Thinking about purchasing DVX10B: Advice plz

I'm in exactly the same position as alpha54.

My projects are very dynamical since sport and adventure elements are directly involved, therfore stabilizer seems an unavoidable issue to me. Since ultra and mega marathon coverages are in question hand held camera will be a treat after hours and days being inseparabe with vest-type one.

I must be lucky to come across Monglane, since I already have been visiting his website. L'Aigle Imperior Isoforce light has drawn my attention and I tryed to get in touch with the manufacturer but haven't got aware of their reply yet.

How much it wights and how one feels after spending a week with it inseparatly? I'm quite strong physically and in good shape, but kind of scared with having extra (10?)kg at all times.

It's a blessing having you folks out there with so devoted activity. I'll buy my first camera by the end of the month. I made my first short video with NV-DX100 and AG-DX100B is a completely different league. Its good to know someone will be conforting my fears, resolving my doubts and ready for troubleshooting.

dvxuser is a great job and I will do my best to contribute to it as soon as possible. Hope that many will get good advices on behalf of my novice and in the mean time I will make sure to share gained experience.
 
Nena,

Regarding availability of the Aigle, where are you located ? I know the designer/manufacturer and maybe I can help you locate a vendor.

Regarding weight, I have no clue, but overall, with camera, mattebox, rods and the like (which is the type of config I use), I'd say probably a good 10 kilos, maybe closer to 15. It all depends on how much additional weights you put on the stab, of course, but the heavier (within reason) the more stable. However, since a lot of that weight is distributed over the back and shoulders, it probably sounds heavier than it really is.

Nevertheless, I can't imagine wearing it for a full day, much less a week ! :eek:

For me, in average physical condition with no particular training, my footage begins to lose quality after about a half-hour, but I suppose filmmaking is more demanding in terms of accuracy of framing and movement than sports and adventure documentary work...
 
One other thing I forgot to ask about is wide-angle lenses; as I'm sure I'll be needing one! Image quality is the most important consideration for me (ie. no vignetting or fisheye effect) - zoomthrough would be nice but is not really required. Does anyone know anything about the Cavision 0.6x? They say it still has full zoomthrough even though its angle is really wide. Otherwise, should I go for the Century Optics or Panasonic?

Another very important question is: where in Europe should I order my DVX100B? All the shops here in Sweden are very expensive, so I'm sure I could get it from another European country for less.
 
Can't give advice on wide-angle complements as I don't have one.

Some stores in France (such as VideoPlus) sell the 100B for just under 3000 euros, and H Preston (among others, I'm sure) in the UK sells it for 2000 pounds, which is about the same as 3000 euros. Then you'll have shipping costs, of course, plus the donwside of having to send it back to another country for repairs if you have a breakdown.
 
I managed to cry down DVX100B price to 2400€ VAT not incl. Since I am not yet a professional in the field, a friend will hopefully have the bill on his firm and save me the tax money. I managed to find an "insider", a boyfriend of a friend of a friend who made me an offer: 2450€ with taxes.

Regular price has droped down due to Christmas sales from around 3300 to a ubiquous 2850 and even 2750 €, tax incl. If there's a cheap flight connecting our capitals, you may enjoy spring time around here already (20ºC) while take and carry the equipment of interest.

As Moglane points out, documentary tolerates a lot. My projects are very daring and maybe too optimistic for a single person to accomplish. I would be happy to have an eye on the road and the other on the subject. A third hand would come very handy :).

I was thinking of usind Segway in order to follow sportsmen practicing their activity. Has anybody had an experience like that yet? At least for the runner it should suffice and for some slope shots of a cyclist in action. I've been enjoying the ride but with both of my hands free and without distractions like while helding a camera.

Would l'Aigle Imperator be the right choice for riding on a motorcycle as well, seated behind the driver :)? I had crash on it, the very first time I set my eyes on l'Aigle and have it as a first choice so far. It would be nice to try it on before purchacing.

I have never performed any complicated shooting, and I might even end up in Marroco Sahara engaged in Sabres Marathon in april and following another friend in may on his mega marathon Camino de Santiago (800km/week) on foot.

I was wondering if water resistant protection would be necessary to avoid powder small particles of Sahara dry sand to prevent inutility of my gear?

Sorry I drifted away from the main stream of the topic. My profile has been updated so alpha54 if I can be of any help, feel free to get in touch. And Moglan, its a providence for me to get in touch with a person knowing the designer/manufacturer. I'd be happy to get as much help from you as possible :).
 
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Using a stabilizer on a motorbike... that's what I would call daring indeed ! :eek:

Personally, I wouldn't attempt it, but hey...

