I will be heading to Africa for 6 weeks next summer (2009) with a few other people to get footage for documentary/promotional/public-awareness purposes.

Right now, the hope is to get about $7000 worth of equipment and go to do the best we can.

I am trying to build a kit that will do as much as possible for $7000

I would like it to consist of:

1 "A" Cam
1 "B" Cam
1 tripod for the A Cam
1 decent shotgun mic for the A Cam
Plenty of storage space.
Whatever accessories necessary.

Here is what I have so far in my research:

A Cam = Panasonic AG-HMC150 with two extra batteries as well as 3 panasonic 8GB SDHC cards. Panasonic Camera Bag

B Cam = Sony HDR-SR11 with 2 extra NP-FH70 Lithium Ion Batteries. Sony Camera bag.

Tripod = Bogen / Manfrotto 055XDB Pro Tripod with 503HDV Fluid Video Head

Shotgun = Sony ECM 673

Hard Drive = Buffalo 2TB DriveStation Quattro TurboUSB

I also threw in a couple of Neutral density filters for the SR12 and a Canon UV filter for the HMC150.

All of this came out to just under $7000 on B&H.


Am I missing something vitally important? Any other suggestions for cameras, tripods, or anything really?

OH YEAH. I really don't know much about shotgun mics. Anybody have a better suggestion than the ECM 673 in that price range ($285)?

PLEASE GIVE ANY FEEDBACK! I decided to try a tapeless workflow because it comes out cheaper in the long run (I'd probably have to spend $1000 on tapes for the 6 week trip) and the solid state SDHC cards would be more durable in the harsh African environment. Any ideas for or against this?


THANKS!

-Michael

I will be heading to Africa for 6 weeks next summer (2009) with a few other people to get footage for documentary/promotional/public-awareness purposes.

Right now, the hope is to get about $7000 worth of equipment and go to do the best we can.



Well, it is to me, for one!

Before I venture a word, can you be a bit more forthcoming about that first sentence?

You and who?

Document what, exactly?

Promotion of what, exactly?

Public awareness of what, exactly?

You know what about video production, exactly?

You know what about Africa, exactly?

You are going where in Africa, exactly?

This is going to end up where, with whom and for what purpose, exactly? (hopefully).

You have a total budget of what?

You have budgeted what for excess baggage?

Do you have handlers/ minders/ body/ gear guards/ guides lined up?

Appologies up front if this appears like I'm jumping on you from a great height (ok, I am, but with good reason) but this is so vague a catalogue of expectations that I don't feel I can let it simply slide under the radar.

If you were a seasoned Pro, this list would be a joke. You would already have the proper gear or have access to same.

As you would appear not to be a Pro, you're buying a lot of kit you don't know how to use and could take a very long time learning (even if some of it is considerably below what a Pro would ever use).

Of course, I'm just going on the few brief details in your post. If I've missed something, do let us know.

Please don't take this as a negative post - I'm just trying to get to the nub of the question.


CS

Thanks for your reply Chris :)

My apologies for the vagueness of the post. I was trying my best to keep it simple so that people would actually read it, but I see now that I've actually made it difficult for people to give solid feedback.

I am on a small team (about 6 students, of whom 2 or 3 will actually be working on capturing footage) that will be traveling through West Africa to do volunteer work and promote a non-profit relief organization that works with/builds orphanages in the places that have the most need. While we are there, we will be getting footage to raise public awareness concerning the desperate conditions of the orphanages and what the organization is doing to help (this project is still somewhat in the planning stages).

Obviously, I am not a seasoned professional, and this is very much a learning experience (and meant to be one). I am studying radio/television/film at my university but I am not far along with my major.

By the time we head to Africa, I will have taken more film courses and I will have a bit more experience. I am trying to get the equipment sorted out ASAP because I realize that I will need as much practice time with it as I can get.

The leaders of the organization will be our guides and they are the ones doing most of the planning for the trip. It's not meant to be a mind blowing full scale production, but we are intending to do the best we can with what we have. We will have translators as well.

The current budget for equipment is $7000. This could change to be less or more (planning stages should be over here in a few weeks).

