Its coming!

[Gabriel Yeager]

Hey everyone! I did it. I ordered my first DV cam! :D
I am so excited! I got a killer deal on it at dell. The cam I got is the Elura 100. Its the best thing that is in my price range. Then I order some panasonic AYDVM63PQ tapes from B&H. I'll post more once it gets here.

Anyone know any good accessories for it?

I can't wait!
~Gabriel~

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Gabriel, I think you made a good choice and it's fortunate that it fits into your budget. The 20X zoom and the 16:9 mode will give you some more options for shooting. Canon and other companies make some WA and telextender lenses that will fit it, but with the built-in capabilities of that model, you might do without them. If you do need more power, they make a small, 27mm telex that exactly fits its lens thread. However, I would choose the larger 37mm size and use a step-ring, as it might cause less vignetting when backed off on the zoom. An external mike to minimize motor noise would be a more useful way to spend money at this point. I won't suggest a specific mike, but there'll be other people who will make some suggestions. Good luck and I'm sure you're going to have fun.

[Per Johan Naesje]

Gabriel,
good to hear from you and your excitement for your new camcorder!

I second much of what Steve says, but beware of using to much tele extenders. To my knowledge they will give you a softer picture!

I think you should start practise without any extenders, get known with your camcorder. Try out the manual controls: focus, exposure and shutter speed. Find out what give you the best picture under various lights, sun, overcast etc.

To succed, it's not about your equipment, but to be on the right spot at the right time!
Happy filming, Gabriel

[Meryem Ersoz]

gabriel, good luck with your new camera, and i hope you do something beautiful with it.

it's easy--oh so freakin easy!--to get distracted by accessories. i have a basement full of this 'n' that which proves it....but first figure out what your camera can and cannot do in your hands. learn every single feature you can of that camera and stretch it to its maximum, playing with every bit of light and shadow you can. shoot mornings, nights, magic hours, every kind of light and shadow set-up you can find.

between a decent camera and a decent editing system, that should keep you pretty busy for a good, long time. sign up for the next DV Challenge.

mainly, get a good tripod. i would say, do all this, shoot 10-20 tapes of material, edit your brains out, learn to post your stuff online, ask for feedback on your work, and then ask about accessories. you will save yourself a ton of money, once again, getting excellent skills at the basics, and you will figure out from there what you need, when you start pushing the limits of what you already have.

and hey, i just recently noticed your tag line. i'm flattered.

best to you--

[Gabriel Yeager]

Thanks everyone! I'll wait until I have learned a bit with my camera before I buy anything else. I do have a question tho. Can I reuse the tapes? I only bought three to get started, thinking that I would reuse them. But I did not really think about it loosing quality... Does it?

Speaking of tripod. Does anyone know anything about this tripod? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=427320&is=REG.

[QOUTE] and hey, i just recently noticed your tag line. i'm flattered. [/QOUTE]

:-D Its on my desktop also. Along with a few others.

Thanks again, everyone! I'll be sure to keep you all updated.
~Gabriel~

[Steve Siegel]

Yes, you can reuse tapes with no loss of quality. You will quickly find that you have erased something you didn't realize was of value. Tapes are as cheap as $6 each. Ask for box or two as Christmas presents.
Your tripod selection sure is a good price, but at 1Kg capacity it is flimsy. The wind will buffet you around. The head is a photo head, not a video head.
You'll find it will not stay where you want it when tightened, and panning will be jerky. It may be a start for you, but you will soon find it unacceptable.
Save the 78 bucks toward something better, and for the moment prop a beanbag on some kind of a support for free. (Just don't let go!)

[Gabriel Yeager]

Ok, cool. Thanks Steve. I wont buy that tripod then. Do you know of any tripods that are under a 100 but still good?

Thanks!
~Gabriel~

[Meryem Ersoz]

i'm gonna break with the conventional wisdom and suggest one of these....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

it's better than a beanbag (which i also use pretty extensively, but even my buckwheat hull beanbag pillow cost $20...). you will outgrow it, but, for the price and it's ability to handle the weight, it's hard to beat. i use mine all the time when i am carrying a camera into the mountains, and weight and portability are issues. the best tripod is the tripod you have with you....when you get the cash for a real tripod, then get a real tripod. i guarantee that you will still use this one also, because of its size and weight. i've taken this tripod where no tripod has gone before....the "best" isn't the "best" if you can't carry it up the mountain....

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Gabriel Yeager

Speaking of tripod. Does anyone know anything about this tripod? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=427320&is=REG.


~Gabriel~

Gabriel:

I know I got to break down and get a better rated tripod, but I'm still using two Velbon 607 tripods with their Vel-Flo 9 PH-368 head for my FX1 and my VX2000. Got these at local Fry's for about $70 to $80. They actually do a decent job of simulating a fluid head. Don't crank up the center post, and you will have a reasonable first tripod.

