Rickey, can I ask which supplier makes the mattebox and guiding rails you use? It does look quite compact, do you think a sony cx730 would fit as well? Does it also allow for wide angle lenzes to work, the cut out in front for the lens does look too narrow or can you remove that part?

Here is the CX550v with the mattebox and rail, and to my observation it didn't look bad after all. I didn't push the lens inside the donut for it was not the correct size, but yes to answer your question it will fit with the supplied correct size. Though I prefer not to mount the mattebox on the CX, so I could put it in the holster as for back up, in case big brother Z7u lock up.....knock on wood!

i've been thinking about getting that Matte Box for my DSLR rig, i want a compact one that doesn't throw everything off in my rig size and weight wise (like a RedRock for example).

The Genus looks like the best quality one i could get but i always see the model you have on many people's rigs and it costs much less. Any comments on it? pros, cons?

How much vertical adjustment is there?

Any help is appreciated :)

Originally my preference was the Genus but the I found that it is too big and heavy for the DSLR, besides the vertical adjustment does not come with it.

That's why I went with this mattebox, it's compact, lite and the built is of high quality, the donut ring comes in different sizes as I have mentioned earlier, the vertical adjustment is 1 1/2".

The only negative that I could say is that, there are some black residue in their packaging, and I don't know if those are dirt from their factory.

Thx Rickey for the pictures! I see you have a beachtek, does that work well with the cx550? First I wanted to get a extra xa10 but for a lot cheaper I could attach a Beachtek DXA-5DA to a second cx740 which has level meters, size also seems to be exaclty right but I needed some first hand experience with these type of adapters. I don't know if the cx series suffer from that audio agc issue dslr's seem to have which introduces a hiss in the sound, I understood Beachtek sends a 20 kHz tone to the camera to prevent the camera to increase to a too high level. How does that beachtek cx550 combination work when using xlr microphones, is the recorded sound quality good? Any noticeable hiss or other stuff that's not supposed to be in there?

Noa, I haven't notice hissing sound from the CX with the Beachtek , sometimes I use this combo for interviews and it gives great results, sound coming out from CX alone without the Beachtek is clean using the wireless mics.

Thx Pete for sharing, The framegrabs look very good indeed, too bad you don't have a videosample. I didn't want to be too nosy but since the stills linked to your site I had a quick look :) Is there a reason why you don't have any video samples at all on your site or not even mention anything about it? (maybe I overlooked it) Since you do and sell both at the same time? Because you get so good client reactions to your videos you should display them as it would be an extra reason why people should hire you, you even could include the reactions as free advertising, just like you do now with your photo's.

Btw, I do like the idea of the suction bracket, that point of view would not have been possible from a tripod since there was no space so thanks for sharing that info, very usefull.

Noa, I've just printed those three screen grabs from Panny TM900's at 7.5" x 5" using my Epson 4800 wide body pigment ink printer (n.b. for that read professional printer :- ) ). I did a small amount of editing to the JPEGs in Capture One Pro. They have come out to a standard that I would regard as more than acceptable and since content does trump technical merit every time I'm sure that most clients would be delighted to have this extra variety from the alternative viewpoints. The only time I've done that before is where shooting of stills or video has not been allowed and I've just let a sneaky 5DII run in video mode without the celebrants knowledge; 5DII's were good for that before celebrants realised these could shoot video :- )

For comparison I also printed a 7.5x5 of the reader which was shot in full stills RAW and edited in Capture One. There is a clear difference in technical quality e.g. in hair detail and in suit stripes when viewed side by side but it does not make the screen grabs look bad. And there was me thinking I'd have to wait for 4000 Reds shooting RAW video :- ) And when you know that the still was shot at 4000ISO with the exposure just backed down .6 of a stop in post the comparison is even more interesting.

This could be a very significant development - the ability to provide usable stills from several different vantage points without using more than one operator.

The reason I don't have much info about video on my wedding site is partly because of pressure of work. I do provide details in response to enquiries and include sample discs. However I'm also aware that the V word can work against me as well as for me. Video is so poorly regarded by the public at large that this could adversely affect my stills bookings. The same happens with mixing wedding and commercial work in the stills field. If you have weddings on your site you don't get commercial work and if you have commercial work you don't get weddings. You really need to have two separate business identities. Thats just the way it is.

