D800 gear, lenses, tripods, sliders, lights etc... HELP ME PLEASE

One part will be corporate videos, the others will be like events, or to go and film a training day for soldiers etc... So really complex in nature.. And for these occasions I thought of a handheld rig.
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This is a very good reason for zooms on a locked down tripod or you use a shoulder rig and move with the action.
 
@therussian, I think those 3 Nikon zooms will serve you well for video. You could perhaps add 2 Nikon Primes (50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8?) to cover the photo/portrait side of things as well.

For live events, I like to keep it light and simple. Everything I take to a wedding for a 2-camera DSLR shoot fits into one medium-sized backpack (except for the tripods/monopod). Here is my suggestions and reasonings for you, based on the information you've given us.

2x D800 body - This helps because you change lenses less in the field, saving time and minimising the possibility of dust on your sensor, which I'm sure would be a big hassle for some of the things you've described. It also gives you more backup and more flexibility - 2 important things to have when shooting events.

Nikon 14-24, 24-70 & 70-200mm f/2.8 - The 14-24 could stay at home most of the time, and would only be used for shooting buildings/properties. For everything else, 24mm should be wide enough.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8G and 85mm f/1.8G - These lenses would cover you for portraits, and the 50mm is really small so it can always stay in your bag for those times you need shallow DOF or if it is really dark. Cheaper than the Ziess lenses, and will be easier to colour match with the Nikon zooms.

Sachtler FSB-6 Carbon Fiber Tripod - Normally I'd say this is overkill for most DSLR stuff, but your company doesn't seem to be too concerned about excessive spending so a tripod is always a good place to put extra money.

Manfrotto Fluid Video Monopod - much simpler and sturdier (albeit a little bigger) than a shoulder rig. It also gives you the ability to do effective push/pull moves. Much less strain on your arms during a long shoot compared to a shoulder rig, and requires no assembling/adjusting to attach the camera.

Rode Videomic Pro - this will do for most of your audio purposes, from what you have described.

Add the slider to this list too if if you think you'll use it.

FaderND - I don't have any particular brand recommendations for these because I don't use them. I shoot a lot of surfing for which I prefer to raise the shutterspeed to get a crisp, sharp look.

One or two of those cheap LCD shades would be a good idea too. Very helpful when shooting in bright sunlight, and they also give you extra stability when shooting handheld.

And if, as you say, you will only have one chance to buy all this stuff, don't forget all the little extras - half a dozen batteries, a dual battery charger, plenty of Sandisk Extreme Pro CF cards (in a few different sizes), a nice backpack, a spare tripod plate (one for the camera, and an extra for the 70-200mm lens), a CF card reader (even if your computer has one, a USB adaptor makes sharing footage a whole lot easier), etc.
 
deltoidjohn said:
@therussian, I think those 3 Nikon zooms will serve you well for video. You could perhaps add 2 Nikon Primes (50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8?) to cover the photo/portrait side of things as well.

For live events, I like to keep it light and simple. Everything I take to a wedding for a 2-camera DSLR shoot fits into one medium-sized backpack (except for the tripods/monopod). Here is my suggestions and reasonings for you, based on the information you've given us.

2x D800 body - This helps because you change lenses less in the field, saving time and minimising the possibility of dust on your sensor, which I'm sure would be a big hassle for some of the things you've described. It also gives you more backup and more flexibility - 2 important things to have when shooting events.

Nikon 14-24, 24-70 & 70-200mm f/2.8 - The 14-24 could stay at home most of the time, and would only be used for shooting buildings/properties. For everything else, 24mm should be wide enough.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8G and 85mm f/1.8G - These lenses would cover you for portraits, and the 50mm is really small so it can always stay in your bag for those times you need shallow DOF or if it is really dark. Cheaper than the Ziess lenses, and will be easier to colour match with the Nikon zooms.