Basically the purpose of my post was just to get some suggestions on a kit for about $7000 that would survive Africa and yield some decent results.

The purpose of this trip is not completely focused on getting footage. We will be doing relief work alongside the workers in country and providing volunteer assistance. Again, I stress that this trip is meant to be a learning experience.

The organization we are working with knows what they are doing and has years of experience doing non-profit work in Africa.

I know that this doesn't answer all of your questions and concerns, but hopefully it helped some.

-Michael

One thought how about saving yourself a lot of problems by getting a video pro with their own kit to travel with you?

This may be a better way of spending the $7,000 and get you far better results.

Where did you come up with $7000 as the budget? Putting on my project management trainer's hat here, budgets are not a top-down statement of the maximum amount you're allowed to spend. Budgets are a bottom-up estimate of the costs that will be incurred in order to achieve a certain explicitly defined specific outcome. In your case, you've put the cart before the horse by selecting equipment that will fit into an allowed expenditure limit. A more fruitful approach is to decide exactly what you need to accomplish, then select the equipment that will do the job properly, and THEN look at what it's going to cost to purchase or hire that equipment, THEN figure out where you're going to get how ever much money that turns out to be. It may be $7000, but then again it might be $2500 or it might be $25000. Until you explicitly define the job it is to do and the problems it needs to solve you have no basis for even beginning to select equipment or define the budget. For example - does your projected film include sit-down interviews? Shotgun mics of any sort mounted on the camera are woefully inadequate for that. Same for walk-and-talks. So maybe lavs need to be considered. Wired or wireless? Will you be doing "streeters" where an interviewer stands with a subject and talks to them - handheld reporters mic is the best bet there. Or consider your A & B camera choices - why two? Is that the best deployment of your resources? Why mixing Panasonic and Sony? - could lead to colour matching problems in post if you need to intercut them. If you feel you need a backup why not two identical cams?

By the way, traveling with that much equipment look into obtaining a carnet to speed customs clearance.

Where did you come up with $7000 as the budget?...

Steve
I am sure that who ever sponsored these students told then that the maximum that they can spend in video gear is $7000.This mustn't surprise you. When I was a student, in Africa by the way (South Africa) we also got a project to shoot some native homelands in Zululand and they told us that the maximum gear we could get was something like $1500 at that time so we picked equipment to fit this budget.
Anyway I agree with you that he must choose the same brand of cameras and also since they are not professionals they must choose a prosumer camera rather a pro one. I would suggest for him to get two Sony FX7 since the price came down on these cameras.

Stelios

Stelios, the FX7 records to tape and the original poster stated his preference for a tapeless format.

I agree that camera brands should not be mixed. Stay with one manufacturer.

The suggestion to allocate this budget to hiring a shooter instead of buying gear is very good advice in my opinion. The money would be so much better spent that way. I don't think it would be too difficult to find an experienced videographer for this trip for that amount of money or maybe a bit more, providing their travel and living expenses are met as well.

Steve
I am sure that who ever sponsored these students told then that the maximum that they can spend in video gear is $7000.This mustn't surprise you. When I was a student, in Africa by the way (South Africa) we also got a project to shoot some native homelands in Zululand and they told us that the maximum gear we could get was something like $1500 at that time so we picked equipment to fit this budget.
Anyway I agree with you that he must choose the same brand of cameras and also since they are not professionals they must choose a prosumer camera rather a pro one. I would suggest for him to get two Sony FX7 since the price came down on these cameras.

Stelios

No, it doesn't surprise me at all. But there are pitfalls in letting it stand at that. It may not even be possible to deliver the project for that amount of money. Then again, it might. My point is that until you have more detailed planning it is impossible to know for sure and thus it is premature to be making decisions on exactly what you're going to be spending the money for. Scoping the project is far less glamorous than shopping for cameras but it has to be done before any equipment decisions can be made rationally.

Where exactly in Africa do you want to go? West Africa is a pretty vast. I stay in South West Africa (Namibia).
I have been doing some Wildlife videography recently and I'm very happy to use tape. (tape for me is still the safest/ best/ most economical medium)

Have you thought about filming permits in this part of Africa?

Everyone, thank you for your input thus far.