I've looked at some of the 5D video samples and I'm not seeing a night and day difference between these and the smaller cams. The same sorts of demanding interior lighting conditions are making the finished product less than perfect, which is only to be expected. The shallow depth of field may mean the occasional missed focus or people closer than the subjects going too much out of the DOF to seem natural. And the manual exposure challenges in rapidly changing light; I favour spinning the ISO whilst recording with the 5DII's when that happens rather than changing the aperture or shutter speed or slinging on a filter but it can of course mean jogging the cam. Again the fixed screen on the Canon is hard to view compared to a fully articulating screen. I use a Zacuto viewer with my 5DII's but you still can't get always get the viewing angle you need.

Pete

I'm also aware that the V word can work against me as well as for me. Video is so poorly regarded by the public at large that this could adversely affect my stills bookings.

My experience is just he opposite, you are providing a service to the same kind of clients and video/stills can complement each other and gain a lot more bookings if both are equally good. If you provide exceptional work, even by yourself, there's no harm in showing this and clients will approach you for what they see. Clients often want to book photo and video from the same company because they know the co-operation between the two will be without any issue the day of the wedding. I could imagine that if you advertise doing video and photo together all by yourself that this might scare clients off a bit, even if the end result is good, I at least would not have any trust in that if I could not see any finished demo's and even then I still would question how you can do 2 totally different jobs simultaneously. In that way I could understand why you don't mention anything about it.

On the other hand, my experience is that if you put weddings and corporate videos together on one site that could result in getting very little corporate bookings, a corporate client might consider weddings as amateur stuff. Both are also totally different markets with different requirements.

We're veering off target and at risk of subverting the thread any further I'll just add: Noa, when clients make enquiries of you as a videographer they already have an interest in wedding video to some degree ranging from maybe to wildly enthusiastic. But when they contact me as a stills photographer they usually have no interest or worse; they are pretty sure they DON'T want video - for all the reasons with which we are familiar whether justified or not.

It is the viewing of samples on a 50ins plasma screen in high def, on an Ipad3 and on a Galaxy3 smartphone which sparks their interest. Then they see how much variety is achieved with multiple cams. Then they are reassured by the compact form factor of the tools used. Then they are converts. And they can see from the scores of stills galleries on my site at any one time that stills coverage does not have to be compromised. In fact it can be improved as demonstrated in my note about prints from screen grabs.

I need to tackle how the mere mention of the V-word may put off some clients before they even contact me. And how to make short samples that reflect the documentary approach that I offer that also take into account the extremely short attention span of many initially casual browsers.

Pete

Received my hotshoe adapter today and attached a rode SM4 suspension shock mount with my at897 mic and it's a perfect fit, it doesn't extend too high above the camera, looks like it is made for it. The mic only just barely stays out of the sony wide angle but luckily about a cm space left without it showing.
Also ordered a Beachtek DXA-5DA today, hopefully it will arrive this week and that will make the camera complete and once that is here I"ll post some pics. I decided not to add anything more to the camera, with the small hoodloupe attached to the lcdscreen its still a very small and portable setup, just the way I like it.

I most likely will be ordering a second cx730, they are still more then half the price of a xa10 until end of July, will probably pair that one with the Senheisser ew 100 eng g3 and that will complete my audio set and might get a second Beachtek DXA-5DA for this camera if the beachtek proves to be a good of good quality.
The 730 + the beachtek+ the sennheiser setup is about 100 dollar more expensive as one Canon xa-10 so I think that's a pretty good price for what you get.

I decided not to break my head anymore about what 2nd camera to get, will keep my xh-a1 just incase, (it's very difficult to get it sold unless you go really low in price) and will deal with the limitations of the small camera's. I've been using my dslr's for about 70% of the time the past 2 years anyway and they can be a real pain to operate in run and gun, much worse then the small sony's but I managed to get used to them as well and they have proven to be a very valuable asset in my gearbox. It's the combination of 4 camera's (2 dlsr's and the 2 Sony's) which will give me much more versatile results compared to just one expensive camera so I think they all are a very good investment in making more compelling wedding video's as a solo operator. It's just MUCH harder work to get there compared to when I was just using one camera years ago but I see it's all worth it as the responses I get on my videos have been very positive and the bookings are increasing as well so it finally pays off.

