go ahead, spend my money at DVinfo.net

Emmet Lucey · November 4th, 2003, 04:42 AM

I own a PAL mx 5000. I've been lurking in the wings of this forum about a month her and learning alot. Many thanks for all the good information.
Now anyone who wants can spend my money: the challenge, tell me what you would buy to beef up my 'one man film company' equipment rack.

I shoot exclusively towards DVD films. Profile films, mostly for activity / adventure companies to use in marketing. But want to be able to take on wedding / indoor work as well to put a little more economic footing underneath.

I need:
- a good light that will hopefully power from the camcorder for interviews.

- An attached external (shotgun?) mike that can do a range of stuff: voices outdoors, concert / live performance / indoor. Something that wll gve me alot more capablity that what the camera mike can do.

- An independent unobtrusive mike for other interviews, wedding vows etc.

- An easy to use light meter. Never used one before

- A good wide lens for my panny.

- A 2nd camera which will probably be my first camera, since i already have a waterproof case for the mx, so that will end up being my 'smaller' stunt camera. Here I am leaning towards the canon xm2. It would be nice if some if my accessories could swap back and forth but that's asking alot.

I wll probably build my own shoulder mount and glidecam clone from the stablizer page unless someone knows of a killer place to shop those for cheap.

Two last considerations: i live in Norway so it's gotta be bought online, and hopefully as much as possible from the same place. Otherwise the shipping gets totally out of control.

The other think i often need to get where i am going on skis so portabilty / simplicity / barebones is an advantage.

Hmm, aren't you sorry you began to read this :-) Anyhow, come with suggestions if you like! Many thanks.

Lillehammer
snow falling down

Frank Granovski · November 4th, 2003, 05:53 AM

Yes, for weddings, you'll certainly need a good light. If you're going to do a lot of lower light shooting, I'd sell the MX500 and buy a VX2000.

Before you part with your money, consider exactly what you will be mainly using a cam for.

If you think you can get away with the MX500 shooting weddings, I would consider a tripod firstly. A good one is the Manfrotto 055pro (legs), 128RC (head). You can always go better though. Next, would be a light that you can mount onto the tripod. If you still have some cash left over, consider a good mic with you can also attach to the tripod. A good one is the Senn ME66. But you'll also need an XLR adaptor such as the Glenbox, or Beachtek.

These items would be the most important, I think, for a wedding set-up.

Regarding a light meter, you won't need this for video. A wide angle? What for? Just press, "pause," and move the tripod/gear back.

Emmet Lucey · November 4th, 2003, 08:30 AM

Thanks. I figure on holding on to the MX because i'll need two cameras eventually... and it already sells new here for way less than what i paid for it just five months ago. Can't bear to think how much i'd loose by selling it. plus I really do like the camera. I shot a 40 minute extremesport film this summer for dvd that came out beautifully.

I have a decent tripod, but i would like to get mainly a light / microphone set-up that can move with the camera on a shoulder stabilzed mount. The wedding gigs will be for the money but most of the light / microphone use will be alot more mobile & often outdoors, for example in low norwegian winter light. The wide angle is more for the cinematic thing: for example for tight shots of surfers taken from the water, shooting rafters from within a raft, etc. Plus i've been looking at some of these posted shots from the 16:9 combined with the wide angle that look just great ...

my goal is to get one set of gear that will function reasonably well in bothe directions.

Alot of what is stumping me now is that there is absolutely nowhere to buy this stuff within a thousand miles, so the compatability issues are hard to be certain of, i.e. which lens wil work well, which mike / light setup might work well with the shoe, etc. I have looked through th b& h website, and a half dozen others, but it's hard to tell.

Thanks for the tips so far. I'll start checking around for the ME66.

Frank Granovski · November 4th, 2003, 03:22 PM

http://www.bhphotovideo.com (B&H) is probably your best bet for a great selection and great prices. You can buy the Beachtek from Canada (cheaper/made there)---the Glenbox is made in the UK. See my links page for some good links for video stuff.

http://www.dvfreak.com/links.htm

"my goal is to get one set of gear that will function reasonably well in both directions."

That's always a challenge. I would just concentrate on the items I suggested. Later, you may find that you'll need something else. I do the odd wedding with an old 1 CCD cam, because it's good with low light; and I don't use a light. I don't edit on a computer, I just shot not to edit---shooting clip after clip, thus building a story. With shooting instructional videos, I may audio dub at times.

John Gaspain · November 4th, 2003, 06:29 PM

Emmet

get a steadicam, it makes the worst camera look great. Try to get on with ball bearings in the handle.