Know that I am not trying to make final decisions here. I am just brainstorming and trying to get suggestions for a simple setup for about $7000. The reason I posted my ideas for the setup so far was so that I could get some feedback on where I went wrong and what a better kit would be.

If I still decide to go with an A Cam and B Cam method, I will definitely make more of an effort to make the A Cam and B Cam the same brand. I was worried about this and I am glad you all clarified (my original reasoning was that they were both AVCHD formats...I figured it would make the editing process a bit simpler to have them record in the same format).

Björn just gave me another idea which I'm surprised we haven't mentioned yet -- why not just hire locally within Africa. Travel expenses for an experienced shooter to go from one of the major African cities will be insignificant compared to the costs of sending a U.S. videographer overseas. Capetown, Johannesburg etc. should have plenty of talent to pull from.

Lets start at the end, shall we.

The finished production(s) are designed to be shown where, to whom and in what format?

By which I mean:

1. Live viewing in a theatre/ group type environment?

2. Distribution on DVD/ BD disc?

3. Transmission via public/ private network?

You get the idea.

Run time?

(May seem a stupid Q but you need an aweful lot of video to make a half hour program).

Structure?

(May seem yet another stupid Q but someone has to script/ storyboard whatever it's supposed to be).

If we can nail down what you are attempting to acheive, we can start working backwards towards our goal - which is to get you on the road to wherever with some small chance of actually suceeding in your endeavour.


CS

Björn just gave me another idea which I'm surprised we haven't mentioned yet -- why not just hire locally within Africa. Travel expenses for an experienced shooter to go from one of the major African cities will be insignificant compared to the costs of sending a U.S. videographer overseas. Capetown, Johannesburg etc. should have plenty of talent to pull from.

Good idea. I'll see what my leaders think about it. However, part of the intent of this trip (aside from just getting usable footage) is for our team to get hands on experience. If we just have someone else do the shooting for us it seems that that would take away from that....however it would also free a couple of us up to help out in other ways.

We are traveling through 5 countries. It seems like it would be complicated to hire someone to travel with us through 5 countries....anybody know if my assumption is correct?

Good idea. I'll see what my leaders think about it. However, part of the intent of this trip (aside from just getting usable footage) is for our team to get hands on experience. If we just have someone else do the shooting for us it seems that that would take away from that....however it would also free a couple of us up to help out in other ways.

We are traveling through 5 countries. It seems like it would be complicated to hire someone to travel with us through 5 countries....anybody know if my assumption is correct?

I'd listen to Chris... a local videographer will know all kinds of things about the field that might not only save your day, but save your whole shoot. If you still want hands on experience, take $2000 of your budget to buy 2 Canon HV30 kits, and use the other $5000 to hire a pro.

BTW, I'd go tape, not tapeless. You can always get more DV tape, cheap.

Also, you don't need to worry about gear that will survive Africa, any gear will survive if you treat it right (assuming you are going to be in some hellish places, if you are in cities/towns, it's the same as here).

I plan on routinely and thoroughly cleaning the equipment every day (especially when we are in more dusty areas). I heard Q-tips work well for the different edges and creases around the body of the camera. I'll obviously need some lens cloths and cleaner.
Any other suggestions for cleaning supplies?

I plan on routinely and thoroughly cleaning the equipment every day (especially when we are in more dusty areas). I heard Q-tips work well for the different edges and creases around the body of the camera. I'll obviously need some lens cloths and cleaner.
Any other suggestions for cleaning supplies?


If oyu plan on being in some rough places, and spending any time in the field as compared to a nice cozy hostel or whatnot, you may want to think of a whole sack of those cheap (relatively) underwater "bag" type housings. you can still work most of the controls formt he outside of them, and your cameras will stay clean and shiny and untouched through some pretty tough conditions. Even if they're only the splash bags that are designed for no more than a meter or so of water, do you plan on getting them deeper than that? mud, rain, dust, wind blown debris, all pretty much become inconsequential to anything but your body.

Just a thought. And for the HV30's they shouldn't be too expensive. A whole slew of them would probably be cheaper than a proper protective cover for the cameras.

