Wedding Equipment

T

thundermonkey

Active member
Hey all,

I currently shoot weddings, and basically got thrown into it not starting out with the best equipment. I'd like some help on what to get next.

I currently shoot 60D with kit 18-135 which is useless indoors for how dark weddings are, and a 50mm 1.4 which I basically shoot everything with.

I have two other shooters who have a 60D and T3i with less than stellar lenses, and we have an HDV Sony camera we use for BnB shots as well as audio.



I have an h4n zoom which I would like to have audio recorded to from the DJ, but I understand I need a pad or something - can someone tell me what exactly I need?

I also shoot on the Manfrotto monopod with a Rode VMP.

I am thinking I would maybe like to get to a point to no longer use the Sony at all since it does not cut that well with the DSLR footage but clients don't really mind.


I was initially thinking I need another body, waiting for a 5dM3 announcement as that would help with the low light I deal with but then it occured to me maybe to go with lenses and use the bodies I already have access to?

I am trying to think about what I need, what I currently cannot do that I need to do and what will make money to invest in more stuff. I was contemplating the Tokina 11-16 with a glidecam hd2000 but realised it would give me very minimal use, and to properly use the Tokina, I would need to be at 5.6 anyway which is no good for the indoor situations I deal with.

So what should I do? I have been trying to find a definitive list of DSLR wedding equipment, but no luck, so I thought you people may be of help. Maybe I should spring for a 24-70 lens to go on one of the other DSLRs to have on a tripod with the Sony, keep the Sony a constant wide, and then I would go on the monopod as needed? Any advice would be great since my research as been extensive, but I really need to get other people's opinions :)
 
One of the most important things for making money from weddings was not listed. Clients. I would recommend advertising and a pad.
 
kgimedia got it right. You do need clients. Advertising may or may not be the right choice, but you do need money for marketing.

Wedding videography has been my full time occupation for 11 years. We started with the T2i almost 2 years ago and then finally graduated to 4 60Ds. Concerning your audio question, a pad will drop the level from the board to a level your Zoom H4n can handle. The pad I use has a -20, -30, and -40 setting, which is really useful. In addition to that I use an XLR splitter, or XLR Y cable so I can send one feed to both channels, but I set the channels 20 to 30 dB different. That way if one channel is too loud, the other channel will be clean, or if one channel is too soft, the other channel will be hotter. Here's a couple of links.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ology_ATT_448_ATT_448_In_Line_Attenuator.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/252311-REG/Hosa_Technology_YXF_119_XLR_Male_to_2.html

The Tokina 11-16 with a Glidecam is sweet, but I would focus on getting faster lenses first. If you are not doing photography, you can bypass expensive L glass in favor of vintage lenses as well as some third party lenses. You can learn more about Vintage Lenses here. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?201760-The-Vintage-Lens-Thread

Everyone has their own preferences, but when working with a tight budget this is what I would consider.
Vintage Nikon lenses or at least Nikon mount lenses work really well with EOS cameras. I will also include some third party lenses to consider. I think you need something wider and tighter to add to your 50mm 1.4.

WIDER PRIMES (You don't need all three, these are just three options)
Sigma 20mm 1.8 in the EOS or Nikon mount. Ebay $350ish. New $630. It has a physical aperture ring so you don't have to have EOS electronics.
Nikon 24mm 2.0. Ebay $350ish
Nikon 35mm 1.4. Ebay $400ish
I like the Nikon 35mm 1.4 over the Sigma 30mm 1.4 because the Nikon will also work with full frame cameras. The Sigma 30 will not.

