Beefing up my handycam
 

hi guys..

I have just purchased a Panasonic x900 handycam as a B cam to my ac90. My first wedding is 3 weeks away and I am extremely paranoid about pulling this little cam out in front of guest!!!! Is there anything I add to this camera to take the handycam look off it????

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

My mini shouldercam setup:

password: test

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

The client and guests are highly unlikely to be the slightest bit interested in your small camera, only in the end result. I have been using small cameras for years, which make me highly mobile and very unobtrusive, the clients love it!!

It is your own concerns about image that are troubling you, not the people at the wedding. The only comment I have ever had about the small camera was from the photographer at a recent wedding, who had 3 big Nikon dslr cameras, a big equipment belt and copious lenses and batteries. He sneered at my camera and told me that everyone that he knows that does professional video uses multi dslrs. I replied that perhaps he should look at examples of my work before commenting and come back when he has been in the business nearly 30 years as I have. When I delivered the finished work to the client, they said that they wished the photographer's work had been as good. Not only were they unhappy with his photos, they thought he was rude and arrogant on the day and would never recommend him. Yesterday I picked up a new client on their recommendation!

So don't worry, just enjoy the portability :-)

Roger

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Like Roger said, nobody but yourself should care about what camera you use.

I bet most guests won't even pay attention to who you are and what you're doing because their eyes would be on the bride & groom anyways. You'll just be one of the many people with a camera that day.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Why is this so typical ... I have this paranoia in my mind that guests think this while i'm filming at weddings (this is when I used to operate my VG20 to film).

But in fact it's not a guest that said anything it was actually another professional telling me my camera looks a bit unsuitable as it says handycam and it's small !!!!!! arghhh !!!!!

One of the main reasons I invested in my EA50 is to shut people up and keep them off my back so I can work ... and now the disadvantage is that the camera isn't unobtrusive anymore!

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

I actually have people who are really interested when I set up my GoPro on a light stand..they almost ignore my fancy shoulder-mount Sonys and are far more fascinated with the little Hero ...

Go figure !

Chris

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Big cameras used to impress people a few years ago, but now I find that people expect modern equipment to be small and highly efficient.

As they say, 'it ain't how big it is but what you can do with it!' :-)

Roger

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

I actually find it laughable when I see people using C100/300's with full blown rigs or some other top of the line equipment but when I look at their portfolio and watch their work it feels like an insult to the gear they use. The best guys in the industry I know and work with still shoot with the most basic equipment but the films they make are the best I've seen so far.

If you put your priorities at the right place and make it your goal to blow people away with your films instead of making an impression with your gear, you will become a much more successful filmmaker in the long run.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Same here Chris - my GoPro gets way more attention - I'm also planning to use my VG20 for more of the day and relegate my EA50 for ceremony and speeches to see if being more unobtrusive gets a more natural response when filming amongst the guests.

I do however think Sony should stop putting 'Handycam' on anything but their budget cameras!

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Perhaps Sony could take a cue from the publishing industry where for certain books e.g. Harry Potter series they produced th original edition for kids then an version with a more sober & discreet cover so adults wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen reading it. Alternatively have the option like BMW used to offer of not having the model number badge on the rear. Of course you could guarantee that it was only ever 1.8L models without badges not the 2.5L.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Totally agree.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

At least they don't do an "Uncle Bob Signature Model"

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Did anyone mention the many uses of "black electrical tape"??

I used to know musicians that would remove or cover ALL manufacturer logos and marks from their gear under the logic that... if they weren't getting an "endorsement" deal on the gear, they weren't going to advertise for the manufacturer!

Seems to me a little "stealth" modification would be an option if you REALLY feel that strongly about it! After which of course, if anyone asks, your camera is now a "custom" model <wink>! This means now you are EXTRA COOL of course, in case anyone's wondering....

Come to think of it.... I've been feeling less cool lately, time to grab a black sharpie and some tape and get busy! BWAHAHAHAHA!

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

If you really wanted to make any camera look more professional, add a matte box to it. Even a cheap one will do.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Thanks for the feedback guys..I haven't shot a wedding with either camera yet so I think I should really be more concerned about that for now.

First thoughts of the handy cam are good, quality footage but it can be a bit fiddly. The two cameras seem to match well but I have yet to put them through any great deal of testing!

noa that set-up you have looks the real deal. Do you solely use this set-up for a wedding? Up to now I have been using one camera for a full day wedding shoot which has been much to stressful and the resulting video looks boring. When do you introduce your second camera throughout the day? do you keep your handy cam strapped around your shoulder for quick access??

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

On a different note what do you think of the Ac 90? I was thinking of getting one for events and the like.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Hi Matthew

I used to run Panny HMC82's and also AC-130's .. The next logical camera should have been AC-90's but the only two things that put me off were the fact that you have NO auto level control on the XLR channels (only manual gain controls) so trying to keep levels at a wedding ceremony is perfect but a nightmare at receptions where levels are changing constantly. Be a little careful with the super clean gain at levels over 21db ...the camera applies a very good and powerful noise reduction but it does tend to over-smooth larger areas so things like people's hair appears to look "spray painted" and quite often dense foiliage is over smoothed so it also looks smeared. Despite the tiny chips it does an very good job in low light but I would add a light for low light events otherwise the video will suffer.

Chris

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Sony CX560V :)
http://nx9.upanh.com/b1.s37.d4/e5fcd...06zg2bryi2.jpg
http://nx3.upanh.com/b5.s37.d3/fa8d0...215l0oru0v.jpg

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Way to go Rodger! I couldn't agree more. Some of our nicest family photos were taken with my wife's little Kodak "point-and-shoot" kind of camera because it was handy and easy to just take a "snap." People (talent) didn't feel intimidated by it's size where as me with my Nikon (35mm), f/1.4 lens, flash, and having to take time to set the shutter speed, f/stop, and focus were not only intimidated by the gear but also by the process.

Fast forward a couple decades and I'm finding the same thing is true with camcorders. There is a trade-off between producing Hollywood cinematic videos and capturing candid camera videos and as they say, there is a time and a place for everything. There is probably a part of the ceremony that is well suited for the camcorder with all the bells and whistles and it's probably when a three-legged tripod is required. On the other hand, the hand-cam-sized camcorder would work very well with a monopod doing candid shots.

Lighting: Now thats another item. That will make the operator stand out no matter what camcorder is being used so it's kind of a necessary evil.

Audio: A better mic than the camera mic is still needed but that doesn't have to be terribly conspicuous and a lavalier setup will add even a tad more to the camcorder.

Don't sweat what people think. Just do your work and be inconspicuous.

Re: Beefing up my handycam
 

Can't wait to get my Black Magic pocket. Slap that Panny 12-35 and shed over 30 lbs of gear in the process.