1000$ to spend on gear - advice needed

R

regnaleb

Active member
Hey there,

I have 1000$ to spend on gear right here and I'm not sure what to get first.

I have a Canon 60D with a 18-135mm, 2 batteries, a Velbon tripod, a chinese viewfinder, enough SD cards (all class 10 - 128gb total).

I want to get serious and eventually get: a good Manfotto tripod, a rail system with follow focus, a slider and a jib/crane, more lens...

What do you think I should spend my money on this time? What is most essential between those?

N.B.: I'm the kind of guys who usually prefers good/durable stuff to cheap-but-does-everything-and-then-dies-6-months-later.
 
for $1000? that wont go super far. you'll probably have to go used. but id go with a tripod or follow focus. two MUST HAVES!
second to those, id say a good new slider, like the kessler/bloom model.

keep in mind, when you think about a jib. you also have to consider a heavy duty tripod, monitor, long cables and at least a basic tripod dolly. even a basic rig can get to about $3k EASILY...
 
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Depending on what you're trying to achieve I'd buy a field recorder, boom pole and mic next. DSLR audio in general is so poor that an audio setup is a must have.

If you're specifically discussing filming I'd pass all those you have listed and get a stabilizer.

Cheers,
Pete
 
thanks for your responses guys!

Well, I forgot to say that I have a Rode Videomic, plugged straight into the 60D.

I think both you guys are right, I should get a good stabilized rig before anything else.

What do you guys think of the Manfrotto 501HDV/546B combo for 449$ ?
 
A mic that attaches to the camera is the worst location for a mic. I'm with c3Hammer and recommend a better audio kit (boom, pre, recorder) as an actual essential.
 
I think this is much worse than the sound quality (as long as you can hear it) of a camera-mounted mic: shaky dizzy footage.
 
What are your 'problems'

My first problem shooting DSLR was holding it still .. so I boughta rig

Then I realised I coulndt see on a sunny day .. so I bought an LCDVF

and an ND to get exposure

The I realised the sound was terrible - so I bought a recorder

Spend to solve your problems

S
 
Agree with the tripod. THat manfrotto isn't bad as a first tripod.

Get a basic lighting kit. Lighting is what sets your work apart from the amateur look. That and stabilization and proper camera moves. Oh, and professional sounding audio :)
 
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