What else should I get?

W

Westcroft

Member
I'm taking the plunge and ordering the HMC150 off of B&H, a few other things in my shopping cart are:

- 2x Panasonic VW-VBG6PPK batteries
- Impact charger for the batteries
- Davis & Sanford Pro Vista Video Tripod with FM18 Fluid Head
- Panasonic SD card Reader/Writer

I'm going to be getting a pelican case locally (I know a distributor so I save money and get the foam custom cut :D).

I have a pretty decent audio set-up (RODE NTG2, 2x RODE NT3s, RODE boompole, Deadcat, Shockmount, Zoom H4 for external recording, XLR cables, etc)... I also have the IKAN V8000HD monitor and an IKAN articulating arm.

I'm curious if there's any other accessories that you guys think could come in useful for shooting short films.

Cheers!
 
Westcroft - the camera comes with a battery charger and if you buy the transcend card off amazon it comes with a card reader; get a decent UV filter to protect your lens.
 
Just the UV filter I think now and like Ken said.. don't need the charger since it comes with it.

By the way do you also post on IndyMogul forums? I remember your name from when I used to be on that site.
 
Remember that Panasonic has a rebate going on until the end of the month. If you buy by the end of the month you get a free battery (the big one, not the small one) and a 8gig memory card. So, you might not need to buy so many batteries.

-Brian
 
Depending on whether you're hobbyst or pro, you can consider getting a cheaper SD reader. I got a Transcend 16GB SDHC and a USB reader for about $40 - much cheaper than the Panasonic brand.

I don't know if there's a proven reliability difference, but the Transcend had excellent reviews on Amazon so that's good enough for me for now.
 
Oh, one other thing. I placed two separate orders - one for the camera, another for my accessories. This way, if B&H's stock doesn't come in soon, I can easily cancel the camera's order and buy it somewhere else.

However I've got my fingers crossed that they'll come through in a few days, here... :thumbup:
 
Check your editing setup. If you don't have the horsepower in your computer to edit AVCHD, then add Cineform Neo scene, or Raylight to your needed inventory.

And a decent light kit is always a plus for for short and long form filmmaking.
 
Ya I just placed and order for that tripod, thanks for pointing it out. I need a cheap (around that price) Fluid head and that seemed perfect, might not be extremely pro or amazing but I'm sure it will do for awhile for me, since I don't need anything crazy.
 
BluePatriot said:
Check your editing setup. If you don't have the horsepower in your computer to edit AVCHD, then add Cineform Neo scene, or Raylight to your needed inventory.


And a decent light kit is always a plus for for short and long form filmmaking.
Click to expand...

Thankfully I do have enough horsepower... sadly, it was very costly. I will be getting a light kit, but I'll be buying it locally.

BrianMurphy said:
What do you intend to shoot? Is this a "hobby" or a profession?
Click to expand...

The films will be mostly hobby stuff, but I also dabble (haha) in some videographer work on the side.

Ken Steadman said:
Westcroft - the camera comes with a battery charger and if you buy the transcend card off amazon it comes with a card reader; get a decent UV filter to protect your lens.
Click to expand...

Sadly I live in Canada, so I'm not able to order off of Amazon.com with ease, and Amazon.ca doesn't carry Transcend. Thank you for telling me about the charger, that saves me some cash!

bgreenstone said:
Remember that Panasonic has a rebate going on until the end of the month. If you buy by the end of the month you get a free battery (the big one, not the small one) and a 8gig memory card. So, you might not need to buy so many batteries.

-Brian
Click to expand...

I think due to the fact I'm Canadian, I don't get to enjoy that offer.


Thank you all for a lot of great advice... I've added the UV filter!
 
Westcroft,
Where are you in Canada? You can get a deal on the Trancend cards and reader from Tiger.ca and you should be able to get the battery and card deal with the camera from Vistek or one of the authorized Panasonic dealers in Canada. I did a few months ago.
 
