Need help with rig

[tampawolf]

So I have my hacked gh2, and a bunch of lenses. but now I am wanting a monitor, either a mic, or h4n recorder and a way to hold it all on a rig of some sort. I mostly film houses for auction so something mobile. Would love to heard advice on those three things. Though I'm leaning towards the Camax h056 monitor, and an h4n for sound. No idea on rig yet.

[JohnTollwannabe]

Though, not about the rig per se, but some people like the Tascam DR-100 MKII better than the H4N. Phillip Bloom among them. Rigs also vary in price by a wide margin... you can get a shoulder mount rig and also place it on a tripod when needed. If you only use tripods then you don't need the shoulder rest.

You'll also need a 15mm rod support system to attach a follow focus, matte box, c arms, handles, etc. on to.

What kind of budget?

[Chris Adler]

If you're shooting houses you don't need a follow focus or rails or a matte box. I have one of these (http://www.amazon.com/ePhoto-Camcord...shoulder+mount) and I love how fast and flexible it is to use (and inexpensive).

What's the zoom for? Are you narrating, or recording an agent, or what? Depending on what you record you're probably fine just using a shotgun on the camera and driving that right into the camera.

[tampawolf]

Recording a voiceover as the auctionaere talks about the property is what I the reasons behind needing something to record proper sound. I'll check out the Tascam, and that shoulder mount. Budget...? I want to come in at under 700. Including shouldrig, monitor, and sound recorder. I can go a little over it, as I'm not in a rush.

[Chris Adler]

The shoulder mount I liked you to is only $65. I mounted a bracket on mine and threw a quick release place on it so I shoot using the actual GH2 viewfinder, which I prefer over an external monitor.

[tampawolf]

I find it hard to manual focus using viewfinder but I probably just suck at it. I'll check out the rig

[Blue Bomber]

You can always get a cheap loupe, though the screen isn't high res like most cameras nowadays. I actually find it easier focusing through the viewfinder than an LCD/loupe. Another option is using a monitor with focus peaking. I have a Swivi for just such an occasion. Attaches to the camera and folds up, just like the built in LCD, to save space while packing. Only negative is that you can only use 1080p24 with a monitor attached.

One more thing to think about: are you going to be walking around with the shoulder rig, especially up/down steps? If so, a steadicam might be more of what you're looking for. I've got a Flycam Nano DSLR, and it holds my GH2, a Tokina 11-16 2.8, Swivi monitor, and Tascam recorder just fine, with a battery pack and counterweights on bottom. Buttery smooth once you get it balanced and pratice a bit. If you're shooting in good light at wide angles, you really don't have to worry about focusing often, either.

[J.F.R.]

Just to chime in, is it possible for you to mic up the person doing the auction? A wireless lav setup would be great imo. I have this model and while not perfect it works pretty well
http://www.amazon.com/Azden-WMS-PRO-...n+wireless+mic

At least when I used a canon it worked as plugged into the camera or plugged into something like a tascam dr-07 which I have as well.

[blazer003]

You can always get a cheap loupe, though the screen isn't high res like most cameras nowadays. I actually find it easier focusing through the viewfinder than an LCD/loupe. Another option is using a monitor with focus peaking. I have a Swivi for just such an occasion. Attaches to the camera and folds up, just like the built in LCD, to save space while packing. Only negative is that you can only use 1080p24 with a monitor attached.

One more thing to think about: are you going to be walking around with the shoulder rig, especially up/down steps? If so, a steadicam might be more of what you're looking for. I've got a Flycam Nano DSLR, and it holds my GH2, a Tokina 11-16 2.8, Swivi monitor, and Tascam recorder just fine, with a battery pack and counterweights on bottom. Buttery smooth once you get it balanced and pratice a bit. If you're shooting in good light at wide angles, you really don't have to worry about focusing often, either.

Can you not do HBR (30p)? Am I not recording in 30p when I select it and I have a monitor attached?

[RupertPupkin]

I know some people look down on DIY camera rigs, and any DIY gear for that matter, because it doesn't look "professional", but I gotta say, I made one for $5 and it works just as good as any other rig. I spray painted it flat black too and it doesn't look cheap or gimmicky. I followed this video on youtube....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZtlS...eature=related

I've even used longer focal lengths with handheld shots, and it's pretty amazing how smooth you can make it. Not to mention you can mount any number of accessories on it. Soon I think I'm gonna add some rails below mine so I can set up some sort of follow focus system.

Just an idea.