Is the AF100 the camera for live event shooting???

J

jrod81

Veteran
Hey guys
I am trying to find that "perfect camera." Good luck right? Anyway, I have been offered a full time position as the solo media guy for a law firm. They basically have two needs. The first want me to do a "documentary style" shoot for each lawyer (i.e. "my name is blah blah and I started practicing law in 1982" and then show them walking in the office or something cheesy like that). So for those types of commercials I'd like to have the depth of field that an SLR offers. However, the second need is a live event shooter where I would go to speaking engagements and community service events with the attorneys and shoot. There would be alot of walking around at these events... so I guess my simple question is this: will I be dealing with too much focusing constantly at those live events to go with the AF100? Ideally they would allow the purchase of something like the Canon 60D and then the EX1 for live events but I highly doubt they will understand the need for two cameras. So I was hoping the AF100 might be the answer for me to get both things... thoughts?
thanks
jared
 
I wouldn't want to do it. I imagine there are folks who will do it successfully, but I'd much rather have a servo-zoom deep-DOF camcorder for live event coverage. If you decide to try it with the AF100, the only way to go is with the 14-140 lens, and that's gonna limit you to a maximum open iris of f4. So ... I'd go with a dedicated event camera if possible. If you can't swing it, then ... you'll still be better off with the AF100 than a DSLR for covering events, but it won't be the ideal use of that cam.
 
thanks a ton for chiming in barry- that was my exact fear... i would love to have this camera for documentaries i will be doing on the side but to make the firm spend this amount of money and not be able to give them what they need is of course not professional at all. so i will approach them with a 60d and EX1 purchase i suppose (though the ex1 seems a bit overkill- i think the hmc150 or something along that line would be fine).
 
I would go HMC150 and AF100. That'd probably even be less expensive than an EX1+60D, and the AF100 will slay the DSLR, and the HMC150 should do just fine for your event stuff, and the AF100 and HMC150 will match up better if you ever need to cut footage between the two of them.
 
Because the 150 and the 100 use all the same gammas and color matrices and whatnot. You should be able to make them match quite well because they're in the same family.
 
would you think the gh2 might line up with that as well? what are your thoughts on the gh2 being used for live events since it has auto focus (i think)
 
When a camera is missing something so fundamental as a headphone jack or timecode, I can't even begin to take it seriously for a purpose such as live event shooting. Is the Gh2 a better "videocamera" than any of the Canon DSLRs? Unquestionably. But does it make it appropriate for using for events or sports? Not if I had any other choice. But, hey, if you have no other choice, then you go with what you've got.
 
Jared, many of us do these things with DSLRs now. It is MUCH harder than with a videocam like the HVX, but one can manage if you know your limits. I brought at least two cameras to every shoot for a year now (HVX, 7D, GoPro, EX-1) and can´t wait for the AF-100 to replace them all.
If I can do run-n-gun with the 7D with 2 lenses and a H4N soundrecorder, I can definitely do it with the AF100 and the 14-140 lens with autofocus.

The AF100 will be a workhorse like none before: use the 14-140 for quick stuff, stay at f8 to be safe. build it into a rig with good glass and it turns into a cinecam for commercials or give it a 0.95 lens for lowest-light work.
 
Barry_Green said:
I wouldn't want to do it. I imagine there are folks who will do it successfully.....
Click to expand...

Hopefully I will be one of those...hahaha.... For now I may have to sell my hmc to buy the af101... Up until now I was mainly doing events, but lately I'm doing more and more narrative and documentary work, so even if the Af101 isn't the best camera for live event video It gives new opportunities for docu and drama. The only limitation I see right now is the f4 limit in the 14-140mm lens, and the lack of the 320mm aprox that I had in the hmc.....so I guess I'll have to move near the subject not to use the zoom a lot (taking DOF into account...). but in my case that's not a problem, because I usually get as near the subject as possible.... I gues the key with this camera is high ISO, get near the subject and close the iris as much as possible to get deep DOF....and NEAT VIDEO(i'm talking about the plugin to clean the noise that may appear from the high ISO.....).....

Anyway, I guess that if you know the limits you can manage to get good results....If not well...you can always rent or borrow...
But if I had the opportunity of getting two cameras the HMC150 and AF101 would be my ideal combo....
 
alpi69 said:
use the 14-140 for quick stuff, stay at f8 to be safe.
Click to expand...