LONGER PRIMES
Nikon 85mm 1.8 or 2.0 Ebay $250-350ish
Rokinon 85mm 1.4 New $250

LONGER ZOOMS
Zoom lenses are limited to f/2.8, but the kit lens that ranges from f/3.5 to 5.6, depending on where you are in the focal length. Higher quality zooms will have a constant aperture, so they can stay at 2.8, no matter where you are in the zoom range. One of the best bangs for your buck is this:

Vivitar Series 1 70-210 3.5 in the Nikon mount. Ebay $100ish
You can pay $500-700 for third party 70-200 lenses and you can get f/2.8 versus f/3.5 and you may be able to get image stabilization as well, but at the cost of 5-7 times the price of the vintage Viviatar Series 1. I shot with the vintage Series 1 for about a year and I still use it for one of the back cameras, but after trying out a photographers Canon L 70-200 2.8 IS, I finally bit the bullet and bought a used one for $1500. The image stabilization is amazing, but my point is, when watching your budget, you don't have to spend $1500-2500 on the Canon L. The vintage Vivitar Series 1 is an amazing value.
You really do need a zoom in this range to get tight shots during the ceremony and if you have an outdoor reception, it can be useful as well, but most of our receptions are on the dark side, so I mainly use a 50mm 1.4 or 85mm 1.4 for tight shots.

WIDE ZOOMS

Tamron 17-50 2.8 $440-600 depending on if you get the VC version or not.
Tokina 11-16 2.8 $700ish new. This is a great lens for crop cameras, but it will not work on a full frame camera. It looks great on the glidecam as well as slider, but I would focus on getting some fast primes and a longer lens first.

That should be enough to get you started on your research. Feel free to ask any questions.
 
Silly me thought I responded a while ago but seems I press the wrong button.

Getting clients is not the problem. I work with a photographer who is doing the booking since it makes him more marketable AND people are finding me on their own. I am turning people away because I am still figuring out pricing and I know the quality and look I need to achieve, but this is certainly a case where the tools I have are a limitation. No sense trying to anything cinematic when everything is entirely too dark because of the lens. (People want DSLR quality but want to pay as if it were guys running cameras and recording the dumping on a DVD)


I am also looking to streamline my workflow. I would have mentioned that I was thrown into this and prefer to research properly in best practices and equipment, and then start, but I had to roll with what I had and acquire items along the way.

As it is, I am doing weddings, but I know I can do it better and want to learn and get better at it, so I certainly do have holes I need to fill in terms of equipment I have, theory and workflow. Maybe I will have to make different threads for these things but we'll see.


With lenses, I certainly want to do stuff on par with what Stillmotion is doing (as is everyone else I imagine) but the glass is important for that. I have been wondering if I should be wary of getting non-canon glass. I don't want to get something cheaper/inferior that could be problematic for me. I am also really, really wary of buying used lenses, but I don't know if that is just silly of me.



Mark, with your 4 60Ds, how many people do you have on a given wedding shoot? How long is the end product you produce? And do you edit in Premiere in Windows by chance?

I'm curious about the way I cover the actual wedding and if it could be done better. Using the 50mm is good and all, but I have to be pretty close to nail focus and get a nicely framed shot, which is problematic since, if I have a wide with my 18-135, then I am going to show up in the shot, but won't be able to cover with me on the 50 when I am moving around trying to adjust my shot. Maybe I should move to a 3 camera setup on tripods instead?
 
Let me break down some questions since I know I may be throwing a lot out there.


1. How best to cover ceremony? Which cameras, placed where, with what lenses? I was looking at this https://vimeo.com/15030910 and realized that this may be the way to go, but with that setup you get the backs of heads and closeups of rings going on would be a problem, hence I would be up close with my 50mm.

2. What's best for workflow in terms of managing footage on the day? I currently roll with 5 32GB cards, but ideally I would like to have enough that I just use cards for different segments, like prep, ceremony, dance, etc as it would be easier to manage on the PC.

3. Looking at your site I realized I should do what you do, cinematic or documentary style. I've been attempting a bastardization of the both, but should really keep it distinct, but how do you even begin to price for that?

4. If you edit in premiere on Windows I certainly have some questions about DVD creation.

5. Do you add lighting anytime at all? I have a lot of dark situations to deal with and I am trying to think to myself if 2.8 would even be enough! If not, ISO and Neat video will have to make it workable. Any tips on how you expose your shots?

6. Thank you for the lens recommendations, but even still, given my situation, what do you suggest I go for first? If I keep the Sony camera as a wide, maybe I can use that with 2 DSLRs on the side, but what do you think the priorities are? I'm thinking zoom since I already have this 50mm. So perhaps the 17-50? I actually have a friend with the Tamron 17-50 he is willing to sell for $500 US, so I could maybe access that quickly.

