Sconce

I would obviously suggest the XL-2 or something along those lines but if you want to go cheap, I have found the Canon ZR 200 to be a decent camera for the price. It has a great widescreen mode which, surprisingly, my XL-1 does not.

God uses a Mac.

www.MariposaProd.com

thanks all. to: rjschwarz, i realized after and apologize,
i sorta found what i needed by searching, after posting
my question.

Thanks for all the help, with the answers in this post and
looking at the other suggestions in other posts, i know
now what i need to do. Thanks.

No need to apologize, I was just telling you that you'll find a bunch more debate on the subject out there. Trying to be helpful, not critical. The folks on this board helped me with the same decision.

I would also suggest that you search on eBay when you've narrowed things down. Even if you don't buy there its good to see what options are available (lenses, ect) as well as the going rate (the Buy Now price).

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA