Hey everyone! I'm 19 this year and from Singapore (:

So I've been shooting stills for a bit over 2 years and counting on my Canon camears, but I've always had the want to express myself through some video work. Not having the chance to afford a 5DmarkII (to use with my sweet lenses) or actually use a prosumer video camera until recently, the video idea had been shoved to the back of my mind.

Now I might be getting onto something - A relative of mine who shot weddings in the past has told me that she wants to get a Canon 550D and wants to sell her Sony PD150 (PAL) camera. I hope to be able to purchase it cheaply as a start into my video exploration. Yes it's an old camera, yes it probably has about 200 hours of tape run time, but my cousin tells me that it's in pristine condition and I haven't doubted her ever. It could be my low-budget entry into video exploration.

Assuming I do want to get the camera (and it's in good condition), I'd probably need to buy a few things like:

A replacement battery NP-F970 (superceeds F960) - Do you know where I can get these online if I can't find them locally? I've heard that lenmar produces them, and I have some pretty good Lenmar batteries for my Canon 1DMarkIIN still camera.

A fluid head. A Manfrotto 501HDV? I've had experience in using this guy on a friend's 7D.

A slider. Heard of good things about the IndisliderMini for US$99 + extra for feet and a 'pistol grip head'. Other than wobbliness that can be corrected by hand pressure, is there anything bad about this? I would think that a 24" slider would be ok for me, I hope. What do you guys think about the Glidetrack Shooter? There's a local guy selling it for quite cheap.

A replacement microphone foam cover for the OEM Sony mic (t'was lost during a shoot) or an entirely new XLR mic. What's cost effective for either way?

And then... about tripods... would my current photo-use Manfrotto 190CX3 do the trick? It's a carbon fiber tripod that handles up to 5kg. Or would I need to *gulp* purchase a better tripod?


Any info at all would be good!

Cheers,
Zexun

Hi Zexun,

Sorry it took so long, but...Welcome to DV Info! :)

Have you answered any of your questions on your own? If not, I'm sure someone here can help; we'll just bump this back to the top so it will be seen.

It might be older but the PD 150 will make a nice starter camera. About a tripod, what type of video are you planning to shoot?

Hi Zexun,

I'm Alvin, and I'm from Singapore too.

Great that you're starting into video and exploring this exciting medium :) I remember when I first started and I had the same questions as you do. (Even though I'm not too much older than you lol )

Here's some things you might find useful.

1) You can purchase your replacement battery, Manfrotto 501 HDV, microphones and tapes from these fine companies located in SG.

- Expandore Private Ltd http://www.expandore.biz/
- Cathay Photo (The one near city hall, located in Peninsula Plaza)

2) I'm afraid they may not stock the foam 'windshield' for your microphone and I don't think it's worth to pay for a replacement when you can get other types of windshields or 'deadcats' from Expandore or Cathay Photo.

3) A slider would be fun, but i think you should get a good video tripod first. Your manfrotto 190CX3 may not be able to do a good job if you add a slider, camera, lights and additional stuff like wireless mics into the mix. The manfrotto 501HDV is good because of it's hydraulic head, really smooth for panning and tilting. However, if you're just going to use the tripod for static shots, then the manfrotto 190CX3 will suffice :)

4) Any video editing applications to consider? You'd need a nice computer system with editing functions to get started too.

Hope that helps
Cheers
Alvin