Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings?

Roger Gunkel · June 25th, 2015, 07:54 AM

Definitely no camera for the Father of the Bride, which I must also observe as my daughter is getting married next year :-)

I received a tracking number for my FZ1000 today, so should be here early next week, can't wait!

Roger

Chris Harding · June 25th, 2015, 08:40 AM

Great news Roger!

I have finished the mini frame for the first camera. All it is, is a 180mm piece of 25mm square aluminium tube with a "T" shaped bracket to attach the camera in the centre. The bracket shape allows me to still access the battery cover without removing anything which is handy! It has two pieces of the same tube left and right that go up 120mm and have foam bicycle grips on each for some extra stability and on top (each side) I have a cold shoe. One for a light when I need it and the other for a Rode mic. I put the mic on the side so I can still use the EVF ..if on the camera's hot shoe the back of the mic sticks into my forehead!!!

The second mini frame (in construction at present) is the same except I have an extra plate on the aluminium tube with my QR tripod plate on it ..either end will have mini pillars with trays that fit the receivers on each side and I should be ready to go!! I'll put the mixer on the camera shoe !

I'll post a few pics once they are finished.

Chris

Chris Harding · June 26th, 2015, 01:21 AM

Here is my A-Cam frame that takes the wireless receivers ..it still has to have the little mixer on top of course. Also my B-Cam frame which is much the same but will be my handheld camera so it has the tube up each side with cold shoes on each side (one for the mic and one for a light if needed) The mic here is my spare el-cheapo as I'm still waiting for the Rode to arrive.

The last thing I have to do is organise and re-balance my stedicam but it has a 7" monitor on the bottom stage and the dealers want $30 for the AV cable cos it has a special plug ..since the cam has a visible LCD I might just scrap the big LCD on the stedicam and just use the cameras LCD .. saves me having a another battery to remember to charge up!!

Roger Gunkel · June 26th, 2015, 02:37 AM

Ready for action then Chris :-) I like the idea of the handheld frame with the space for mic, light etc. Are you still able to use the LCD screen? The tripod frame looks to do the same sort of job as my double tripod plate, mainly take all the bits that don't fit on the camera. Nice to make your own custom built one though.

Next step is to see how you get on with the camera on a wedding shoot.

Roger

Chris Harding · June 26th, 2015, 02:59 AM

Hi Roger

It took a lot of thought, build and re-build but yes the LCD on both is fully extendable so it clears the frame in all positions .. as does the mount to the camera which allows both battery and SD card access without having to remove anything .. I didn't want to have to unscrew/move stuff to be able to have full access. A mic mounts perfectly on the centre shoe but you cannot use the EVF .. maybe the Rode VM Pro might have it's shoe far enough back to not dig into your head..but I have a Rode Video mic and even on the rear mount it still protrudes. I find that it's easier to have a handle either side with the camera otherwise I tend to hold it with my left hand under the body.

I trust yours will arrive next week .. I bought the mixer that I sent you the link for cos it has a headphone amp and is an active circuit rather than passive. That will be here around the end of this coming week but no biggie and we have a cold, wet and barren wedding calendar for July ... I'll go shoot some fun footage in the meantime and try out the formats .... Does your FZ200 have a 50P mode in AVCHD? so far I have only shot in 25P and you have to be careful about jitters when panning .. I also used 50P for slomo on my Sony's but now I have 100fps straight out of the camera which is brilliant! I think I'll probably just stay with 25P AVCHD

Chris

Peter Rush · June 26th, 2015, 03:02 AM

Can I throw in a few observations? I'm very interested in how this thread is going as I'm planning on doing the same as Chris and downsizing my main camera.

I liked the cage Idea and I had the P&C Gearbox for my 5D but found that I always needed my right hand on the camera grip and not on the cage handle which simply ended up getting in the way - something to watch out for.

Also that eyecup looks very similar to the one on my A7s which has turned out to be pretty much useless as soon as the sun comes out - what's needed is a larger, teardrop shaped cup which stops the sun soming in from the right hand side of your face - unfortunately for me Sony don't make one and there are no aftermarket ones either - I have found a DIY job on You Tube but the result is pretty poor so I'm still on the hunt! You'll miss the large eyecup of the EA50 Chris!

Noa Put · June 26th, 2015, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Does your FZ200 have a 50P mode in AVCHD? so far I have only shot in 25P and you have to be careful about jitters when panning .. I also used 50P for slomo on my Sony's but now I have 100fps straight out of the camera which is brilliant! I think I'll probably just stay with 25P AVCHD

If you shoot in 4K you don't have any other choice then to shoot 25P but if you don't need 4K there is no reason not to shoot at 1080p 50p. On my GH4 I shoot 1080p most of the tme, for most of my shots I don't see the need of shooting in 4K anyway. I will only use 4K recording if I need to ability to crop into the image in post, like during the ceremony or during speeches.

Noa Put · June 26th, 2015, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

You'll miss the large eyecup of the EA50 Chris!

