Is a Full Frame Camera worth $5000?
Is It Worth the Price of a Small Car? Let's Find Out! 😬
Our Beginnings
So you're an aspiring videographer or filmmaker thinking about making the switch to a Full Frame camera body. Maybe you're coming from Micro 4/3rds or APS-C and feeling left out that you didn't drop the price of a small car to upgrade to "the Big Leagues." 😅 Well, let me tell you that Full Frame sensors are all hype... for the most part.
For the first seven years of my video production career, I used a Micro 4/3rds sensor camera body. I started with the Panasonic G7 ($ 500 with lens) and then eventually a Blackmagic Pocket 4K ($1,250 body only). Obviously, when I was starting out, I just couldn't afford to get on the hype train. Honestly, it forced me to learn about lighting.
The biggest benefit of having a Full Frame sensor is the incredible low-light performance. The image is cleaner overall with less noise in the shadows. Without that advantage, I had to learn different lighting techniques to raise the exposure of the room I was filming in — a skill that separates the amateurs from the pros. I also had to work with industry-standard plugins like Neat Video to learn how to de-noise my images. Additionally, this experience forced me to learn what lenses and focal adapters do to my image and overall light capacity.
So Why Did I Buy a Full Frame Camera?
The main reason was because, as the years went on, a huge majority of my business was filming live events. In the majority of live events such as conferences, corporate mixers, weddings, etc., you have NO control of the lighting and are forced to work with whatever is available. With smaller sensor cameras, I spent a ton of time in post-production de-noising my footage. So, on top of having a quality issue, it was also costing me valuable time — and time is your greatest asset.
Conclusion
But I can still proudly say that over 90% of my portfolio is built on Micro 4/3rds and Super 35/APS-C sensor images. You don't need to shell out the price of a small car to build a successful video production company. You don't need to rent high-end Sony Cameras, Red Cameras, or Arri Alexas to tell a good story. If that were true, then every $300 million movie would be a successful one. Taking the time to improve yourself and your skillset is far more valuable than wasting money on overpriced camera equipment. 🎥
Here’s a great article so you can start doing your own research and see what fits best for your needs - Best 4 Cameras for Beginners.
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