7. Even though you have fast glass at 1.8 or 1.4, do you find yourself always shooting that wide open? How much do you rely on bumping up the ISO? And yes, I know to use values of 160, 320, 640, 1250 and 1600 with the 60D! :D

9. I really need to wrap my head around hyperfocal distance better.



I don't want to come off like I am just trying to take information. I do weddings right now, but as I mentioned, I know that I don't know a lot and would love to learn where possible. I greatly appreciate the assistance.
 
For weddings, the best choice for lenses will be a set of fast (f/2.8) zooms.

A 17-50ish and a 70-200, both at f/2.8, is a great combo to have and will cover you for most things. You'll ifnd them much more versatile than primes, which I usually only ever pull out for extreme lowlight or when I really want that super shallow DOF look.

On a tight budget, check out the Tamron 17-50 2.8 (non-VC) and 70-200 f/2.8. If you have a bit more money to throw around, then look into the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS and the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II - these lenses are amazing and will not only lift your image quality, but improve your camera handling and ease of use too due to features such as full time manual focusing, IS, smooth focus rings, etc.

Regarding the Tokina 11-16, it is an excellent camera to put on a steadycam system. At such wide angles, the DOF is very deep even at f/2.8, making it a breeze to simply set focus to the hyperfocal distance (or at least close to it - you can use a hyperfocal calculator online to find out what this needs to be) and leave it there whenever it is on the steadycam.

Also, when it comes to weddings, you can never have too many batteries and SDHC cards!
 
deltoidjohn said:
For weddings, the best choice for lenses will be a set of fast (f/2.8) zooms.

A 17-50ish and a 70-200, both at f/2.8, is a great combo to have and will cover you for most things. You'll ifnd them much more versatile than primes, which I usually only ever pull out for extreme lowlight or when I really want that super shallow DOF look.

On a tight budget, check out the Tamron 17-50 2.8 (non-VC) and 70-200 f/2.8. If you have a bit more money to throw around, then look into the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS and the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II - these lenses are amazing and will not only lift your image quality, but improve your camera handling and ease of use too due to features such as full time manual focusing, IS, smooth focus rings, etc.

Regarding the Tokina 11-16, it is an excellent camera to put on a steadycam system. At such wide angles, the DOF is very deep even at f/2.8, making it a breeze to simply set focus to the hyperfocal distance (or at least close to it - you can use a hyperfocal calculator online to find out what this needs to be) and leave it there whenever it is on the steadycam.

Also, when it comes to weddings, you can never have too many batteries and SDHC cards!
Click to expand...


I'm reading that vintage lens thread and looking at ebay, and I am really tempted to go for an 85mm Nikon. I may be able to get some hands on time with the Tamron 17-50 from a friend. If it is the non-VC one, I hope it can give good footage on my monopod.

How do you like the 70-200? It seems like it is within range for the budget right now, but are there any issues you have with it? Image quality? Build?


And again, I have some reading up to do to get my head fully wrapped around hyperfocal distance.

Thanks for your reply.
 
Mark Von Lanken said:
Tokina 11-16 2.8 $700ish new. This is a great lens for crop cameras, but it will not work on a full frame camera. It looks great on the glidecam as well as slider, but I would focus on getting some fast primes and a longer lens first.
Click to expand...

I agree with the need to get some faster primes first, but I think the Tokina is a superb lens, and I have made much more use of it that I initially thought I would. Just to clear up a point: it will work on full frame cameras, but will vignette below 15mm, so it effectively becomes a 16mm 2.8 prime (or a 15-16 zoom :huh:)
 
thundermonkey said:
...With lenses, I certainly want to do stuff on par with what Stillmotion is doing (as is everyone else I imagine) but the glass is important for that. I have been wondering if I should be wary of getting non-canon glass. I don't want to get something cheaper/inferior that could be problematic for me. I am also really, really wary of buying used lenses, but I don't know if that is just silly of me.


Mark, with your 4 60Ds, how many people do you have on a given wedding shoot? How long is the end product you produce? And do you edit in Premiere in Windows by chance?

