Joel Servetz
Forum Replies Created
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You’ve invested in an expensive, high tech piece of equipment. Don’t ruin it by compromising on the charger/ac adapter. Get another Canon original.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
You’re welcome, I’m glad you found it useful. As for brands, I’ve always urged people to go with familiar, established brand names for most things. However, lately I have had very good experience with the Nuon brand distributed by Batteries Unlimited. Also, I just bought a couple of 8-bay AA/AAA chargers from B&H Photo under the Pearstone brand name and so far I’m completely satisfied. I have some Powerex 9 volt rechargeables and a Nuon charger for them. A good charger will have individual “fuel gauges” for each cell instead of just a simple LED, be capable of discharging and conditioning cells and detect and identify bad cells. Quick charging is a nice convenience, but not always the best choice for the long term health of your batteries. Buy enough so that on the job you always have a spare set sitting in the charger(s) staying topped off while you shoot, record, whatever you’re doing. best of luck.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
The tools and techniques may change, but the principles of light and exposure remain the same. In contrasty situations, if you have the opportunity, a good meter, such as those available from Sekonic, can be used to take an incident light reading (reading the light falling on the subject instead of what’s reflected off it) will give you a more accurate reading. In a pinch, and much more economically, go to a good camera store and buy an 18% gray card. Put it in the picture and take a reflected reading off of it, the effect is the same as an incident reading. Buy a couple of cards as they are usually cardboard and will wear out. You can also buy two-sided cards, white and gray, to take exposure and set white balance.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
A oouple of points about rechargeables vs throwaways. First, always use alkalines for the throwaways, never ever the cheap, bargain lead acid cells. You could use lithium cells, which have superior shelf life but are very expensive. 9V alkalines are rated at about 625mah, AA alkalines at about 2890mah. What I’ve always done with partially used alkalines, other than using them in other devices, is to reserve a bunch to use during sound checks. After I’m done with my setup I switch to fresh batteries for the show, recording session, whatever.
As for rechargeables, great strides have been made in their development. First, forget about ni-cads, They are subject to memory effects from partial use. Use NiMH (nickel metal hydride). They are available in capacity ratings similar to alkalines, up to about 3200mah for AA, but are much more economical, and environmentally friendly in the long run, and don’t suffer the memory effects of nicads. They are also very well suited to high drain devices as they maintain their voltage over most of the discharge cycle better than alkalines. So, although they start out with a lower nominal voltage, they maintain it longer. Also, while all electronic equipment list a nominal operating voltage, they usually are operable over a +/- volltage range that can often be found in the product specifications. You’ll have to evaluate the available batteries in relation to the needs of your equipment. One other caveat, most NiMH batteries have a pretty short self-discharge rate, so they need to be freshly charged before each job. That being said, I’m using them more and more these days.
One last point, wireless mics that transmit battery level data back to the receiver are probably calibrated to read the discharge curves of alkalines, and will probably transmit erroneous data about the status of rechargeables. You’ll have to do a little experimentation to get an accurate read on how to interpret the status readings you get.Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
Thanks Dennis. You’d be disappointed by the Lightpanels micro, I am. Cheap feel, not much light over a useful range. The Micro-Pro is supposed to be much better, but I’m waiting for others to chime in with opinions.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
A few years ago I had to shoot the topping off ceremony for the construction of a 52 story building in NYC from a helicopter with the door removed. I used my trusty old Canon XL-1. There was absolutely no budget for any stabilizers or any specialty equipment, so I just fell back on my experience, leaning into the seat cushion to absorb vibrations and provide bracing. It all came out fine. With no budget you just have to improvise. I’d also advise against using a D-SLR, it’s so much easier to control the shoot with a shoulder mount video camera.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
Thanks Dennis. I assume you mean the Lightpanels Mini. Can you elaborate a bit on why?
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
I’ve owned Lowel lights for more than 20 years, although no Rifas, and the one thing that has impressed me even more than their quality is the quality of their service. I strongly recommend you contact them directly. They have never failed to correct any problem I’ve ever had (damned few by comparison to other products) quickly and usually at no charge, even for very long of warranty products. I haven’t had any reason to contact tham since Smith Victor took over, so hopefully their service culture hasn’t changed.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
I’ve used FRS radios with headsets, professional radios with headsets, Telex wireless and Clearcom wired, never had any interference issues, although different venues have different issues. If you want a really inexpensive solution and wired is no problem, try using a small mixer with a headphone distribution amp plugged into the headphone out jack of the mixer, and regular old headphones with extension cables. Any mic plugged into the mixer will do and voila, you’re talking to everyone (but with no talkback). Simple and cheap.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
If you have the time and budget to buy one, the hybrid interface mentioned by Brian is certainly the best way to go, and there are several available at different price points from Markertek.com and other vendors. If you can find one, Marantz made the PMD series of cassette recorders that had a built-in telephone recording interface that worked perfectly (I still have one).
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com