<p>Netflix, the BBC, Amazon, and others that commission and/or broadcast content maintain a set of professional standards that specify everything from acceptable cameras to file naming conventions.  The Netflix list of approved cameras is <a href="https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000579527-Cameras-and-Image-Capture" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.  I would offer that by studying these lists (which talk about not only resolution, but also bit depth, chroma sampling, bit rate, compression rates, etc) you can see where the professionals draw the line between claims made by prosumer camera models and what is standard industry practice in 2018.</p>

<p>There are people who are shooting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsane_(film)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">real feature-length productions for theatrical distribution on iPhones</a>.  Because that's the director prerogative: their movie, their aesthetic.  But I would say that the approved camera lists give a good idea of what sort of camera produces the mainstream image quality you see in professional-quality productions, which that YouTube video seems to demonstrate.  And those cameras typically more than $2,000.</p>

<p>And, as noted before, you could have a $80,000 RED Monstro with a $45,000 Zeiss Master Prime lens and you won't get that quality without proper lighting, set design, etc.  But if you have a great set with great lighting, then you can do a lot with cameras in the $2,500-$45,000 range (and lenses in the $2,000-$20,000 range), which you can find on the Netflix approved camera list, or elsewhere (for other broadcast/streaming specifications).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-12T01:59:27.180Z
2018-05-12T01:59:27.180Z
Michael Tiemann
<p>Pretty much anything modern from Grass Valley, Sony Broadcast or Panasonics Broadcast division would be well capable of this, if combined with decent glass and a skilled camera and rack operator. It is after all only HD, so nothing particularly state of the art. </p>

<p>All of that kit is well north of £2k however (Maybe 10 - 20 times that), even before you consider the glass which is just a bit important, and the skill of the operators for which there really is no substitute.  </p>

<p>I would bet that that crew could shoot something that looked substantially the same on a modern DSLR with a few trimmings (Matte box, some rails, some decent video glass, and a case of filters).</p>

<p>For many of those shots there is clearly plenty of light and given the shallow depth of field the apertures are clearly wide open so sensor noise should not be a big issue, this is not that big an ask of a camera chain.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-11T00:38:50.030Z
Thank you for giving me a straight forward answer. I appreciate it. when you say "I would bet that that crew could shoot something that looked substantially the same on a modern DSLR with a few trimmings (Matte box, some rails, some decent video glass, and a case of filters)." Could you give me an example of the DSLR camera model you were referring to? That would help. Ex: Canon 80D, Sony a6300, etc.. Being specific helps :)
HappyTurtle
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-11T01:06:18.920Z
I don't really do much with the DSLR end of the game, being as they are not something you tend to see in OB Trucks and studio galleries (Which is where my gear goes), but from what I have seen I doubt that many of the current DSLR for video camera chains would have much trouble with the right glass and in the right hands. My point really is that given the right crew and DP there is nothing there that is particularly difficult from a camera chain perspective. I will leave product recommendations to someone who plays in that space.
Dan Mills
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-11T05:19:25.790Z
That''s upsetting that you cannot provide a product recommendation, seeing as how you seem to really know your stuff, but I appreciate your input so far.
HappyTurtle
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-11T12:23:35.107Z
You would have me advise on products that I have only played with a little? Far better to find someone who knows that end of the game and what the tradeoffs are. There is more to a camera then just the sensor, weight, balance, ability to tie into standard batteries, availability of an SDI feed for preview monitoring, viewfinder modes, can you rack the camera remotely, can you pull focus remotely, how about aperture? can you stripe Timecode, can you generate it? Does the thing have a tally input? How about an input for preview loopback from the switcher? What matters for your application?
Dan Mills
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-20T03:36:59.170Z
"What matters for your application?" Having a camera capable of shooting this quality of video. That's it. Let me worry about all the other intrinsics. I appreciate your input, even if it didn't help. Thanks for trying
HappyTurtle
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-10T16:04:27.357Z
2018-05-10T16:04:27.357Z
Dan Mills
<p><div class="youtube-embed"><div>
                <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W4hvneKcPZI?start=0"></iframe>
            </div></div></p>

<p>Please provide camera models if possible. Not knowing this is driving me crazy haha</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-19T07:51:52.750Z
@HappyTurtle - the point the posters and commenters are making is that it doesn't matter which camera (within reason) so making a recommendation on a specific camera is not helpful.
Dr Mayhem
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-20T03:33:35.533Z
@DrMayhem It would be very helpful. DrMayhem, It's been over 2 weeks since I posted this question and ive yet to receive any useful information. Please tell me the cheapest camera model you know of that is capable of shooting a video of this quality. Sad that on StackExchange of all places I cannot get my question answered.
HappyTurtle
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-20T07:17:13.447Z
That is not what this site is for - it explicitly tells you that in the welcome pages. We are not a shopping recommendation site. So it's not sad. It's deliberate.
Dr Mayhem
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-20T07:17:35.083Z
Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/77754/discussion-on-question-by-happyturtle-what-kind-of-camera-do-i-need-to-record-a).
Dr Mayhem
<video><video-quality><video-recording><camera>
What kind of camera do I need to record a video with the quality that is in the linked YouTube video?
HappyTurtle
# What kind of camera do I need to record a video with the quality that is in the linked YouTube video?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-05)