I dont like tripods. I think tripods and the whole "pan" thing is kinda cliche' for weddings, I would rather do a running pan withat steadicam. Tripods are good for still shots tho.

uhh, wideangle lens: yes. Raynox .3 is great, or a .5

Good luck

Young Lee · November 4th, 2003, 08:41 PM

Use your steady legs. :)

Frank Granovski · November 4th, 2003, 08:49 PM

That would be a tripod? :)

Emmet Lucey · November 5th, 2003, 01:15 AM

will the raynox .3 / .5 screw onto the mx500 directly or will i need an adapter ring?

as far as the steadycam, i have been looking at the glidecam 2000, and do you have a good tip for a good , reliable online online dealer? The dealer in sweden wants almost $650!

thanks for the linkpage frank i'm on my way there now...

Fred Garhart · November 5th, 2003, 01:29 AM

I just checked that link page the other day. There's too much good reading over there.

Frank Granovski · November 5th, 2003, 02:47 AM

Emmet, don't know for sure but most likely you'll need an adaptor ring. Tom ran some tests with wide angles, so did Allan---and both posted here with their findings. It seems one of the higher-end Raynox wide angles cam out on top.

John Gaspain · November 5th, 2003, 01:00 PM

my Raynox HD3030 came with the adapter, no problems. No vignetting.

heres some samples captures I took

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...a/faaff08f.jpg

Emmet Lucey · November 5th, 2003, 02:52 PM

I tried searching HD 3030 on B&H, did't find it, only a hd 5000. The PAL mx 500 i have is labeled 43 mm at the threads, is that the same as yours? kind of hard to tell the compatability.

that link is you gave is currently refusing visitors from outside the site, but did i see those in another post, a car shot with four views including the 16:9? that looked sweet.

anyone ever used a hollywood lite? 2 month wait on steadycam jr.....

John Gaspain · November 5th, 2003, 06:45 PM

[link fixed]

I like it alot, it gives a good wideangle with very little distortion, to tell you the truth I was expecting more of a fisheye effect out of this .3 , however I do believe that this is the best for my needs- after all it is a SEMI-fisheye(more wide angle than anything) any more would be overkill.

I got mine from Bugeyedigital.com

and yes camera has a 43mm filter ring.

Raynox has 43mm HD5000 so you dont need an adapter, but those have been hard for me to find.

good luck

Allan Rejoso · November 5th, 2003, 10:18 PM

actually, the HD5000 comes with various adapter rings, including that for 43mm so you don't need to buy adapters separately. if I remember right, the native size of the HD5000 is 37mm.

John Gaspain · November 5th, 2003, 11:41 PM

my bad, I was thinking of the HD-6600PRO43

November 4th, 2003, 04:42 AM	#1
Emmet Lucey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: lillehammer norway Posts: 67	go ahead, spend my money I own a PAL mx 5000. I've been lurking in the wings of this forum about a month her and learning alot. Many thanks for all the good information. Now anyone who wants can spend my money: the challenge, tell me what you would buy to beef up my 'one man film company' equipment rack. I shoot exclusively towards DVD films. Profile films, mostly for activity / adventure companies to use in marketing. But want to be able to take on wedding / indoor work as well to put a little more economic footing underneath. I need: - a good light that will hopefully power from the camcorder for interviews. - An attached external (shotgun?) mike that can do a range of stuff: voices outdoors, concert / live performance / indoor. Something that wll gve me alot more capablity that what the camera mike can do. - An independent unobtrusive mike for other interviews, wedding vows etc. - An easy to use light meter. Never used one before - A good wide lens for my panny. - A 2nd camera which will probably be my first camera, since i already have a waterproof case for the mx, so that will end up being my 'smaller' stunt camera. Here I am leaning towards the canon xm2. It would be nice if some if my accessories could swap back and forth but that's asking alot. I wll probably build my own shoulder mount and glidecam clone from the stablizer page unless someone knows of a killer place to shop those for cheap. Two last considerations: i live in Norway so it's gotta be bought online, and hopefully as much as possible from the same place. Otherwise the shipping gets totally out of control. The other think i often need to get where i am going on skis so portabilty / simplicity / barebones is an advantage. Hmm, aren't you sorry you began to read this :-) Anyhow, come with suggestions if you like! Many thanks. Lillehammer snow falling down

November 4th, 2003, 06:29 PM	#5
John Gaspain Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: WA-USA Posts: 371	Emmet get a steadicam, it makes the worst camera look great. Try to get on with ball bearings in the handle. I dont like tripods. I think tripods and the whole "pan" thing is kinda cliche' for weddings, I would rather do a running pan withat steadicam. Tripods are good for still shots tho. uhh, wideangle lens: yes. Raynox .3 is great, or a .5 Good luck __________________ The glory of the World passes by.

November 5th, 2003, 01:00 PM	#11
John Gaspain Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: WA-USA Posts: 371	my Raynox HD3030 came with the adapter, no problems. No vignetting. heres some samples captures I took http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...a/faaff08f.jpg __________________ The glory of the World passes by.