And how to make short samples that reflect the documentary approach that I offer that also take into account the extremely short attention span of many initially casual browsers.


Like my demo on page one of this topic all my other demo's rarely hit the 4 minute mark, usually between 3 min to 3 min 30 and I try to pack as much as possible in there that reflects my shooting style. Standard ingredients are the steadicam, the slider, the shallow dof and I"ll add the vows or a short part from a speech to emphasize the sound quality and try to mix all that together to something that's visual interesting enough to keep their attention. I only have 6 demo's on my site and for each new (only a new one if it's better then an older one) I"ll remove an older and less good demo, based on google analytics I see that the first demo's are viewed the most and the last one the least so I put my best demo's on top. :) So more then 6 will hardly be watched anyway, for that I have a blog where I regular post some short footage about a venue, or just some funny stuff that happened at a wedding. The blog is very valuable tool for appearing in google for different video searchterms or especially venue's. I get a lot of clients that found me through a google search of their venue, usually also a link appears on the first page to a short video I did of the venue in my blog and that gets them interested, they then check my demo's and after that they contact me. :)

What type of bags are you all using to store the smaller handicams/dslrs in?

Personal preference is for older M Rock slingbags for when being "self contained" is paramount, and one or more old Sony aluminum cases picked up on the cheap (used, sometimes like new), where I can drop "the box", and deploy from a secure or at least visible location. Old TRV900 boxes are prety good for the handycam size units, and something like the one for the old HC1/A1U is big enough to pack quite a lot of "toys", while still remaining compact.

I re-configure as needed for the particular situation, from small bags to multiple larger bags or cases.

I love these small cams. In the last thirty years I have used everything from 3/4 inch Umatic through to Sony XDCamEX. I still have an EX1, wonderful camera. Over the last 18 months I have shifted to using 2 TM900s and more recently added a GH2 for all wedding work. It started at my own sons wedding, 18 months ago, I thought I would give the TM900 an outing with the EX1, amazing results in our local church, which is the darkest I have worked in for 30 years. Today I use only the small cams. The one major problem was attatching microphones etc, so I came up with a simple alluminium frame to take all the accesories needed for a wedding shoot, it is simply a couple of alluminium bars and 2 lock on handlebar grips. I was fortunate enough to have all the tripod fitting and attatchment brackets in the spares box. The camera can be slipped on or off the bracket in seconds, as can the bracket from the tripod.

I re-configure as needed for the particular situation, from small bags to multiple larger bags or cases.

I do have a some older small camerabags that found a new home now :) but I"m looking for a easier solution to carry 2 small handicams on one not too big bag that I can keep on me most of the time. An alu case is a good idea to keep other gear in, I currently have a big camerabag, that looks professional but it's easy taken without anyone noticing. A bigger shiny alu case on the other had everyone sees you carrying outside :)

I"m also think getting 2 lightstands for the 2nd or 3rd small cam, I saw one that extends to 2 meter, weighs only 1,5 kg and is about 80 cm at it's smallest and it could carry 2,5kg. Seems perfect to get high angles and very easy to transport.

That's a great setup you have Colin, that"s what I"d call a multifunctional rig and still compact enough. I"m looking at an even smaller set up as I need to be able to move quickly and take all my equipment in one go. The cage you have would be ideal in more controlled situations.

I thought I would give the TM900 an outing with the EX1, amazing results in our local church, which is the darkest I have worked in for 30 years.

Since you have first hand experience, if you'd compare imagequality and lowlight (and how clean the image is at high gain values) of the tm900 to your EX1, is there a big difference in favor of the ex1? I"m not talking about shooting resolution chart or doing any scientific test but just your first impression when you watch your footage on a big HD screen.

Terrific difference in low light performance. The EX1 wipes the floor with most cams out there, but. I have never been a great worrier over low light conditions, never considered it a problem. At the reception 1 or 2 lights are used, as and when needed. TM900 mixed with EX1 here Panasonic TM900 Wedding. Kirsten & Ben - YouTube All the shots, bar the main shots of B & G in the church are TM900, note the shot of the girl singing, she was in one of the darkest areas of the church. I deliver in file format, an mpeg2 1920X1080 50p for replay in a supplied media player, looks absolutely amazing, excellent on SD DVD as well. These small cams are way more than adequate.

