Tripod & Lighting recommendations

M

M0NTY26

Member
Hello all,

I'm looking to buy my first professional tripod and I don't have the experience yet to know what's best for my situation.

I'm currently in the launch process of starting my videography business. I live in a smaller town that doesn't have any competition in this service, so I figured it would be a good way to make money, while I gain experience in filmmaking.

So, I've just up'd my equipment from the vixia hf10, to the hvx200a. I plan on adding either the redrock or the letus, but that's later down the road. I have the panasonic MC-70 shotgun mic for sound, and I'm contemplating adding the h4n. I wasn't certain on what light to get, so I passed to do more research.

So, I need something that's going to be able to support all the weight, but I want something that I can carry around, as well.

I'm hoping to pick everyones mind on what they recommend. My budget right now is $1,000.

Thanks, in advance.
 
in your budget im wondering why the H4n as well. it seems you need other things way more than an H4n in keeping with the 1k budget.

here is one of the best / cheapest lighting options i have found.
http://www.amazon.com/Promaster-SystemPRO-Light-Lighting-System/dp/B002P9NIIA

i have a nice Arri 4/Fresnel Kit with tungston bulbs but lately ive been using these Cool Light 3 in 1. i am sooooo sick of hot lights (ouch). love this cool stuff.

turn on a couple of tungston fixtures 1500-2000 watts of light in a small to medium room and it heats it up fast. flourescants=almost NO heat.

you can find up to 85 watt flourescant bulbs for this. it will take (4) bulbs. if you go with 85 watt bulbs be carefull because the ones i bought, the bases are too large but ive seen others that will fit. i usually use 30 watt flourescant bulbs. you can run all 4 bulbs or run 2 bulbs with the 2 switches on the back. nice soft light with the diffuser front. cheap $100.00 without bulbs. pay specific attention to the color balance of the bulbs you choose to get because the flourescants are all over the map with many kelvin choices. i bought a whole slew of different bulbs for my 4 fixtures and they are all daylight @ 5500 degrees kelvin. if a bulb says 30 watts (flourescant) then you may be 80-90 watts of real tangible light from them. i have 5 different brands of bulbs and none of them give the output that a few are claiming @ 4x output. also, the fixtures are pretty lightweight so you dont necessarily need the heaviest stands unless your going to put them on a boom. i wouldnt buy cheap stands unless your low on cash but they will work just the same.

cheap tripod system? Manfrotto or Libec. in your budget your not going to get much but to really start to get a decent tripod and head you will be about 1k and up.

david
www.davidprobst.com
 
Just a couple of thoughts:

I would upgrade mics and feed them direct to cam before I purchased a recorder. Do you have good wind protection (blimp or Zepp) for out doors. A good basic kit might include a better shotgun, a hyper-cardioid, maybe a lavalier with or with or without wireless. How about a boom pole? Do you have headphones, if not get some.

The 35mm adapters have a place, but not in a basic kit. Skip that till later, or go DSLR or AF-100 if you really need shallow DOF. 35mm adapters are a dying breed, so if you really are compelled, there will be plenty of used ones going cheap, really cheap.

+1 on the Cool Lights Flos. They don't have a huge range, but are great for the money, and will serve well for smaller work. Good company. You can use either daylight or 3200k bulbs for versatility. Maybe pickup a couple of smaller used tungstens for rim lights or other fill. For an on cam light, LED is the future. Search is your friend.

For a tripod, I would recommend Manfrotto over Libec. Not because they are any better, but Manfrotto accessories are cheaper and their product range is much larger. Look at a 503 head and stix that have a center column to increase height when you need it. That will be well under a grand. If you want heavier go with a 504 and a tripod with a bowl, which will run you a grand.

I picked up one of these a while back and it is a great value, hell for stout (read a little heavy), though Varizoom is not well known for tripods, it is probably re-labeled from another maker:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/543322-REG/VariZoom_VZ_TC100A_VZ_TC100A_Aluminum_Video.html

Some of the stuff I mentioned might bust your present budget, but my point is when starting out, buy the stuff you really need before the fluff.

Good luck
Grant
 
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