I'm curious about the way I cover the actual wedding and if it could be done better. Using the 50mm is good and all, but I have to be pretty close to nail focus and get a nicely framed shot, which is problematic since, if I have a wide with my 18-135, then I am going to show up in the shot, but won't be able to cover with me on the 50 when I am moving around trying to adjust my shot. Maybe I should move to a 3 camera setup on tripods instead?
Click to expand...

I understand the desire to produce the quality of work that you see from Stillmotion. One thing to consider is this. In the ceremony tutorial you listed, they are using about $9500 in lenses, at least with the 5 lenses shown in the video. There is nothing wrong with spending $9500 on 5 lenses, that is if you are charging Stillmotion prices for your weddings. I do not know what Stillmotion charges, but depending on the package or coverage details, I would guess a low of $8000-10,000 and a high of 20,000 plus. If your prices are less than half of that, i.e. less than $4000, it will be a challenge to justify spending that much on 5 lenses and be profitable. Now if you are doing other profitable projects in addition to weddings and you can justify the expense and be profitable, then more power to you. I just wanted to throw out the concept of being profitable and not just buying great lenses for the sake of having great lenses.

On the subject of used lenses. I do understand being wary of buying used lenses. The Canon 70-200 that I bought used was purchased locally, so I was able to inspect it in person. Out of the dozen plus lenses I own, only two of them are brand new. The Tokina 11-16 and Tamron 17-50. Most were purchased from eBay. I only buy from sellers with a good rating and a liberal return policy. If they do not accept returns, I do not buy from them.

I don't know where you live, but if you are in a larger market you can often find good used lenses on Craigslist, so at least that way you can see the lens in person before making a purchase. Good quality lenses will last a long time, especially if they are well cared for. I have lenses that are 45+ years old and they look and feel better than 3rd party new lenses.

With our 4 60Ds during the ceremony we usually have two shooters, sometimes three. Our run time depends on the clients desires, but usually 40-50 minutes. Sometimes shorter or slightly longer, just depending on the clients desires.

No, we do not edit in Premiere. We edit on Edius on the Windows platform. Edius is similar to Premiere in that you can edit the DSLR footage natively, but Edius is not as dependent on computer hardware. We do Same Day Edits on our laptop and get real time performance. I believe Premiere can edit natively on a laptop, but you may have to render more or at least spend more money to get the laptop really beefed up.

You do need a longer lens than the 50mm for ceremonies. Three cameras on tripods or at least two tripods and one roaming is a good solution.
 
I greatly appreciate your input. I have to say, reading the vintage lens thread got me thanks to you. I am currently eyeing one of these .

I live in the Caribbean. So I can only buy from the web more or less, and I guess that is why I am extra wary - returning items is almost out of the question. As of right now, what is jumping out at me is the Tamron 17-50 and 70-200.

The vintage lenses look nice, but I still don't quite understand 30 pages in, or maybe I do. Maybe I can do the primes in Nikkor and get an adapter.

So I think my next purchases very well may be those 2 Tamrons and the audio equipment you listed prior. Going to have to do some more digging with the vintage stuff. From what I understand, when it comes to Nikkor, non-AF-D lenses are more valuable?

EDIT: To your first point, yes, I do need to learn when I should and should not shell out for the greatest. You are 100% right in that, if people are not going to pay, why put myself in debt to give that kind of quality?
 
1. How best to cover ceremony? Which cameras, placed where, with what lenses? I was looking at this https://vimeo.com/15030910 and realized that this may be the way to go, but with that setup you get the backs of heads and closeups of rings going on would be a problem, hence I would be up close with my 50mm.

There are many ways to cover a ceremony. Each approach will depend on the restrictions or lack of restrictions placed on you by the church. If you are shooting outside or in a location with no restrictions, you still need to be discreet. It is a wedding ceremony and not a movie set. Each approach also has its own pros and cons. In the example you posted, one of the biggest cons is that you do not see the couples face until they turn to face each other. If its a short ceremony, that does not matter as much, but if the ceremony is longer than 15 minutes, that could be a big negative.
As I said, most of our weddings have two camera operators, so this is our approach. It's not necessarily the right approach for everyone, but it's what we like.

