Please recommend what equip

L

lefthandwind

New member
Hey guys,

First post here.

I have an ambition in 2013 to take on what i have been wanting to do for many many years and that is to make a fishing film based in Australia, showcasing and documenting some of our most spectacular and far removed places targeting the largest fish of the species in AUS.
You may be familiar with fly fishing films from America which is the style i want to try and replicate.
I am very in tune with the fishing side of things and the editing side of things but i'm not exactly sure what sort of cameras etc to get for the job.

To give you an idea this is the sort of style i am after
http://vimeo.com/27267942

I'm looking for recommendations from people in the know as to what sort of camera to use, any stabilizers (steadicams etc) basically anything i will need to get this ball rolling.

I was thinking about shooting with DSLR and i'll probably still use one or two but having to continually adjust the focus is not something i want to be doing.

I'm looking at spending up to $5000 on the camera plus any other equipment i will need (glidecams etc)
I do not want a tape based camera!

Look forward to your opinions and i can't wait to start this project!

Cheers
LHW
 
If you want a 'cinematic' look you are probably going to be using a larger chipped camera this will make continual adjustment of focus a requirement.

The camera for you is the sony FS100 - unlike a DSLR it has litle moiree (big problem on water) , onboard xlr sound and also 60FPS slomo that will smoothen out some rougher shots - and make catches and other fast action more capturable and understandable

The FS100 has an 18-200 kit lens that offers a form or semi reliable auto focus and image stabilisation , mixing this lens with some cheap prime lenses you can creat a very versativle lens package

The big let down of the sony FS100 is the lack of onboard ND filtration, to get onboard ND you will need to consider upping your budget to a sony F3, canon C300 or the upcoming sony FS700 - these cameras will push you over budget

Getting onboard ND is also available in the AF100 from panny - a very cheap camera right now

For support you will need sticks to do telephoto work from the shore and probably a shoulder mount to operate in the boat and maybe a stabilizer (glidecam/blackbird) to operate while a boat is moving fast

Of course if you are less concerned with the cinematic look you could consider an easy to focus small chip video camera such as the EX1r or Canon Equivilent

A go-pro is a happy addition to any shoot being waterproof and offering interesting POVs

You will of course need to consider power, keeping the gear dry, media, sound aquisition and other factors that will also eat your budget...

S
 
Thank you for your recommendations!
I have been looking at the FS100 after reading your posts.
Am i right in understanding that some lenses will AF and some will not?
How hard is it to focus using a follow focus on the FS100

What sort of shoulder mount do you recommend?
I've got plenty of GoPro's as this is something im quite familiar with and already do quite a lot of shooting with.
 
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The video you posted is one of the best shot/edited fishing videos I've seen- very impressive.

Impressive fishing too- fly fishing for tarpon, no less!

In the comments, they say they used "Canon Dslr's, Sony Camcorders, and a few other toys."

The sun in the Florida Keys, where that was shot, is very strong. They would have had to use NDs on the DSLRs, either on the lens or a matte box.
If you have strong sun in your part of Australia, NDs are par for the course.

I would think the AF100 would be well-suited to this. Larger sensor (but not ridiculously shallow DOF), onboard ND and audio.

I'm not sure what you'd need a stabilizer for- the example appeared to be mostly handheld on one boat and tripod on a second chase boat filming the first boat- 2 main cameras with some GoPro, also.
Just guessing, but they probably used 5D on the fishing boat and an EX1 on the chase boat (for the wide zoom range), with a second DSLR on the chase boat, too.

You might have better luck with replies in another section of the forum.
Good luck with your project!
 
Not one camera is going to be perfect. It's better to have a multitude choice of cameras.

If I were you I would get a small chip camcorder and a DSLR preferably Panasonics GH2.
If you would need 2 cameras just for the sake of shooting with 2 cameras simultaneously
and a big chip is needed I would go for a AF100 and GH2 combo. Same lenses, same chip... Don't know if you would
come under 5k though. You didn't mention if you are VAT registered. If not 5k is not a lot of money.

Otherwise an even cheaper option would be to buy a used Panasonic HMC150 and combine it with a GH2. This would IMHO make
a nice low budget combo capable of producing nice results. You got the small chip for run and gun and a big chip for everything else.
This is my recommendation. GH2 has the best image quality in my opinion and is the cheapest:)
 
If you're on a limited budget, I would personally save money on the camera and spend it on glass. I decided to go with a GH2, M43 to PL adapter and the RED 18-50 and 50-150. Best decision I ever made. I guess the set up cost me around £7k. £500 of that was the camera cost.

I was waiting for the perfect camera, so I thought I'd make do with the GH2. Turns out the GH2 is pretty perfect unless you have the money for something like the Epic.
 
Yeah I was super lucky. 50-150 cost €4000 (was never used!) and the 18-50 cost €2500. If you shop around you can find some sweet bargains :)
 
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