Brand New Camcorder. Now some brief questions...

[MorrisLives]

Hi everybody -
After researching what type of camera would best suit my needs and finding that this camcorder STILL gets rave reviews after so many years—I think I made the right choice with the AG-DVX100b.

Anyway, this is a work-purchased camcorder and it's expected that I get up and running with it pretty quickly. While my job title and background is illustration/computer graphics, we are now creating content for mainly online distribution although DVD production is certainly on the idea boards. So transitioning to video editing isn't a big stretch. The unit arrived this past Tuesday, but I had to cover a press conference this morning (Friday) and already found that I'll be needing some accessories. I've spent a good part of my free-time this week trying to find answers to my questions online, but I either couldn't find it, or got multiple or no answers. So I thought I'd ask in here and rely on experience rather than sales pitches. So here are my questions...

1). It was pretty breezy this morning while shooting the press conference, so I wound up getting a lot of wind noise on the audio. Can anyone recommend a decent external mic and windscreen?

2). It didn't dawn on me when ordering the camcorder to buy a case for it. :huh: I don't want a bulky box-type of case and am more interested in carrying it (and a tripod) on some type of backpack. I found the LowePro DryZone, but don't know whether this will fit my needs size-wise. Does anyone use this for transporting/storage?

3). Are there any other "Must-have" or critical accessories that I should know about? Our window for equipment procurement is closing fast.

I should add that I'm not anticipating creating "near-pro" movies with dramatic lighting and effects, but more so for educational clips that will primarily be shot outdoors, then edited with Premiere/After Effects with simple titling and some audio and image overlays.

Anyway, thanks for reading--- and GREAT site!

 

[Boncrek]

The NTG-2 is a popular shotgun microphone so I would recommend you try that one.
It can be powered by either the camera or by AA battery so its pretty versatile and the best bang for buck mic I own.
The Rode WS6 windscreen works wonders for it and is the best windscreen i have used.
To get better wind-reduction you would have to use a full blimp system.

I also dislike boxy camera cases and so I was looking at the Cinebags brands of bags, particularly the CB-25.
Other must have accessories will prob be dependent on the type of shoots you do.
You mention teaching/educational style videos so I would imagine audio is fundamental for that.
I'd recommend a wireless lavalier system in that case.
The Sennheiser G3 gets mentioned a lot on this forum and would be the mic I would buy for my cam as well.

My style of outdoor shooting normally involves moving type shots so getting either a slider or stabilizer could be a next purchase.
They wouldn't be used all the time but when you do use them you'll be glad you did as they add a lot of production value to your shots.

 

[MorrisLives]

Thanks so much for the quick reply! I checked out your links (that GlideCam is pretty cool!) and I actually found that CB-25 backpack recommended in another thread on this site (I didn't think to search outside of this DVX forum). Although the slider and Sennheiser might be outside of the budget (for now), the others will definitely be considered. Am also going to look into that Barry Green book.

Thanks again! Looking forward to this new endeavor.