November 5th, 2003, 06:45 PM	#13
John Gaspain Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: WA-USA Posts: 371	[link fixed] I like it alot, it gives a good wideangle with very little distortion, to tell you the truth I was expecting more of a fisheye effect out of this .3 , however I do believe that this is the best for my needs- after all it is a SEMI-fisheye(more wide angle than anything) any more would be overkill. I got mine from Bugeyedigital.com and yes camera has a 43mm filter ring. Raynox has 43mm HD5000 so you dont need an adapter, but those have been hard for me to find. good luck __________________ The glory of the World passes by.

November 5th, 2003, 11:41 PM	#15
John Gaspain Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: WA-USA Posts: 371	my bad, I was thinking of the HD-6600PRO43 __________________ The glory of the World passes by.

November 4th, 2003, 05:53 AM	#2
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Yes, for weddings, you'll certainly need a good light. If you're going to do a lot of lower light shooting, I'd sell the MX500 and buy a VX2000. Before you part with your money, consider exactly what you will be mainly using a cam for. If you think you can get away with the MX500 shooting weddings, I would consider a tripod firstly. A good one is the Manfrotto 055pro (legs), 128RC (head). You can always go better though. Next, would be a light that you can mount onto the tripod. If you still have some cash left over, consider a good mic with you can also attach to the tripod. A good one is the Senn ME66. But you'll also need an XLR adaptor such as the Glenbox, or Beachtek. These items would be the most important, I think, for a wedding set-up. Regarding a light meter, you won't need this for video. A wide angle? What for? Just press, "pause," and move the tripod/gear back.

November 4th, 2003, 08:30 AM	#3
Emmet Lucey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: lillehammer norway Posts: 67	Thanks. I figure on holding on to the MX because i'll need two cameras eventually... and it already sells new here for way less than what i paid for it just five months ago. Can't bear to think how much i'd loose by selling it. plus I really do like the camera. I shot a 40 minute extremesport film this summer for dvd that came out beautifully. I have a decent tripod, but i would like to get mainly a light / microphone set-up that can move with the camera on a shoulder stabilzed mount. The wedding gigs will be for the money but most of the light / microphone use will be alot more mobile & often outdoors, for example in low norwegian winter light. The wide angle is more for the cinematic thing: for example for tight shots of surfers taken from the water, shooting rafters from within a raft, etc. Plus i've been looking at some of these posted shots from the 16:9 combined with the wide angle that look just great ... my goal is to get one set of gear that will function reasonably well in bothe directions. Alot of what is stumping me now is that there is absolutely nowhere to buy this stuff within a thousand miles, so the compatability issues are hard to be certain of, i.e. which lens wil work well, which mike / light setup might work well with the shoe, etc. I have looked through th b& h website, and a half dozen others, but it's hard to tell. Thanks for the tips so far. I'll start checking around for the ME66.

November 4th, 2003, 03:22 PM	#4
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	http://www.bhphotovideo.com (B&H) is probably your best bet for a great selection and great prices. You can buy the Beachtek from Canada (cheaper/made there)---the Glenbox is made in the UK. See my links page for some good links for video stuff. http://www.dvfreak.com/links.htm "my goal is to get one set of gear that will function reasonably well in both directions." That's always a challenge. I would just concentrate on the items I suggested. Later, you may find that you'll need something else. I do the odd wedding with an old 1 CCD cam, because it's good with low light; and I don't use a light. I don't edit on a computer, I just shot not to edit---shooting clip after clip, thus building a story. With shooting instructional videos, I may audio dub at times.

November 4th, 2003, 08:41 PM	#6
Young Lee Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 268	Use your steady legs. :)

November 4th, 2003, 08:49 PM	#7
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	That would be a tripod? :)

November 5th, 2003, 01:15 AM	#8
Emmet Lucey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: lillehammer norway Posts: 67	will the raynox .3 / .5 screw onto the mx500 directly or will i need an adapter ring? as far as the steadycam, i have been looking at the glidecam 2000, and do you have a good tip for a good , reliable online online dealer? The dealer in sweden wants almost $650! thanks for the linkpage frank i'm on my way there now...

November 5th, 2003, 01:29 AM	#9
Fred Garhart Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 53	I just checked that link page the other day. There's too much good reading over there.

November 5th, 2003, 02:47 AM	#10
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Emmet, don't know for sure but most likely you'll need an adaptor ring. Tom ran some tests with wide angles, so did Allan---and both posted here with their findings. It seems one of the higher-end Raynox wide angles cam out on top.

November 5th, 2003, 02:52 PM	#12
Emmet Lucey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: lillehammer norway Posts: 67	I tried searching HD 3030 on B&H, did't find it, only a hd 5000. The PAL mx 500 i have is labeled 43 mm at the threads, is that the same as yours? kind of hard to tell the compatability. that link is you gave is currently refusing visitors from outside the site, but did i see those in another post, a car shot with four views including the 16:9? that looked sweet. anyone ever used a hollywood lite? 2 month wait on steadycam jr.....

November 5th, 2003, 10:18 PM	#14
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	actually, the HD5000 comes with various adapter rings, including that for 43mm so you don't need to buy adapters separately. if I remember right, the native size of the HD5000 is 37mm.