GH3 Startup

AlienAstronauts

AlienAstronauts

Member
Hello all. This is my first post on this forum and befittingly it is about production startup. I am an aspiring filmmaker currently based in college town Tallahassee, FL. I have been operating a very small "production company" for the past couple of months renting DSLR cameras from friends (mainly Canon T2is) with the most basic of equipment 18-55 and 50mm, a targus monopod, a dynex tripod, my imagination, and a 3 point DIY lighting kit that I put together with the help of StillMotion. I've shot a couple of shows/events and a few music videos (you can see a snippet of my past work here if interested: http://www.youtube.com/alienastronauts) but am looking to greatly expand. I am in the process of drafting a couple of shorts that I want to start production on early next month and have a few music videos with some larger budget clients at the end of the this month. Eventually I want to move to large scale productions and growing to include commercials and feature length films. Events/ Shows are more of a means to an end than a focus.

With all of that being said: I am looking to drastically increase my production value and the appeal of company heading into these upcoming projects. Shooting mainly music videos thus far I've been able to get away with no audio equipment, but all of that will be changing. I was set on buying a Panasonic GH2 from B&H until I saw the camera was discontinued. I wanted to buy from a known vendor because buying your first REAL camera is something that will be sentimental to me (I wanted to be the original owner) and I of course wanted to utilize the warranty and return policy; so I started looking into the GH3. Of course I was impressed, but at twice the cost of the GH2 body I am in a bit of a dilemma. I have a budget of around $3000 to work with and will of course being upgrading equipment as my needs grow. That $3,000 - $3,500 will not only be used to buy my equipment but to launch a website for my brand: Alien Astronauts. (Although relatively inexpensive domain, hosting, a professional template, some business cards, and other misc cost will be incurred.)

I was thinking about a basic startup along these lines.

Camera and Lenses: ($1950)
Panasonic GH3(body) ($1300)
14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 ($300) or 14mm f/2.5 ($220)
20mm f/1.7 ($350)

Audio: ($420)
Zoom H4n ($270) or Tascam Dr40 ($160)
Rode Video Mic ($150)

Support: ($400)
Magnus VT 4000 Tripod ($150)
Manfrotto 561 BHDV-1 Monopod ($250)


Lighting: ($260)
(2) 750 Watt Lowell Tota Lights ($130 each)

I of course will also need the proper storage cases (any suggestions) and memory cards (Sandisk Extreme Pro).

I figured I should go with the Panasonic GH3 with it being such a superior (unhacked) camera that would probably give me a lot of use and life than the less capable and more fragile GH2. I will still be able to use the Canon T2i as a backup camera when needed for damn near free. Do you guys have any suggestions? I really just want to get the most out of my money for my relatively simple needs now and upgrade and add to my collection of lenses, cameras, audio, support, and lighting as my needs and the company grows. What would you do with a $3000 - $3500 budget if you were basically starting from scratch.
 
Forget the Zoom H4n and get the Tascam DR-40. ( cheaper and no advantage to the Zoom recorder )

You might want to upgrade the Rode Video Mic to the newer and better performing Rode Video Mic Pro. ( worth the extra $$ in my opinion )

The discontinued AT3031 condenser mic is good low cost indoor dialog mic. They go for about $100 used. Works well with the Tascam DR-40 recorder.
 
I just picked up two of the Lumix 14-45mm lenses. One on amazon was listed as "like new" for $249.95 and it looks and feels brand new, the other I saw on ebay with a "Buy it now" price of $219, came with two filters and like the other one looks "like new".

You might look at those venues, amazon shows one now for $245 "used-very good".

My first 3 "serious" lenses were the Lumix 14mm f2.5, Lumix 20mm f1.7, and the Olympus 45mm f1.8. I've seen some attractive prices on used 14mm and 20mm lenses in the "Want to buy or sell" forum on this site.
 
Camera and Lenses
GH3 is a good choice especially if you want to do 60P @ 1080. Very solid camera as well.

If you need a zoom, skip the 14-45 and save up for something faster/better like the 12-35 f/2.8. Yes it's 3x the cost, but the 14-45 is slow and its image has no character and does not exude "high production value".

Better yet take advantage of the versatility of M4/3 and get a couple manual prime lenses. A 50mm f/1.4 (Nikon AIS, Canon FD, etc.) is always a great starter prime and can easily be had for less than $100. Despite the price, a lens like this will give you much more control over your final image than a slow zoom.

Audio
H4n won't get you anything over the DR-40. Then again, neither is all that great. If you're only using an on camera mic, a separate recorder is just extra weight. The potential for better quality audio by not using the camera is there, but you need a good mixer with good preamps for this. While not terrible, the preamps on either recorder will not yield you something far and away better than plugging directly into the GH3 if done properly. Adding a good preamp before the recorder or camera will make a much bigger difference.

Yep, as already suggested get the Rode VideoMic Pro.

Support
Just FYI that the 561BHDV is being replaced by a monopod using their new MVH500A head.
 
I use the Rode Videomic pro. It works really well. Going to add some type of lav mic and maybe something like a juice link too.
 
