purchasing a video camera and A/V equipment

[PhillyB]

My setup is complete. I got a Sony FDR-AX100. Built an audio package with Rode's newest model, the NTG4+, which is slightly inferior to the 3 but way better than the 2 and also has a built-in 150-hour battery, which is awesome. Got a tripod, deadcat, built a boom pole, etc.

@Dex, what kind of lenses do you use when you shoot? I'm trying to build a package that'll give me cinema-quality looks, which is hard to achieve digitally. What do you do to get shallow depth of field? Do you use an anamorphic lens to get 2.35 aspect ratio or just add black bars in post?  

halp

[Dex]

7 minutes ago, PhillyB said:

My setup is complete. I got a Sony FDR-AX100. Built an audio package with Rode's newest model, the NTG4+, which is slightly inferior to the 3 but way better than the 2 and also has a built-in 150-hour battery, which is awesome. Got a tripod, deadcat, built a boom pole, etc.

@Dex, what kind of lenses do you use when you shoot? I'm trying to build a package that'll give me cinema-quality looks, which is hard to achieve digitally. What do you do to get shallow depth of field? Do you use an anamorphic lens to get 2.35 aspect ratio or just add black bars in post?  

halp

I usually add black bars in post if I use them at all and my 50mm 1.4 prime lens is incredible for narrow depth of field shots and detailed focusing. It'd my go to lens for short films. Research some wide angle lenses too. Drunk right now will update later. INVEST IN A LIGHTING PACKAGE AND GLIDECAM/DOLLY/RAIL STSTEM

[PhillyB]

8 minutes ago, Dex said:

I usually add black bars in post if I use them at all and my 50mm 1.4 prime lens is incredible for narrow depth of field shots and detailed focusing. It'd my go to lens for short films. Research some wide angle lenses too. Drunk right now will update later. INVEST IN A LIGHTING PACKAGE AND GLIDECAM/DOLLY/RAIL STSTEM

dolly systems are so fuging expensive. i'm looking to build my own actually, i did a bunch of pricing today at home depot to see what i'd need to put together. i have a bunch of tracking shots i'll absolutely need one for.

can you usually just screw lenses onto the end of a camera? i actually don't think mine's interchangeable, which is a big problem if i can't get the right depth of field.

do you use a matte box?

what lighting system do you use? i was just going to start with reflectors.

[Jimmy]

Have you ever read a thread you're interested in and then after reading it you felt like a total moron? 

Yeah...this thread.  I truly wish I knew what the hell you guys were talking about.  

@PhillyB if you need any muscle or words of encouragement I'm your man. Let me know. 

[PhillyB]

1 hour ago, Jimmy said:

Have you ever read a thread you're interested in and then after reading it you felt like a total moron? 

Yeah...this thread.  I truly wish I knew what the hell you guys were talking about.  

@PhillyB if you need any muscle or words of encouragement I'm your man. Let me know. 

i feel like a total moron trying to figure this poo out, which is why i'm asking dex

[mashburnfalcon]

Love Nikon. But I shoot photography. If I did video it would be canon or Sony. And I'm glad to see you went after the right thing. 

Just curious have you shot in manual before and know what it changes and etc?

[PhillyB]

17 hours ago, mashburnfalcon said:

Love Nikon. But I shoot photography. If I did video it would be canon or Sony. And I'm glad to see you went after the right thing. 

Just curious have you shot in manual before and know what it changes and etc?

nope, i'm starting to experiment with that. technical aspects of photography have always been my weak point (as opposed to things like composition) so i'm in the process of getting myself up to speed. cinematic film has a particular look that's extremely difficult to reproduce on a digital camera, and while you can add film grain and stuff in post production there's ways to shoot stuff that achieves that effect. the main thing i need to do right now is figure out how to achieve a shallow depth of field in shots

[mashburnfalcon]

Look on YouTube to understand the exposure triangle. Just have a understanding of it. You have shutter, aperture and iso that make it up. 

 

Than shoot in aperture mode. You'll learn the shooting wide open you'll have more bokeh (blur ) depth of field. Wide open means lowest aperture number........ as you increase that number to like f/22 everything will be in focus. 

 

Than learn shutter priority mode. Which is how fast you can freeze something. You can look into this for video mode of it affects you. 

 

Than learn ISO mode and put the rest in auto. This controls how much light you let in. More light means a higher number, which means more grain though. Lower number means less light, but no grain. 

 

After you learned what each one is. Then put it in full manual mode. And learn how you have to go for what you want, and then adjust the other two areas, so you get the correct exposure you want........ you'll eventually get it. And remember to practice practice practice. Don't sit there reading or watching videos all day. You learn a lot better by actually just playing with it. 

 

Good luck, and feel free to hit me up anytime for help.