When I can be at the front of the church in a non Catholic wedding, I am on a tripod on the groomsmen side. From here I get everyone as they came down the aisle. I get a nice shot of their faces, which the brides does get to see in person. I have a great shot as Dad hands off the Bride and of course I have great face shot before during and after the vows and ring exchange. I am on the Canon 70-200 2.8. Before I had that Canon lens, I used the Vivitar Series 1 70-210 on the front camera. If I cannot be at the front during the ceremony, I can often shoot the processional from the front, and then move to the side, similar to the web sample you listed.

At the back we have three cameras. The back may be on ground level or a balcony, just depending on the church. Back cam 1 has the Vivitar Series 1 70-210. It gets the tight shot of the groom reaction shot as well as a nice medium shot of the vows. Back cam 2 has the Tamron 17-50 which gets nice wide shots. Cam 3 has either a Tokina 11-16 or a Sigma 20, depending on the circumstances. It is an unmanned cover shot and then also is used for slider shots from various angles at the back. Typically, one person handles all three of theses cameras, so the length of the ceremony will determine how much time we have for creative shots with the slider.

When we do have a third shooter for the ceremony they will discreetly roam the perimeter with a wide lens on a slider or glidecam.

2. What's best for workflow in terms of managing footage on the day? I currently roll with 5 32GB cards, but ideally I would like to have enough that I just use cards for different segments, like prep, ceremony, dance, etc as it would be easier to manage on the PC.

Most of our weddings are also Same Day Edits. Keeping the cards organized for 4 cameras is very important. We label our cameras, A, B, C, and D. Each card is labeled A1, A2, A3...you get the idea. The editor knows that typically, A1, B1, etc will be prep. A2, B2, etc will be ceremony. They also know that D3, D4 will be glidecam for the reception.

3. Looking at your site I realized I should do what you do, cinematic or documentary style. I've been attempting a bastardization of the both, but should really keep it distinct, but how do you even begin to price for that?

Cinematic style starts at $3800. Documentary style starts at $1800. There is a lot more creativity in the cinematic style which requires a higher level of skill in shooting and editing, but it greatly increases the editing time as well, which is reflected in the price. Occasionally we shoot the Documentary style but most of the time one of our associates shoot the Doc style. This way we are available to shoot the Cinematic style.


4. If you edit in premiere on Windows I certainly have some questions about DVD creation.

We edit in Edius, but use Adobe Encore for our DVDs and Blurays.

5. Do you add lighting anytime at all? I have a lot of dark situations to deal with and I am trying to think to myself if 2.8 would even be enough! If not, ISO and Neat video will have to make it workable. Any tips on how you expose your shots?

For church weddings, we do not add lighting. If the ceremony is in a dark chapel or hotel ball room, we may add lighting. We do add lighting to most of our receptions. For almost all of our weddings, 2.8 is okay. For most of our receptions, 2.8 is too dark, which is why we switch to fast primes for the reception. For the wedding and reception we use lights on light stands positioned up high. We do not use on camera lighting as it looks bad. For cake cutting or the exit we will use mobile lighting designed to mount to the camera, but we have an assistant hold the light.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by tips on exposing the shot. Are you referring to getting proper exposure?

6. Thank you for the lens recommendations, but even still, given my situation, what do you suggest I go for first? If I keep the Sony camera as a wide, maybe I can use that with 2 DSLRs on the side, but what do you think the priorities are? I'm thinking zoom since I already have this 50mm. So perhaps the 17-50? I actually have a friend with the Tamron 17-50 he is willing to sell for $500 US, so I could maybe access that quickly.

I think your highest priority it to get a longer 2.8 zoom in the 70-200 range. Why get a 17-50 when you already have a 50 and you have the wide end covered with your Sony camera? The 17-50 is great for prep, maybe a bright reception and yes, we use it for the ceremony, but you do not have a lens to get a tight shot during the ceremony with your DSLR. Get a 70-200 first, a fast prime on the wide end and of course the Tokina 11-16, then look into the 17-50, but that's just my opinion.

