Would using a star filter for cinematography be too weird?

[Paul R Johnson]

Sadly, Pete, I think you're right.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay thanks. It's not that I can't afford equipment. Some of it I can that was recommended. It's just I would rather direct and have someone else operate a gimbal, so I can concentrate on directing, so I wonder if it's still worth it to get one then.

But if I did, it would be for future projects as well. As for whether or not I have been satisfied with the gimbal, I was quite satisfied with it on the short I posted before, Battle Damaged Souls, but then people on here said that the gimbal wasn't level enough and I need another tool like a dolly, if I want to do those kinds of shots in future projects. So that is why I was asking about other options.

As for longer lenses being shaky, being the operator's doing and not the gimbal's, I thought it was the gimbal's, since I kept being told don't use longer lenses on a gimbal.

[Brian Drysdale]

I suspect what people are saying is that gimbal would be worth considering if you're doing one man band productions in the future.

Some of the shots in the short had "vibrations" how acceptable that is depends on the look you're going for.

I recall earlier in the thread that the quality with longer lenses will be dependent on both the skill of the operator and the quality of the gimbal. If you wish to use longer focal length lenses, run tests with the operator over ground similar to that you're going to film on, so you can see if it's going to work. You may find it works in certain situations, while not in others.

Any decisions in this regard is entirely yours, there's information on various options in the thread.

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thanks. So it's not that I should be using other equipment like a dolly per say, it's just I need to work on smoothing out the vibrations with a gimbal operator in the future then perhaps?

[Brian Drysdale]

You may need to use other equipment, it depends if you need to pan or tilt the camera during a shot and a number of other factors. You need to check with the operator to see what they can do with their equipment (some have joy stick controls).

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, but I thought the gimbal could do pans and tilts, or at least it could when I practiced with one before.

[Brian Drysdale]

You need to check that they can do the type of camera moves, with the precision that you need. Most gimbal shots I've seen are pretty simple affairs, so you need to check how far you can push the envelop.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, well so far if I were to get my own, or even have another person operate it, it seems in my research that the Moza Air 2 has the most bells and whistles for it's price, and seems to be able to do the most moves, if that's true.

[Brian Drysdale]

Just because it's got features, doesn't mean that it's good for what you want to do and it works with longer lenses. You need to test.

[Ryan Elder]

well it's not available to rent at the local stores. It seems I might have to buy it but is there a way to practice with it to test before you buy it?

[John Nantz]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

You need to check that they can do the type of camera moves, with the precision that you need. Most gimbal shots I've seen are pretty simple affairs, so you need to check how far you can push the envelop.

The wild card here is

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

... with the precision that you need. ....

Wondered why Ryan is spending so much time indoors on the computer and a check of the weather may be an indication. While you guys in the UK are getting the benefits of the Gulf Stream ol’ Ryan is getting hit with the Arctic “stream”. While our news guys here are reporting about all “the poor people” in the north east being hit by the cold we don’t hear about our Canadian blokes complaining.

The temperatures shown are in ºC. Note that the Manual for the AX700 shows an operating temperature range of 0ºC > 40ºC (Disclaimer: your cam’s temperature range may be different).

The nice thing about owning your own kit is it’s ready to go, you know how it works, no need to go to a rental place (if one even exists in the local area). It’s not money wasted, its money saved by not wasting time going after or renting kit.

Ryan: The clock is ticking! If the decision isn’t made pretty soon there won’t be any time to practice and the shoot will have to be handheld. (when is is supposed to be?). “Time is money and time is a wasting.” At this rate it may be Option #4.

[Ryan Elder]

Okay, still deciding on if I should get my own as oppose to hiring someone. As for the arctic stream the first shoot of the martial arts video is tonight, and that will be indoors.

[Josh Bass]

again why not lensrentals or similar? They probably ship anywhere and they have to be competitively priced or no one would use them.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, but i searched the moza Air 2 on their site but couldn't find any.

[Brian Drysdale]

Rental companies will tend to go for the kit in demand from professionals. A Ronin is probably more likely or they could have another brand.