Monday, January 18, 2010

The Gear.





Just thought I'd give the lowdown on the gear I brought with me to shoot Matatu. The biggest priorities for me were budget, size/weight, and most importantly, quality.
The Bag
Camera bags are often overlooked, but I wanted to highlight this one. It was lent to me from a friend, but I know I'll have to pick one up for myself. Made by Optex, it is a backpack which is crucial for quick getaways in a hostile urban environment (some Kiberans have been known to be unfriendly towards media), or if you're climbing in the rough. It is low profile and extremely well made with seperate compartments for everything you need.
The Microphone
I picked up the Rode mini-shotgun with shockmount on sale at dvshop for $160. The staff at dvshop are very knowledgeable and helpful, and it's a small store so you get their full attention. This mike is pretty awesome in terms of pricing and quality, and the shockmount is totally sweet.
The Video Camera
I was really lucky finding this camera. It's a Canon Vixia HV30, and it is one of the best HD cameras to find for under $1000. I found a used one on craiglist for $600. I will be shooting in hv24P cinema mode, which means 24 frames per second to give it a film look.
To watch a few movies shot with the same camera click here.
The Tripod
I picked up this tripod at Henry's for $150 about 10 years ago. Made by Velbon it is super lightweight, but very solid. I have never had a problem with it.
The Stills Camera
I picked up the Fuji Finepix S3000 six years ago. Priced at around $270, the images have a max of 3MB, which is fine. Unfortunately, it is not the greatest at fast moving objects, and the zoom lens is only 10X. In other words, if I had it in my budget, I would have gone for an SLR. I probably should not complain though, as this camera has served me well for portraits and the like. All images on this blog are taken with this camera. It also has a great body for holding and shooting, much like an old school 35mm, or the new SLRs. To see some other pix taken with the finepix 3000, click here.

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