Bill Bruner
Forum Replies Created
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Another vote for sound. I’d get a real mic such as the $330 Sennheiser MKE600
, a $6.50 XLR cable
, an $18 boom/hot shoe ready shock mount
and a $200 Tascam DR-60D
recorder. You can screw this recorder into the tripod socket below your camera – no need for external rigs, brackets or cages to mount it.
You can then plug the recorder into your camera with a $27 Sescom LN2MIC-TASDR100 cable for a backup “scratch” track.
You should also get a decent set of monitoring headphones – I recommend the $90 Senal SMH-1000s
With this setup, especially if you can get the mic on a boom and get it closer to your subjects, you will significantly improve your audio over in-camera sound.
And yes, this would take you over $500, but you can sell the Rode to make up the difference.
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi Chris – the Sound Devices and the H6 are great solutions, but they are a little expensive.
You can save a little money and still get high quality audio with a £290 Tascam DR-60D
. You can save even more if you import one from the States
.
The DR-60D has all of the features on your list, plus a much more convenient form factor than the Zoom (you can screw it to the tripod thread underneath your camera and then mount the whole thing on a tripod – without taking up your hot shoe or buying a bracket or cage).
With a Sescom LN2MIC-TASDR100 cable
connecting the DR-60D’s line out to your camera’s mic jack, you can record to the camera and the recorder at the same time.
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi dave – if you want a professional “cinematic” large sensor camera for TV promos below $5000, the $4999 (body only) Canon C100 and the $4499 (with 18-200 manual zoom lens) Sony FS100
are pretty much the two best choices on the market today.
Here is what the C100 can do: https://vimeo.com/56133010
Here is what the FS100 can do: https://vimeo.com/39060434
If you can wait a few months, the recently announced 4K Panasonic GH4 (~$1699) with its DMC-YAGH Interface Unit (~$2199) will give you a lot better image quality for your money (10-bit versus 8-bit, and 4 times the resolution of 1080p).
Here is what this camera can do (please watch at your monitor’s maximum resolution): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHKJ5eE7I1k
Hope this is helpful!
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“Just to confirm, this is a C-mount lens, correct?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANGENIEUX-ZOOM-12-240mm-3-5-lens-/231157696441?pt=C...
Which, of course, won’t work on the MFT sensor. Or am I misinformed?”
Hi Andrew – this is not a C-mount lens. It is a brass Cameflex mount for the old Eclairs.
You can certainly buy a $149 Cameflex to micro 4/3 adapter
to mount this lens on your camera, but it’s a standard 16mm lens, so you’ll get vignetting at the wide end on a Super 16 or micro 4/3 sensor.
Since you posted this in the Blackmagic subforum, I assume you have a Blackmagic camera with a Super 16 sensor?
If so, a Super 16 lens like this one
would prevent vignetting, but would also be more expensive.
The mount matters less than the sensor coverage.
Hope this is helpful,
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Hi Trent – glad I could help. On your audio questions, you may want to look into buying the Tascam DR-60D
If you decide to get one of the Zooms, you can mount it atop the EOS M with a $30 Kamerar hot shoe extension
.
Here’s how I mounted my recorder, top handle and mic on the Kamerar hot shoe extension on top of my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera:
As far as mics go, the G3 is a good wireless – but when you’re considering shotguns, you may want to avoid the Rode prosumer mic with its unbalanced 3.5mm output. If you ever plan to put your mic on a boom and get it closer to your subject, you will need a pro mic with balanced XLR out to reduce the possibility of RFI resulting from the longer cable run. If you can rent a Sennheiser MKH-416, the industry standard, you’ll have a much better mic than the Videomic.
Hope that’s helpful,
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Hi Trent – to minimize headaches with camera compatibility, you may want to consider renting another 70D from Borrowlenses for a weekend for $95.66 (shipping included), or, if you are comfortable learning a new camera, and you want something that can sit on a tripod at the back of the ceremony and run for a couple of hours, rent a Panasonic GH3 for $101.66 and buy a $50 adapter for your Canon lenses
. Make sure to shoot in .MOV so your Canon and Panasonic files are compatible.
Another option, that could be helpful if this turns out to be the first of many weddings, is to buy a Canon EOS M body on closeout for $249
and a $60 EF to EF-M lens adapter
.
With this combination, you’ll own your own “B” camera and save money, in the long term, over renting.
Hope this is helpful and good luck with your first wedding!!
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Understand – thanks for the clarification. If you want a parfocal lens for your D7100, you might want to look at the new Sigma 18-35 constant f1.8 for Nikon ($799 on backorder from Adorama, marked up a few dollars, but in stock at Amazon
).
Here is what it can do (shot by Erik Naso on his Canon C300 – please watch at 1080p):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U23VFBj73K0
Note that focus and exposure stay constant throughout the zoom range.
Again, hope this is helpful!
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Ann – it’s not the type of camera – it’s the lens.
A “parfocal” lens holds focus throughout the zoom range and allows you to zoom in, set your focus and zoom out.
A “varifocal” lens does not.
Those of us who come from motion picture film or video are accustomed to parfocal lenses.
Most still camera lenses are varifocal, however.
I shoot with Panasonic GH cameras, and the Panasonic 12-35
and 35-100
hold focus throughout the zoom range, as seen here at several focal lengths with the 12-35 on the Panasonic AF100 camcorder:
With these cameras, you can also adapt parfocal video (or cinema lenses), as seen in this test from GanEdenVideo (a little shaky, but you get the idea):
Here’s a smoother example (with star filter):
B4 adapters and parfocal video lenses are not that expensive. Here’s a Fujinon 14x constant f1.7 parfocal zoom for $599 with a B4 to micro 4/3 adapter
(and a 2X extender to avoid vignetting).
Hope this is helpful,
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I agree, Matthew. The 12mm T1.6 is a terrific lens for Blackmagic cameras – but I didn’t recommend it because it is such a challenge to actually find one in stock.
They are pretty much on continual backorder at Adorama and Amazon
.
If you are patient, you can find one occasionally on eBay, but they’re often direct imports from Asia (here’s one in Hong Kong for $595
, for example).
Cheers,
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Hi Den – sounds really frustrating. Glad you decided not to get the gun 🙂
You might want to trade your Oly in for a manual lens such as the $499 Rokinon 16mm T2.2 for micro 4/3
. It costs about the same as the Olympus
, and a lot less than the Voigtlander
.
Alternatively, you can keep the lens, send the $1995 BMCC MFT
back and get a $995 BMPCC
. I have one, and it works just fine with Olympus auto lenses.
Good luck!
