Hi. I decided to start making music videos. I currently live abroad and in next 4,5 years I'll go live back home where I plan to make music videos, but in meanwhile I want to learn as much as possible using camera, lenses, lights,...

So first I need camera and I thought buying panasonic gh4, because a lot of people suggested this camera for music videos and I specially like slow motion 96fps and 4k. Do you think I should buy another camera?

For lenses I thought buying Lumix g vario 12-35 mm f2.8. Do you think I should buy some cheaper kit lens for beginning or some other lens? Do you think I should get adapter and use some canon lenses or stick with native lenses?

So when I get used to camera and lens, then I was thinking get another lenses, stabilizer, lights,... ( meanwhile I will practise with my friends and shoot diferent type of videos, but not actually music videos, maybe one or two music videos per year when I go home for holidays).

Money is not a problem, but I think it's not good idea to throw a lot of money in the beginning.

Do you think that this is a good plan? What would you do in my situation?

Post forum is for Music post - we don’t really have a video forum...

Ah, but we do, young monkey... and now here we are.

Ah the dustier areas! Well you learn something new every day

Lighting is the most important thing. Most filmmakers just rent what they need when they need it, unless you're doing it as a full-time cameraman or gaffer (lighting tech) it's too expensive to get quality stuff. A filmmaker with a smartphone and a knowledge of how to light is almost certainly able to make a better video than someone with a proper "pro" camera rig and no lighting ability.

For cameras, there is a wealth of info and opinion out there... the Panasonic stuff you mention seems as good a place as any to start. A fast zoom like that is not a bad idea, and you may want a couple fixed lenses that have even faster apertures for better focus control. A set of ND filters (amongst others) will help give you the creative control you need over depth-of-field (ie, what's in focus and what's out of focus).

Spend as much on lenses as you can - you will want to be upgrading the body every several years at most but lenses can stay with you for life if you look after them.

Then, hit up the internet for tutorials - read about lighting techniques, camera techniques, watch as many music videos as the YouTube Vevo channel will throw at you, and absorb the goodness. You'll probably have a lot of trial-and-error, but that can be the fun bit... learning how to operate, especially on a smaller prosumer camera, is great, and once you master light, then you can do anything you like...

I agree with every thing you said EXCEPT for lens. Formats are changing too fast and what works today MAY NOT work tomorrow. If you need different lens then it maybe simpler and less costly to rent them. I have a shelf of lens that are no longer compatible with my current cameras and there are no adapters that will make them work with them. Otherwise all good helpful suggestions.

I guess if you go too far off-piste from the big brands it could be an issue. But if you're sticking with Nikon, Canon, too a lesser extend Panasonic and of course C-mount and all those old cine formats that have loads of adapters, you should be OK for quite a few years... hopefully.

The problem is not so much the adapters but the newer video sensor formats. Some lens will NOT work with certain sensor sizes. See here:

More info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format

It is getting to be very confusing for videographers who want to invest in prime lens or zoom lens but are afraid that what they purchase today will not work tomorrow.

I have about $2,000.00 worth of Nikon lens that are no longer usable with modern digital cameras and I can't even sell them on Ebay or to anyone else. No one that I know of makes adapters for these except to Cine mounts which I already have. The more formats that are created the more headaches for videographers. FWIW

FWIW

PL mount will be in use for decades to come, as will EF for stills. However, I'd hold off on buying any lenses that can't cover the full-frame image circle, as most pro gear will be full frame moving forward.