The AF100+Handheld+PAL+Documentary advice

Jon Furtado

Jon Furtado

Well-known member
I'm being hired to shoot the AF100 on a documentary shoot intended for a German public television station. They have some requirements on what they must have:

1080/50i and they want it shoot with 4:2:2 color space

The Director wants the shallow depth of field look as well. So I'm trying to find out if my AF100 is the best camera for this shoot. They have a limited budget, so extensive renting of gear is sorta outside the realm of possibility. I plan on renting a few key pieces however.

What external recorder should I rent to match with the AF100? What shoulder mount? I haven't really used the AF100 as a run and gun camera but can't seem to find something thats comfortable and practical all day to shoot with. Does anyone have any suggestions?

She also wants to shoot a bunch of wide angle shots. Any suggestions for wide angle lenses?

And she wants to have a servo zoom camera rented for the fast, action shooting. She is alright with this not being shallow depth of field. Does anyone have any thoughts on what other servo zoom camera I can pair with the AF100 and the external recorder that will look nice with it?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
depending on a lens u ll use - lets say if its small lumix lenses - u can use it with out the rig, but in any case - tilta is a good shoulder support. u r talking handheld , so i think less weight the better - nano flash recorder is a light weight solution, also there is a battery for af100 (swift i think) that will power both af100 and nano flash...

wide is kind of a problem with af100 as its 2 x crop. probably the widest lens available is lumix 7-14mm f 4, there is also olympus 12mm f 2.0 that will gives u AF as well

the best zoom probably the newest lumix 12-35 f2.8 AF, IS, .....

u may want to check that:
http://www.four-thirds.org/en/microft/lens_chart.html
and
http://pro-av.panasonic.net/en/af100/lens_compatibility.html

good luck
 
Hmmm. The Tilta baseplate is comfy but then you need an EVF or monitor. If your going to shoot for long periods of time or if the Doc is 90% handheld maybe an EasyRig would be best. I haven't used one but others swear by it. Could save the hassle of a heavy rig.

The Lumix 7-14 is crazy good. The Tokina 11-16 is as well. Both are expensive.
 
Hyperdeck Shuttle is pretty cheap and SSD prices are falling all the time - could be your best bet for an easy solution. Strap a V-Mount on the back of the Tilta rig and you'd be set to go all day long, powering the AF and the Hyperdeck. I've also heard of a lot of people using the NanoFlash for higher bit-rate 422 work.
 
I'd recommend a Cineroid (the HDMI versions are dirt cheap now, they have red peaking and they're half the weight of the Z-Finder) mounted off the handle, and the 12-35 Lumix (kind of costly, but it's the only zoom lens that talks nicely to the camera).. I handhold daily and keeping the camera light is essential - there's a stock-sized battery - sorry, don't remember which because I don't use an external recorder - that has an output to power one.

My camera is super light and very mobile set up this way. I also use a very cheap Vivitar 28-85 f2.8-3.5 often - I picked mine, FD mount, up for 60 bucks. The adapter cost more than the lens.
 
If shallow DOF is your game, then try to stick with lenses in the f/2.0 and under range, that really brings it out on the m4/3 sensor. Also, check out the Voigtländer 25mm f/0.95 if you want some really intense shallow DOF. And if you want to replicate the wider look of the 5D that still maintains the shallow DOF, see if you can't rent out the 17mm f/0.95, as that well help sell that look on the AF-100 as well. Just keep in mind that neither of those two lenses have built-in image stabilization, in case that's a concern.
 
I really like the NanoFlash for external recording, I am sure you can rent one. It is light robust and I have never had a problem with it.

This is the setup I make/use with the NanoFlash, the second is a shoulder mount for use w/o hoodloop or EVF. It balances nicely with Vmount or Goldmount batteries in the back, the FS100 and NF are powered by the batteries in the back. Or there are compact battery solution for the NanoFlash. I normally shoot the NF at 100mb/s but 50 is really good as well and it records to CF cards. You can also record to both the Camera and the NF at the same time.

The lens in these shots is the Canon 17-40 L.

AFNano1.jpg

AFNano2.jpg

If you need power zoom and 422 you may be better of with new the PMW200 or the Canon 305 (it has a wide adapter as well) they are very popular in Europe. Not much SDOF unless you are at the tele end, but vey nice cameras for R&G. Just my nickel.

Personally I would probably use my EX3 for this, a great shoulder cam for R&G.

EX3NF1.jpg

EX3NF2.jpg
 
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Keep the camera small , & you won't need a rig, though Olof's wood handle would be a wise add-on.

Shoulder mounts are great if your shooting primarily from shoulder level, but any one angle can get boring pretty quickly, & if your camera is heavy I'd prefer an EasyRig. The new Mini is well suited for the AF100, & I recently purchased the Mini Strong, but still primarily shoot handheld without it.

A nanoFLASH would be my 1st choice for a recorder as it's small, & light, when powered by the AF's battery, again with an Olof mount, which also makes a great place to attach a wireless audio receiver.

And add an EVF (& Olof's mount).

Lastly, both the 7-14, & Tokina 11-16, are great wide angles, though the Lumix is massively wider.
 
Nanoflash is a great choice. I would also look into what their NLE is going to be. Final Cut Pro will work better with ProRes files, and if you want to save a step, you might look into the Sound Devices PIX 240 as it will record ProRes (and DNxHD if AVID happens to be the editor as well).
 
The Sound Devices PIX is a remarkable piece of kit, but it's a bit heavy. It be perfect as part of a counterbalance on rails, but for a stripped camera it could be awkward.

Obviously I'm not a fan of counterbalanced rigs for doc work. Besides the weight hit, I'm constantly finding myself in cramped conditions, or backed up against a wall, where a counterbalanced rig is a hinderence.
 
Hmm. Now the director is saying 10-bit out the SDI is a must. Not sure if this might REALLY be necessary. Thoughts?
 
So a C300 wouldn't qualify!?! Not even for a certain percent of the total?

Ask for a copy of their approved camera list, &/or, specs. Someone in their information chain might have these wrong.

At present it sounds like you need at least an F3 with a recorder. And an EasyRig.

It's hard to suggest exactly what to recommend without knowing more, but you always need a backup camera that meets specs too. Perhaps a smaller chip camera for run, & gun. Try to determine how much of the footage will truly be shallow. Maybe it's only beauty shots, & B-Roll, that could be filmed on a dSLR, perhaps with a recorder.
 
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Option #2 is a HPX250 or XF305 with a Letus adapter, considering the shallow DOF is probably for formal interview setups where being cumbersome isn't a huge drawback.
 
mcbob said:
Option #2 is a HPX250 or XF305 with a Letus adapter, considering the shallow DOF is probably for formal interview setups where being cumbersome isn't a huge drawback.
Click to expand...

The HPX-250 will, be far, be the cheapest way to get 10-bit SDI out, but, as mcbob pointed out, you will need a Letus or Redrock adapterif you want the typical shallow DOF you would get with an AF-100. If 10-bit is insisted on, I'd make sure they don't want anything too shallow, because it can be a pain to deal with.
 
EX3 and EX1 are 10 bit out of SDI, and many more pricy cams.

They probably want an Alexa for the price of a AF100, no such animal in my book.

It does make a difference for heavy grading or for chroma key work.
 
Actually, I should clarify. If you go with the HPX-250, you won't need to both with SDI out because it records 10bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra to P2 cards, thus it will be the cheapest way by far to get that format, and the easiest by far.
 
Indeed. But how much footage can I get on a 32GB card? That would necessitate a DIT on set to download footage.

I think there are some crossed wires somewhere. I'm almost positive the budget doesn't allow this.
 
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