Joshua Reafsnyder
Independent Media Producer ~ VidPro.Biz ~
So I am a bit confused. It seems like everyone is suggesting that $250 a day is about $20 an hour. I am also a new to the freelance work and work a full time job. I have been going with a $40 an hour rate with $250 as the day rate for starting out, and am currently upping that rate. I am in Northern California, and speaking to other videographers that is what they suggest as someone else mentioned it as basically a minimum wage. If you take 250 and divide it by 8 it is about 31 an hour. As I said I quote 40 an hour so basically after six hours you get a break. 20 times 8 is 160... So I am a little lost on the math that is being done. And $500 for a wedding seems very low to me as a photographer or videograher, at least for the area I am in. I would call $200 doing a wedding for free, after you consider just the cost of gas, fancy DVD cases, licencing music, and other misc cost. With even a low $250 day rate I would consider $1200 the minimum for doing a weeding (that works out to about a week of the day rate, and considering about a days worth of pay will be spent on just costs, that is pretty good price when you consider it).
Anyhow $250 really is a real min wage when you consider what your time is worth, plus all the equipment you need, and need to up keep, and need to replace. Plus the government is going to take their fair share in income tax and licencing fees. Plus consider the cost of your car, gas, insurance, licence, plus the use of your office, electricity... when you really break it down there is a ton of overhead.
I have a t3i aka 600d. It works great with magic latern. I really like the flip out screen. I honestly don't think there is much difference between the 60d and 600d. When i was looking I think the 60d only had a few advantages over the 600d. The biggest difference being 60d has better weather sealing. I just Googled for a comparison and the other difference they mentioned was the 60d has a slightly faster shutter, which doesn't make a difference with video. Basically both are nearly identical when it comes to video functionality. If you can afford it and want the weather sealing get the 60d. If you are not that concerned with slightly better weather sealing get the 600d.