Newbie DVX100b for tripod & mic

D

denzel creasy

New member
Hi Folks,
I own a dvx100b and am now looking for
- a tripod upto 200$. I know that's not much but unfortunately that's all I can afford right now. I came across this tripod+dolly on B&H and was wondering if folks had some insight to offer. It looks enticing to me since I don't have to spend on a dolly in this case.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=336007&is=REG

- microphone + boom mic. Any suggestions/pointers in this area. I'm absolutely lost.

Thanks in advance,
DC
 
On this forum, you'll get one of two responses:

1. It's great.
2. It's a cheap piece of crap that will fall apart.

The first comment is given by folks who bought their first tripod and it was a D&S. They've usually owned their units for a year or less. The second is provided by people who either dismiss anything under a grand or had a bad experience with one.

It's heavy. Realize that 12 pounds of tripod relegates it to a studio or transport via car.

If you handle it roughly, it will break. If you treat it well, it will last.

I've had this for eight months without problems. However, I did underestimate how its weight would affect how often I use it. It's a lot more solid and a bit smoother than my 190CX3 with a 701HDV but guess which one gets strapped to my backpack?
 
Hi.
Here is a better one I just bought.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Vista_Airlift_Tripod_with.html#specifications

Only 20 bucks more.
I like it a lot.
It is very stable and solid and can go VERY HIGH. (I really like that)
You will have to take very good care of it for it to really last and perform.
The next step up is to get a $400-$600 Manfrotto or the like.
I have had 4 tripods under $300. The one in the link there is by FAR the best of them and I think it is probably THE BEST for the money.

Someday I'll have one of those totally pro $1,000 tripods.
Today I'm happy with this one.

~DPS
 
denzel creasy said:
- microphone + boom mic. Any suggestions/pointers in this area. I'm absolutely lost.
Click to expand...

Welcome to DVXUser, Denzel!

Others have answered the tripod question. I will only add that, to an extent, you get what you pay for. However, there are some <$200 finds out there that, if cared for, will last you at least until you can afford something better.

Now, on to audio... there is an audio forum in here with a wealth of information. Do a forum search and you'll pull up tons of great stuff. You didn't specify a budget for your mic, so I'm going to assume:

1) You don't have $1k to drop on a mic kit, and
2) You're looking only for the one external mic.

My first suggestion would be to call Guy at DVCreators/DVeStore and order this kit. It's your best, entry-leve and budget-conscious bet. It provides you with a tried and proven, low-cost shotgun mic and all the accessories that you'll need to get started. This gives you the option to mount the mic on the camera or to use it with the pole.

The one thing you have not mentioned, though, is headphones. If you don't have a really good pair of headphones for your camera as of yet, the Sony MDR-7506 headphones (around $99) are favored workhorses. No matter what you get, make sure you have headphones and that you wear them as you record. Never trust your audio to watching the meters. They may be bouncing, but you don't know for sure what it sounds like unless you listen. And it's much better to detect a problem as you record, when you can stop and fix it, than it is to find the unpleasant surprise in post when it's too late.

Good luck!
 
Thank you so much for all the advice/suggestions. I think I will go with the tripod suggested here since for 20/= more I get a separate dolly. The audio set sounds perfect too.

Thanks again,
DC
 
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