I actually also need a larger eye cup on all my dslr's, as soon as I need to shoot in the sun I realy miss having a proper eyecup that covers the entire eye.

Peter Rush · June 26th, 2015, 05:37 AM

If someone brought out a QUALITY teardrop eyecup with adapters for DSLRs they'd make a killing :)

Roger Gunkel · June 26th, 2015, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noa Put

If you shoot in 4K you don't have any other choice then to shoot 25P but if you don't need 4K there is no reason not to shoot at 1080p 50p. On my GH4 I shoot 1080p most of the tme, for most of my shots I don't see the need of shooting in 4K anyway. I will only use 4K recording if I need to ability to crop into the image in post, like during the ceremony or during speeches.

I agree that the 4K for me will be for those times when I can choose to crop to a closer shot of part of the scene. It should also be useful for our school productions, where we use 4 cameras to get all the shots, but may well be able to manage with just one 4K and crop to closeups.

@ Chris, I'll be interested to see how you get on with the mixer although I am not sure that I need an active one.

Roger

Chris Harding · June 26th, 2015, 06:09 AM

Hi Pete

You can get one from Cambo for the Panasonics ...

https://cambouk.wordpress.com/2014/0...up-from-cambo/

I also saw a post where a guy bought a Sony EX1 eyecup and had to trim it a bit but it looked darn good.

I wonder if Cambo make one for the A7S???

Chris

Chris Harding · June 26th, 2015, 06:15 AM

Hi Roger

You know I'll give you a report back next week on it. The issue with passive mixers is although they say it's "unity gain" there always is a loss and it gets worse with lower level mics ... the minimum mic output for passive input is supposed to be -39db like the Rode Videomic ... a lot of mics are right down in the -50db so you would have to push the camera level right up to 12db to get a decent signal!! The other two reasons I got that unit is that it has an AGC defeat circuit in it so when the Church goes dead quiet your mic gain doesn't increase and again it has a 250mw headphone amp in it. I was going to make one but our local electronics shop didn't have any suitable modules that had a preamp and a headphone amp!

Chris

Chris Harding · June 26th, 2015, 06:27 AM

Thanks Noa

I used to shoot in 50P mainly for slomo but since this camera has very good 100fps slomo I'll use that for my stedicam shoots and then either 50P or 25P for the rest. Believe it or not I haven't even tried 4K yet!!! I need to get a UHS3 card first ..I have a Sony UHS1 card but it might be too slow for 4K

We are in the middle of Winter now so I have 5 weeks to play and experiment before the chaos begins!!

Chris

Chris Harding · June 26th, 2015, 08:40 AM

The eye cup issue is solved! I had a Hoodman sitting in a drawer ..I ripped off the eye cup and cut the rubber centre away into an oval and popped it over the Panasonic EVF ..works like a dream!

Chris Harding · June 27th, 2015, 09:35 PM

Shot some footage this morning in bright sunshine and the Hoodman rubber eyecup works like a dream!! It's the one that fits the loupe they sell for DSLR cameras and our photo stores have then in stock ...I would however think that eBay would have quite a few that could easily be modified too .. The Chinese make a nice looking one for the Nikon cameras and at $3.50 I'm tempted to buy one anyway!

June 25th, 2015, 07:54 AM	#106
Roger Gunkel Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: LIncolnshire, UK Posts: 2,213	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Definitely no camera for the Father of the Bride, which I must also observe as my daughter is getting married next year :-) I received a tracking number for my FZ1000 today, so should be here early next week, can't wait! Roger

June 25th, 2015, 08:40 AM	#107
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Great news Roger! I have finished the mini frame for the first camera. All it is, is a 180mm piece of 25mm square aluminium tube with a "T" shaped bracket to attach the camera in the centre. The bracket shape allows me to still access the battery cover without removing anything which is handy! It has two pieces of the same tube left and right that go up 120mm and have foam bicycle grips on each for some extra stability and on top (each side) I have a cold shoe. One for a light when I need it and the other for a Rode mic. I put the mic on the side so I can still use the EVF ..if on the camera's hot shoe the back of the mic sticks into my forehead!!! The second mini frame (in construction at present) is the same except I have an extra plate on the aluminium tube with my QR tripod plate on it ..either end will have mini pillars with trays that fit the receivers on each side and I should be ready to go!! I'll put the mixer on the camera shoe ! I'll post a few pics once they are finished. Chris

June 26th, 2015, 01:21 AM	#108
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Here is my A-Cam frame that takes the wireless receivers ..it still has to have the little mixer on top of course. Also my B-Cam frame which is much the same but will be my handheld camera so it has the tube up each side with cold shoes on each side (one for the mic and one for a light if needed) The mic here is my spare el-cheapo as I'm still waiting for the Rode to arrive. The last thing I have to do is organise and re-balance my stedicam but it has a 7" monitor on the bottom stage and the dealers want $30 for the AV cable cos it has a special plug ..since the cam has a visible LCD I might just scrap the big LCD on the stedicam and just use the cameras LCD .. saves me having a another battery to remember to charge up!! Attached Thumbnails