7. Even though you have fast glass at 1.8 or 1.4, do you find yourself always shooting that wide open? How much do you rely on bumping up the ISO? And yes, I know to use values of 160, 320, 640, 1250 and 1600 with the 60D! :D

When it is really dark, I will go to 1600 ISO at 1.4. Keeping focus at 1.4 on a 50mm isn't too bad with practice. Keeping focus at 1.4 on the 85mm is a real challenge, especially on a moving subject. Don't forget, you can also use 800 ISO as it is a multiple of 160. I do not hesitate to shoot at 640 or 800. 1600 is where I calculate how badly I need the extra brightness. If I'm on the 85, many times I will go up to 1600 so I can close the lens down to 2.0 or 2.8 just to get a little deeper DoF to make it easier to focus on a moving subject.
On the other end of the spectrum, shooting at 1.8 on the 20mm is pretty easy to keep focus. The wider the lens, the greater (more in focus) DoF. At the same f/stop a tighter lens will have less (a smaller amount in focus) DoF. Look to my answer on #9 for a valuable tool for a better understanding of DoF

9. I really need to wrap my head around hyperfocal distance better.

All of your answers to hyperfocal and DoF charts are here.
http://www.dofmaster.com/
If you have an iPhone or Android, download the app. If you don't have either of those devices or even if you do, this is a very helpful link as well.
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
 
swopiv said:
I agree with the need to get some faster primes first, but I think the Tokina is a superb lens, and I have made much more use of it that I initially thought I would. Just to clear up a point: it will work on full frame cameras, but will vignette below 15mm, so it effectively becomes a 16mm 2.8 prime (or a 15-16 zoom :huh:)
Click to expand...

Wow, I didn't know that. That is great news! Thanks so much. I thought it was a physical limitation, but the vignette below 15mm makes sense.

I love my Tokina 11-16 and I thought I was going to have to give it up if I went full frame. 15mm on a full frame is great.
 
thundermonkey said:
I greatly appreciate your input. I have to say, reading the vintage lens thread got me thanks to you. I am currently eyeing one of these .

I live in the Caribbean. So I can only buy from the web more or less, and I guess that is why I am extra wary - returning items is almost out of the question. As of right now, what is jumping out at me is the Tamron 17-50 and 70-200.

The vintage lenses look nice, but I still don't quite understand 30 pages in, or maybe I do. Maybe I can do the primes in Nikkor and get an adapter...
Click to expand...

You are welcome. That lens looks good, but I still think a 70-200 and a fast wide prime would be better purchases before a fast 85mm.

The Caribbean. Sounds nice, but I do understand about not being able to return items.

If you do not understand the vintage lens thing, did you read this article?
http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/News/Feature/Vintage-Lenses-in-the-DSLR-Age-68120.htm
At the time Chris wrote the article, he was heavy into Russian and other third party vintage lenses and did not have much experience with Nikon, but I think this article will help you better understand the Vintage Lens topic.
 
Very Nice Write up Mark, I was going to give some advice but you more than summed it up.

We probably need to sticky this for weddings somewhere.

I have been doing weddings for several years as well and would like to ad that I have experienced doing weddings with just myself and it is almost impossible to get away with especially if it is a Catholic or Christian wedding.

I will add more here soon, gotta go shoot. Take care
 
I've been reading and thinking and mulling over before I hit your with more questions. I'm also happy to know what you suggested in naming cards was in line with what I thought.

As for lighting, I am thinking to get maybe some Lowel lights. Do you go with softboxes if you do light a ceremony? For receptions, does that not kill the atmosphere since they're off for people to enjoy themselves?
 
Thanks for the kind words guys.

Thundermonkey said:
As for lighting, I am thinking to get maybe some Lowel lights. Do you go with softboxes if you do light a ceremony? For receptions, does that not kill the atmosphere since they're off for people to enjoy themselves?

