A few questions for peace of minds sake

[KSC]

Hi everyone, my new DVX is en route as we speak. Before I even take it out of the box I'd just like to confirm a few things. Someone here said, "You can write the same advise over and over again, but until you attach those words to a specific name it doesn't become true". I Hate to be that guy and I appologize in advance for being a pest, but I just wanted to be extra sure before I did anything stupid.


Well, I've had my face in this forum for the past week or so and this is what I've gleened as far as what's inherently bad/good for the camera itself:

-Get a UV lens. Have it ready to put on before you even remove it from the box.

-Never switch tape brands. If you do, clean heads beforehand. (Cleaning the heads will cause unessary wear, so refer to first part of statement: Never switch tape brands)

-Capture/Playback is not recomended directly on the DVX, but it's okay to do occasionally as long as you don't use it like a deck and go FF/RW crazy. Watch/capture all the way through without stopping.

-When capturing make sure both camera and PC are off to reduce risk of blowing firewire port.

-Keep it dry.

Is there anything else you can add to that list that I should be aware of?

I, like some others I'm sure, blew the wad on the camera of course. My plans are to not even attempt clean audio at this time. I just wanna get the camera and learn the ins and outs of video first. I don't even plan to turn the mic on for some time. New Lights, booms, tripods, a cheap Dv to use for capture/playback are all in the future. I have no plans to shoot anything of relevance with the DVX until a much later time. I just want to get a feel for the camera for a few months before I delve into other areas.

With that being said, is there anything else besides the list I've provided below that I would need in order to shoot, capture, edit, watch?

-Camera
-*UV Lens
-Bag/case
-**Vegas Pro 8
-4 to 4 pin firewire
-Tapes
-Laptop

*I posted this in a Sticky in another forum, but I don't think anyone even looks in there anymore. Would someone please give me a link/model number for the EXACT UV lens you recomend. I would like to go with B+W and I know it's 72mm, but they offer a few different kinds and I'm unsure.

**My laptop at the moment has Alchohol, DVD Encryptor, and Nero7 installed. After a little reading on the subject is seems that the FULL version of Vegas deals with dvds encoding? I would eventually like to put my film on dvd, are any of the programs I have listed above suitable for that or is....I'm rambling. Should I just go with Platinum version or is it the general consensus that buying the full Pro ($300) is best?

I've filmed in Super 8 and 16mm for many years (mostly silent), but this is the very first video camera I have ever used or owned. Man, I never thought those words would leave my lips!

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Steve2012]

KSC,

Congrats on your new camera.

I'm sure you will be pleased with the features and image quality. Just thought I'd mention two things about the UV filter.

You will find that shooting at night with the filter on causes unwanted light reflection/refraction due to the light bouncing from the UV filter then into the lense. When I shoot at night I always remove the filter to avoid these light images screwing up the shot. More prominent when shooting/panning car headlights, streetlights etc.

Also, any cheap UV filter will do just fine as the main purpose is to have a $30.00 filter be the first line of defence to your $800.00 plus lense in the event any foriegn object strikes the lense and scratches it. A filter can be easily replaced.

Enjoy!

 

[KSC]

Thanks for the reply Steve. I realize most of my post was just reiterating what I already knew, I guess I just like to get a final confirmation on things. Better to measure twice and cut once, as they say.

The filter debate seems to divide among many camps. Some say you get what you pay for and would never put an inferior piece of glass in front of their lens, others just slap whatever they find on there, and some say "just be careful". I guess I'll just go with something reasonable simply for protection. I'll deal with coatings and what not later on.

Thanks for tip on night shoots as well!

 

[dory_breaux]

Dont cheep out. Seriously. Low quality filter = difraction and softness. DOnt buy a tiffen, IMO, B+W is the best.