My Equipment List: Looking for opinions

Re: the 1600 Pelican case. It fits an HVX just fine, you just have to lay it on it's side. When I set the case down to a stand-up position, the camera is right-way up so it's cool. Believe me, I measured my HVX in three dimensions and compared it to the Pelican's measurements before I ordered. I highly reccomend the case and in fact the Pelican brand in general.
 
Thanks everyone for the opinions so far. I'm so glad I asked first before ordering. I thought I had a decent list but honestly I was a little hesitant. Now it's shaping into something i'm a bit more confident about.

Re: SomewhereinLA

Looking at the Zacuto Foam and the custom cut over at Abel, there doesn't seem to be much difference. Abel's is also a little cheaper so I think i'm going to go that direction. The storm case is stated to be the same as the Pelican 1600 so it looks like i'd be getting the same thing overall for a few bucks less. I'll keep the link in mind though should there be a stock issue at Abel. Thanks for that.

Re: getken

I figured someone would eventually call me on this. I wouldn't read too much into that number. That really only covers various types of tape. I haven't done any grip work in the past so I wasn't really sure what I would need. I figure i'll pickup what I need as I go. If you have a few recommendations, maybe a kit that includes a bit of everything, please post a link. I'd be happy to take a look at it. I'm trying to get as much as I can but there is really no way to plan all this so i'm really just trying to get the basics. Thanks for looking out for me, I appreciate it.

Re: Mark A. Beal

Great post! It is funny you should mention the Omni's and Rifa lights. A light kit I was seriously considering features a mix of both. It got good reviews here but in the end with so much trust in ARRI I figured I couldn't go wrong by going with them. The kit i'm talking about is called the Lowel - DVcreator 55 Kit and you can find it here: http://www.dvcreators.net/products/dvck.html

Do you think that would work better for my situation than the ARRI D1? The kit you linked doesn't have a softbox and seems it would require a better knowledge of lighting than I currently posses.

Great idea on the filters, thanks a bunch. Not only will I save money going that route but i'll get pretty much what I wanted in the first place.

Re: HappyGobo

They actually have one cut just for the HVX200 over at Abel. Check it out here: http://www.abelcine.com/store/product.php?productid=1000021&cat=0&page=1

Looks perfect for my needs and should everything i've got. Thanks for the confirmation on the fit. Looks like a strong, sturdy case that should last me a while.


Keep the opinions coming guys. The only thing i'm still looking for some common ground on are the lights. I'd like to settle on a kit that is versatile, around the range of the ARRI D1's (1800 or less) and will be good for just about everything. I can grow into more, and will of course, just need something to make it through the first year.

And what does everyone think about the TC400? Do I really need it if i'm only going to have 2 batteries at first? Should I get it and grow into more or go with a TC200 until I feel the need. Considering how long the batteries last there really shouldn't be any overlap.
 
Arri vs. Lowel is a lot like the Manfrotto vs. Sachtler debate: the quality of the Arri is unquestionable, but your buck will take you farther with the Lowel. The D1 kit will serve you well for interview type lighting, but it's a heavy kit that produces relatively low levels of light. The fresnel lens produces a beautiful, smooth beam, but really cuts down on the output. You're not going to be able to illuminate much more than a small (really small) office. If you get into dramatic shooting, you'll want to move your lights back and cover a large enough area for your actors to move around. For the wattage, open face lights pack a lot more punch. You'll also want more than three lights at your disposal in order to create moods/effects. Yes, I do think the DV Creator 55 kit would be more useful for your purposes, although I'd really prefer something like the Tota/Omni Core 55 Tungsten kit:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=285847&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

plus the Interview Tungsten 3 Kit

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=300828&is=REG&addedTroughType=search


plus some diffusion material, which will give half a dozen lights and still be within your $1,800 budget.
 
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Abel is a great store, no question about it. The reason I recommend Zacuto is I have always gotten a better deal with them than Abel, in other word the are more willing to deal. Every time I have called Abel, they were less willing to make a deal. I never buy catalog prices, I always ask for a deal, within reason of course. Also I should mentioned Filmtool as well, they usually have better prices than BH Photo, and have excellent customer service.
 
Re: Mark A. Beal

Thanks for the links. I think you're right about these kits. They seem very versatile overall and should give me everything I need for a while. I've got Abel quoting me a price right now but I should still be in the same ballpark which works out great.

Re: SomewhereinLA

Thanks for the recommendation. I get what you're talking but i'm the sort of guy who likes to be loyal to a company as long as they are loyal to me. I'll keep Zacuto in mind should things fall through with Abel but so far i've had nothing but great service from Jerrod over there and that goes a long way with me.


And i'm still looking for some opinions on whether I should get the TC200 or TC400 battery charger.
 
My two cents- Stay away from prepackaged kits, as they all have some major compromise or drawbacks at least.

Some of the Lowel heads are good and versatile, but their stands are the worst. Their hard cases leave much to be desired as well. I have a couple of Omni's that I use for broad lighting and have a speed ring for soft box use if need be. The Tota is my preferred fixture for softbox use. They are cheap, open faced, and can use a variety of lamp wattages. I have a Pro light as well- used for hair, rim and background detail lighting. THat's the thing about Lowels, they are good blue collar units that have great flexibility.

I love my Peppers, as people also are crazy about their Arri's and Moles. The best solution for me is to mix lights from different manufacturer's to get the most usable and cost effective mix. I've got two 100's with 200W lamps, and a Pepper 300 as well. These are used for fill, keys, back lights and background lights. Outside of softbox use they are my workhorses. Love 'em.

Stands- Mathews kit stands ( medium) and Bogens offer light weight, compact size and good weight capacity. Stay away from- actually run from Lowel stands, they suck. You'll be replacing them in short order.

Cases- The problem with Lowel cases or any dedicated cases is that they are dedicated. Once you start to mix it up and add other manufacturers units the cases become less viable. I'm a Kata fan, adjustable dividers etc.

Spend and shop wisely now and you'll save money and hassle down the road. Pick the best that each manufacturer offers. It will be interesting to see what you end up with.
 
I am also gearing up right now. While I used to be a one-store-at-a-time loyal customer, now I have degraded into hunting each item separately at each store and just buying it from whoever has it for the least amount of money (Abel, FilmTools, B&H and Spec-Comm, etc). If you spend enough time getting the right combination from each store you can save a lot... which translates into even more gear.

At one point one of the sales people almost started to weep because I was buying only the loss-leader items and none of the filler ones and then still managed to talk him into a discount for the shipping. In my heart I know I will one day pay them all back by buying at full list price... when a major studio'll pay for the bill.

But anyway, here is some advice. When trying to decide between closely priced items, always go for the one with the highest resale value. In the case of the lights, I think a nice kit from Arri will be snatched up a lot faster than a Lowell one on the used market. Hey, you never now when you'll have to sell your production gear to finance your postproduction.
 
Updated Equipment List??

Updated Equipment List??

Hey Matador. I found this post very useful as I am admist prepping for a documentary shoot. I was wondering if you would be able to update your equipment list to reflect all the suggestions you've recieved here? It would not only be useful to me, but Im sure be a good summary of what equipment is recommended for people starting out.

(This is my first post) I've been reading for hours and Im amazed at the amount of valuable information provided here. Thanks for having me!!:dankk2:
 
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