I need some good general advice, please

T

tuinboy

Member
Hi everyone,
I just bought the dvx100b. I am a real rookie and I do apologize but please would someone out there give me some basic advice.
Without using any technical jargon what accessories do I need to film a documentary both interior and exterior? I don't have much money so think rather cheap, please.
I've been thinking of getting a wide angle lens (which one should I get?), filters (uv? what else?), a tripod (which one?) extra battery and charger, onboard light (which one?) and some wireless mics (leveliers? what about a shotgun mic also?). Will this suffice? Is there anything else that you might suggest?
Thanks,
Tuinboy.
 
try using your camera as it is first. then review your footage then you will know what you might need to make it better. use camera, watch what you shot, learn what you need to make it better.
 
Before you do anything, you should get a UV or a Neutral filter so that the front element of your lens is protected.

For Mics, you should do a search on this website, there are a lot of great articles on the subject. There isn't much good and cheap equipment. Like your camea, good equipment is going to be expensive. Try ebay, or this site for used equipment.
 
Best thing to buy is a small notebook, everytime you shoot write down the settings you used, label the tapes so you know what days you shot what settings. Or even what timecode you shot what settings. Keep tabs on the looks you like the most and dial those into your scene files, then start to think about accessories that will alter your video in ways the scene files can't.

The ME-66 mic is good and the most often recommended from what I've seen around here. As for lavs, Sennheiser are good, I read some good reviews on Azden which cost less and have a 2 mic setup for sale.

Tripods are a tough call. There are many combinations of legs/heads that all have benefits. You should do some reading about them and see what fits your needs.
 
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