LIGHTWEIGHT gear for a documentary?

[franctireur]

Hi,

I'm preparing a 2-3 months hiking trip in Africa.
I'm a lightweight "style" hiker, and i want... a lightweight but quality documentary video gear
So I'd like to know what would be an ideal set?

I got a panasonic gh1 14-140mm

1- Fast lenses (i'm thinking of pancake 20mm 1,7)
2- Tripods, monopods, Sliders
3- Solar panel and/or external battery

And last but important:

I don't know how to "lightweight" save all my AVCHD and RAW files, a netbook+external HDD or a ton of 32gb SDHC or... any genius idea?

Thanks for your advices (wish you've understood my "fluent" english

 

[David W. Jones]

What are you going to be shooting?
If wildlife from a distance, you are going to want something longer than the 14-140mm, and if wide shots in villages then something wider than the 20mm, which will act as a 40mm, and the 14mm, something like the Tokina 11-16mm would get you nice wide shots. Documentary style stuff? what about audio gear like microphones and headphones? What about some type of ND filter for exposure control? Are you really going to carry all those tripods monopods and slider stuff on your back as well as the rest of the necessities needed for a 3 month hike or will there be transportation or support vehicles or covered sleeping and such? Just asking because you mention lightweight, but are you going to be packing your own food and water, cooking fuel, or will that be taken care of another way? Extra clothing, probably 2 or 3 pair of socks a day, extra underwear? I know what I need to carry with me for 3, 5, and 7 day outings, including safety gear and such, and it's not light. How long between places you can purchase bottled water to fill your water bladders in your pack will be a good indicator of how much extra water you will need to carry. You will need as many extra batteries as you can carry. Figure out how long you can record with a single battery, then multiply by the number of hours a day you will shoot, by the number of days you will be without a sure way to recharge your cells. Same with SDHC cards between transfer, and the back up space needed to archive your footage.

 

[franctireur]

First of all thank you for your answer David.

What are you going to be shooting?

Landscape and people, nothing in tele (140 eq 280 is enough)

microphones and headphones...ND filter

Got a Zoom H1 and Windjammer+Lavalier, LCW 77mm ND filter.
Sorry i didn't mention that

Are you really going to carry all those tripods monopods and slider

No i understand that wasn't clear enough.
I'm searching for some stabilizing, and i would like to know what could be the best bet (a carbon monopod (maybe a screw+hiking pole?), or a tripod like the Gorillapod but i'd like more height)

are you going to be packing your own food and water, cooking fuel,

i'll travel along the Nile between Louxor Egypt and Khartoum Sudan, so i'll always be at less than 5km of water source (carrying Purehydratation Aquapure and Msr dromlite 6l)
+/- 3 days of food, but most of time i'll eat local food.
Cooking fuel: wood stove

Extra clothing, probably 2 or 3 pair of a day, extra underwear?

Washing every day or two my clothes, only a spare socks (X-Socks trekkinglight) and underwear but no extra pant or shirt

Figure out how long you can record with a single battery, then multiply by the number of hours a day you will shoot, by the number of days you will be without a sure way to recharge your cells

Sure, but i don't really know how many days i'll be without a sure way to recharge... that's why i was talking about a solar panel+ battery like Powergorilla or Energizer XP18000... (both of them can charge 14-15 gh1 batteries)

 

[jambredz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pewaLUofQmw&feature=related


this kit may 2 a bit much for you maybe u need something smaller so u can check out the site I guess.