Sachtler FSB-6 Carbon Fiber Tripod - Normally I'd say this is overkill for most DSLR stuff, but your company doesn't seem to be too concerned about excessive spending so a tripod is always a good place to put extra money.

Manfrotto Fluid Video Monopod - much simpler and sturdier (albeit a little bigger) than a shoulder rig. It also gives you the ability to do effective push/pull moves. Much less strain on your arms during a long shoot compared to a shoulder rig, and requires no assembling/adjusting to attach the camera.

Rode Videomic Pro - this will do for most of your audio purposes, from what you have described.

Add the slider to this list too if if you think you'll use it.

FaderND - I don't have any particular brand recommendations for these because I don't use them. I shoot a lot of surfing for which I prefer to raise the shutterspeed to get a crisp, sharp look.

One or two of those cheap LCD shades would be a good idea too. Very helpful when shooting in bright sunlight, and they also give you extra stability when shooting handheld.

And if, as you say, you will only have one chance to buy all this stuff, don't forget all the little extras - half a dozen batteries, a dual battery charger, plenty of Sandisk Extreme Pro CF cards (in a few different sizes), a nice backpack, a spare tripod plate (one for the camera, and an extra for the 70-200mm lens), a CF card reader (even if your computer has one, a USB adaptor makes sharing footage a whole lot easier), etc.
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Hi,
Thanks for the info!
Actually the final lens list became exactly the same you said in your post. There was a 105mm 2.8 micro on the list also, for close up of electronics, machinery, but as of now I deleted it. I also listed the primes too, so at the end I think we think the same way :) 85mm will be good for portraits too.
I also listed a monopod with fluid head (560B-1), and deleted the shoulder rig for a Zacuto Striker. When I have to run and gun and be mobile then a small rig like the Striker is ideal, and for other cases I can rely on the tripod (Manfrotto 501HDV, 546BK ) and the slider.

So you recommend the Sandisk Extreme Pro CF cards? Nikon D800 also accepts SD cards, or doesn't it?

What type of 4x4 filters do you recommend? FaderND is the Genus product? What about Tiffens? And most importantly how many filter do I need for start? 2-3? What type?

Thanks
 
Could you tell me that the footage the Nikon D800 records internally, is readily editable (natively) on Premiere CS6, or I have to encode it?
 
Hi The Russian, I have many Nikon lenses but if I wanted to work fast and light with stills the beauty of the D800 is you can put a small, light prime on and with the function button set so it up so you can easily go to DX crop giving you effectively two focal lengths with one lens. For example you could have one body with a 28mm f1.8 as a wide, then when you go for DX mode and it becomes a 45mm at still a healthy 19 mega pixel. Then if you had a 85 f1.8 then to DX mode it would be a 136mm at 19 mega pixel. I have ordered a D800E and have not received it yet so I cannot speak of video but it may have that option as well?
I occasionally use my 14-24 f2.8 but regularly use 24-70 f2.8 and 80-200 f2.8 so would recommend these lenses as well. I personally like having a 35mm prime (35mm f2 AF-D) that is small a light that I carry around for personal use whereas the zooms are necessary for fast action event work.
 
I prefer the 17-35 over the 14-24 or 16-35 for Video.
The 14-24 is the best for stills
For outdoor run and gun you might get the 28-300.
It is comparatively light considering the range and very sharp wide open at both ends.
I use mine for everything including Video.
It is on my D800 90% of the time and I have lots of Pro Glass.
Also definitely get the 24-70 and 70-200. There will be times when you need them.

If you are going to try and shoot Video when moving, good luck.
You will have to be extremely slooow and smoooth.
Even with a shoulder rig, I am not good at it.

The in camera mics on the D800 are much better than most, but I use a rubber mounted Azden SMX-10.
 
@RRRoger

Hi, I'm also looking for a R&G zoom, would you have any video examples of the 28-300 that I could see? I may also opt for the new 24-85 VR.

Cheers
 
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