The cheapest way to protect your camera would be to wrap it carefully with kitchen plastic foil. Very efficient, too, because it still allows you fairly precise access to the controls.

P.S.: I love Barcelona and spend some time there every summer usually ! :)
 
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I'm having a bit of trouble right now; trying to decide whether I should just get what I can afford right now, or whether I should plan out exactly what accessoires I plan to get in the future. At the moment, the most important things apart from the camera are a good wide-angle lens, a good shotgun microphone, a good-quality tripod and probably a stabiliser. However, I plan to later add a 35mm adaptor; probably along with a rod support system. Maybe even a matte box (for filters) and a follow focus.

So really, what I'm trying to say is should I just go ahead and buy what I can afford right now? Or should I spend some extra time researching and planning out exactly what accessoires work well together so that I have a definite plan for how to expand my camera in the future?
 
alpha54 said:
I'm having a bit of trouble right now; trying to decide whether I should just get what I can afford right now, or whether I should plan out exactly what accessoires I plan to get in the future. At the moment, the most important things apart from the camera are a good wide-angle lens, a good shotgun microphone, a good-quality tripod and probably a stabiliser. However, I plan to later add a 35mm adaptor; probably along with a rod support system. Maybe even a matte box (for filters) and a follow focus.

So really, what I'm trying to say is should I just go ahead and buy what I can afford right now? Or should I spend some extra time researching and planning out exactly what accessoires work well together so that I have a definite plan for how to expand my camera in the future?
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buy what you can afford now. you can make some wonderful work without any accessory and it will be a good training. then buy accessories and at that time you will precisely know how your cam is reacting and if you really need those accessories. the redrock M3 35mm adapter is 990$ and it includes a good rode support system and the lens mounts for that price.....
 
Thanks for your advice!

In that regard, I could still use some further recommendations about equipment (or should I make a new topic about that in the Hardware forum?).

I need a good-quality shotgun microphone; I think for now I'm just going to mount it on the camera until I gain enough experience to use an assistant with a boom pole. I was originally thinking about the Sennheiser MKE 300 Video, but nobody here seems to know it at all. I've heard some good things about the Sennheiser 416, but then again some people that mic is very metallic and unnatural sounding. Somebody around here also recommended a Rode shotgun mic - can't exactly remember which one it was. Basically, I'm pretty lost because I'm new to the whole audio equipment thing; and there's just sooo many choices. Any recommendations? I'm looking for an affordable, yet well-performing, shotgun mic.

That gets me back on the other main topic: the wide-angle lens. Should I go for the one from Panasonic, Century Optics or Cavision? I guess image quality is the most important factor for me; so I would get the one with the best image quality even if it isn't quite as wide as some of the others. I have no experience with any of these lenses, so some advice would be greatly appreciated!

Now - tripod choices. I live in Stockholm, and quite frankly I don't know of any professional video equipment stores around here - so I'm pretty much dependant on other people's recommendations. I've heard some very good things about the Bogen Manfrotto 503 Fluid Head? I often shoot on quite uneven terrain, so a floorspreader tripod would not work for me - I need something where all legs can be independently adjusted.

Finally, we're back at the subject we started with: a camera stabiliser. Like I said, solutions like the Steadicam Merlin look pretty tempting but I would prefer something a little more affordable at the moment (900 bucks for a stabiliser is a lot; when you consider that I'm already planning on purchasing a proper tripod and other accessoires). I believe Monglane when he says that vest-supported stabilisers are superior; but it looks like a handheld one is closer to my price range at the moment. Are there any good handheld stabilisers that I could later on combine with a vest to support it?

I know I'm asking a lot of questions guys, so thanks a lot for taking the time to help me out here! :)
 
alpha54 said:
So really, what I'm trying to say is should I just go ahead and buy what I can afford right now? Or should I spend some extra time researching and planning out exactly what accessoires work well together so that I have a definite plan for how to expand my camera in the future?
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Difficult to say... The buy-what-you-can-afford approach brings immediate satisfaction (versus frustration), but may also bring, in the near future, the realization that what you've bought is not at the level of quality that you wanted. Then comes the "So dumb of me to buy this instead of waiting a while to get the real thing" period...

I would recommend extra-thorough research and very careful planning. Then, and only then, buy what you can afford, provided that it is at the quality level you want. Buying a crappy tripod and a not-so-good shotgun instead of a good tripod with fluid head or a good mic, will only serve to aggravate you.

