[Denis O’keefe]

I’d carry one and check another in a good size well packed pelican case. You’ll probably pay excess baggage, and make sure it is insured on your policy. I’ve traveled with a ton of gear for years with minimal losses – batteries and tape for instance. Do open your case at the airport when you arrive (but not too publicly, you don’t want to knocked over the head and robbed in the parking garage).
If you are traveling from the US you’ll need a customs declaration and some countries need a carnet – it may be best to look as amateur as possible – two cameras and a tripod shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, much more than that may cause customs delays.
Have a good trip….

[Denis O’keefe]

Hello Jim,
I’ve been using the EX and the Letus extreme with my Nikon lenses for about a year, and find it works very well and yields great images that look just a bit different – I can’t exactly define it bu the light seems to wrap the subjects more, a subtle difference that somehow becomes “filmlike”.
the angle of view is not precisely what you get on a 35mm SLR but it is very close, and there is an advantage shooting on the video camera lens (as opposed to a relay) – you still can zoom while rolling or rapidly change focal length without having to change a lens.
Using an SLR lens directly on an EX3 results in the approx 5.5 magnification, great for extreme telephoto or extreme closeup work.
As much as I love using the EX1/Letus some toys must go and I’m prepping mine for sale – if you are interested please PM me or reach me at denis@okeefe.tv
Apologies if this is not kosher, when I get all together I’ll properly put this in the classifieds

[Denis O’keefe]

You should experiment with some heavy ND filters before you travel – set the camera to -3db and try to use enough ND to get to somewhere around f11 on the EX camera lens- that way as the sky darkens during the eclipse you can ride the iris open as and if needed.
Xray film probably will do the job but I’d be concerned about scratches, clarity, etc. An ND filter should be optically superior.
I would also suggest a big solid tripod, probably with a couple sandbags to keep everything from moving – you shouldn’t reframe or move anything during the shot, if you need another angle or focal length you probably need another camera.
Running at 720p 24 or 30 cranked at 60fps will give you a slight slow motion which I think would be a good thing.
There are reasonably priced adapters to put Nikon lenses directly on the EX3, resulting in some long telephoto shots from relatively small lenses – say a 180 or 300mm which will effectively be 700 to 1500mm on the EX camera. That may well give you a spectacular shot (remember to load up on ND though).
I’d use the heavy ND in front of the lens, and not depend on the internal nd – if it is plastic with enough magnification I suppose there is a possibility you could melt through it.
Other, brighter minds will have more suggestions – it just occurred to me this might be a good use of a hot mirror to reflect some of the infrared away from the lens and camera.
good luck with the shoot!

[Denis O’keefe]

Thanks, the fat32 worked fine – I tried it on a friend’s Mac running Win under Fusion.

[Denis O’keefe]

Any chance you could post this on exposureroom or vimeo? I’d really like to see the images but the download time is way too long.

[Denis O’keefe]

I used the 350 for almost two years, now that I have the EX cameras I’ll never go back – even a new 800 is no temptation. Images are our business, and the EX cameras make better images than just about anything out there regardless of the price.
As for students beating up gear, you can’t expect everything to be idiot proof, and as a line someone uses regularly on this forum says, “you can’t fix stupid”. I say fail ’em or fire ’em.

[Denis O’keefe]

How do you control start and stop recording on the Nano? Do you have to reach back to the box on the back of the camera or is there some remote option?

[Denis O’keefe]

It sounds like the last missing link is the firmware for the U1 that will open the “general” folder.
I really want to do is put 50 gigs of BPAV files ( and a copy of the browser and transfer software)on an XD disc and file it away for the future.
Which will raise the next question – is the unadulterated BPAV written to a data disc the best bet for long term archive? I suspect it is the best bet we have.
An old kinescope setup, a reel of film and a cool dry space would really insure a record that will last a hundred years, and is sounding more and more like a back to the future business plan

[Denis O’keefe]

Before we go off in too many directions, the 700 and the EX cams are 1920 x 1080. The 350, 355 are indeed 1440×1080.
But the question remains, when can we archive to disc? XDcam disc are discs after all, if they make the drive work like an old iomega zip I’ll buy one tomrrow.

[Denis O’keefe]

What are you going to be shooting? The EX-3 is a fine camera, and can be rigged for news, documentary, film style shooting, green screen work and on an on and on.
If you’re doing wildlife maybe you need some really long glass, if you have to work inside a phonebooth a super wide may be necessary, but for general work, just get a camera and start shooting – the extras that you need will be apparent along the way
The letus is great, it takes the camera to a different level, but it also drags it far from “point and shoot”. I find I have to work slower, which often means the pictures are better. But not always. If the assignment is to shoot a lot in a little bit of time, and make it all look pretty good, shooting the EX-3 clean is the way to go.
The most valuable accessory is the brain behind the camera – get one and start shooting – everything will then become clear.
(sounds kinda zen – doesn’t it)