Filmmaking / Directing : Filming a Documentary by Tracy Parris

Canon C300, about $10K full package

Another good one is the Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K. Small. Mobile. Rents for around $400-$450 a week.

I personally would recommend a canon T7i, it’s a quick cheap DSLR and i use it for most of my film projects as it is very versatile and cheap. I would also recommend a really good stabilizer or even a shoulder rig to use if it’s a shoot you’ll be walking around or active in.

Sony FS5 II kit is quite compact and appropriately featured for a variety of work, and should you need to match the look with other cameras for remote or multi camera shoots, the FS7 and FS5 cameras are plentiful in all parts of the planet. As others have said Canon C series cameras are popular, though personally I have a distaste for them; your mileage may vary. All the above are cinema style cameras in general; you may not need or want that much camera and what potentially goes with it. Sony's PXW series camcorders may be the better choice for a documentary shooter because they feature simpler integral optics and focus and a friendly form factor that a pro can use but will be easier if the operator isn't a dedicated DP or operator. You can still fully accessorize, and they deliver 4K to stay current for possible delivery use. They are also vastly cheaper than other cameras listed.

Documentary filming is a somewhat (not fully) a filmmaking subsection that is often best serviced by camcorders rather than DSLRs. The Sony Z90 looks promising - I've not used it yet but I'll be playing around with one this Saturday - I'll let ya know (If I remember).

Depends on your budget and workflow.

After yesterday; My impression of the Sony Z90; it's small, lightweight, fast and comfortable in hand. It has a 1 inch sensor, shoots 2K and can kick up to 4K. As a filmmaker, I live (and will die) in the manual environment but I was really impressed by its sharp, fast autofocus with face recognition. I didn't run into any difficulties although I question its battery life (the battery is pretty small - just carry another in your pocket). My conclusion is it's about as good little documentary cameras you'll find right now. I haven't checked its price point but someone told me it's about $2,300 - verify that.

No, Doug. Documentary filmmaking is not "a filmmaking subsection," but a genre in its own right with docudramas also falling under it. It is incorrect to think that camcorders serve documentary filmmaking better than regular cameras such as the ARRi, RED, URSA. So for professional documentary work I would recommend at least the URSA Mini Pro and the Veydra Prime lenses. Nothing less.

Marcelle, answering for myself not Doug. Subject and approach will often dictate equipment. Random example, Follow Me, a current doc I watched a few hours ago on Netflix that was shot on DSLRs, GoPros, mirrorless and iPhones. Docs are often shot by (multiple) non-cinematographer filmmakers under conditions that won't lend themselves to cinema-styled kit and primes and multi crew workflow. Many times ENG style picture + sound single camera person is the only choice and most cinema style or Frankenstein built-rigs do not lend themselves to that. There's a reason ENG/EFP and camcorder cameras up to 8k formats are built today with form factor that goes back decades virtually unchanged. Or clandestine, with hidden rig. The award winning doc Mind of The Demon that I shot (Slamdance '10) was entirely with camcorders. Docudrama is an entirely different genre than doc. If you want to throw that under doc fine but from a production standpoint it involves mostly scripted narrative even if done with a cinema veritė flavor. Crime or incident reenactment series usually combine mostly formal sit down interviews and b-roll staged clip material or stock. Most of the Discovery ID channel shows of this ilk are shot on Canon DSLRs...surprising, but fact. Point being, there are courses for horses. The OP asked for a reccomend in a way that suggested a non-advanced DP wanting a single operator solution. Also, while brevity is king, wall of text is sometimes a need.

Marcelle - humble apologies for my vast ignorance.