[Gabriel Yeager]

That thing is small. But small is good for hiking. It does look kind of interesting. Is it any good for doing wildlife stuff? I also have a tripod already. But I think its about to break. Plus, when you move the head it makes a lot of noise and its really choppy. Do you know how to fix that? Or is it even posable? Does this tripod that you suggested move smoothly?

I've been watching this show called, "Caught in the Moment". When I'm watching it, I see him spread out the legs on the ground like a spider. Only some tripods can do that tho, and most of them are really spendy! How do I get around this? Or better yet, why do I need to to that?

Thanks!
~Gabriel~

[Gabriel Yeager]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

Gabriel:

I know I got to break down and get a better rated tripod, but I'm still using two Velbon 607 tripods with their Vel-Flo 9 PH-368 head for my FX1 and my VX2000. Got these at local Fry's for about $70 to $80. They actually do a decent job of simulating a fluid head. Don't crank up the center post, and you will have a reasonable first tripod.

Thanks Chris! Is this your only tripod? It looks like it could be a good one. but its really heavy, at 4.5 lbs. I don't think thats something I could lug around all over the place. Not with ease at least... Thanks tho! I'll have to try it out sometime and see if its worth the 4.5 lbs.

Thanks!
~Gabriel~

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Gabriel Yeager

Thanks Chris! Is this your only tripod? It looks like it could be a good one. but its really heavy, at 4.5 lbs. I don't think thats something I could lug around all over the place. Not with ease at least... Thanks tho! I'll have to try it out sometime and see if its worth the 4.5 lbs.

Thanks!
~Gabriel~

Well, look, its $69.00 at BH. And the Elura is not a big camera, so it should do alright.... and yes, these are only tripods I have, but I am not out there professionally either.

The best tripods don't get noticed in a shot. With the less expensive ones, you have to take more care to make sure it doesn't get noticed. Its a matter of taking care !! Here is BH Photo site page on it:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...10&Submit.y=10

[Meryem Ersoz]

the velbon compact i suggested is definitely small, but if you're hiking long distances (and i imagine that living in the pacific northwest, you do, and since you mentioned wanting to shoot wildlife, you will...) it is a great little addition.

i'm not saying this is *the* tripod--i'm saying it's nice to have in your arsenal for portability, and it's affordable. it's easy to place it on a rock, the ground, a hill. when the bank account fills back up, get a "real" tripod. once again, if budget is an issue, and for your camera size, a pretty good set-up is the bogen 3001pro legs with a 701rc2 head is pretty nice and not expensive. a step up from there is the bogen 501 head...a step up in price, too!

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Gabriel, when I first started with video, I recycled all my camera tapes after I'd edited them. This was the biggest mistake I made. So many times, I've wished I could have my first two year's raw tapes back. The equipment for my editing format went bad after 4 years and it can't be fixed or replaced, so those master tapes just sit there, unusable. Some 3rd or 4th-generation backup copies on S-VHS are all I have to show for the productions I made during that time. Nowadays, with lossless digital copying, part of this problem is eliminated, but nothing can bring back what is dumped during editing. Even when I could see no value in much of my early footage, there have been many times when someone came along to whom it was priceless. So, I always save all my camcorder tapes and keep them in a dry and cool place. The cost of buying a new tape is small, compared to the eventual value its contents may have to someone.

For example, I've recently made a DVD from a 17-year old VHS tape, that showed a large family of athletes together at a track meet. One of them was later killed in an accident. This is the only footage that shows them all together and they will get a big surprise when I deliver it. I'd thought it was lost, until I found this old VHS copy in a box in my attic. If I'd saved my original Hi-8 camera tape, the picture quality I could have put on the DVD would have been far better, although I don't expect they will complain about that.

[Gabriel Yeager]

Thanks guys! Yes, I do plan on doing some big time hiking... Eventually. Yesterday, I went on my farthest bike ride. Well over 9 miles of hills and off rode forest type areas. I'm starting to build up that strength so I can.

I think I might get that mini tripod, Its light weight and is small, and It looks like I could fit it in my backpack. Thanks for the suggestions.

The bogan legs and head look nice. The only sad thing is, Its almost the price of my camera! I don't know. Do you think its worth saving up some more to get that? Or just learn how to use my camera first, and then, decide if a nice tripod is best?

I bought this camera in plans of being able to buy filters. Now, that I'm think about it, a tripod seems to be more important. But how much more important? If I bought the mini tripod, I could afford to buy some filters still, but if I save up for the nice bogan pro legs and head, I would have a nice tripod, but no filters or telephoto lenses. Which do you all think is more important?

As for the tapes, Thanks! I'll keep that into consideration.

Thanks everyone! I can't wait for it to be here.
~Gabriel~