--Andy P

If oyu plan on being in some rough places, and spending any time in the field as compared to a nice cozy hostel or whatnot, you may want to think of a whole sack of those cheap (relatively) underwater "bag" type housings.

--Andy P

That sounds like a great idea! Any brands I should search for in particular?

I've been to Africa twice on video projects, to Zanzibar once. Each trip was almost entirely different as far as shooting conditions go. Here's a short distillation of what I experienced.

IMO hiring someone there whom you don't know for a onetime shoot, is too chancy. Too many things can go wrong starting with personalities, and some countries require visas you need to apply for prior.. etc etc.

You guys should shoot it, you'll come across situations you haven't even thought about from your project point of view and you'll have to work fast. Carry loose change as incentives for selected locals to participate.

Also take pencils that you 'click' the kids love 'em. We take 300 for a month.
If you visit schools, present a box. Most schools have a 'show' class of kids, be ready to shoot, you'll get fabulous responses.

Go with DV tape. I'd take 2 x HV20/30 cams and shoot HiDef, even if you have to capture HD > SD later. Take 2 RODE videomics. Get 'em now and practice doing the A cam B cam thing.

Take one basic tripod, but stuff will happen so fast you need to grab it before the moment passes. The HV20 OIS is very stable. Take 3 batteries for each cam, 2 out with you each day and one back at base on the charger.

Work out how much DV tape you think you'll need...then double it. Capetown is the only place you might get more DV tape (at your price) but don't count on getting your brand. In some cities like Joberg and Nairobi you can't walk around downtown.

Out in country dust is a major problem, clouds of talcum powder. We take large plastic garbage bags to put everything in at a moments notice. And be careful unwrapping it.
Change tapes indoors or in the 4WD. Use large blower brushes at night to clean gear along with damp cloths. Run a cleaner tape each night.

Crossing borders is different every time, be prepared for anything including long waits, just keep smiling. DO NOT video the police or military, all cameras safely stowed.

Don't ask 'ordinary' uniforms for permission to video 'em, you just take them out of their routine...confusion. Don't offer money. Carry photo copies at all times of all documents and the address of your embassy in all countries.

They call it the African experience, seeing the big 5 animals affects everyone. Seeing the poor kids makes you want to stop get out and help, and you'll sponsor some through UNICEF. My wife and I and our kids now do. Have a great trip.

Cheers.

Wow, Allan -- what a great post! Highly useful. Many thanks,

yeah it's really great to get some feedback about Africa itself from someone who's been there more than once!

thank you Allan! :)

Thanks. That originally was biros not pencils but each time you gave one, you knew at the end of the ink, that was it, no refills.

So I found some pencils with clicker tops, figured they'd last longer.

When a class of 40 barefoot little kids who each walk about 30kms to school every day...
collectively blow you a goodbye kiss, I defy you to make it back out to the truck before you start crying. I never could.

Cheers.

The Ultimate Africa Expierience :

One American Dollar can smooth out hours of waiting - customs etc.

Bribery is not a crime in Africa - It's part of the culture and lifestyle.

as for the dress code - Mandela or Marley T-shirts will do.


Enjoy the trip !

"Bribery is not a crime in Africa - It's part of the culture and lifestyle."


Bribery is a crime here in Namibia and I strongly advise NOT to make use of such practices in our country.

thank you for clarifying Björn :)

I'm REALLY thinking about dumping the idea of "B Cam" and going with better audio mics. However...I also really like the idea of having the insurance of 2 cameras rolling. I would hate to miss something considering that I'm not exactly in Africa all that often.....and small camcorders may be able to go a lot of places that a typical handheld prosumer cam wouldn't.....any feedback on this? I've been getting a lot of different opinions from different people and I think this is really good. I like options and knowing all the pros and cons of each setup.

Anybody have some suggestions for a good shotgun that does well outdoors and maybe a lav mic?

....
Anybody have some suggestions for a good shotgun that does well outdoors and maybe a lav mic?