Please provide camera models if possible. Not knowing this is driving me crazy haha

**Tags:** video, video-quality, video-recording, camera

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: @username_0 - the point the posters and commenters are making is that it doesn't matter which camera (within reason) so making a recommendation on a specific camera is not helpful.  
> **username_0**: @DrMayhem It would be very helpful. DrMayhem, It's been over 2 weeks since I posted this question and ive yet to receive any useful information. Please tell me the cheapest camera model you know of that is capable of shooting a video of this quality. Sad that on StackExchange of all places I cannot get my question answered.  
> **username_1**: That is not what this site is for - it explicitly tells you that in the welcome pages. We are not a shopping recommendation site. So it's not sad. It's deliberate.  
> **username_1**: Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/77754/discussion-on-question-by-happyturtle-what-kind-of-camera-do-i-need-to-record-a).  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-05-12. Score: 1

Netflix, the BBC, Amazon, and others that commission and/or broadcast content maintain a set of professional standards that specify everything from acceptable cameras to file naming conventions. The Netflix list of approved cameras is [here](https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000579527-Cameras-and-Image-Capture). I would offer that by studying these lists (which talk about not only resolution, but also bit depth, chroma sampling, bit rate, compression rates, etc) you can see where the professionals draw the line between claims made by prosumer camera models and what is standard industry practice in 2018.

There are people who are shooting [real feature-length productions for theatrical distribution on iPhones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsane_(film)). Because that's the director prerogative: their movie, their aesthetic. But I would say that the approved camera lists give a good idea of what sort of camera produces the mainstream image quality you see in professional-quality productions, which that YouTube video seems to demonstrate. And those cameras typically more than $2,000.

And, as noted before, you could have a $80,000 RED Monstro with a $45,000 Zeiss Master Prime lens and you won't get that quality without proper lighting, set design, etc. But if you have a great set with great lighting, then you can do a lot with cameras in the $2,500-$45,000 range (and lenses in the $2,000-$20,000 range), which you can find on the Netflix approved camera list, or elsewhere (for other broadcast/streaming specifications).


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-05-10. Score: 0

Pretty much anything modern from Grass Valley, Sony Broadcast or Panasonics Broadcast division would be well capable of this, if combined with decent glass and a skilled camera and rack operator. It is after all only HD, so nothing particularly state of the art.

All of that kit is well north of £2k however (Maybe 10 - 20 times that), even before you consider the glass which is just a bit important, and the skill of the operators for which there really is no substitute.

I would bet that that crew could shoot something that looked substantially the same on a modern DSLR with a few trimmings (Matte box, some rails, some decent video glass, and a case of filters).

For many of those shots there is clearly plenty of light and given the shallow depth of field the apertures are clearly wide open so sensor noise should not be a big issue, this is not that big an ask of a camera chain.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you for giving me a straight forward answer. I appreciate it. when you say "I would bet that that crew could shoot something that looked substantially the same on a modern DSLR with a few trimmings (Matte box, some rails, some decent video glass, and a case of filters)." Could you give me an example of the DSLR camera model you were referring to? That would help. Ex: Canon 80D, Sony a6300, etc.. Being specific helps :)  
> **username_3**: I don't really do much with the DSLR end of the game, being as they are not something you tend to see in OB Trucks and studio galleries (Which is where my gear goes), but from what I have seen I doubt that many of the current DSLR for video camera chains would have much trouble with the right glass and in the right hands. My point really is that given the right crew and DP there is nothing there that is particularly difficult from a camera chain perspective. I will leave product recommendations to someone who plays in that space.  
> **username_0**: That''s upsetting that you cannot provide a product recommendation, seeing as how you seem to really know your stuff, but I appreciate your input so far.  
> **username_3**: You would have me advise on products that I have only played with a little? Far better to find someone who knows that end of the game and what the tradeoffs are. There is more to a camera then just the sensor, weight, balance, ability to tie into standard batteries, availability of an SDI feed for preview monitoring, viewfinder modes, can you rack the camera remotely, can you pull focus remotely, how about aperture? can you stripe Timecode, can you generate it? Does the thing have a tally input? How about an input for preview loopback from the switcher? What matters for your application?  
> **username_0**: "What matters for your application?" Having a camera capable of shooting this quality of video. That's it. Let me worry about all the other intrinsics. I appreciate your input, even if it didn't help. Thanks for trying  

---

