FS7: New job, help me build my kit.
- Thread starter Tim Miller
- Start date
Avoid the a7R mk1, the a7R mk2 is the one you want to consider for filming with.
a7R mk2 can shoot 4K in S35 mode, the a7S mk2 can't.
bill totolo
Veteran
Re: carts: Check out the Kartmaster HD500. Holds several hundred pounds and breaks down into a small configuration for travel/storage.
Easy to work off of and can transport your whole rig + c-stands.
The camera itself is fine, it's a workhorse and a safe bet. In this category there's much conjecture, and each competitor has it's strengths. I'd bet that Sony and Canon own this segment of the market. If you've decided on the FS7, then I'd cast a vote to the MKII version, that's all. The nice thing is you're not locked into any specific glass but the range of Canon lenses available makes that very appealing.
If and when you can afford it, a lens with focus iris and zoom gears makes a world of difference. Look at the Fuji Cabrio 19-90 or Canon 17-120, for the workhorse lenses. I like follow focus units and recently purchased the Bright Tangerine Revolvr Atom. I also like using matte boxes so I can add filters. For a cheap and incredibly useful option check out the BT Misfit Atom clamp on. They've been running 50% off sales during the holiday season the passed couple of years.
Lastly,
You've got lots of great camera advice so here's a few items that may get over looked:
Buy three c-stands, a few sand bags, a gel roll with CTB, CTS, and diffusion, nets and flags, a few Cardellini clamps, stingers, BNC cable with connectors, milk crates, ratchet straps, Panchro, 6 in 1 Westcott, Alladin A light, cube taps, ground lifters, surge protectors, dimmers, tape, and some basic tools like allen wrenches, and a multi tool. Oh, and a monopod...and VCT-14 adapter.
For lighting, check out some of the Aputure products, and Alladin.
Good luck.
Easy to work off of and can transport your whole rig + c-stands.
The camera itself is fine, it's a workhorse and a safe bet. In this category there's much conjecture, and each competitor has it's strengths. I'd bet that Sony and Canon own this segment of the market. If you've decided on the FS7, then I'd cast a vote to the MKII version, that's all. The nice thing is you're not locked into any specific glass but the range of Canon lenses available makes that very appealing.
If and when you can afford it, a lens with focus iris and zoom gears makes a world of difference. Look at the Fuji Cabrio 19-90 or Canon 17-120, for the workhorse lenses. I like follow focus units and recently purchased the Bright Tangerine Revolvr Atom. I also like using matte boxes so I can add filters. For a cheap and incredibly useful option check out the BT Misfit Atom clamp on. They've been running 50% off sales during the holiday season the passed couple of years.
Lastly,
You've got lots of great camera advice so here's a few items that may get over looked:
Buy three c-stands, a few sand bags, a gel roll with CTB, CTS, and diffusion, nets and flags, a few Cardellini clamps, stingers, BNC cable with connectors, milk crates, ratchet straps, Panchro, 6 in 1 Westcott, Alladin A light, cube taps, ground lifters, surge protectors, dimmers, tape, and some basic tools like allen wrenches, and a multi tool. Oh, and a monopod...and VCT-14 adapter.
For lighting, check out some of the Aputure products, and Alladin.
Good luck.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
All of this info is good and correct.
But this is 'going heavy' and needs at least an assistant. - OP it is so important to work out how you are going to work.
Tim Miller
Well-known member
Last edited:
bill totolo
Veteran
Heavy? Ha! Everything is relevant I guess. This is the stuff I can't leave home without, I'd at least want it in my truck while I have a small AKS kit with me.
abreu-canedo
Well-known member
I agree that c-stands are great to have.
Although it sounds like the OP was hoping to stay light, more like one-man-band / run-n-gun type of kit. In his scenarios, a few pop-out diffusion/bounce/neg kits with clips to attach to light weight stands might do a similar thing. Specially for office type interview environments.
I have a few of those pop out kits, with the zippered covers that you can change based on your needs, and I find them to do just about as good a job as a 4x4 silk on a c-stand, but with a fraction of the weight. Of course, this is for a quick, low budget interview set-up in controlled environment. Outdoors with wind, or in a place where there are lots of people, it's safer to go with c-stands and actual frames.
But who knows, maybe c-stands is exactly what the OP wants
Although it sounds like the OP was hoping to stay light, more like one-man-band / run-n-gun type of kit. In his scenarios, a few pop-out diffusion/bounce/neg kits with clips to attach to light weight stands might do a similar thing. Specially for office type interview environments.
I have a few of those pop out kits, with the zippered covers that you can change based on your needs, and I find them to do just about as good a job as a 4x4 silk on a c-stand, but with a fraction of the weight. Of course, this is for a quick, low budget interview set-up in controlled environment. Outdoors with wind, or in a place where there are lots of people, it's safer to go with c-stands and actual frames.
But who knows, maybe c-stands is exactly what the OP wants
Has anyone mentioned the importance of a good 17" monitor? I consider it absolutely necessary unless you need to move very quickly or be very light. I don't like the Sony's but love my Flanders scientific and often work with the Panasonics. Make sure it has a waveform monitor and most now also accept LUT's.
Ive shot so much stuff pulling focus on the fs7 lcd and it works well because you become used to your gear. My tip is dont buy into all the stuff that other people swear by, get a small package and add bits that you feel that -you- really need when working.
You need batteries, lens, cards. + tripod and sound and bag.
I can recommend thinktank take-off v2 for a flexible roller that fits on airplanes.
You need batteries, lens, cards. + tripod and sound and bag.
I can recommend thinktank take-off v2 for a flexible roller that fits on airplanes.
A7Rii uses a cut of the 35mm sensor, so it's not upscaling. If anything, they've gone to the trouble of giving you better quality - ie, less moire and downscaling/line skipping - with a true S35 frame section.