A new kid on the block, the Rode NTG-3, is an excellent sounding mic with a good directivity and sensitivity and its operating principle makes it relatively more immune to problems from heat and humidity than most shotgun mics (a lot of 'guns aren't very happy when the humidity really creeps up). It's ruggedly built to be able to withstand the rigors of a trekking into the backcountry. And like I said, it sounds good to. A little pricey compared to the mic you mentioned before at about $700 but it's closest competitor is the Sennheiser MKH416 at twice the price. You would need to make sure your camera or XLR adapter provides 48v phantom power but that's true of most pro level mics. Guy at DVCreators/DVeStore gives a discount to DVINFO users, drop him a note.

A new kid on the block, the Rode NTG-3, is an excellent sounding mic with a good directivity and sensitivity and its operating principle makes it relatively more immune to problems from heat and humidity than most shotgun mics (a lot of 'guns aren't very happy when the humidity really creeps up). And like I said, it sounds good to. A little pricey compared to the mic you mentioned before at about $700 but it's closest competitor is the Sennheiser MKH416 at twice the price. You would need to make sure your camera or adapter provides 48v phantom power but that's true of most pro level mics. Guy at DVCreators/DVeStore gives a discount to DVINFO users, drop him a note.

That's some great affirmation. I looked this mic up a week or two ago and it seemed like the best bet according to reviews and specs. I think it also comes with a 10 year warranty? I don't know if that is typical or not with shotgun mics but as far as i know that's a pretty solid statement by Rode of faith in their product's quality and durability.

Yes, the NTG-3 needs 48volts which the HV20/30 can't supply.

I took too much gear (as usual) on my first trips but it included a useful RODE Videomic.

I was just reminded that a mate said....'SO! you're taking the RODE to Zanzibar!'

Cheers.

Apologies to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, bless 'em.

The Ultimate Africa Expierience :

One American Dollar can smooth out hours of waiting - customs etc.

Bribery is not a crime in Africa - It's part of the culture and lifestyle.



I don't agree with this, bribery is definitely a crime and not a show of good character.

You'll enjoy Africa, just use common sense and stay out of areas that look dodgy. I would also advice miniDV tapes over tapeless. Can pick up miniDV tapes at almost any supermarket and they are much harder to break. However if you plan well tapeless should work too, depending on where you are in Africa you'll get almost everything here that you get in the States.

My advice for a kit:

You need at least one professional camera for your shoot, you are wasting your time with a consumer camera.

> Canon XHA1 $3300 (A)
You want 20x Optics! Wild life is not going to come to you. I shoot with these cameras and they are a joy to work with! You cant go wrong plus the stereo mic on this camera is also wonderful.

> Canon HV30 $700 (B)
Purely a back-up and play around camera however will mix perfectly into the XHA1.

> Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 $550
You will always need a Lav mic.

> Node NTG-2 Shotgun $270
You really! don't need a NTG-3 its complete overkill! Meant for pro's that want want want, the NTG-2 sounds great!

> Rycote Sofie Wild protection for Rode NTG-2 $110
You want this.

> Bogen / Manfrotto 501HDV Tripod $390
This tripod has a fluid head, is easy to carry along on hiking trip, compact and made for Africa.

Total: $5390

That gives you $1610 to buy long life batteries at least 3 that should last you 4 days, UV filters, polarisers, bags and I would also suggest an external audio recorder like the Zoom H4 ($299), you are going to hear lions rawr and all types of sounds that you want to record and mix in later. Lastly get a SLR photo camera like the Canon 450D with a zoom lens. Lots of beautiful photos waiting to be taken. I almost forgot you will need on camera lighting too!

Hiring a local professional to film your trip is also a great idea and will give you a better overview of your trip. There are many videographer I know that would love to embark on such a trip.

It's possible that a lot of what we shoot will end up on the web. In that case (and if we decide not to go tapeless), should I go for a camcorder that can shoot in progressive such as the fx1000?

Progressive is not a requirement, your editing software will render it out perfectly for the web. Progressive just looks better on a 40" LCD TV.

Progressive is not a requirement, your editing software will render it out perfectly for the web. Progressive just looks better on a 40" LCD TV.

I currently use final cut express to do most of my editing. Is there a setting I am supposed to use to make it render better for the web? Typically when I upload projects to the internet I have a lot of interlacing issues?

