Christmas List (Accessories)

[James Duffy]

Alright, of course I won't be getting all my accessories in one sitting, but I've decided to construct an ongoing wish list for the next several years, and would like some input.

1) Microphone -- Audio Technica AT897 -- I'm buying my first mic, and this was recommended to me in another thread. I looked into it, and it seems like a good investment.

2) Wide-Angle-Adaptor -- Is the WD-58H the standard recommended wide angle adaptor, or is there a better recommendation?

3) Battery -- I only have the standard 1 hour life battery that comes with the camcorder. Should I be buying only the canon line of batteries, or are other brands trustworthy? I noticed some of the brands that I've never heard of sell batteries for a lot cheaper. Also, which battery is recommended? There isn't that much of a price difference between them, but I was wondering if the more expensive ones end up getting too bulky and heavy.

4) An XLR adapter is on there, but it comes later on the list for me after I've obtained the above.

5) Fisheye -- Can I get one for cheap? I'd rather not pay 700$ for something I'm not going to use seriously -- I just think it would be a useful thing to have around.

Of course, I could make the list a lot longer with more mics and such, but I'll save that for later. Are there any essentials I'm missing?

[Graham Bernard]

" . . and would like some input. "

1) "Microphone -- Audio Technica AT897 -- I'm buying my first mic, and this was recommended to me in another thread. I looked into it, and it seems like a good investment."


If you've got the dosh for this, ok .. . I'm happy with my Senni K6M66

2) "Wide-Angle-Adaptor -- . . "

Use this all the time . . wouldn't leave home without it!

3) "Battery -- . . ."

Well, there is nothing sadder than a videographer without POWER! . . You wont get an hour .. you'd be lucky to get 30mins to 45 mins! So what are you gonna do? 2 small batteries? Get big batteries. Yes the are heavier . . but you will get that all imoportant shot that you could have missed 'cos the power has gone! . . Strangly enough, I'd put power before WDs or mics . . or . .



4) " An XLR adapter is on there, but it comes later on the list for me after I've obtained the above. " .. OK, if you don't think you need clean audio . .. oh, you've put the expensive mic up front? Wont this be a waste without an XLR adaptor? . .

5) "Fisheye -- Can I get one for cheap? I'd rather not pay 700$ for something I'm not going to use seriously -- I just think it would be a useful thing to have around. " . . FORGET IT! Rather buy a matte box and a range of "useful" and creative filters. THIS IS MY current wish/desire/LUST-over product

WHY NO TRIPOD !? ! ?! You forgot? I'd put this infront of your number 1 !

Tripod - Tripod - Tripod . . Forget the fisheye GET A tripod! ! ! ! .. more of type from others . . .

. . as to your audio dept. Headphones, closed back . .I used the free Virgion Airlines set for about 12 months! . . Don't tell anybody - HAH!


Oh . .did I say TRIPOD! forget the fisheye!

Grazie

[Tom Hardwick]

The WD 58 is a fine lens though rather 'mild' in the o.7X version. Having gone through all the hassle of fitting a w/angle converter I prefer to have something that's really wide - so I have a 0.5x. If you go this route you may find you don't need a fisheye - but if you're stiull hankering after one go look at the Raynox site - you won't pay silly Century prices then.

tom.

[Don Palomaki]

Just an observation. If you find htat you tend to eventually upgrade to the good gear after buying something cheap and becoming dissatisfied with it, don't wast money on theapo stuff at the start. This especially applies to lenses.

[James Duffy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Graham Bernard : " . . and would like some input. "

Well, there is nothing sadder than a videographer without POWER! . . You wont get an hour .. you'd be lucky to get 30mins to 45 mins! So what are you gonna do? 2 small batteries? Get big batteries. Yes the are heavier . . but you will get that all imoportant shot that you could have missed 'cos the power has gone! . . Strangly enough, I'd put power before WDs or mics . . or . . -->>>

Well, can I safely buy some other brand, or should I go with canon? How important is that in the field of batteries? I can usually get near a plug for whatever I'm filming, unless it's outside, so I've been able to put it off.

<<<-- 4) " An XLR adapter is on there, but it comes later on the list for me after I've obtained the above. " .. OK, if you don't think you need clean audio . .. oh, you've put the expensive mic up front? Wont this be a waste without an XLR adaptor? . . -->>>

It comes with a cable that allows it to be plugged into the "MIC" jack on the canon... What, will this degrade quality without the XLR adaptor?

<<<-- WHY NO TRIPOD !? ! ?! You forgot? I'd put this infront of your number 1 !

Tripod - Tripod - Tripod . . Forget the fisheye GET A tripod! ! ! ! .. more of type from others . . . -->>>

Haha, I have a tripod... The crappy lightweight aluminum tripod works fine. I have a more heavy duty one, but it's a bit of a hassle to lug around, so I usually don't use it.




<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : The WD 58 is a fine lens though rather 'mild' in the o.7X version. Having gone through all the hassle of fitting a w/angle converter I prefer to have something that's really wide - so I have a 0.5x. If you go this route you may find you don't need a fisheye - but if you're stiull hankering after one go look at the Raynox site - you won't pay silly Century prices then.

tom. -->>>

Wait, wouldn't a .5x adaptor warp the picture like a fisheye would? Or can you still get away with using it?

[Tom Hardwick]

"Wait, wouldn't a .5x adaptor warp the picture like a fisheye would? Or can you still get away with using it?" said James.

