lighting kit, tripod, monitor

Orlando McNulty

Active member
Hi,

I'm trying to assemble a run and gun AF100 documentary kit, and would like suggestions for a light weight, somewhat inexpensive and portable lighting set up for interviews.

I would also like some advice on a practical and sturdy tripod, And for some knowledgeable person to weigh in on the benefits of the dp6 SDI field monitor vs. the tvlogic VFM 056 WP.

Also, what have people found to be the most practical and effective ways of stabalizing the camera when hand held, as I am using primarily Nikon manual lenses.

Thank you so much in advance.
 
All your questions have probably been answered in the last two weeks in this AF100 section and others at DVXuser.com. Try a little search and poke around.
Happy searching!
 
Well,
I'm posting this because doing what you suggest seems to render a level of ambiguity in what I find that I'm not quite comfortable with. I was hoping to get some of my questions answered directly, as I have done a great deal of poking around and am not seeming to find what I'm looking for. My apologies if I've committed a forum faux pas, I'm just trying to learn.
 
you don't specify a budget, but i'd say for run and gun, small, easy and quick to setup, look at lowell Rifa lights, or maybe a dv creator kit
 
Awesome, thanks so much. My budget for a lighting kit is 1500-2000, and hopefully I'll be able to pack it up for international flights to China and the like, without too much trouble.
 
My budget for a lighting kit is 1500-2000, and hopefully I'll be able to pack it up for international flights to China and the like, without too much trouble.

I like Diva-Lite 400(s) for interviews as they setup quick, run cool, & draw minimal juice. But fluorescents don't fly well so consider Diva-sized LEDs.

There's a number announced, but the best ones fitting your budget appear to be from Cool Lights.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?248779-Best-Diva-sized-LED

Rifa's are great too. A pair of Rifa's, along with stands, & stingers, can easily fit in a tripod, or golf-club, travel case. But they'll get warm when used with tungsten bulbs, & draw more juice then fluorescents, or LEDs.

Best,
Bern
 
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Also, I'm not sure if you are USA based or not, but be sure to get the proper bulbs for the country you are travelling to, IE 220V 50hz for china.
 
Also, what have people found to be the most practical and effective ways of stabalizing the camera when hand held, as I am using primarily Nikon manual lenses.

Thank you so much in advance.

I have always found a sturdy monopod to be excessively useful in run n' gun situations. They are light, mobile, and cheap (around $50).

I like the Manfrotto 679B with a tilt/swivel head, myself.
 
I would strongly consider using LED panels (Litepanels or Cool-Lites). They travel well (can take a lot
of shock) and have universal adapters. They setup quickly and a couple of panels, you
can get a lot of lite with low power / heat. Just make sure you can diffuse the fill lites. They're
also pretty lite in weight.

Lav mics are usually used for interviews ... but for international use, wireless bands are always
sketchy. You may wish to go wired to eliminate frequency band issues.

For tripods, the great thing about the AF100 is it's not very heavy .. so you can use a mid-grade
tripod such as the Libec LS-38. They're a light-weight tripod but fairly sturdy with a reasonable head.

Monitoring . there are many choices and they are discussed in detail in this forum. We have
the Marshall V-LCD70XP-3GSDI-VM and like it a lot.

hope that helps,
jeff
 
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