That aside, I'd like to welcome any comments that compare the fx1000 and the XH-A1. For about $300 I could add an XLR adaptor and they would be pretty similar. At least according to the specs it seems like the fx1000 would do a bit better in low-light....and it seems like sony typically designs their sub-$4000 cams to be pretty user friendly (which would be good for our group), whereas I have read that the XH-A1 gets really great images from very well experienced videographers.

However, I realize that regardless, either cam is going to require a lot of practice to use it well.

Any comments on the fx1000 and xh-a1 (and maybe the hmc150)?

Michael indicated that he plans to travel through West-Afrca - Adress - AFRICA,under the Topic- Trip to Africa! Help!

I made a tounge in the cheeck remark regarding this issue having West Africa in mind - Adress - AFRICA.

Chris Oberholtser a seasoned filmmaker from Cape-Town was contracted for a "gospel production" to West-Africa, last year. During his stay, he was constantly subjected to bribes. He obviously refused. A bribe was enforced upon him to the extend that he had to fled the country.

He made it to JHB International with only the clothes on his body and his passport.

Friends and relatives had to provide,shelter,funding and transport to get him back to Cape Town.

Bribery and corruption is a common fact in West Africa and every other African Country
that is poverty stricken. That includes my home country - South -Africa.

My own patriotism is of no issue here -

Helpfull information on Bribery, Corruption in West Africa and other poverty stricken African regions .....


Alleged Bribery And Corruption: Govt Is Not The Culprit (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=82435)

West Africa Trade Hub - Regional report on road corruption maps bribes and delays (http://www.watradehub.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=714)

CORRUPTION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE NIGERIAN CASE (http://www.westafricareview.com/vol4.1/agbu.html)

Corruption and Bribery ? an African Problem? (http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:_nL3QLM41Y4J:www.fiuc.org/iaup/esap/publications/umu/umusca/corruptionandbribery.pdf+bribery+and+corruption+west+africa&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=za)

Sorry for the poor Enghlish..... Not my native language.

Hello Michael,
I have edited several projects that are very similar to yours.
These projects were shot by members of faith based groups whose main interest are building orphanages and housing for people in need on various islands in the Caribbean. A couple of the videos highlighted the devastation caused by hurricanes on the islands of Haiti and Granada. These videos not only documented the good work done by these organizations, they were also used to raise funds for their relief efforts.

Based on the fact that you are not a professional camera person and the purpose of the trip is to do volunteer work and promote a non-profit relief organization that works with/builds orphanages, I will give you my simple advice from an editor’s point of view based on working with very similar circumstances.

I won’t recommend any particular camera but stay with tape. Carry an assortment of microphones and wind screens. A shotgun mic, a lavalier and a hand held. Bring along a lightweight set of headphones to monitor your audio. A lightweight tripod is a must for documentary type shooting. A whiteboard that can be folded can really come in handy. It can be used for a reflector and also to shield against harsh direct sunlight when interviewing people. If you shoot indoors, you’ll want to use manual iris because an open window in the background will ruin your shots. A small camera light to light up the subject and a battery powered portable video light that can be used by your assistant for the background. You want to travel light so you can enjoy the experience.

Each day you shoot, plan your shots as to how you want your finished product to look.
In a nutshell, clean audio, steady shots, controlled lighting for each scene and pre planning for what you are doing does not have to be expensive. This should put you in position to work within your budget and accomplish your mission.
Allen W

Thank you Allen! What you described of what you have done in the past is quite similar to what we are wanting to accomplish. Your advise really means a lot.

Anyone know of a better place to get a tripod than B&H? I'm hoping to find one for about $400 but I really don't want to go less than a 503 head and I don't really want a spreader. I am fine with buying used if it's in good condition.

These are the two bogen/manfrotto systems that I have been looking into:

503hdv head with 055 legs : $467
bo055xb503h | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=bo055xb503h&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit)

503hdv head with 190 legs : $435
Bogen / Manfrotto | BO190XDB503HD 190XDB Pro Tripod with 503HDV (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/523080-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto__BO190XDB503HD_190XDB_Pro_Tripod.html)


P.S. Comparisons of fx1000 and xh-a1 are still welcome if anyone has some input :)

Any insight concerning the two tripods I mentioned?