But all hat really is so much a matter of personal preference that I hesitate to give advice on the subject. That's how *I* would do it, and what would work for *me* isn't necessarily valid for you...
 
alpha54 said:
That gets me back on the other main topic: the wide-angle lens. Should I go for the one from Panasonic, Century Optics or Cavision? I guess image quality is the most important factor for me;
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I've heard good things about the Century one. But that's definitely not a top-of-the-list accessory for me. I've shot for two years with a 100A and now 100B without ever regretting not to have one.

alpha54 said:
I've heard some very good things about the Bogen Manfrotto 503 Fluid Head? I often shoot on quite uneven terrain, so a floorspreader tripod would not work for me - I need something where all legs can be independently adjusted.
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You cant' go wrong with that head, it works great. Buy the sticks you can afford to go with it, and later get better ones. If you don't have a good store if Sweden, buy via Internet.

alpha54 said:
Are there any good handheld stabilisers that I could later on combine with a vest to support it?
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The Aigle does that, I believe. You can get the handheld sled, then convert it to the vest-type. Ask them on their website to make sure.
 
alpha54 said:
Are there any good handheld stabilisers that I could later on combine with a vest to support it?
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glidecam 2000 or 4000 .....

http://www.glidecam.com/

i've hesitated for a while before buying the glidecam 2000. the choice was between the aigle and the glidecam. but after studying both of them i think that the aigle is so more difficult to balance and adjust.
 
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Monglane said:
Then comes the "So dumb of me to buy this instead of waiting a while to get the real thing" period...
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of course but thinking in that way is also the best way to buy nothing for years :)
dvx100b is a fantastic cam and now it's cheap!! of course you can wait for a cheaper hvx200 but you'll have to wait probably more than 1 year. and at that time you'll have the hvx300 coming perhaps .....
for accessories you have to take care of future compatibility. that's a good way to avoid mistakes. buy a good stabilizer that can be used with a bigger cam like the hvx200. a 35mm adapter that can be used with another cam just by changing the mount. a good mic is just a good mic. these accessories are different from cams that are evoluting quickly. and you'll use them for years.
 
delaro said:
of course but thinking in that way is also the best way to buy nothing for years
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And thinking the other way is also the best way to pile up a closetful of junk that you won't use more than a couple of times and that will have precious little resale value...

Moderation is usually the best way to go. Think, research, then buy and keep thinking, How much do I *need* (as opposed to "want") this ? What will I be able to do with it if and when I don't need/want it anymore ?
 
That's actually a good point. I'm just constantly thinking that I will need a wide-angle lens because my current cam (Sony TRV950) is no good in a cramped environment without a wide-angle lens. On the DVX100B, that might not be an issue I guess because the lens is already wider anyways...
 
I love the way you guys debate, it sounds so frank and straight forward. I recognize myself in a phase alpha54 describes, but as well within the advices and precutions Moglane underlines.

I'm not used to buy cheap stuff, but effective solutions are not neceserily expensive ones, as kitchen pvc foil wrap suggestion for my desert experience. It most probably just saved me over 250€ I was weghting for some water resisting bag from ewa-marine.

My tripod options fell on Manfrotto as well :) I would like to combine it with my photographic equipment, so the choice is 005 PROB (144€ + VAT). The video ball is precisely 503 (276€ + VAT) that I've been recomended.

Alpha54, take a closer look at l'Aigle systems, they are sclable from hend held to a vest held one. Looks like a very smart solution.

Monglane, see you in person in a couple of months, when you come to visit Barcelona again, if I don't go to Paris earlier :).

I'm doing an excessive search of the market in order to apply the money I thought of spending. There is no other way for me. This dvxuser.com is providing me with valuable feedback, so it feels as a privilege.
 
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I'm still not quite ready to give up on the anamorphic lens, I don't know why but knowing that I will be wasting CCD space by shooting in letterbox mode is just bothering me!

Is the anamorphic lens really that hard to focus on the DVX100B? Seems like it shouldn't be that hard to do manually, as the screen will display the image with the correct aspect.
 
alpha54 said:
I'm still not quite ready to give up on the anamorphic lens, I don't know why but knowing that I will be wasting CCD space by shooting in letterbox mode is just bothering me!

Is the anamorphic lens really that hard to focus on the DVX100B? Seems like it shouldn't be that hard to do manually, as the screen will display the image with the correct aspect.
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barry green explained it very well in his book: "it focuses on the horizontal axis at a different plane than it focuses on the vertical axis.... the key to focus with the anamorphic adapter is to control the depth of field of the cam to have both horizontal and vertical plane into focus". he explained very well how to do it. but you will need some charts and tape measure without a big monitor. before buying my dvx i bought his book and i can only recommend you to do so. it's so helpful and you will learn a lot about how the cam is working and what accessories you could need ( you'll find 35mm, anamorphic, .... demos on the joined dvd).
 
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