Update on my situation and a few more Q's

[Samuel Colclough]

Hey I just wanted to thank you all for all your help. Many of you responded to my questions with honest helpful answers... in fact I believe that all of you did.

 

I decided to purchase a vx2100 because it is an intermediate camera and I HOPE*** that I am a low level intermediate night elf priest..... wtf.... anyway I hope that I am an intermediate camera user (maybe a 3.2 on a scale of 1-10). I was lucky enough to find a new one for 1900. VERY lucky because that leaves me a little extra money for a uv filter for the lens and a wide angle lense/adapter?.

 

Oh so here are a few quick questions.

 

The big battery for the vx2100 is the np-f970. Now, there are generic ones and there are the name brand ones. They are both less than retail on ebay. Is there a big difference? I mean... is there ANY difference because I would rather pay 50 for a 100+ product that works better than paying 25 for a 90 dollar product that works slightly less better? Well anyway, that's why I'm asking.

 

There are inexpensive wide angle lens/adapters and there are pretty expensive ones for the vx2100 which uses 58mm doo-dads. Can you recomend one that won't break the bank? This time I'm not goin for the best one because .. well lets say my budget is under 200 for sure but prefferably under 100 or around there.

 

Thirdly I believe there are some add on lights for this camera and an adapter that allows connection of an xlr-MIC. I really wanted the pd170 but you know that's okay.. I'm not planning on buying this pro mic adapter any time soon but I just wanted to see what you thought. And I think one of these 10/20 watt light inserts possibly plugs right into the camera, maybe in that same slot that the xlr adapter would have.

 

Last question... and thanks if you made it this far. Is can you recomend an inexpensive stabilization system. I'm talkin like the kind I still hold. I saw some crazy ones that attach to your waste and have an extending moving metal arm... I dunno about that, thats why I'm asking. I like to do my shots manually ... assuming I'm not on a tripod so... and I know the poor mans stabilization is folding up the tripod and leaving it attached to the cam and holding the tripod handel. What are your recomendations.. price range 50-150 but under 200.

 

okay. Well, I Really appreciate it. For now, I'm not planning on buying any lighting equip except maybe that add on I mentioned. I really look forward to learning all the manual features this camera has and reading the manual. I'm really glad I found this place and I'll try not to clutter the message boards with many topics, that's why I just made this a big one, but I figured I would get more respondes if I started a new thread.

 

Thank you Thankyou, and maybe one day I'll move up in the world. Oh wait, I did today :)!

 

CHEERS SONY DSR-VX2100 !!! HOORAH!

 

-Sam

 

Well, ble

[Samuel Colclough]

Should I purchase a canon elura or some such to capture the tapes that I film with the vx2100 so that I can preserve the life of the heads and other internal parts??

[Kevin Masuda]

Should I purchase a canon elura or some such to capture the tapes that I film with the vx2100 so that I can preserve the life of the heads and other internal parts??

 

 

That would be wise. Really, you can get any MiniDV camera but it's up to you.

 

 

Kev

[Chris Durham]

Last question... and thanks if you made it this far. Is can you recomend an inexpensive stabilization system.

 

For under $300 you can get a Bogen Manfrotto Fig Rig. That will provide decent stabilization. It's a hard device to describe, so just google it and you'll see. That and a tripod.

 

okay. Well, I Really appreciate it. For now, I'm not planning on buying any lighting equip except maybe that add on I mentioned.

 

One relatively cheap lighting solution is to use photoflood bulbs in chinese lanterns - the round paper kind you see. It's hard to do a 3-point setup that way, but it's better than just practicals in a lot of cases. the bulbs run you about $5-7; $10 for the lantern shade (diffuses the light); and maybe $20 for the fixtures (cord and socket). The only thing is you've got to be careful. The fixtures are typically 60 watts and the bulbs are 250 watts. Turn the lights on only when shooting and turn them off immediately. Keep an eye on them. (Also, they start to lose their color after about 3 hours of use, so use them judiciously)