Help Choosing The Right Adapter for Gig

M

mtd2007

Active member
Hi All,

I have absolutely zero experience working with lens adapters (please don't go away!) so I'm not sure what set-up, if any, I need for this gig.

As usual (I'm pretty much just starting out doing camera work out of necessity) I'm working with a limited budget and a-less-than-ideal amount of information. Anyway, I'll get to the gig specifics and then ask my question. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I will think fondly of my helpers when this job puts food on my table.

:( I actually don't even have a table...

  1. Event is a holiday lunch and meeting where I have been asked to record the introduction and key note address.
  2. The speakers will be standing (one at a time) at an elevated podium, and there is a designated area for me and my camera as well. It is also elevated (so as to keep audience heads out of frame, I'm assuming).
  3. The distance between this area and the podium is approximately 60ft.
  4. Recordings in this space are typically done by an in-house team, who will be there to take care of lighting and sound. I'll be receiving a line-in from the house system for audio and the lighting is pretty much already set-up.
  5. The in-house team has advised me that they typically use an 18:1 or 20:1 lens when shooting the podium at this distance.
  6. The client has requested the shoot be laid to tape - they aren't comfortable with tapeless workflows.
I'm more of a writer/director than a cameraman but don't have enough in my "budget" to hire anyone...so here I come, hat in hands.

I need to rent a camera, and possibly an adapter, and can't spend much more than 400-500 in total.

So...at that distance, would I be okay using, say, an XL2 with its stock lens at full zoom (20x)? I'm assuming that I'd be shooting mostly in a MCU of the speakers, mixing in establishing long shots before and after only if it seems possible. Final format is probably internal company distribution via intranet and/or DVD.

Or should I have a backup plan using some sort of adapter or lens set...assuming I can afford something like that...or figure it out how to operate it in short time?

Shoot is this coming Friday...getting a late start because of its proximity to another gig.
 
I have a couple of thoughts for you - I'm sure others will chime in.

What kind of look are you going for? This will determine whether or not you should consider an adapter. It tends not to be a practical decision to use one, but an asthetic one.

However, before you even get into that - I would say don't even consider using one on a paying gig when you have not had time to practice and understand the ins and outs of shooting with an adapter.
 
That sound like sound advice...not using an adapter without adequate time to practice and learn...I probably also should have been clearer about my question...or phrased things better.

I'm not so concerned about "look" because I'm not sure they are - apart from simply wanting a quality image.

But do I need another (telephoto?) lens to get across the room safely in a close-up?

Thanks again for any help.
 
A couple of questions/suggestions:

1) since you mentioned the XL2, I'm assuming you are shooting in SD and not HD. You might consider an HDV cam like the H1 or A1 and down-convert to SD. Many think that the quality ends up better that way. Plus you'll have an HD version if you ever need it down the road. You could even zoom in closer or do some slow zoom pan effects in post since you start with an HD image.

2) The 20X lens is probably sufficient. However, being zoomed in that far means that any slight vibration, bump to the camera will be exagerated in the image. Maybe you can talk them into a closer postion?

3) Talking head videos are very, very boring. You might consider getting a second camera to record audience reaction or a different angle of the speaker as a B-Roll so you can make your final product a bit more interesting.
 
All good points.

Mentioned the XL2 because it seemed to have the longest zoom out of all of the SD and HDV cameras that the rental house that I normally use (low prices, good customer service so far) carries. Although I hadn't thought of down-converting. It seems like an especially good idea in terms of getting the extra wiggle room in post with the slow zooms you bring up.

I was kind of just going to risk it re: the bumps and vibrations...figured I'd just be extra careful not to bump anything myself, which shouldn't be too hard given the very limited range of movement for the recording. Don't know if I'll even have to pan. They seem to literally want only a recording of the speeches in close-up.

Agree with your notes on the talking heads. I've been using two cameras for this client for other gigs but I guess this time they don't think it's needed, or can't spring for it.
 
That's exactly what I was just looking at after thinking about your comments. I directed a very small shoot where the cameraman used his XHA1 and everything went smoothly. Having trouble finding one available for rent though. Company pays directly so it's hard for me to go through an individual. Got to find one at a bigger house.

Thanks again!
 
I wouldn't use an adaptor. Save the money and get a second camera. Big space, no lights with adaptor spell embarrassing situation.
 
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