Well, the wide-angle end of most camcorders is pretty feeble (Panasonic DVX100A excepted) - usually about 45mm if film camera terms. So adding a 0.5x converter takes this down to an equivalent of 23 mm, and this is only considered mildly wide in still picture terms.

My 0.5x is an aspheric element, so there's no barrel distortion in at all, no fisheye effects, no vignetting. It just makes a room look gloriously 'open', and it makes tracking shots so s-m-o-o-t-h.

tom.

[James Duffy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : "Wait, wouldn't a .5x adaptor warp the picture like a fisheye would? Or can you still get away with using it?" said James.

Well, the wide-angle end of most camcorders is pretty feeble (Panasonic DVX100A excepted) - usually about 45mm if film camera terms. So adding a 0.5x converter takes this down to an equivalent of 23 mm, and this is only considered mildly wide in still picture terms.

My 0.5x is an aspheric element, so there's no barrel distortion in at all, no fisheye effects, no vignetting. It just makes a room look gloriously 'open', and it makes tracking shots so s-m-o-o-t-h.

tom. -->>>

Which adaptor do you use? Is the Raynox DCR-5000 ( http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/dcr/dcr5000/indexdcr5000eg.htm ) a good buy? And what do they mean when they say "The lens was designed to be used when the camera is in the "Macro mode" and zoom lens is set at maximum wideangle position." What is macro mode? And can you not zoom at all with a wide angle lens?

[Tom Hardwick]

My w/a converter is the Bolex Aspheron made for 16 mm film cameras. Hard to find, but worth the search and money.

Yes, you can zoom with a single-element non zoom-through in place, but it'll go wildly out of focus at about the half way point towards telephoto. Cameras with auto focus take care of everything for you, but some older video cameras and film cameras have to be put in the wide-angle macro (close-up) mode. If you've got a GL2 the Raynox will work beautifully - but it'll give you lots of barrel distortion I'm afraid.

tom.

[James Duffy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : My w/a converter is the Bolex Aspheron made for 16 mm film cameras. Hard to find, but worth the search and money.

Yes, you can zoom with a single-element non zoom-through in place, but it'll go wildly out of focus at about the half way point towards telephoto. Cameras with auto focus take care of everything for you, but some older video cameras and film cameras have to be put in the wide-angle macro (close-up) mode. If you've got a GL2 the Raynox will work beautifully - but it'll give you lots of barrel distortion I'm afraid.

tom. -->>>

Looks great, but a bit out of my price range. If the raynox will give a lot of barrel distortion, it's not what I'm looking for. I suppose my best bet would be going with the WD-58H then... I'd love to have the extra wide angle provided by a .5x lens, but not if it's going to distort the picture massively or cost me an extra 500$ over the .7x.

Does anyone have any battery recommendations?

[Tony Hall]

Battery recommendations? Sure, get the Canon double battery holder, you can connect it to your GL2 via a coupler and the double battery holder comes with a pocket clip.

Then get a couple of extra large generic batteries on Ebay. That ought to keep you powered all day.

[James Duffy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Tony Hall : Battery recommendations? Sure, get the Canon double battery holder, you can connect it to your GL2 via a coupler and the double battery holder comes with a pocket clip.

Then get a couple of extra large generic batteries on Ebay. That ought to keep you powered all day. -->>>

Just wanted some confirmation that the 20$ generic batteries work just as well as the 100$ canon batteries... It seems illogical, and I didn't want to end up wasting my money.

[Eugene Pesochin]

Yes third party batteries work fine, just make sure when you buy them thet they are manufactured for your camera.
I have Power2000 BP-945 and instead of 4500 Mah it gives me 6000 mah and is cheaper. Good for about 6-7 hours.
And buy them brand new don't buy used ones.

[Guy Cochran]

We have one third party "generic" battery I thought I was getting a good deal on. I guess you may have mixed results out there, but I really recommend the Canon BP-945's. They're solid - and I've used ours on over 100 shoots. Still holds a charge perfectly. No problems whatsover with the "real mccoy."
I say don't skimp on the batteries. That is one area you don't want to be "powerless" over in the field :)

I would also recommend the Beachtek DXA-6 for that AT-897 and maybe use the Sennheiser MZCAM shockmount to attach it to the camera when you need to. Also pick up at least a UV filter, a polarizer, ND .6 or .9 for that shallow depth of field outdoors. Plus a 58mm Tiffen Soft FX 3 for most shooting, and definitely for product shots and interviews.

Sounds like you have your sound down so the next biggest addition would be a light kit. "Lighting is the key to great looking digital video."

[Craig Walker]

1) Microphone -- Audio Technica AT897 -- I'm buying my first mic, and this was recommended to me in another thread. I looked into it, and it seems like a good investment.


I got this mic and I really like it.


2) Wide-Angle-Adaptor -- Is the WD-58H the standard recommended wide angle adaptor, or is there a better recommendation?


I got this lens and returned it. Didn't give that much extra coverage, and what it did was fish-eyed. Look into something else.



Are there any essentials I'm missing? -->>>

Filters? Tiffen soft/fx and circular polarizers are great additions, IMO.

[Brian Keith]

<<<-- Originally posted by Graham Bernard : " . . and would like some input. "


4) " An XLR adapter is on there, but it comes later on the list for me after I've obtained the above. " .. OK, if you don't think you need clean audio . .. oh, you've put the expensive mic up front? Wont this be a waste without an XLR adaptor? . .

Grazie....I know you have the PAL version of the GL2 and love it. How do you feel about the "no phantom power" issue with XLR adaptor ma300? Is that an easy workaround or is phantom power worth looking at different cameras that have it onboard.

Thanks