The EX1 wipes the floor with most cams out there, but. I have never been a great worrier over low light conditions

Actually, that's one of the things I worry about the most, if you do weddings fulltime, camera's that perform well under lowlight are just essential. Most of the time I need to work with what I have and a big cameralight is also not an option, not if you want the guest to look away.

I was very surprised about the performance of my little cx730 in low light, it could even keep up with my f1.4 dslr lenzes at 1600 iso and that is remarkable, that's why I was curious to know how much better a ex1 would do, can't image it would be that much better, that would mean it would wipe the floor with a dslr combined with a f1.4 prime? Those small handicams would definitely have to use more gain to achieve the same as light sensitivity compared to a ex1 but I really like to see a side by side view of both camera's at comparable noise levels and very high gain values. I do know my cx730 can see better in the dark then a sony fx1000 and has less grain and more colour since I compared both, the fx1000 is no 1/2 inch chipper but is already considered a quite light sensitive camera.

I deliver in file format, an mpeg2 1920X1080 50p

Where the parts in church filmed in 50P? I just ask because I see interlacing "artifacts" at 01:20 when you zoomed out and a bit later as well? I haven't tried the 50P option out yet as my NLE (an older edius version) does not support it. Have been using 50i untill now, if I find more time I will try the 25p option but I fear the camera might loose focus faster in that case. 50i however, for the 2 weddings I did so far with the cx730 looked very good, on dvd, blu-ray and web. I always make a project in 25p in edius 5.51 as a lot of my material is from the dslr that shoots in 25p, I edit all footage native and then export to a hqavi file that I use in tmpgenc authoringworks and going to blu-ray and dvd does not show any interlacing when viewed on a hd lcd screen. Once I upgrade to the new edius 6.5 soon I will try the 50p option out to see what gives the best overall results.

The above clip was encoded for youtube from 1080i. It was shot last year, before I decided to go the full the 50p route.

Hi Noa

Colin is 100% correct and no, you shouldn't be worrying so much about low light conditions. Our biggest fault withe weddings is to get over technical with the footage. You fellow videographer here might be able to spot where you have lost a bit of IQ but the client will not even notice it!! She is more concerned about how pretty the bridesmaids look and how beautiful the occasion was! We become way to obsessed with technical perfection instead of concentrating on telling the story...stunning image quality might impress the posters on DVInfo but the bride really couldn't care less. I have footage at some weddings that brides absolutely rave about and I'm horrified with the IQ result.

Chris

Well put Chris, I agree100% with your comments above

you shouldn't be worrying so much about low light conditions.

The reason why I find a low light capable camera so important for weddings is that for the first time in years I have been able to capture footage I never could have done before, I always used a videolight with my xh-a1 as that was the only way to get usable footage but I never could get any footage from the guests at very dark venues without them squeezing their eyes or looking away and giving me an annoyed look.

When my first dslr arrived it was a blessing being able to capture candid footage of people acting naturally not even knowing I was there, so for me these low light capability is not a "technical" issue we videographers get too excited about, it's a function that I feel I can't do without anymore.

If I knew the panny would produce a sharper image then my sony but the sony was cleaner at high gain values being able to get better low light footage, I'd choose the sony without a second thought. A lot of weddings I do have very dark venues and being able to capture footage without adding light is essential to me in order to keep that atmosphere, to capture the footage as if you are there again, the cx730 at least has proven the last 2 weddings I did with it (as long as you keep the lens wide and don't zoom in, but for CU's I use my dslr anyway), it can perform under under these conditions and only when it gets really extremely dark, like with a first dance, where they kill all the lights and you only have candles on the table providing background light, only then I"l activate the build in videolight the sony has to get the footage I need, as I don't have another choice.

I have seen videos here where videographers add lights at the reception or at the venue to get better footage but that would be "not done" in my country, couples often want to have a "dark mood" and not a videographer that doesn't have the equipment that can't handle that situation. We have one venue here known for the fact that they only use candles to light the room, nothing else, imaging using a videolight or lights on a stand, you just can't and you, and the couple, will be very happy knowing you do have camera's that can cope in these circumstances.