I think people that buy the AF100 and the 14-140 hoping that it will work like an HVX will be a little disapointed.

The HVX lens opened to what? 1.7?

The 14-140 is one dark, dark lens.

Not to mention there's an AF100 video shot with it on Vimeo that looks god awful. Maybe it was bad shooting, but still.

I'd rather get this lens instead: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/590390-REG/Olympus_261060_14_54mm_f_2_8_3_5_II_Zuiko.html

Certainly not even half as tele as the 14-140, but it should work reasonably well for event shooting.
 
Barry,
What is your impressions of the Panasonic 14-140? Other than the fact that it doesn't open up as much as we'd like, can it do the job for many situations? For now I'm gonna rely on that lens along with my Zeiss 28, 50 and 85 ZF lenses, and see what that does for me.
 
One thing to consider here is the high quality of the higher iso's on the AF. At events, light (or lack thereof) is always an issue, so going to 800 or even 1600 with the 14-140 may well yield a better result than in situations with a cam that you'd most likely need to gain up anyway.
 
What is your impressions of the Panasonic 14-140?
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I think the 14-140 is a must-have for anyone who wants to shoot anything even remotely videocamera-like. It's the only lens out there that does the job. It holds focus through the zoom, it has a great range, and it's got optical image stabilization, and it's the only one with video-style autofocus. And yes, it's dark. f/4 at maximum, but mostly f/5.3 or 5.6 throughout its range. The autoiris is not nearly as smooth and slick as on a dedicated pro videocamera like the HMC150, but it does work. It's better than a clunky half-stop calibration of most SLR lenses, obviously, but it's definitely not seamless when it changes iris.

If you want a videocamera, you're best off getting a videocamera. If you want a shallow-DOF videocamera, the AF100 is the best facsimile of one on the market. But there are still good reasons why the HPX170/HMC150 are still offered in their lineup!
 
Hey Barry, Just curious about the AF on the 14-140. I know you've said it's the best bet for AF with the AF100, but I'm wondering if it will be able to smoothly track and hold focus on a person's face as they're walking toward the camera? Also if your flying the AF100 on a steady cam rig following a person trying to maintain equal subject to camera distance but varying a bit as your walking, will it hold focus? If it can do these things fairly transparently, I think the 14-140 will be a must have. It would be the only reason I would buy this lens. I'm just concerned how smoothly and transparently it will perforn its focusing duties.
 
Well, those are good questions, and I'm not a steadicam op so I haven't tried it, but I do have a glidecam 4000 here somewhere... I'm not likely going to have an opportunity to test that properly, but I do know someone who might...
 
Lots of great thoughts here. I've put a deposit on an AF-100 realizing it wont be a Sony Betacam or Ikegami. I know how to ride exposure with those video lenses. Still lenses are different. Much to learn. Run and gun video is a different animal than cinema but I think I can start with the Panasonic 14-140 then experiment with faster lenses/film looks later..

Yeah, when the going gets tough, I just pull out my Arri kit and Light It!
 
OKCPicker said:
Lots of great thoughts here. I've put a deposit on an AF-100 realizing it wont be a Sony Betacam or Ikegami. I know how to ride exposure with those video lenses. Still lenses are different. Much to learn. Run and gun video is a different animal than cinema but I think I can start with the Panasonic 14-140 then experiment with faster lenses/film looks later..

Yeah, when the going gets tough, I just pull out my Arri kit and Light It!
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking..I want to experiment a bit, I've been using the hmc150 for two years now and I want to change (as I mentioned in another post, the uses I give to the camera are also different now). I guess that by experimenting with this camera and different lenses we'll be able to get nice different looks for both events and drama. And If you can't manage to get the camera working you always have the choice of renting.....
 
"I imagine there are folks who will do it successfully"

Great thread. I've had pretty good luck shooting a few events with a 7D and another cam as the wide cover shot. The client was interested in a different look than the standard "deep focus Imag look" and was really happy with the separation of the shallow depth of field:

http://vimeo.com/14684162

Of course shooting stuff like this with shallow depth of field is pretty tough focus wise. I'm really curious to try out the AF100 for this kind of look. Being able to roll for longer than 12 minutes will be pretty sweet :)

I'm wondering if anyone has had clients that have been requesting a shallow DOF look for this kind of stuff?
 
Am I wrong in thinking that the AF-100, HMC-150, and GH-2 could all play nice together in the toolbox?
 
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