Newbie HC3 Wedding Video ?
 

hello im new here and boy im glad i have found this forum .

I and a few friends was thinking of shooting wedding videos. May i know what are the basic equipment i will need ? Right now i can only afford a HC3 . Will this camcorder be good enough ?

Thank You :)

owh one of my works im pretty new so don't crack :D
http://www.sjsband.org/kl22_0004.wmv

Post your comments, good or bad its good to know my mistakes and learn from there.

First off, welcome to DVINFO, I was in your same position a year ago, so I know how overwelming some of the information out there can seem, theres some great people on here that can answer any question you have! IMO, get an HC1 if you need HDV and you have a budget of less than $3000(USD), it is better for low light (nowhere near as good as the FX1/Z1U) and is easier to control manually. I used my FX1, a friend's HC1 and a borrowed HC3 to shoot a live concert, and it was painfully obvious which was which...I would also consider looking at the private classified section of this site to see if anyone has an FX1/HC1 for sale, you could get a pretty good deal. I've only shot about 3 weddings so far, I'm shooting my fourth this weekend. I would highly recommend AT LEAST two cameras, it is very difficult to capture everything or at least the way most editors would like with a single camera.

Now you may be thinking, "The HC1 is only $1300! Why did he say $3000?" Well, there is a ton of stuff you'll need if you're just starting out. You'll need a good set of legs and fluid head (tripod) ESPECIALLY if you'll be using only one camera, because you'll need REALLY smooth camera movements since you won't be able to cut to a different angle if the camera operator starts jerking the camera around because of a stiff tripod head. Also it is crucial to have good audio, so plan on picking up some wirless mics, like the Sennheiser G2's ($500USD each) and with the cams in your budget, you'll need a 1/8" to XLR adaptor like the beachtek DXA-6 to hook those mics to your camera(s). Also dependng on the lighting at the wedding, you may need on camera/off camera lighting. All this equipment really adds up, and even with one camera you may wind up spending close to $3000(USD) before you are set on equipment...

That being said, I used an HC1 and my FX1 last weekend for a wedding, and used the new sony bluetooth mic on the hc1 and clipped it on a branch above the bride and groom (outdoor wedding) and it actually worked suprisingly well (not as good as the Sennheisers of course) I was going to use that audio as a backup, but wound up using it quite a bit because there was a little more wind in my other audio than I expected (monitor your audio!!!!) So in reality if you can't afford $1500+ in accessories, you can (in the meantime) get the $150 bluetooth mic and an $80 tripod...just be very careful, you get what you pay for!!! Hope this helps, and GOOD LUCK!!

thank you for your prompt reply. May i ask what are the basic equipment for shooting these kinds of videos ?

Wireless Mic
Tripod

I have those in mind only. Do let me know more. And for the private classified pages where do i find them ?

I see. may i know what is the XLR adapter for ? sorry for asking much.

Hi Anthony. Fantastic effort.
I am just getting into wedding videos myself, but your effort was great.

A coupla small suggestions to consider:

1. Make the plane take off consistent. Early on, it takes off to right, in all the others flies to the left. You lose the connection of the plane with this apparent inconsistency.

2. Some of the still transitions are good, but perhaps a little long in transit, and you need a bit more varied transitions.

3. For the plane landing at the end, could the lovers (or one) be superimposed on the pic out the plane window? I tried to see if you have reflected the person in the aircraft window.

Anyway, it was great. Hope the couple are happy with it.

Thank you for your comments. I had to used the other pictures because there wasn't really good pictures on that side of the plane. Transistions ? I was using windows movie maker :S so.. anyway do introduce me some new good softwares.

Owh by the way it was taken on a Canon Power Shot. Will try to edit it :) and reupload.

It seems that they don't sell HC1 in my place (Malaysia) but only the HC3. The FX1 is about RM13 000 or more here . 1 usd = RM3.6 .

For the basics , i think i will be getting

1 Good Tripod ( how do you define a good tripod ?)
1 Wireless sony mic or the shot gun mic ? ( can i use more ? )
Perhaps a HC1 / HC3 .

Is there any place i can see 24fps with the HC's ?

I need to get 2 more mates. 1 with a video camera and another with a DSLR.
Wish me luck. I need all the advice i can get before going out shooting these serious occasions.

Apart from that im thinking of giving free wedding websites to my clients as a start in my package.

Comments please.

My tripod is a Bogen 501 head and a MVB525 set of legs and that suits all of my needs although I find it a bit heavy/bulky sometimes. Basically look for a fluid head like the 501/503 head from Bogen and a set of legs that will suit your needs for weight and stability. You can get a decent tripod that will serve you well for years for around $500(USD) or you can get a much cheaper (read: less stable, less smooth) tripod for closer to $100(USD) but it will be much harder to move smoothly.
Like I said I would probably recommend the Sennheiser G2 wireless lavs (lavalier mics) for good equipment that will last. The Sony bluetooth mic sells for about $200(USD) so the extra $300 IMO is well worth it. Since the bluetooth mic has a much more limited range and will definately not last you as long.

Also, the Sony HC1/HC3 do not have any 24f mode at all, and the FX1/Z1U have a mode called cineframe 24f which many people do not like as it does not resemble true 24p (I haven't used it much so I have no comment on Cineframe 24f) What software will you be using by the way, as I noticed you currently use windows movie maker, and it will ABSOLUTELY NOT edit HDV.

ah its been awhile now. have been looking around for good prices. anyway i was wondering what about DV camcorders ? any comments ?