Ben.
Some other thoughts -
I'm assuming that this is a corporate purchase, where the big list needs to go in to get approved (which could take weeks or months - I have a corp client for whom we submitted the diagrams and equip lists for a studio refresh in May, still waiting for the purchase to go through) and then later additions will be much more difficult. In this type of situation don't forget your expendables! Needing to put in a requisition for every roll of gaffers tape is painful. Also make sure that you are set up with plenty of hard drive space for camera data and backups - and that you get special dispensation from IT department to connect something to a USB drive. Even if you're not planning to be the editor, make sure you have the capability for when something comes in for a fast turnaround. Also plan on having an SSD you can use for editing.
Prioritize your list based on what you'll be shooting. If you're shooting presentations from the back of a ballroom you're going to need a longer zoom. Do you then need to pop off the tripod and do some quick handheld interviews? Will you have time to reconfigure? Don't forget to keep an on-camera light in the kit. For continuity of LED color I bought a bunch of Dracast lights - from the small onboard up to the folding one - I can run them all on batteries if needed, and they work fine for me, and B&H runs specials on them. You might prefer a different brand - or if you need a lot of punch to balance window light and can plug in the Litepanels Astra lights are great.
If you will need to shoot stills as well, the A7R series has a much higher pixel count. Because that means the pixels are smaller than the A7s series, it also means that it may need more light, If you need to 'shoot in the dark' - such as b-roll at an evening dinner event, or in a dark corner of a factory or inside equipment, then the A7s would be preferable. Analyze your needs!
The Kartmaster is great - it's heavy duty but it's also pretty heavy. I use a rock-n-roller cart - which expands more - because I normally bring 4 divas, a 17" monitor, a bunch of LED's, etc for docu work. The rock-n-roller also gives me a 'top shelf' option. For a slightly smaller cart with the top shelf capability, think about a Magliner...
And have fun making the list!
I'm assuming that this is a corporate purchase, where the big list needs to go in to get approved (which could take weeks or months - I have a corp client for whom we submitted the diagrams and equip lists for a studio refresh in May, still waiting for the purchase to go through) and then later additions will be much more difficult. In this type of situation don't forget your expendables! Needing to put in a requisition for every roll of gaffers tape is painful. Also make sure that you are set up with plenty of hard drive space for camera data and backups - and that you get special dispensation from IT department to connect something to a USB drive. Even if you're not planning to be the editor, make sure you have the capability for when something comes in for a fast turnaround. Also plan on having an SSD you can use for editing.
Prioritize your list based on what you'll be shooting. If you're shooting presentations from the back of a ballroom you're going to need a longer zoom. Do you then need to pop off the tripod and do some quick handheld interviews? Will you have time to reconfigure? Don't forget to keep an on-camera light in the kit. For continuity of LED color I bought a bunch of Dracast lights - from the small onboard up to the folding one - I can run them all on batteries if needed, and they work fine for me, and B&H runs specials on them. You might prefer a different brand - or if you need a lot of punch to balance window light and can plug in the Litepanels Astra lights are great.
If you will need to shoot stills as well, the A7R series has a much higher pixel count. Because that means the pixels are smaller than the A7s series, it also means that it may need more light, If you need to 'shoot in the dark' - such as b-roll at an evening dinner event, or in a dark corner of a factory or inside equipment, then the A7s would be preferable. Analyze your needs!
The Kartmaster is great - it's heavy duty but it's also pretty heavy. I use a rock-n-roller cart - which expands more - because I normally bring 4 divas, a 17" monitor, a bunch of LED's, etc for docu work. The rock-n-roller also gives me a 'top shelf' option. For a slightly smaller cart with the top shelf capability, think about a Magliner...
And have fun making the list!
jasonbrooks
Well-known member
Didn't read the whole thread, so sorry if this is a repetition, but I'd just put a massive recommendation to consider the Fujinon MK pair as your 90% covered pairing. I've owned the 18-55MK for several months now and loved every minute shooting with it. Now that I have the 50-135 as well, it feels like I'm FINALLY on solid ground with the FS7, after having bought the camera and used it with a SpeedBooster and various Canon/off-brand EF-mount zooms and primes for several years.
I could rant for a long time about the various ways I love these lenses, but the major points come down to IQ; quick, ergonomic control and handling (esp thanks to perfect parfocality, VERY useful on both lenses in different ways); lightweight and relatively compact size, identical lenses (using Zacuto scissor supports, I can switch lenses without removing follow focus FFS!). Any more specific questions just ask...
The only thing I'm missing is an ultra-wide cine zoom to finish off the set. In the meantime I just use my S/B + Canon 16-35 when I need it.
Happy shopping, and good luck gettin your show on the road therafter.
jason
I could rant for a long time about the various ways I love these lenses, but the major points come down to IQ; quick, ergonomic control and handling (esp thanks to perfect parfocality, VERY useful on both lenses in different ways); lightweight and relatively compact size, identical lenses (using Zacuto scissor supports, I can switch lenses without removing follow focus FFS!). Any more specific questions just ask...
The only thing I'm missing is an ultra-wide cine zoom to finish off the set. In the meantime I just use my S/B + Canon 16-35 when I need it.
Happy shopping, and good luck gettin your show on the road therafter.
jason
I realize this article is about sound, but I think it applies to video as well.
https://www.trewaudio.com/miscellaneous/economy/Just something to think about.
https://www.trewaudio.com/miscellaneous/economy/Just something to think about.
Alpha Beta Omega
Veteran
I have a RocknRoller R12RT "All Terrain" and when I need to haul heavy equipment and move around on location it's a great roller. But I don't use it that often still indispensable when it's needed.