Help me spend $3000

S

stcraw4d

Member
I started out doing this as a hobby, but it's picked up enough to be a legitimate supplemental income, if not heading towards primary income - so I want to legitimize myself as more than a hobbyist. Anyway, $3000 is about what I've saved to get some add-ons. First, what I do is wedding videography, promos, etc. The basic stuff. But, I'm also doing a lot of photo sessions on the side - so I want stuff that works for both (with the exception of a few things).

What I have:
Canon 7D
Sigma 18-55 2.8
Sigma 70-200 2.8
Canon 50mm 1.4
Zoom H4N
Sony UWP V1 Lav Set
430 EX II Flash

And then some odds and ends (bags, monopods, tripods, etc).

I have about 3K to spend, and obviously I could go broke on glass alone, but wanted to make sure I had a good range of stuff.

Things I was thinking about getting:
- A wide lens (Tokina 11-16?)

- A mid-range lens (something like a Canon 24-70 2.8 or a 24-105 f/4 L) -- or should I save money and get a Sigma 24-70? How big of a difference does an L lens make over a brand like Sigma to the people looking at the end result? If I got this, and a wide lens, is there any need for the 18-55 I currently have?

- A CMR Blackbird -- would you rather have a stabilizer or a shoulder mount....or is there a reason for both?

Anything else? Thanks all!
 
Just a personal opinion here, but I have to say that I like the 24-105 more than the 24-70. The 24-70 gets a little too soft for my liking. Granted, it's going to give you the 2.8 over the 4, but it's worth noting.

What do you need the 11-16 for? It's a great wide, don't get me wrong. But for what purpose? You can get the wide shot from the back of the church with your Sigma.
 
The Tokina is a great buy, though you really need to figure out why you'd need to go that wide.

What I see really lacking, though, are audio and camera support. You may want to invest in a second wireless system with lav, and perhaps a shotgun/pole/zepplin kit. Maybe even a small mixer. Plus, the shotgun is only going to help you in some places. A hypercardioid (Oktava MK012 or Audio Technica AT4053b) is going to cover your interiors. The shotgun and hyper are really helpful, and more flexible than lavs, if you're doing anything involving on-cam dialog that's not too far from the camera to grab without a wireless. Audio could eat up your $3k alone. Oh, and do you have a good pair of headphones? Sony MDR-7506 is a good place to start.

As for camera support, I don't see anything listed about a tripod, either in what you have or what you want. I'd get a good tripod long before a shoulder mount or stabilizer. In fact, I'd say the stabilizer would be the least used of the three, with the shoulder mount ranking a distant second to the tripod. I have all three, and the tripod is my go-to for most things.
 
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Thanks for the info, guys! The main reason for the wide is in photography. I've done/do some real estate photography, and need to get whole rooms.

As far as tripods, I have three manfrotto's. I forget all the models, but that area is covered.

Audio is something I'm completely lost on.
 
Hawk Teflon said:
Just a personal opinion here, but I have to say that I like the 24-105 more than the 24-70. The 24-70 gets a little too soft for my liking.
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Wow, you've had bad luck. I've had TWO copies of BOTH the 24-70L and 24-105L and in BOTH cases the 24-70L is significantly sharper than the 24-105L at all focal lengths and apertures! I pick the 24-70L over the 24-105L every time unless I'm on a walkabout for photography.
 
You'll want to get a loupe (like a 3x Z-Finder to give an magnifying eyepiece to your LCD). That makes it easier (possible actually) to do manual focus. That's $395.00 at Zacuto's website.

You're almost covered, lens wise. If you think you need a lens for a certain job, just rent one and put it in the budget :) Once you're established and have made some cash, then maybe buy some expensive Canon L-glass. By renting, you'll get a feel for a lot of different lenses so you will put your money down wisely when it's time to buy. If you can schedule things well, the cost of rental is very negligible.

I didn't notice if your lenses were IS - if they're not, you should have at least one. The Canon ES 18-200 might be a good call if you only have one IS lens. Otherwise micro-vibration and jello will make you cry many times. Also, your 50-1.4 is nice but it's a zoom lens on the 7D. Maybe consider a Canon 28mm f1.8 or the Sigma 30mm f1.4 - they're both around $450.00. If you can't fit it in the budget, rent them when necessary.

You'll want an external LCD, Vitaliy mentioned one here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...and-HDMI-input-for-your-upcoming-GH2-130-only, that's on the low end, you can search the forum for more. $300-400 should be plenty.

A video tripod is a must, obviously. The Libec TH950DV would be a minimum at about $350.00. It works fine for me, but the legs are a little wobbly. The head is excellent, though. A sandbag ($10) on the spreader solves most of the wobbliness. You might consider spending up to $1,000 for the tripod (Miller, Libec, etc.). It MUST be fluid head for video. I would estimate my Libec TH950DV legs would go about a year under hard wedding usage. A better tripod will last forever unless you drop it down a flight of stairs.

The audio stuff's been covered. I think if you shop carefully you don't need to spend a fortune.

I would consider a Glidecam. For the pre and post wedding stuff, it could be very useful.

Also, a shoulder rig would be good.

Those things are in order of priority.
 
Here's one sample that fits your budget, depending on what you need for lenses:
Simga 30mm f1.4 normal lens ... $439
Libec LS22DV tripod ... $349
Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3X Loupe ... $395
Audio Accessories (mixer, mic's, supports, cables) ... $600
External LCD ... $300
DSLR Cage ... $400
Jag Follow Focus ... $200 (with accessories)
Glidecam HD-1000 ... $400

So there's your $3,000. Careful shopping and you could do better. If you don't need the lens, then get a shoulder rig as well! You can always rent lenses, only buying them when necessary. But the above is fairly mandatory if you want to be and look professional.
 
steventimothy said:
Audio Accessories (mixer, mic's, supports, cables) ... $600
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There is no way to get a workable audio kit, including a mixer and mics and cables and all the support gear, for $600. Sure, there are some really cheap audio devices out there, but... good audio isn't cheap, and cheap audio will cost you.
 
C2V said:
There is no way to get a workable audio kit, including a mixer and mics and cables and all the support gear, for $600. Sure, there are some really cheap audio devices out there, but... good audio isn't cheap, and cheap audio will cost you.
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Well, I'm not an event video expert - nor an audio guy. But he does already have a lav kit and an H2N. He's not doing films. What do you need to do professional weddings, and what does it add up to?
 
We used one Sennheiser EW 100 G2 on the groom, and one on the minister for a recent wedding. The audio turned out pretty dang nice. Although checking on B&H right now, it says they don't sell those anymore. There's the g3, but it's $800. Those mics, though, sound amazing.
 
steventimothy said:
Well, I'm not an event video expert - nor an audio guy. But he does already have a lav kit and an H2N. He's not doing films. What do you need to do professional weddings, and what does it add up to?
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An extra lav, as Hawk pointed out, shoots that $600 down in one blow. Since the OP already has a Sony UWP-V1, it would make sense to get a matching system, which is around $500... but getting a better lav to go with it (a necessary upgrade) adds another $200-300.

A basic, 2-channel mixer (such as the MixPre) is $665. Move up to the 3-channel SD302, and you're at $1300. Even a bare-bones, entry-level mixer like the Sign Video ENG-44 is around $500... but for an investment of this level, buy the best you can.

Other microphone support might include a shotgun and/or hypercardioid, plus stands, fishpole, shockmount, wind protection... well over $1000 right there.

A proper audio organizer bag is at least $200, and cables can run another $200.

$100 for good headphones.

The list can go on...
 
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