Got the camera... What next?

harcourt22

harcourt22

Member
So I recently purchased my canon t3i and love it. I bought all the essentials like microphone, sd card, viewfinder, tripod, etc. I have some cash and want to know what piece of gear I should look into next. I've narrowed it down to 3 choices

-shoulder mount
-steadicam
-jib

I mostly intend on shooting short films and music videos. Any thoughts on which of these to buy first?
 
Go and shoot a real project (i.e. not just mucking around at the park) from start to finish and I guarantee that you'll know exactly what additional gear (if any) you need. Many can say what's most important, but it largely depends on what and how you shoot.
 
based on the three options you presented. id say in order: shoulder mount, jib then steadicam. for the record both a jib and a gimbal mounted stedi device take a good bit to a great deal of practice to use well. the shoulder mount is most practical. ut "shoulder mount" is a pretty gray area. do you want an actual shoulder mount or would a "gun stock" type thing be more advantageous?

it all depends on how you like to shoot and how you like to move. there is no one right answer.
 
I would get a m42-eos adapter with a few manual legacy lenses, then get a private jet to travel the world and shoot great video:)
 
If I were you I'd buy a dolly. But really I have no idea because I'm not you, you are.

As other have suggested; go out and shoot whatever it is you want to shoot. If you need something, you will soon find out what it is. At the moment though, it doesn't sound as if you really need anything else at all, because if you did you would know what it is that you wanted already.
 
Finding out what you need by working through projects is a really really good idea. I've bought a couple of things I don't think I super need because of "must-have" threads on the internet.

Though two things I do wish i'd acquired right away are a) magic lantern and b) Lighting Tutorial dvds put out by Barry Green and David Jimerson. These guys are dvxuser high command and they basically explain everything to you.
 
If your next choices are:
-shoulder mount
-steadicam
-jib

Firstly it is important to realize that these are STABILIZER TOOLS which enable you to MOVE the world in which your audience is immersed in. Camera movement is an important storytelling tool.

From this perspective I would go with the Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 monopod. This little tool gives you THREE possible camera movements: 1) Pan/Tilt, 2) Pseudo Jib, and 3) Pseudo Slider. As a bonus it allows you to stay light-weight and ahead of the action in a live event situation.

Also, if you just bought your tripod PLEASE make sure it has a TRUE fluid head. This will save you in the long run for shots you need to track your subject through a pan/tilt movement or if you need to create a smooth shaky-cam look.

It is IMPORTANT to realize that you also have a free camera-movement available to you as well - HANDHELD! Never forget that handholding your camera is a viable storytelling tool as well (for projects that require it). For live events when you have to get into the action where a Monopod is too cumbersome then handholding your camera becomes the BEST option.

Having variety in your camera movements is more important in the long run than over-investing in a single camera movement.
 
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