Should I buy an A1 for my indie movie?

jleo said:
B & H Photo has some hidden deals that can save you money. Depending on how you do your search on their website, some prices can be cheaper on the same equipment. Who knows why? Also look for package deals. We found a shotgun mike on their site but on a different search, the same mike came up with an XLR cable ($19) and shockmount ($69) at the same price as the mike alone.
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That's true! I've been finding some: kits, just plain "add to cart for lower price" or "email price" deals.
 
Some Advice

Some Advice

Before you buy everything from BH...I would shop around with the other trusted sites to see if you can get a better deal. I shop BH a lot..but I also shop a lot at EVS in Glendale. Ask for Tommy Mack and ask for the DVXuser discount. Then afterwards compare with prices at Abelcine tech and see what they offer. Especially for the camera. As for that AT897...I found it to be too long and cumbersome to deal with. The Oktava Mk012 and the AT4907 for outdoors is a good setup. If you can only afford one then get the russian (not chinese) Oktava from the soundroom. As for all those filters...you should more invest into ND filters like .3,.6,and .9ND's. I use mine constantly vs using the built in ones because you have more control. Also try to rent as much as you can..because it would be a shame that you will have to sell anything you bought because you didn't try it out first. By they way Rush used to work for EVS in Glendale.

www.evsonline.com

Call their toll free number-don't buy via internet if you want the best price and mention DVXuser discount. via Tommy Mack.
 
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smithy said:
Before you buy everything from BH...I would shop around with the other trusted sites to see if you can get a better deal. I shop BH a lot..but I also shop a lot at EVS in Glendale.
www.evsonline.com

Call their toll free number-don't buy via internet if you want the best price and mention DVXuser discount. via Tommy Mack.
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Thanks for the advice. BTW, the filters I was referring to are lighting gel filters, not lens filters. Sorry for the confusion!
 
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I went ahead and took the $4,040 plunge: my A1 and Libec-22 tripod are on the way. I held off on the lights, audio, and almost everything else (except a Tiffen UV filter, LCD hoodman (with 2x magnifier), lens pen, headcleaner and some blank tapes) for now. Gonna familiarize myself with the camera first and do some more research, so if anyone has any more ideas on either audio or lighting (or anything else you think I'm missing), I'd love to hear it. My budget is around $1k for both audio AND lighting. Yeah, yeah, not enough, I know... Can be fudged upward by maybe $250.

What is the best audio/boom kit for around $500-600? I am seriously considering the AT897. Somebody mentioned a wireless boom set up to me but didn't give the details, like brand names, model numbers and links.
 
Hey Jim, I think you and I are on the same boat. I just bought an A1, waiting for it to be delivered tomorrow, and I'm also working on my first feature length film as well. I've worked on a few things here and there for the past six years, but I never got to do nearly as much with my own material as I depended on other people too much.

Like you, I'm doing this so that I can prove to myself that I can, not necessarily for awards or to sell (even though that'd be great). Also, I have a lot to learn, I mean half the stuff said on these threads are too technical for me, which is why I signed up on here.

Anyway, I wish you all the luck in the world.
 
Jim Duggins said:
I went ahead and took the $4,040 plunge: my A1 and Libec-22 tripod are on the way. I held off on the lights, audio, and almost everything else (except a Tiffen UV filter, LCD hoodman (with 2x magnifier), lens pen, headcleaner and some blank tapes) for now. Gonna familiarize myself with the camera first and do some more research, so if anyone has any more ideas on either audio or lighting (or anything else you think I'm missing), I'd love to hear it. My budget is around $1k for both audio AND lighting. Yeah, yeah, not enough, I know... Can be fudged upward by maybe $250.

What is the best audio/boom kit for around $500-600? I am seriously considering the AT897. Somebody mentioned a wireless boom set up to me but didn't give the details, like brand names, model numbers and links.
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For sound..boom mikes are always going to be clearer than lavelier mikes. As for wireless boom mikes...I don't think it would be in your budget your targeting for. Like I said earlier using the AT897 mike is really not up to par to good audio. It is a good intro mike but because of it's length you are better off with the Oktava MK012 mike with a Hypercardiod and a good cover. Check out the audio forums. Another good mike is the AT4073a for outdoor. Just listen here. Also Ktek boompoles are good and ktek shockmounts with soft rubber is the best. Like the ktek k-ssm shockmount with soft rubber housing that is at B&H.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...324&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation


http://www.dvfreelancer.com/articles/shotgun_shootout.html

To get your oktava

www.sound-room.com

Now for lighting you can most likely just rent them...Sometimes some places will give you the weekend deal at a flat rate. so you go the whole weekend to shoot without the expensive price.
 
