Finally Decided: DVX over XL2. Now... Reccommend setup?

M

mushyosh

Active member
After a few weeks of looking into it, buying books and DVDs and going through these forums hours on end ive finally decide, Im getting a DVX100a rather than an XL2.


Now, can you guys reccommend any extras I might want? Im going to get the anamorphic adapter, but what about the mic? Is the standard one good enough or will i want a better one?

Also I was thinking about getting some lens filters.
 
I dont have my camera yet (about a week from now) but I, like you, have spend A LOT of time reading these forums. After the last few months I have learned so much about the DVX100A.

Im not sure about the mic. It depends on what your using it for but you will most likely want a different one. I dont have experience with these, but Ive heard good things about the Sennheiser me66.

As for the anamorphic adaptor, for a much cheaper alternative, check out this thread by disjecta. Seems like a great alternative. Check out the example footage.

Youll defidently want a tripod, most preferably a fluid head tripod. Check out the Bogen 503 head.

Get a good case for your camera to keep it protected.

There are two choices for filters:
a) Use real filters. The best quality is B+W and the cheaper but still pretty good, Hoya. eBay has the best deals you can buy filters on. just check the sellers feedback and make sure its legit.

b)You could just do most filters it in post if you wanted. (I prefer the real filters but thats just me. Some people like doing it on their computer.)

Another cool thing I have been eyeing is the Cinetactics Matte box. Seems like a pretty useful device, and much cheaper than the other matte boxes out there.

And you might want to invest in some batteries too. That wouldnt hurt.

Hope this helps and good luck with getting your camera!

- Johnny
 
Play with your camera for one entire month before buying anything else. My advice.
Oh, and I've never "heard" anything decent come from a Sennheiser K6/ME66 microphone....
 
thisiswells said:
Play with your camera for one entire month before buying anything else. My advice.
Oh, and I've never "heard" anything decent come from a Sennheiser K6/ME66 microphone....
Click to expand...

Yeah, I really dont know about that mic. I have never heard sound from it or used it, but it seems like its been recommended on here numerous times. This mic seems very opinionated though. Ive noticed some like it and some hate it. I guess my best answer would be to see if you could take your camera to a store and test out different mics on it and see what you like best.
 
like DJ said, a UV filter and a case (I have a Pelican 1550 case and I love it) are absolute essentials

other than that, really depends on what you're going to use the camera for...
 
Ditto on a case and UV filter. These are critical, IMHO.

And yes you will want different mics (Note plural). I have a wired lav, wireless lav, shotgun, and stereo mic in my kit. Will probably end up with more over time.

Also good advice to wait on add-ons. But order a big battery from Jarred today, it takes 3 weeks to arrive and having only one hour of shooting time when you get your camera will drive you nuts. The panny rebate battery takes a long time to arrive, and having two 4 hour batteries is about right IMHO.

The other thing I wish I had bought right away is a polarizing filter, but it would not hurt to wait a bit. And tapes, lots of tapes. Panny MQ is nice balance between cost and quality. I buy them 25 or 50 at a time from http://www.taperesources.com .

You may also want at least a cheap set of headphones to monitor audio. Any set will work for now. But if you are gonna buy some, spend $100 on a decent set.

Anamorphic gets mixed reviews, lots of people end up selling them. You should definitely wait on that due to cost and ambiguity of its value.
 
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