Ch_infamous
New member
Hi All:
With the 7D out and getting good reviews (and compatible with my beloved 17-55/2.8), it's no longer possible for me to resist the urge to add a DSLR to my video kit. I'm heading back stateside for the holidays in a few days, so it's a good opportunity to assemble the extra gear I'll need to make the camera a workable tool. Hoping you fine people might be able to help me sort out what to get.
First, the background: I'll be using this mostly for feature news shooting and short doc-type work. My budget isn't shoe string, but it's close enough. Here's what I already have:
-Canon 17-55/2.8
-Canon 50/1.8
-Canon 70-200/2.8L
-Rode NTG-1
-Countryman lav mic (wired)
-Sennheiser M2 wireless system w/ lav
And here's what I'm definitely going to buy:
-7D (which, in China, appears to be going for $1400 new in the box)
-Zoom H4n
-Fader ND filter
-Zacuto Z-finder (pricey, I know, but I wear glasses and have enough trouble with focus already)
-San Disk Extreme 32GB + Kingston ElitePro 32GB for backup.
The rest is a long list of quandaries. I know I want a hand held set up that's light and mobile and allows me to shoot from a variety of angles (while getting decent sound), but I don't want the lightness of the rig to mean I'll be shooting a bunch of wobbly crap. I'd also like a system that can go pretty quickly from tripod to HH.
Here's where I'm hoping you guys can help...
The HH rig: Zacuto and Redrock are almost certainly out for me price-wise. I'm leaning towards the iDC U-Boat because it looks light and simple in terms of attaching mics, the Zoom, etc. That said, the Bush Hawk looks light and is tempting with that shoulder brace (the U-Boat "shoulder brace" looks like torture). Anyone used either of these set-ups in a news/doc situation?
Follow-focus: How necessary? Most of what I shoot stays pretty much on the Web. Can I get away with just pulling focus off the barrel? Has anyone tried the iDC gear-less FF? Real FFs=rails, which is a can of worms I'm not sure I want to open right now.
Tripod heads: I've seen some criticism here of the Manfrotto 501/503, but the Manfrotto would be attractive if I went with the U-Boat because they use the same quick-release system. Again, given that I'm not likely to be shooting feature films on this thing, how bad is it? Any better options in that price range?
Lenses: I feel pretty covered zoom-wise, but what about primes? I've heard the Sigma 30/1.4 mentioned favorably here. Other suggestions?
Hitting you all with a lot here, I know, but I just decided to jump into this and time for gathering all this stuff together is running short. Any insights much appreciated.
Josh
With the 7D out and getting good reviews (and compatible with my beloved 17-55/2.8), it's no longer possible for me to resist the urge to add a DSLR to my video kit. I'm heading back stateside for the holidays in a few days, so it's a good opportunity to assemble the extra gear I'll need to make the camera a workable tool. Hoping you fine people might be able to help me sort out what to get.
First, the background: I'll be using this mostly for feature news shooting and short doc-type work. My budget isn't shoe string, but it's close enough. Here's what I already have:
-Canon 17-55/2.8
-Canon 50/1.8
-Canon 70-200/2.8L
-Rode NTG-1
-Countryman lav mic (wired)
-Sennheiser M2 wireless system w/ lav
And here's what I'm definitely going to buy:
-7D (which, in China, appears to be going for $1400 new in the box)
-Zoom H4n
-Fader ND filter
-Zacuto Z-finder (pricey, I know, but I wear glasses and have enough trouble with focus already)
-San Disk Extreme 32GB + Kingston ElitePro 32GB for backup.
The rest is a long list of quandaries. I know I want a hand held set up that's light and mobile and allows me to shoot from a variety of angles (while getting decent sound), but I don't want the lightness of the rig to mean I'll be shooting a bunch of wobbly crap. I'd also like a system that can go pretty quickly from tripod to HH.
Here's where I'm hoping you guys can help...
The HH rig: Zacuto and Redrock are almost certainly out for me price-wise. I'm leaning towards the iDC U-Boat because it looks light and simple in terms of attaching mics, the Zoom, etc. That said, the Bush Hawk looks light and is tempting with that shoulder brace (the U-Boat "shoulder brace" looks like torture). Anyone used either of these set-ups in a news/doc situation?
Follow-focus: How necessary? Most of what I shoot stays pretty much on the Web. Can I get away with just pulling focus off the barrel? Has anyone tried the iDC gear-less FF? Real FFs=rails, which is a can of worms I'm not sure I want to open right now.
Tripod heads: I've seen some criticism here of the Manfrotto 501/503, but the Manfrotto would be attractive if I went with the U-Boat because they use the same quick-release system. Again, given that I'm not likely to be shooting feature films on this thing, how bad is it? Any better options in that price range?
Lenses: I feel pretty covered zoom-wise, but what about primes? I've heard the Sigma 30/1.4 mentioned favorably here. Other suggestions?
Hitting you all with a lot here, I know, but I just decided to jump into this and time for gathering all this stuff together is running short. Any insights much appreciated.
Josh
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