Even with the digital revolution, a majority of big budget productions still prefer shooting on analog film. It is most common that they are shot on 35mm and even 65mm film, which is then digitized for editing in the computer (some still cut on film...Spielberg). You'll find that most big shoots use Panavisions and Arriflex cameras. Now these cameras are not available for purchase, only rental (which is still outrageously expensive), but they value at over half a million $$ in most cases! You can buy some cheaper used 35mm and the indie film alternative, 16mm cameras at
http://visualproducts.com/.
However, as the previous answers correctly stated, more and more films are shot in digital, but its not likely that they'd be shot on your average Sony Handycam. Instead, here are some popular digital cinema cameras, which are a lot more expensive:
1) Red One
2) Panavision Genesis
3) Dalsa Origin
4) Thompson Viper FilmStream
5) Arri D-21
6) Sony F23 and F35 (sometimes)
[they are in no particular order]
Some shoot in your typical high definition with resolutions of 1920 x 1080, but some shoot in higher definitions, such as 4K, which is 4096 x 2048. Again, many of these cameras cannot be purchased... only rented. However, the RED ONE can be purchased, making it the cheapest one, and arguably the best. You can buy the Red One for $17,500 only for the body, but you'll need accessories such as lenses, LCD screens, batteries, and some sort of memory storage. The RED One is an amazing camera for an awesome price (in retrospect at least), rivaling cameras that cost a quarter to half a million. It shoots in 4K resolution and goes hand in hand with Final Cut Pro on Macintosh computers. check it out at
http://www.red.com/I know these cameras are probably not within your budget, so here are some good prosumer camcorders:
1) Sony PMW-EX1
2) Panasonic HVX200
3) JVC GY-HD200U
4) Canon XH-A1
[these ARE in a particular order]
The best is definately the Sony EX1. The HVX200 is a sort-of-close second. The reason is that both cameras shoot in tapeless media. My reasoning is that these tapeless media cameras will get you closer to true HD, while your typical HDV is still heavily compressed (better than AVCHD though). The Sony EX1 uses SxS Media cards while the HVX200 uses P2 cards. I have heard that the SxS is slightly better than the P2 card as far as compression.
Looking at the JVC HD200U, that's a totally different camera. It does NOT shoot in 1080 HD, only the lower resolution 720 HD. Now this would turn most people off to this camera, but I still really like it. Besides, I'd rather shoot in 720 HD with 60 frames per second progressive, than 1080 in 30fps progressive, or even 60fps interlaced. It also has interchangeable lenses, which is real nice! It was even used on an indie film that was blown up to 35mm and released internationally!
In the consumer range, also check out the RED SCARLET. It's only $3,000 and has the best resolution of any camera under $10,000! It shoots in UNCOMPRESSED 3k!!! If you're wondering what 3k is, lets just say that its considerably better than the HD we're used to. Its not as good as the 4K on the RED One, but 3k has a resolution of 3072 x 1536! That's excellent considering Sony still has 1920 x 1080 resolution cameras in its $40,000 range! welll, I hope that helps :)
Additioanl Information:They are proffesionall video cameras which can cost from 5-6 GRAND if ur a biginer then just do what i did, buy a HD video which cost like 3-4 hundred, but get 1 from sony as they give u more megapixels and quality for ur muni and are more reliable then after a while if u feel like u wana continue then buy a pro camera from ebay.com
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-broadca...
http://www.arri.com/entry/products.htmhttp://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs...
There are others... these are most common. Lenses are extra. Processing is typically done on custom equipment.
For these information on whole world not many are familiar with.
If you want one of these camera systems, you better have the budget to buy 4 new exotic luxury cars or 4 new mansions, because that is how much these camera systems cost to purchase and operate for this type of movie. You will still need to purchase the recording media - which can cost just as much. Then you need to develop each roll, review the film, and reshoot if necessary - which again, can cost as much as purchasing the film or purchasing the camera system. Don't forget your budget for all labor (film crews, talent, editing, management, and security), services (food, water, sewer, power, and maintenance), transportation (to and from film site a well as vehicles in film), lodging (if filming outside your normal area), effects (props, explosives, modified materials, specialized or rare items), and permits or licenses (depending on where and when you are filming) - again, same price as before. Most productions at this level actually rent camera systems a fraction of the cost, hire locally, and film simple stories with no special or rare requirements on their own turf. This can save almost 1/2 of the required budget.
Most camera systems at this level are pieced together from a variety of accessories to fit the particular requirements, and different scenes in the movie will require different pieces to be added or removed. The camera systems are also geared for specific lighting, conditions, or create a specific 'look' or 'feel' because most use a very specific type of film. Not many save to digital media, and most that do are Sony - they invented this technology for George Lucas's requirements to film Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III.
Most filmmakers at this level are full fledged directors. Most directors specialize on a particular group of cameras and only film projects those cameras can handle, or they analyze the requirements for the particular film (distribution formats, editing requirements to create that distribution format, and the producer's instructions on how the story is to be told) to find the correct camera. Directors will rely primarily on the advice and expertise of the cinematographers and camera operators, since directors at this level don't always operate the camera or know the strengths and weaknesses of a particular camera system in a particular configuration.
Filming and Editing these types of movies can also be a problem depending on how and where you are distributing your film. Most movie theaters are part of some larger group in a film distribution network, and each network is set up to project their own specific type of cellulose projection film. This can be painful for the filming and editing crews since each distribution format has its own requirements and limits. These problems are usually researched and managed in pre-production long before filming begins.
Above, Nikolai provides a list of cameras commonly used to film movies you will see in theaters for the next 5-10 years. Nu'uanu provides links to 3 of the top level camera and camera support manufacturers that have been around for the past quarter century (25 years).
If you want to skip all this hassle and distribute your movie by DVD instead of a theater network, you can and should use a typical professional small format HD camcorder in the $10,000 and lower range. If you are talking about a TV show instead, you can use the same professional small format HD camcorders under $10,000 for movies going to DVD. Most reality shows, documentaries, cable TV sows, and news crews you see on TV today use these camcorders.
