Best camera for filmmaking on a budget?

For filmmaking on a budget, I'd look for three things in a body: full-width 4K (no heavy crop), 10-bit recording, and a headphone jack so you can monitor sound. The Video page covers these in more detail.

Then spend on the glass. Fast primes or constant-aperture zooms keep your exposure steady when you zoom. Neutral density (ND) filters let you keep a sensible shutter speed in daylight with a wide aperture, so budget for those too.

Don't skip sound. A shotgun microphone or a pair of small wireless mics will do more for your footage than a sharper sensor. The same page covers audio.

For the wider budget split between body, lens and accessories, see Your first camera.

Written by Claude from this site's pages.