Any better suggestions?

As for the tripods you are looking at... i noticed that neither have a leveling ball... i would highly suggest getting one with this feature, as it could quickly become a HUGE pain to get a level horizon.

Is a leveling ball different from a leveling bubble?

Dear Michael,

Yes.

A leveling bubble helps you determine when your tripod is level.

A leveling ball allows you to level a tripod, quickly and easily, without adjusting the length of the tripod legs. This is a "half ball" and a clamping device which allows you to adjust the level of the tripod head, without adjusting the tripod legs.

A leveling ball allows you to obtain a level condition in just seconds. In my opinion, this is a must for quick setups.

If you are in a studio, possibly on a level floor, possibly on a dolly, you may not need a leveling ball.

In the field, with many setups, it is a wonderful feature.

Thank you Dan and John. Any suggestions on a decent tripod with a leveling ball?

No video tripod expert here but as for a light travel kit, you'd likely be fine with the Bogen 501HDV vs. the 503 if need be with those cameras and spend the extra on a leveling system. This allows you to quickly level the head regardless of the leg lengths/angles. An absolutely must have in my opinion. Something like the Bogen Compact Leveling Head: Bogen / Manfrotto | 438 Compact Levelling Head - Ball | 438 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554093-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_438_438_Compact_Levelling_Head.html) should get the job done for you.
I used the 501 for a couple years with a Z1u and it got the job done as long as I limited my long zooms and pans.

Thanks james. So I guess I would be sacrificing smoother pans for a more efficient setup if i went with the 501/leveling head instead of the 503hdv. I'll definitely be considering this.

Take my advice for what it's worth. As a traveling photojournalist (still photog) I'm always most concerned with staying light and fast and my choices of gear seem to always reflect that. A lot of pros will sniff at anything less than a $1000+ head, but in my limited experience, CONTENT really is king. So, you when you make budget decisions, I recommend you stay focused on using the money where it will have the most positive impact on your content.
Good luck.
(edit) - BTW: That Bogen 055 you mentioned has an optional leveling column, the Manfrotto 555B that is an extremely fast set-up for leveling whatever head you choose. It's about $115.

When I was over there, I took several thousand stamps with me. The kids loved them, and it is very east to carry and they weight nothing. I am sure you can buy or collect used stamps very easy.

Good luck, maybe I should come with you?????

When I was over there, I took several thousand stamps with me. The kids loved them, and it is very east to carry and they weight nothing. I am sure you can buy or collect used stamps very easy.

Good luck, maybe I should come with you?????

I assume that you mean the sticker kind of stamps and not the lick and stick? What exactly did they do with the stamps?

Haha, maybe you should come with us??? We actually had a few people drop out it recently so uh....

Hi,

I find some of this info worthwhile and some of it not so.

I have lived in Africa for 20 years as a freelance cameraman and for the last 4 in Senegal.

I feel that you are over-thinking the whole shoot as its more of an adventure than a pro shoot where the results are highly critical and it needs to be shot in a shorter time frame. Remember that you have a lot of time and therefore you will get better with you gear and as the weeks go by.

As it sounds you are going to shoot a stack of footage remember that if you have lots of it you need to remember the basics, steady shoots, wide, medium, tight, good audio, good composition.

As to the 2 cameras issue I have only ever been on a couple of shoots that used 2 cameras and I never "missed" anything important on a one camera shoot. 2 cameras just means more batteries, use the money on other things.

Good luck, have fun and drop me an email if you want some more info.

thanks tom! great to hear from someone on location!

i will definitely further consider the idea of one camera. i want to think through everything responsibly but not overthink it. i suppose my main worry is that one camera will quit working and we'll be stuck without a camera at all.

I suppose my main worry is that one camera will quit working and we'll be stuck without a camera at all.

Exactly.

Cheers.

Yes, it true if your camera breaks down your screwed so a backup isn't the worst idea ever.....

As to the tape/state question I would 100% go with tape, it easier to keep track of what you have done and it would be very unlikely for you to lose all the tapes as compared to a portable hard drive.....

I have worked in about 30 African countries on everything from Nat Geo to Reuters.................. love it all.

Good luck