Help Me With Your Opinion!

S

Scorer

Ok, so I plan on shooting a film in March, and I am getting all new equip. in February.
I was decided on the GH2, until recently I began thinking about getting somthing that will shoot in 2K. I really like the idea of having that kind of quality. However, for the price difference, I can afford a lot more gear if I go with the GH2. My budget is somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,500-$4000.

Here is what I have in my cart if I go with the GH2. If you have any suggestions or recommendations let me know. If you think I should go with a 2K camera instead, feel free to suggest one (I have looked at the black magic but other than that only one or two others).


Davis & Sanford PROVISTA7518XB Provista Tripod with FM18 Head
$189.95

ePhoto H9004S4 3200 Watt Digital Photography Photo Video Continuous Lighting Light Kit Carrying Case
$179.99

HQRP Kit AC Power Adapter and DC Coupler compatible with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 DMC-GH2H
DMC-GH2K DMC-GH2HK DMC-GH2S Digital Camera plus Euro Plug Adapter
$20.95

Articulating Magic Arm 11 -Inch and Single Rod Clamp - 15mm -2 Thread
$35.90

LCD Monitor Mounting Bracket for ProAm Camera Crane
$9.95

ProAm Camera Crane Stand
$59.00

ProAm DVC200 Camera Jib Crane
$279.00

Ravelli ATD Professional Tripod Dolly for Camera Photo Video
$38.89

Lilliput 665gl-70np/h/y 7" On-camera Hd LCD Field Monitor w/ Hdmi in & Component in Video in Video Out +1/4"
HOT Shoe Mount+pisen Du21 Battery and Charger By Viviteq Inc - Lilliput
$228.99

Opteka CXS-300 Dual-Grip Video Shoulder Stabilizer Support System for DSLR Cameras & Camcorders
$179.95

ePhoto Lens Support Bracket Rod Clamp for Rod Support Rail System Rig Follow Focus New Lensupport
$25.99

SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 95MB/s SDSDXPA-032G-AFFP
$66.16

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2KK 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle
Touch Screen LCD and 14-42mm Hybrid Lens (Black)
$699.00

FOTGA DP500 Follow Focus FF for DSLR 15mm Rod For Canon Nikon
$106.98

BestDealUSA New Fotga DP500 DSLR Matte Box For 15mm Rail Rod Suppot Focus Rig 60D 5DII
$15.84


Total: $2,136.54



There were a few other things but I would have to look them up again. One of them was a 20mm Pancake that bumped the price another $300. The choice is difficult because I want to be able to get a lot of this gear to assist me in getting the shots that I want, but on the other hand, the better the quality the more pleased I will be with it. Don't worry about audio, I am handling that separately.
 
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scorer - you've done a good job of shopping. This will work - I have a lot of the same equipment in my home studio.

A few suggestions that you might find helpful in saving some money:

Instead of the GH2 with the 14-42 lens for $699, I would save $50 by buying the GH2 body for $499 and the 14-42 lens separately for $149.

Instead of the Davis & Sanford tripod for $189.95, I would get the Ravelli AVTP Professional for $119.89 or the Fancier version of the same tripod for $109.99. I have this tripod, and it pans and tilts very smoothy, with a 75mm bowl and metal crutch style legs for not a lot of money.

Instead of the 4 light set from Fancier for $189.99, I would get a 3 light set with white/green/black backdrops for $179.99. a 3-light setup will work for 99% of your setups and green screen is your friend.

One place I would spend a little more is the shoulder rig. Instead of the Opteka CXS-300 for $179.95, I would step up to the Photography & Cinema Prime Shoulder Rig for $259.99. This is a great rig, with a reconfigurable shoulder/chest pad, that you can modify for just about any shooting situation. With a Photography & Cinema hand grip for $21.95, you can shrink your rig down to a lightweight chest support for run and gun. Here is how emm over at cheesycam did it with the Panasonic GH3.

One final thought - why buy a follow focus when the 14-42 is an autofocus lens? It is not a problem to buy it early, but I would wait until I had a few manual lenses and adapters and determine whether you really need one before you buy.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck!

Bill
 
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I have to disagree here - more lights is always better than less lights, and green screen is only useful if you plan on actually doing green screen shots, and can actually pull them off believably.

If there's anything you're going to spend more on, make it the tripod. A good, sturdy tripod will last you forever.

I'd worry the least about what kind of shoulder rig setup you're using. I've been using a 'tilta' rig recently and it works fine, but just about any shoulder mount will be okay.

And I'd recommend a follow focus as one of the first things you purchase if you're serious about making films. I use a Focus Puller on every narrative piece I shoot, so we'd be kinda stuck without it, and even if pulling focus yourself, it's easier to pull focus on a follow focus than off the barrel especially on still lenses. Autofocus is absolutely no substitute for manual focus pulling.

You don't need a 2k camera. HD is close enough to 2k anyway.
 
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