Really blown away by the look of the footage on James site.

My question is:

How easy is this to use?

I truly am a beginner...in fact I don't even have a camera (yet). I've used a Canon GL2 on a couple no-budget music videos so my exposure to dv movie making is limited to using a focusing ring, changing an f stop or white balance, and adjusting the gain...stuff any monkey can do.

I'm not too concerned about setup (i can do about anything if you give me a picture :P) but what knowledge is required to use this effectively?

Does camera function stay the same? (aperature, white balance, etc)

I understand focus is controlled on the 35mm lens and zoom as well. Is that correct?

I understand different lenses yield different results, but is there some catch all 35mm that will suffice for a wide range of shots?

Is this way too complex for a newbie (albeit a quick-learning newbie) to try?


Thanks!

Andy

It's not hard. You just have to manually focus, which you should be doing anyway, and you will need to move the camera instead of zooming. Again, what you should be doing anyway.

There is no "one size fits all" lens. You will need several lenses. Zooms tend to be slower than fixed focal length lenses, so they require more light. So, unless you are doing all your shooting outdoors in the daytime, faster lenses will be needed. So, dust off those 35mm SLR lenses packed away in your closet, or start shopping for cine primes.

You are right, the focus is controlled on the 35mm lens and all the other camera functions work normally.

Since I've yet to purchase a camera...

Would it be better to purchase a camera sans optical lens (in the XL2's case) and just invest in some sort of good adapter (micro35??) and nice 35mm lens? I don't really intend for this to be a point and shoot camera. If need be I could always save up for a standard lens (ala the Canon 20x Optical that usually comes standard) to purchase at a later date.

Thanks again.

Andrew, you may have to wait until James returns from his trip to answer the XL2 question. I think the Micro35 works with the XL2's camera lens like it does on the DVX100, but I don't know for sure that is the case.

is bumping allowed in the forum? Seems like things can drift down the board. Just looking for anyone's imput.

Thanks

Andy

Hopefully this means he's found a remarkably inexpensive way of making this even more effective.

<<<-- Originally posted by Andrew C. Stewart : Hopefully this means he's found a remarkably inexpensive way of making this even more effective. -->>>

Anyone know how to reach James. I've been trying to contact him for a few days to make an order for the completed setup.
Thanks,
Earon
earon@themainstreetfilm.com

:( Gosh I want the guide so bad, this is killing me.

Andrew - I would recommend checking out the new Panasonic HD camera. If it does anything like what the hype suggests, it will be worth it - unclear yet if that camera has interchangeable lenses.

It won't have interchangeable lenses. You can bank on that.

well, thank goodness for products such as the [forthcoming] micro35 then! :-)