XDCAM EX1 Must Have Accessories
 

I've just bought an XDCAM EX1.

Apart from a decent tripod and head (Sachtler DV6?), can anyone recommend a list of accessories that should also be in the bag?

Depends what you're shooting John. Safari or wedding? War or fox hunting? Porn or coal miners?

I think a starting point is a radio mic and decent shotgun+wind shield. Then there's an LED light, preferably running on the same battery type. I'd need a wide-converter but you may need tele. More SxS would come in handy, too.

tom.

I'll mainly be shooting wildlife, going to Africa and Antarctica this year.

What do you guys recommend for a microphone for this type of usage?

I'm also interested in filters. Does everyone use a UV filter for protection? What about polarising filters? Any recommendations for manufacturers?

As far as add-on lenses go, this seems to be a topic of much debate and there doesn't seem to be a product out there which gets universally good reviews. Anyone disagree with this? I'd be happy to hear any comments on a good WA or telephoto lens for the EX1 if they exist.

You might need a UV as protection if flying mud or dust storms come your way, but at all other times leave it off. It's been discussed much here.

A good starter mic is the Senheisser K6/ME66 along with the most excellent Rycote Softie.

But wildlife shooting? Wouldn't an interchangeable lens camera have been more up your street? As you say, the Fujinon 14x on the EX1 is facing troubles, and converter lenses for it are not a happy combo at present.

tom.

I've found more chromatic aberration than I would like at the extreme telephoto end of the EX-1 lens so I also might be reluctant to pick it as a wildlife camera.

The EX-3 with a 2/3" zoom lens would give you incredibly long lens shots though.

Hi Tom,
Can you please recommend just such a light?
Malcolm

No, sorry Malcolm. I only recommend items I've tested and which pass my entrance exam. The last LED light I bought I returned, and am still using the Sony 20-DW2.

One solution that I know works (haven't tested it myself) is the Beboob LUX-12 LED lamp with their Coco-EX adapter for the U60 battery.

I am using the Coco-EX with my 20W PAGlight M with softstart feature, but am afraid of killing my battery too fast.

As for filters, the best thing you can have is ND grads, helps keep contrast under control. The Lee filter system is terrific, you can get a wide angle hood with filter slots on it to take grads/ploas. I used to use Lee resin grads but they kept getting scratched and had to be replaced at £50 a go. So I bought 2 Tiffen grads at £250 a go! But they're glass so should last. I carry a .6 soft and .9 hard and a pola.
As has been said, that lens is very short for wildlife though.
Steve

Yes, I realise the lens is an issue but I had to stretch to afford the EX1 so something similar with a removable lens was out of the question.

What do you think would be the best of the add-on telephoto lenses for wildlife?

None of them, I think you're gonna lose tons of quality whenever you put a big chunk of glas in front of the lens. Seems such a shame to have an image quality like the EX and junk it with a telephoto attachment. You'd get much better results with a Canon XL-H1 with a 300mm stills lens on front. Just my opinion.
Steve

And that wonderful HDV codec handling blowing leaves and grass and rippling water?

The EX3 might be a solution depending on where things go with lenses and adaptors and such.

Yes Craig, but I think the image even from a Panavision Genesis would be pretty naff with a telephoto attachment on the front of the lens. The chromatic abberation and image softening would surely be horrendous. I'd rather have HDV.
Steve

Why would one not want to keep a UV filter on permanantly for protection? It's not like it's going to shift the colors..... is it?

ANY piece of glass in front of the optics will cause a degradation of the image due to reflections and refractions off the surfaces of the accessory glass. Even very expensive AR coatings only mitigate the problem. There is NO free lunch.