From my understanding the Olympus lenses are stabilized, because the bodies of the Olympus cameras are. How is the 45mm working out for you?
 
Thanks for all your help. Maybe I should go will 3 good primes instead of the 20mm and the zoom? What manual prime lenses would you recommend?
 
AlienAstronauts said:
From my understanding the Olympus lenses are stabilized, because the bodies of the Olympus cameras are. How is the 45mm working out for you?
Click to expand...

Olympus lenses are NOT stabilized, all Olympus stabilization is IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization). So an Olympus lens on a Panasonic body will have no stabilization other than that the camera operator provides.

That aside the Olympus 45mm f1.8 is working very well for me because I never count on stabilization built into either lens or body. I use an inexpensive SpiderBrace when I need some kind of stablilzation.
 
I wouldn't give up on the 14-45mm too quickly ... yes the 12-35mm would obviously be preferable, but it would also obviously blow your $3K budget.

I use an adapted 28mm f2 FD, a 50mm f1.4 FD, and a 14-45mm Lumix. Having an auto-focus, image-stablized zoom for flexible shooting out-of-doors definitely fits a niche that the other two don't. And visa versa.
 
Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys. From the articles I've read transitioning from Zooms to Primes is a step that I will need to take in order to progress and become a better story teller. With that in mind I'm looking at getting the 14mm, the 20 or 25mm and 45mm primes. A little more expensive than projected, but I would rather pay the price up front than replace equipment and waste money.
 
Update. I've acquired this items so far:
Panasonic DMC- GH3
CCTV 35mm f/1.7
CCTV 25mm f/1.4
Konica AR 28mm f/2.8
Basic $50 shoulder rig

I needed some cheap lenses to start shooting with so I went with the CCTV lenses. I like the nostalgic feel, and the legacy Konica glass. I'll probably also get a Konica 50mm in the near future as well.

I plan to purchase these items in the near future:

Lenses:
Panasonic 14mm f/2.5
Panasonic 25mm f/1.4
Olympus 45mm f/1.8

Audio:
Juiced Link Pre-Amp RM222
Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Mic

Support:
Magnus VT 4000
Manfrotto 561 BHDV
National Geographic A2560 Medium Satchel
+Minor Accessories

I also will be needing a slider and a better lighting kit then the home depot setup I have now. Also considering a fast zoom, for any live events that I may have to cover. Any suggestions on these two, or any of the above items? Thanks for your time.
 
I would upgrade from the Rode NTG-2 to the Sennheiser MKE600 shotgun mic, which sounds better and is only $400. ( I own both mics, but now only use the NTG-2 when I teach )
 
TheDingo said:
I would upgrade from the Rode NTG-2 to the Sennheiser MKE600 shotgun mic, which sounds better and is only $400. ( I own both mics, but now only use the NTG-2 when I teach )
Click to expand...
Would you consider this the "best" mic in its price range? If not what would you suggest in the price range of $300-$500?
 
I have the dr-40 and a ntg-1 rode mic. The tascam dr-40 is garbage and adds squeaking noises if used for longer than 15 minutes. If using the rode video mic you don't need xlr, you can plug the video mic into the zoom h1 which is only $100. I have a review of the rode ntg-1 to the dr-40 vs the videomic to the zoom h1 with a 12 foot cord on my youtube page. Check that out for audio samples and you can probably save some money.

if you don't need auto focus and would rather have a better low light lens you can get the tamron 17-50mm 2.8 lens for $250 on ebay and a $20 adapter
 
PegLeg Media said:
I have the dr-40 and a ntg-1 rode mic. The tascam dr-40 is garbage and adds squeaking noises if used for longer than 15 minutes.
Click to expand...

You've got a defective unit, as I've been using my DR-40 on corporate jobs for more than 1 year now with no problems at all. Overall I find the DR-40 to be a great low cost recorder, and significantly better noise-wise than the older Zoom H4n recorder.

I also owned a Tascam DR-100 Mk2 for about 1 year, and sold it off a month ago because I wasn't using it. ( I should do the same with my Zoom H1, which I've only used twice since I've owned it. Good sound but terrible controls. )
 
AlienAstronauts said:
Update. I've acquired this items so far:
Panasonic DMC- GH3
CCTV 35mm f/1.7
CCTV 25mm f/1.4
Konica AR 28mm f/2.8
Basic $50 shoulder rig

I needed some cheap lenses to start shooting with so I went with the CCTV lenses. I like the nostalgic feel, and the legacy Konica glass. I'll probably also get a Konica 50mm in the near future as well.

I plan to purchase these items in the near future:

Lenses:
Panasonic 14mm f/2.5
Panasonic 25mm f/1.4
Olympus 45mm f/1.8

Audio:
Juiced Link Pre-Amp RM222
Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Mic

Support:
Magnus VT 4000
Manfrotto 561 BHDV
National Geographic A2560 Medium Satchel
+Minor Accessories

I also will be needing a slider and a better lighting kit then the home depot setup I have now. Also considering a fast zoom, for any live events that I may have to cover. Any suggestions on these two, or any of the above items? Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...

Which adapter did you go with for the CCTV lenses?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top