i like the idea of getting the oktava over the at897. i've never used the oktava (been using the at4053a for a hyper), but it's regarded as one of the best bang-for-the-buck mics on the market. i like the at897, as it's a really versatile mic as far as shotguns go, but a decent hyper like the oktava will probably serve you better, at least at the start. indoors, a shotgun in an unprepped room will sound horrible. conversely, a well positioned hyper can be used both indoors and outdoors. keep in mind, mic placement is the most important aspect of getting good sound, and a nicely placed $15 radio shack mic will probably sound better than a poorly placed $2k schoeps.

as far as lights go, i would start buying a few used lowels on ebay. you can't beat a couple of nice fresnels and softboxes for a kit, but your interests would probably be better served going cheaper. lowels are not arri's, but they're good, durable, relatively inexpensive, and extremely portable. try to get one or two totas (these little things kick out up to 1000 watts) and a couple of omni open faced lights with barndoors. throw in a lowel pro-light or two as kickers/rim lights, and a couple of umbrellas for diffusion (not a big fan of umbrellas, but they're really cheap). if you can't afford stands, get the lowel tota clamps -- they're inexpensive, and the lowels are so light, you can mount them anywhere you can mount the clamp.

if you hunt around, you should be able to get the oktava and a decent set of lowel lights for under 1k.
 
Thanks, glad I held off on buying audio or lights. The oktava sounds like a good solution. What is the diff between Sabra-Som shockmount and K-Tek K-SSM, besides saving $75?


I'll look into the lights on eBay...
 
sabra som and the k-tek both look like they'll get the job done. i have no experience with the sabra, but i bought the k-tek, on reputation alone, a few years back and it's a good, solid shock mount.

fyi, there's a good deal on an akg blue line mic in the marketplace here, for just a tiny bit more than a new oktava. it comes with the ck91 cardioid cap. the akg blue line mics, and the at405x mics for that matter, are modular, meaning you can switch the caps out for ones with different pickup patterns, so you can pick up a hyper cap for the akg down the line. these are really excellent mics, and represent the next step up from the oktava. just wanted to give you a heads up.
 
Are you planniing on getting a monitor? I am also on the verge of purchasing the a1, but everywhere I read people talk about how essential it is to get a monitor, since the LCD is not to be trusted for sharpness. The Marshall monitor seems very spendy, and I haven't heard too much about less expensive alternatives. The color reproduction doesn't matter to me...only the sharpness. I've heard a few horror stories!
 
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Honestly, unless you have bad eyesight, the LCD can be useable. The peaking function is very strong and gives you a good sense of the outline of objects that are actually in focus.

Turn the sharpness up on the LCD and make it black and white if it really gets tough.
 
i think the a1's lcd is better than most people think. it's not GREAT, but it's actually pretty sharp and, with the focus assist tools and push AF, i find it usable for most situations. but it's definitely on the small side and, like most on-cam lcd's, you can't really gauge colors and contrast very well.

i got the marshall lcd a few weeks ago. it's very nice, and colors and contrast are markedly improved over the onboard lcd. focusing is easier, but it's still not in-your-face -- you have to look hard at the image to get really good focus. it's worthy to note that the monitor is pretty heavy as an on-camera solution for the run-and-gunners out there. and, no doubt, it's expensive.

while i think you can get by with the onboard lcd for most situations, i think the marshall is really a necessity if you're planning on using a 35mm adapter. if you thought focusing was tough for just the camera, good focus is next to impossible with a 35mm adapter attached in front of it.

the marshall is a really nice luxury, but if my cam is off the tripod and it doesn't have the m2 in front of it, given the monitor's weight and size, i'm leaving the marshall home.
 
henry cho said:
try to get one or two totas (these little things kick out up to 1000 watts)
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While you can use 1K watt bulbs in these fixtures, they are not rated for that much power, and I can attest from personal experience, you will find you have to replace the socket assembly after not too many hours. I'd stick to 750 max..
 
It will help make it more easy to see probably but it won't change the resolution of the LCD. So focus will still be spotty.
 
I got my A1 today and the Hoodman magnifier was a big help. The LCD seemed sharp to me, just a bit smaller than I would have liked but not too bad. The LCD is fully adjustable if you want to tweak how it looks. I don't see why people were complaining that the Canon LCD wasn't sharp enough for them. BTW, this camera is frikkin' AWESOME!!! I spent all day fooling around with it, learning the controls and inputting the custom presets from DVinfo.net, including the Bleach Bypass and CineJuan, which look very promising for my indie movie... Gonna shoot me some test footage this weekend! Damn, I'm stoked.
 
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Don't understand that either, its my glasses or my eagle look, but I found no difficulties in focussing with the LCD. The LCD is small but sharp, with a sunshade it is very usable during the shoot. What is bad is the rubber eyepiece for the viewfinder, even more wearing glasses. In a sunny day you can't see anything with it, you need to buy the large Sony eyecup (sony part No: 217941401) to get the vision back.
 
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