Hi Guys,
what do you think of the following accessories for a documentary film maker along with the FX1.

- Matte box ( Century , Cavision ,Petroff )
- Sennheismer ME66 Shotgun
- Wireless lavalier ( What kind is the best in the $300-$400 price range )
- Beachtek DX4
- DV RIG PRO ( Is this work with FX1?)
- LANC Controller ( Varizoom is a good one?)

Gabor

-Matte Box: Century claims to work, but only with stock lens. The problem is that the stereo mike is so far forward. Will shake out soon. We may be stuck with limited functionality.

- Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun: Always a solid choice. Consider also a Lightwave Audio Mini Mount and Miniscreen.

- Wireless lavalier: I have been extremely happy with the Samson Micro 32 paired with a Sony ECM-44 mike. B&H lists for $449. Great range and solid sound, decent and flexible mike.

- Beachtek DX4: Perhaps the DXA-6 for a lower profile housing and onboard limiters (for unpredictable audio situations?)

- DV RIG PRO: Would be absolutely my 1st choice for camera stabilizer.

- LANC Controller: Varizoom or the bebob Zoe. Don't know what LANC controls are verified as working yet.

The Century Wide angle mattebox works on the FX1, also in combination with a wide angle converter.

Best regards,

Bas Ladru
Vocas (manufacturer of Century matteboxes)

I have a Century Mattebox, and it 'sort of' works on my FX1. I had to readjust the rails etc to get it to fit, but the biggest problem is that the mic in the way. I guess Sony didn't think of this.

I did hear somewhere (i think www.2filters.com) that there is a Matte box made by FORMATT <sp?> that doesn't have the mic problem.

Dear Bill,

It is not the mattebox which is the problem, the filterframes are.
The T shaped handle on the frame is to long.
Therefore we have made a new filterframe with shorter handle.
This one works fine.

Regards,

<<<-- Originally posted by Bill Piedra : I have a Century Mattebox, and it 'sort of' works on my FX1. I had to readjust the rails etc to get it to fit, but the biggest problem is that the mic in the way. I guess Sony didn't think of this.

I did hear somewhere (i think www.2filters.com) that there is a Matte box made by FORMATT <sp?> that doesn't have the mic problem. -->>>

Thanks for the tip on the Formatt. I was looking for a reasonably priced matte-box to use both on the GS400 I will be buying now and on the Z1 I will be buying later this year, and the Formatt might be it.

You only need to switch the adaptor ring to switch between cameras.

But I am not so sure the "mic/matte-box dispute" between the HDV cameras will be solved with the Formatt. Look at the Sony and Canon photos here:

http://www.formatt.co.uk/dvt/default.asp



Carlos

An even more affordable solution for matte-box might be the Cokin bellows:

http://www.adorama.com/CKMBHP.html?searchinfo=cokin%20bellows&item_no=2

Living with a bright red pyramid on your lens may not be that good, but you can't have everything!

The P350 looks like a good starting point. Perhaps a flexible arm with a small flag may help further.


Carlos

<<<-- Originally posted by Carlos E. Martinez:
http://www.adorama.com/CKMBHP.html?searchinfo=cokin%20bellows&item_no=2
-->>>

Bullseye x-mas present for every cameraman! :-)

How about an on-camera light?? Which is a good one ??

I'm thinking about the www.LitePanels.com LED lite for my rig. I ran into a crew last year who was using them and they were stoked.