Hi Guys,

Relatively new here. So, be kind. I'm looking into purchasing a Canon 7D. I have been shooting with a Canon XL2 for years now and need to make the transition. I've been doing a lot of research about DSLR vs. HD Video Cameras, etc. I'm very much willing to learn and work the work arounds that come with HDSLR shooting. I typically only shoot feature film type work so the 12 minute record time, will not be a large issue for me in my transition. However, I'm currently looking to get a hold of this camera to simply play with it for few months to learn the in's and out's of it and really hone my skills with it before even attempting to shoot an event with it. So, this is my VERY basic set up and I'd like to hear some feedback. I'm currently working with a tight budget and I typically think in terms of less is more. I very much subscribe to using less gadgets and more rock solid images with great composition. So, you will not see any rigs in the list below.

-Canon 7D Body
-Canon 50mm F1.4 (Sort of a "all purpose within budget" lens)
-Sennheiser MKE 400 Compact Video Camera Shotgun Microphone (On board audio in replace of the built in mic)
-Memory Cards?? (Need help here guys) 16 GB + ?? How many??

As you can see...I'm not fimiliar with what type and how many memory cards I would need? I want to be able to have something that when I make the switch to using DSLR's for full use that I can still use reliably then.

I currently own a Manfrotto 525MVB tripod with the 503HDV fluid head and a Glidecam 4000 HD. I'm well versed in those but I'm sure it will take some learning even with that.

Any suggestions would be great!! If you see something that is on my list that isn't necessary please also let me know.

Thank you all in advance,
Nick

Hi Nick,

I use Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC lens as my all purpose lens. It's a fast lens, good zoom range, and its got VC (image stabilisation), which helps a lot in absorbing shakes. I would recommend that to you as 50mm f1.4 is very limited as it translates to 80mm on 7D.

Instead of Senheiser, you can consider RODE Videomic, which is cheaper and works great in most occassion.

The number of CF you need is really depending in your use, you can always empty your CF to your HDD and then re-use it again. I would suggest having two CF so that in case you need to empty one, you have another to use with. To give you a rough idea, a 16GB card can record approx. 45 minutes footage. The cheapest to go with CF I would say is Kingston 133x. Works fine for me.

Another rig I would suggest is a monopod.. super useful!

Cheers,


John

50mm 1.4 is a really weird lens, I have a hard time to find the right situation to used it. For example, if the subject is too close, everything is very narrow, and if the subject is a bit far, it doesn't zoom close enough.

Two lens I use the most is 30mm sigma and 90mm tamron. The 30mm is perfect for the 7d crop sensor and 90mm tamron is perfect for zoom and macro for flower.

here is more information from stillmotion.
stillmotion's guide to lenses for weddings and events // a cinema caravan tutorial on Vimeo

You should add a sound recorder - you will need to record ambient sound off camera as well. For budgets get the Zoom H4, less than $300. I run all my mics into this regardless and use the camera audio as back-up and synch purposes.

Audio Technica make a shotgun for DSLRs - its around $70 and decent if you want to save more money.

On the lens - 50mm is not the best all round lens for a 7D I agree. I would get a wide angle zoom. More money but it will serve you in so many more situations. There are many out there - I have the Tokina ultra wide 11-16 and the 24-70 /2.8 Canon. For budget WA zooms look at Sigma and Tamron for around $400.

If you stay with primes, which you can easily do for feature work, then you will need two primes - a 24 or 28mm and 80 or 100mm.

50mm 1.4 is a really weird lens, I have a hard time to find the right situation to used it. For example, if the subject is too close, everything is very narrow, and if the subject is a bit far, it doesn't zoom close enough.

Two lens I use the most is 30mm sigma and 90mm tamron. The 30mm is perfect for the 7d crop sensor and 90mm tamron is perfect for zoom and macro for flower.

here is more information from stillmotion.
stillmotion's guide to lenses for weddings and events // a cinema caravan tutorial on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/13140360)

thanks for sharing that
!!!

Hi Nick,

Welcome, I use the Canon 50mm f1.4 a lot and when I find it is too tight I use a Nikon manual AI 24mm f2.8 with a famous Ebay Nikon to EOS adapter. A nice lens would be a Canon 35mm f1.4 but it is a bit expensive.

Memory cards, I prefer using slightly smaller capacity cards and swapping them out, as I'm not wanting all my footage on one large card that could fail. So I have a collection of 4 & 8GB cards. I only shoot small clips for stock video, so I'm not doing features.

Thanks guys for your feedback!! Much appreciated!!