r/Filmmakers • u/Metekai_ • 18h ago

Question Choosing a camera for my first short film.

I want to make a short film (my first) and I have to decide wether to use the camera on my samsung a25 or an old(er) Nikon D5100 with a 55-200 mm lens or a 18-55 mm lens (I have both lying around). This camera was bought by my parents in 2011. I am mostly gonna make close up shots of my hands (writing, typing) and my computer screens. I dont have any great options for lighting other than my home lights and some desk lamps.

Advice is very apprectiated, I'm very very new to this.

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u/Alternative-Ad-297 16h ago

A true camera will let you choose depth of field and focus much more naturally. Learning to shoot on suboptimal equipment is a much better teacher than we often remember it being. I’d give the nikon a try. Get a good tripod and get creative with lighting! It’ll be fun!

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u/mars_was_blue_too 15h ago

DSLRs are very good cameras for film making. However if you don't know how to use them, a phone can actually be better for your first ever film since you'll be focusing on the story instead of how to use the camera. But if you practise with the camera a lot before you make the film, this won't be as much of an advantage.

Older DSLRs aren't great at low light, so for night or indoor stuff you might need lots of light to get the best quality footage especially with zoom lenses because they have smaller apertures. But your first film doesn't have to be technically perfect so you could just crank iso. A prime lens with a low f stop would help though.