Shooting India

F

Fredric

Active member
Hi guys,

Next week I am going to India on a three week trip. We will travel between the three big cities of North India, Dehli, Jaipur and Agra. I am taking my DVX100B with me, and I was wondering if you guys have any tips on how to best use the camera to get the best footage. Should I should 25p ( I have the PAL version) or 50i? Can you recommend any scene file settings to use? Are there any other things I should think about? Special protection? I was also thinking about using a monopod. What kind can you recommend?

Thanks in advance,

Fredric
 
One thing you will definitely need is a polarizer. I shot in India for two weeks last year, and that is probably the single most useful accessory that I brought with me.
 
No, they're pretty different.

A UV just gets rid of UV rays going into your camera, but is more for just protecting the lense, really.

A polarizer will actually get rid of glare, making colors really come out. It'll make grass greener, the sky bluer, etc.

It's rotatable, so you can actually enhance the glare if you wanted, like get the reflection on a window to be more reflected, or almost gone.

It'll run you about a hundred bucks.
 
Not sure about the monopod. I think a shoulder mount might give you better shots in this situation.
 
bgundu, that was awesome! Did you use a polariser. I am also going to that part of the world in November and filming. Any film maker should feel lucky to film there, the colours are so rich. There's a chaos there that is almost magical to film. The polarisation between nature and modernity provides a very rich pallette to film in. Loved your movie, bgundu, nice editing, nice colours. You obviously have a good eye and good understanding of photography.
 
Thanks for all the information! I will definitely get polarizer. And about the shouldermount, what kind should I get? Is there something I can build myself? I live in Holland, and there aren't any shops like B&H around here... And Bob, i agree with Yas, your footage was great! I'm getting even more exited to go by watching it!
 
A shoulder mount is a good idea, but so is a monopod with a minor adjustment. After being inspired by those sports photographer rigs with the giant lenses, I bought a nice Manfrotto monopod (hey, also doubles as a walking stick for hikes) and mounted a medium-sized ball head on top with a quick release plate system.

If you fully extend the pod, loosen the ball, and brace the camera you have a part-human tripod. Leave it loose for action or pan shots, tighten the ball for static shots. It works for the pros so why not? I have had a lot of luck with mine.

You could always get a nice carbon fiber tripod if you want a real tripod, they are incredibly light. I just bought the sticks and a nice bogen head to strap on my Kata camera backpack (holds camera, accessories, laptop). Now I can mountain bike to some remote locations and get some great shots in a snap.
 
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the feedback, helped me a lot! I just have two questions left...
Do you think I should shoot progressive or interlaced? And should I get an external microphone, and if so, what kind? Shotgun? Hypercardiod?
Thanks,

Fredric
 
Fredric; I'd shoot 25p, and use the STANDARD F6 setting. It will cover most of what you want to do. If you're keen you can try and tweak that setting, but it really is quite good as is for most of the stuff.
As far as mics are concerned, it will depend on what it is you're doing. If you are not really interviewing/speaking to people, then an on-camera Octava MK-012 with a hyper cardioid capsule in BBG with a fluffy and a shockmount will be great and cover most of what you'll encounter (total cost about $400).
 
Thanks for all the replies! I just have a little problem getting my audio thing right. I know Oktava is probably the best choice for me, however, I am leaving tomorrow, and there aren't any for sale near me. I have searched and the only mics I can find that are a bit like the oktava are the following:
Shure PG81
AKG C1000
Rode NT 5 S
Behringer B5
Superlux CM H 8 K/U

It would be great if you guys can tell me if these things are any good and which will have the best resell value, because I am probably going to sell it after my trip to India.

Thanks

Fredric
 
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