"My Precious..."

So this is my precious, the Sony SLTa33.  It's the little brother of the Alpha55.  This is my first DSLR body and what has reignited my passion for movie making.  It can shoot full 1080HD video in progressive or interlaced.  The reason I went with this over a Cannon is, admittedly, price.  Coming from a zero budget you have to make do with your available funds and resources.  This is key for independent SLR moviemaking.  Be resourceful.  And when you can, build it yourself.  DIY is now my motto and favorite acronym.  Much of what I post will be my personal DIY projects.  That's basically the heart of independent moviemaking, Do It Yourself.  Not only are you the auteur, you are the set designer and the production engineer.  If you dont' know how to build things, start learning.  Youtube is my most valued resource available.  Whatever I wish to learn, I type the key words into youtube and I have multiple instructional videos explaining the process step by step.  Youtube had a huge part to play in my decision to purchase this great piece of machinery.  There are hundreds of videos of test footage out there for each DSLR.  I compared the quality of the shots captured from cameras within my price range and found the alpha33 to be superior in all facets.  Once I decided on my camera, my next crucial resource was ebay, craigslist, and amazon.com.  You do not have to buy your camera new.  If you're on a tight budget you shouldn't even consider that as an option.  This camera with the kit lens is priced on the sony website for $699.99.  It's older brother is about two hundred more.  The a33 and a55 are basically the same camera. I saw no reason to purchase the a55 once I compared the specs.  Without the lens it's market value is $599.99.  Through ebay I was able to find a refurbished body for $510.  With the money saved, I have purchased an arsenal of lenses through ebay auctions and craigslist posts.  BH photovideo is also a great place to find good deals.  They have a used store where you can find lightly used or refurbished items greatly reduced in price.  I haven't spent more than $50 on a lens yet.  And the lenses I've acquired are not crap lenses.  Most are pretty high quality.  What is most important is saving money and being wise about how you spend.  Admittedly I haven't been as smart as I ought to.  Bidding on ebay can become a bit addicting at times.