You can get much cheaper light kits online than you would be able to locally. So many options and if you have them shipped ground.. and wait a bit.. it's very cheap to ship.


I'd recommend searching around but you can get a very nice light kit for a very cheap price.


For about a grand I put together a really nice... highly functional light kit for most situations. For the grand I got.

A refurbished used Mole Richardson 2k fresnel spot and it's an incredible key light.

1- 1k fresnel with softbox,

2- 650 fresnels.

3 - 1k softlights

2 - Florescent soft lights.


I got this all with a couple of C-stands, 5 light stands, and a bunch of diffusion and that. I am about to build some nice flags and scrims and silks.. I can put together all of that for cheaper than buying it. If you look around.. you can find some great deals on used lighting.
 
Thomas Lew said:
Ya dude seriously about the tripod... I'm just about ready to buy one myself haha
Click to expand...

Haha, I'm glad I could help... I stumbled upon that brand and saw that the tripod had some good reviews, came with a case and a dolly and seemed perfect for me.

BrianMurphy said:
Westcroft,
Where are you in Canada? You can get a deal on the Trancend cards and reader from Tiger.ca and you should be able to get the battery and card deal with the camera from Vistek or one of the authorized Panasonic dealers in Canada. I did a few months ago.
Click to expand...

Winnipeg. I've already purchased 4 Transcend cards off ebay (got them for a nice price and free shipping, they were delivered about 15 minutes ago). As far dealing with Vistek, they want an obscene amount of money for the camera... it's not worth it, even after the currency conversion, custom fees and shipping.

Justyn said:
You can get much cheaper light kits online than you would be able to locally. So many options and if you have them shipped ground.. and wait a bit.. it's very cheap to ship.


I'd recommend searching around but you can get a very nice light kit for a very cheap price.


For about a grand I put together a really nice... highly functional light kit for most situations. For the grand I got.

A refurbished used Mole Richardson 2k fresnel spot and it's an incredible key light.

1- 1k fresnel with softbox,

2- 650 fresnels.

3 - 1k softlights

2 - Florescent soft lights.


I got this all with a couple of C-stands, 5 light stands, and a bunch of diffusion and that. I am about to build some nice flags and scrims and silks.. I can put together all of that for cheaper than buying it. If you look around.. you can find some great deals on used lighting.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips, the only reason I'm dealing locally though is because of some hook-ups I have... I'm going to be able to get some light kits for cost, can't complain about that.

Again thank you all for the info! I decided to go with a cheaper SD reader and a HOYA UV filter :) I'm going to be making the order in a few hours so if anyone has any last minute purchase ideas... let me know!
 
Westcroft,
Good luck with your purchase. the current Canadian price at Vistek is $4699.Cdn The current price at BH is 3695.US. The current conversion brings that to $4565.Cdn. And you haven't cleared it through customs and you have taxes to pay no matter where you buy it and shipping. You also have a camera that has to be returned to the USA to be repaired on any warranty issue and that too is at your expense. Just thought you should know. And one more thing why in hell would you put a cheap Hoya filter on a nice piece of glass like that? Buy a B&W MRC.
 
The person i bought my HMC from gave me a hoya filter with it, and for some reason no matter how much i clean this thing it's still foggy, i hate it.
 
Strobe Media said:
The person i bought my HMC from gave me a hoya filter with it, and for some reason no matter how much i clean this thing it's still foggy, i hate it.
Click to expand...

I havent been using an UV filter with my 150 but I did try and clean a Hoya I had left from my DVX and I cant get that thing clean no matter what. I see they do have a new HD filter for $95 thats scratch/smudge resistant and waterproof.
 
as much as i'd love one, $95 for a UV filter is quite a bit, i think at this point i'll just be putting mine on when i'm not using the camera. I'm probably being dumb because $95 is worth it to protect a $3200 camera, maybe later in time haha.
 
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