June 26th, 2015, 02:37 AM	#109
Roger Gunkel Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: LIncolnshire, UK Posts: 2,213	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Ready for action then Chris :-) I like the idea of the handheld frame with the space for mic, light etc. Are you still able to use the LCD screen? The tripod frame looks to do the same sort of job as my double tripod plate, mainly take all the bits that don't fit on the camera. Nice to make your own custom built one though. Next step is to see how you get on with the camera on a wedding shoot. Roger Last edited by Roger Gunkel; June 26th, 2015 at 02:37 AM. Reason: typo

June 26th, 2015, 02:59 AM	#110
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Hi Roger It took a lot of thought, build and re-build but yes the LCD on both is fully extendable so it clears the frame in all positions .. as does the mount to the camera which allows both battery and SD card access without having to remove anything .. I didn't want to have to unscrew/move stuff to be able to have full access. A mic mounts perfectly on the centre shoe but you cannot use the EVF .. maybe the Rode VM Pro might have it's shoe far enough back to not dig into your head..but I have a Rode Video mic and even on the rear mount it still protrudes. I find that it's easier to have a handle either side with the camera otherwise I tend to hold it with my left hand under the body. I trust yours will arrive next week .. I bought the mixer that I sent you the link for cos it has a headphone amp and is an active circuit rather than passive. That will be here around the end of this coming week but no biggie and we have a cold, wet and barren wedding calendar for July ... I'll go shoot some fun footage in the meantime and try out the formats .... Does your FZ200 have a 50P mode in AVCHD? so far I have only shot in 25P and you have to be careful about jitters when panning .. I also used 50P for slomo on my Sony's but now I have 100fps straight out of the camera which is brilliant! I think I'll probably just stay with 25P AVCHD Chris

June 26th, 2015, 03:02 AM	#111
Peter Rush Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK/Yorkshire Posts: 2,069	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Can I throw in a few observations? I'm very interested in how this thread is going as I'm planning on doing the same as Chris and downsizing my main camera. I liked the cage Idea and I had the P&C Gearbox for my 5D but found that I always needed my right hand on the camera grip and not on the cage handle which simply ended up getting in the way - something to watch out for. Also that eyecup looks very similar to the one on my A7s which has turned out to be pretty much useless as soon as the sun comes out - what's needed is a larger, teardrop shaped cup which stops the sun soming in from the right hand side of your face - unfortunately for me Sony don't make one and there are no aftermarket ones either - I have found a DIY job on You Tube but the result is pretty poor so I'm still on the hunt! You'll miss the large eyecup of the EA50 Chris!

June 26th, 2015, 05:37 AM	#114
Peter Rush Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK/Yorkshire Posts: 2,069	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? If someone brought out a QUALITY teardrop eyecup with adapters for DSLRs they'd make a killing :)

June 26th, 2015, 06:09 AM	#116
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Hi Pete You can get one from Cambo for the Panasonics ... https://cambouk.wordpress.com/2014/0...up-from-cambo/ I also saw a post where a guy bought a Sony EX1 eyecup and had to trim it a bit but it looked darn good. I wonder if Cambo make one for the A7S??? Chris

June 26th, 2015, 06:15 AM	#117
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Hi Roger You know I'll give you a report back next week on it. The issue with passive mixers is although they say it's "unity gain" there always is a loss and it gets worse with lower level mics ... the minimum mic output for passive input is supposed to be -39db like the Rode Videomic ... a lot of mics are right down in the -50db so you would have to push the camera level right up to 12db to get a decent signal!! The other two reasons I got that unit is that it has an AGC defeat circuit in it so when the Church goes dead quiet your mic gain doesn't increase and again it has a 250mw headphone amp in it. I was going to make one but our local electronics shop didn't have any suitable modules that had a preamp and a headphone amp! Chris

June 26th, 2015, 06:27 AM	#118
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Thanks Noa I used to shoot in 50P mainly for slomo but since this camera has very good 100fps slomo I'll use that for my stedicam shoots and then either 50P or 25P for the rest. Believe it or not I haven't even tried 4K yet!!! I need to get a UHS3 card first ..I have a Sony UHS1 card but it might be too slow for 4K We are in the middle of Winter now so I have 5 weeks to play and experiment before the chaos begins!! Chris

June 26th, 2015, 08:40 AM	#119
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? The eye cup issue is solved! I had a Hoodman sitting in a drawer ..I ripped off the eye cup and cut the rubber centre away into an oval and popped it over the Panasonic EVF ..works like a dream!

June 27th, 2015, 09:35 PM	#120
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Anyone using the FZ1000 for weddings? Shot some footage this morning in bright sunshine and the Hoodman rubber eyecup works like a dream!! It's the one that fits the loupe they sell for DSLR cameras and our photo stores have then in stock ...I would however think that eBay would have quite a few that could easily be modified too .. The Chinese make a nice looking one for the Nikon cameras and at $3.50 I'm tempted to buy one anyway!