Softboxes are great for interviews when you need a soft key light, but they are not a good light when you need a long throw, like for the ceremony. The Lowel Prolight on a dimmer placed up high near the band or DJ lights will not ruin the atmosphere of the reception. The Prolights are small enough and when used with barn doors, you can direct the light just on the dance floor. Using a dimmer allows you to dial in just enough light without turning the dance floor into NASA. ;-)

Even if they have mood lighting, a color wash or their initials on the dance floor (GOBO), the Prolights, when used properly with barn doors and a dimmer, will not ruin the atmosphere. They just add enough fill light to get a good image and good skin tones with a DSLR and fast primes. Now if you tried to use your kit lens, you would have to use much more lighting and then you would run the risk of ruining the atmosphere.
 
Something that I've found really terrible is when people have coloured lighting in receptions. Red light especially does not look very good on skin. By the time the footage makes it to the DVD, people look very muddy. Of course, so far it has just been me being nitpicky, no clients have complained. I'll probably[video]http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/270103-REG/Lowel_Pro_light_Two_Light_Kit.html[/video] and go with the Tamron 70-200 or the Vivitar. I say Tamron only because of the f/2.8.

I don't know about in the US, but where I'm at, 0 thought goes into lighting places at all, so I really must try to get the most adequate lighting situation.

I'm also currently looking at this tripod with either 701 or 501 head. Any thoughts there?


Mark, you are a gentleman and a scholar!
 
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That light kit looks good. Don't forget to order the lamps. You might as well order at least 4 lamps. That way you have a couple of backups. I don't know if you have a local store that carries equipment like that.

That tripod is okay, but you are paying extra for the light weight. If you get the aluminum version of it, you can get a 501HDV head and a bag for less than the carbon fiber version you listed.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...DV_755XBK_501HDV_755XBK_Video_Tripod_Kit.html

I personally like the 503 and 503HDV heads better, but they are more expensive than the 501HDV head and they no longer make those models, so you would be looking used or at least new old stock (nos). If you decide to look on eBay for a 503 or 503HDV you should also consider a Manfrotto 3221 WN set of legs. You could also look for the 755 legs on eBay.

I do understand the limitations of shipping to the Caribbean, so I can certainly understanding wanting to order from B&H and make things simple. The 501HDV head is not terrible with a DSLR. I just prefer the 503HDV heads.

If you are going to make a B&H order for the lights and tripods, if you don't already have a good monopod, you should get this one.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html
 
Mark Von Lanken said:
That light kit looks good. Don't forget to order the lamps. You might as well order at least 4 lamps. That way you have a couple of backups. I don't know if you have a local store that carries equipment like that.

That tripod is okay, but you are paying extra for the light weight. If you get the aluminum version of it, you can get a 501HDV head and a bag for less than the carbon fiber version you listed.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...DV_755XBK_501HDV_755XBK_Video_Tripod_Kit.html

I personally like the 503 and 503HDV heads better, but they are more expensive than the 501HDV head and they no longer make those models, so you would be looking used or at least new old stock (nos). If you decide to look on eBay for a 503 or 503HDV you should also consider a Manfrotto 3221 WN set of legs. You could also look for the 755 legs on eBay.

I do understand the limitations of shipping to the Caribbean, so I can certainly understanding wanting to order from B&H and make things simple. The 501HDV head is not terrible with a DSLR. I just prefer the 503HDV heads.

If you are going to make a B&H order for the lights and tripods, if you don't already have a good monopod, you should get this one.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html
Click to expand...

That's actually the monopod I currently used, and may hold off on the tripod for the time being until lenses are sorted out. :)
As for equipment, no, I can't get anything locally. I looked into renting lenses but they have just regular old lenses, no sort of fast primes. No good! So any lighting I would be looking for a well recommended kit. I do not have the luxury of renting or going to a Best Buy to try out anything (I bought my 60D after much research and lucked out there as I love it) so any lighting kit I go for, ideally would come with a recommendation from someone.

Back to the Tripod, maybe I could very well do the aluminium version, but I hope I wouldn't regret it when it comes time to lug all the equipment around on an actual shoot.

As it is, with a budget right now of about $1200, I have decide among the next few items.

Attenuator
Tripod/head
Lighting
Lens (Tamron 70-200 maybe)
Senheisser wireless mic set
2nd h4n zoom for wireless mic set
 
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