Building a 7D kit for my friend in the hospital

Collin Mikeska · April 10th, 2010, 03:48 PM

My best friend, who was in our AATCe video program with me, was hospitalized a few months back after the worsening of a serious heart condition he had been living with and the development of two more life-threating conditions as a result. Each condition individually qualified him for Make A Wish, and after being reviewed was accept as a prime candidate to receive a Wish from the foundation.

Tomorrow, he is being presented with an opportunity to essentially build a dream film kit. He has already put together a list of what he has decided to get, which include a Macbook pro outfitted with Final Cut Studio, and a Canon 7D. I'm going up to the hospital to be with him tonight, and we are going to hammer out the rest of the list. I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for stabilization rigs, lens systems, etc. that he should include. Price is not a concern for him, but knowing the products work and work well is. Thank you very much for anything you can help to recommend for him.

He will be primarily filming a documentary on his condition and his time in the hospital. If all goes well, he will be able to get a heart transplant and once recovered, finish his time in the hospital. After that, his creative mind could bring to film just about anything.

A.J. Aguirre · April 10th, 2010, 07:29 PM

sorry to hear that, I wish him the best of luck in his recovery.

after a long time of buying and selling equipment here are my suggestions

lenses
-go with canon L series lenses for sure, i would go with primes rather than zooms since price is not a concern, but if you can get zooms as well that would be great, zooms are really great for convenience reasons
-you could also look into zeiss primes, great stuff

rig/rail system
-zacuto stuff is super over priced and expensive but go with them, you could also go with redrock which makes great rig systems but its basically preference, so check em both out for sure

I dont have much experience with these next aspects of equipment but definitely look into it and add these, im positive someone on here will know more
-monitor
-follow focus w/ whips, crank, etc.
-matte box w/ a good assortment of drop in filters
-external mic

and dont forget
-extra memory
-enough battery power
-camera/equipment bags

and thats all i can think of at the moment

Jon Fairhurst · April 10th, 2010, 09:07 PM

What sort of films does your friend want to produce? For instance, if he will shoot in sunlight, zooms are a great choice. If he will shoot at night, get some primes. For Hollywood moves, look a a jib, dolly, and/or steadicam. For a documentary, a handheld rig is the top priority.

Here are the general areas to consider:
* Camera
* Lenses and filters
* Follow focus
* Audio (mics, boom, wireless, mixer/preamp, recorder)
* Support (tripod, handheld, jib, slider, dolly, steady...)
* Video Monitor
* Lights, reflectors and gaffer kit
* Cases
* Accessories (lens cleaners, tools, batteries, chargers, cards, card readers, power cords)
* Post (computer, software, video and audio monitors, mixer, sound libraries)

By knowing more about the goals, you can focus on the products that will be the most useful.

Collin Mikeska · April 13th, 2010, 05:14 PM

Thanks for the responses AJ and Jon. We realized that we originally very much overlooked the need for audio equipment. We did get a handheld rig for the camera. I did check out the L series lenses, though price not being a concern I said from the perspectives of a high school student who hasn't really begun to consider exactly how expensive individual products can get. L series lenses are pushing a bit price wise, haha. Most of the filming will be documentary-style.

Again, thank you both for the help!

Jon Fairhurst · April 13th, 2010, 11:53 PM

For documentary style shooting, I'd go for a good tripod, a handheld rig, and an EF 17-55/2.8 IS lens as the workhorse. I have the Vinten 3AS and highly recommend it for lightweight cameras.

You might add an LED light that can be on the camera or handheld by an assistant. I saw a group from NHK today with an assistant holding an LED light. It looks much better than flat lighting with a camera mount.

For audio, consider the juicedLink DT454, if you want to record into the camera. I received one recently and it works well. Regarding mics, well, once you have XLR inputs and phantom power, there are lots of choices available.

April 10th, 2010, 03:48 PM	#1
Collin Mikeska Tourist Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Canton, OH Posts: 4	Building a 7D kit for my friend in the hospital - Suggestions needed My best friend, who was in our AATCe video program with me, was hospitalized a few months back after the worsening of a serious heart condition he had been living with and the development of two more life-threating conditions as a result. Each condition individually qualified him for Make A Wish, and after being reviewed was accept as a prime candidate to receive a Wish from the foundation. Tomorrow, he is being presented with an opportunity to essentially build a dream film kit. He has already put together a list of what he has decided to get, which include a Macbook pro outfitted with Final Cut Studio, and a Canon 7D. I'm going up to the hospital to be with him tonight, and we are going to hammer out the rest of the list. I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for stabilization rigs, lens systems, etc. that he should include. Price is not a concern for him, but knowing the products work and work well is. Thank you very much for anything you can help to recommend for him. He will be primarily filming a documentary on his condition and his time in the hospital. If all goes well, he will be able to get a heart transplant and once recovered, finish his time in the hospital. After that, his creative mind could bring to film just about anything.

April 10th, 2010, 09:07 PM	#3
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	What sort of films does your friend want to produce? For instance, if he will shoot in sunlight, zooms are a great choice. If he will shoot at night, get some primes. For Hollywood moves, look a a jib, dolly, and/or steadicam. For a documentary, a handheld rig is the top priority. Here are the general areas to consider: * Camera * Lenses and filters * Follow focus * Audio (mics, boom, wireless, mixer/preamp, recorder) * Support (tripod, handheld, jib, slider, dolly, steady...) * Video Monitor * Lights, reflectors and gaffer kit * Cases * Accessories (lens cleaners, tools, batteries, chargers, cards, card readers, power cords) * Post (computer, software, video and audio monitors, mixer, sound libraries) By knowing more about the goals, you can focus on the products that will be the most useful. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

April 13th, 2010, 11:53 PM	#5
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	For documentary style shooting, I'd go for a good tripod, a handheld rig, and an EF 17-55/2.8 IS lens as the workhorse. I have the Vinten 3AS and highly recommend it for lightweight cameras. You might add an LED light that can be on the camera or handheld by an assistant. I saw a group from NHK today with an assistant holding an LED light. It looks much better than flat lighting with a camera mount. For audio, consider the juicedLink DT454, if you want to record into the camera. I received one recently and it works well. Regarding mics, well, once you have XLR inputs and phantom power, there are lots of choices available. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

April 10th, 2010, 07:29 PM	#2
A.J. Aguirre Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Waco, Tx Posts: 72	sorry to hear that, I wish him the best of luck in his recovery. after a long time of buying and selling equipment here are my suggestions lenses -go with canon L series lenses for sure, i would go with primes rather than zooms since price is not a concern, but if you can get zooms as well that would be great, zooms are really great for convenience reasons -you could also look into zeiss primes, great stuff rig/rail system -zacuto stuff is super over priced and expensive but go with them, you could also go with redrock which makes great rig systems but its basically preference, so check em both out for sure I dont have much experience with these next aspects of equipment but definitely look into it and add these, im positive someone on here will know more -monitor -follow focus w/ whips, crank, etc. -matte box w/ a good assortment of drop in filters -external mic and dont forget -extra memory -enough battery power -camera/equipment bags and thats all i can think of at the moment

April 13th, 2010, 05:14 PM	#4
Collin Mikeska Tourist Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Canton, OH Posts: 4	Thanks for the responses AJ and Jon. We realized that we originally very much overlooked the need for audio equipment. We did get a handheld rig for the camera. I did check out the L series lenses, though price not being a concern I said from the perspectives of a high school student who hasn't really begun to consider exactly how expensive individual products can get. L series lenses are pushing a bit price wise, haha. Most of the filming will be documentary-style. Again, thank you both for the help!