Hi Noa

Less stress about being able to ger pristine video in a dark cave and more shooting!!

What you consider grainy and not even worth putting on the timeline, brides will rave about!! I did a wedding a lot time back with my 1/6" chip cameras and an old halogen video light (20w) which died half way thru the dancing!! The groom (guys are normally more technical) raved about how awesome the dancing footage was despite the fact that I almost shot it in the dark!!!

I did speeches this year at a reception where the groom point blank refused to let me use the video light!! I called him over to show him the dark image on the camera...his comments ??? "Perfect..I love it"

I'm STILL however trying to establish a light that will NOT offend people ...This time I'm thinking maybe a boom light stand directly over the top of the lectern (all our speeches are done from one position) and then pop in a single CFL lamp and either bounce it on the ceiling or into an umbrella!!

Chris

It seems you have a more forgiving audience then what I have to deal with :)

Noa, light is our friend, there are times when you will need to use light, regardless of the cameras you use. Ask yourself this, would you rather shoot on a nice bright day or, a drizzly, cloudy day, which resulting footage would you prefer to watch!! Last weekend I shot a reception in a large function room in an old manor house, not a window in the room, and very low lighting, The top table was positioned above the sunken dance floor, with the guests tables down on the dance floor. The only position I could get a decent shot of the speeches was from the stage at the other end of the room, about 100 feet from the table. I set up 2, Z96 lights (diffused) on stands, at an angle iether end of the top table. The result, a perfect shot, well exposed, perfect colour and no noise whatsoever. The same with the first dance, a light positioned in 2 corners of the dance floor, problem solved. Lights should be as high on the equipment list as mics, tripods etc. I shot for a while with DSLRs, even with fast lenses, I would always use a light to lift colours and to enable me to shoot at a lower ISO. Good, modern lights are small, easy and quick to set up. An absolute must for event work. In over 30 years I have never had a problem with any client regarding the use of lights, if they want to hear their voices I use radio mics, if they want a better shot in the dark, I use lights.

Hi Noa

Not really..just sensible shooting..I would never attempt to film a black cat in a dark cellar at midnight. As Colin says it's all about using light .. My 2nd shooter will go and do a bridal prep and afterwards she will comeback and tell me how bad the lighting was..I can do and do the same shoot and get really nice footage. However I firsly use available light to my advantage and I'm also not scared to clamp a 6 x power LED light onto the camera. In fact at receptions the light goes on the camera before the reception even starts!! If I need it, it's there....It's amazing how just a tiny bit of light on a couple's face can spice up footage...in fact at my last wedding the photog was using a video light as he said a flash just lights up everthing like a football stadium and ruins the mood..a tiny LED light keeps the background lit only by ambient light stunningly lifts exposure on faces. I wouldn't do a reception without one!!

Sure I can use the GH1 with a 45mm F1.7 lens that would set me back over $1000 or I can snap a light on my Panasonic HMC and use that.

Chris

People often choose a venue because of it's "atmosphere" and that always translates into dark places here, just like that place I mentioned with candlelight only. There is a reason why canon 5dIII and sony fs100's are so popular, not only because they can shoot wonderfull images but because they can shoot in near dark. Just crank up the iso real high, close down your iris a bit so you have a bit more dof to work with and you are good to go with these kind of camera's, if my budget would allow it, both camera's would be in my gearbox already. I will capture an event like it was, not how perfect I can make it because then I would be flooding it will light, like in a studio. I can capture an event like I can perceive it with my eye with my dslr and even the cx730, only when I have no other option I will switch on the light of the cx730 and that would typically be a first dance when they kill the lights almost completely.

in fact at my last wedding the photog was using a video light as he said a flash just lights up everthing like a football stadium and ruins the mood

See, even the photog knows that adding too much light will ruin the mood :)

Noa,

Here is a highlight that was shot with the mix of the CX550v, and in this teaser, I used 80% of the small camera shot. You can see the small camera on a light stand while they were doing their first dance.

https://vimeo.com/28423911

This is where a SMALL LED light with a dimmer comes in VERY handy... I see Manfrotto has just released a whole series of them, no doubt responding to all the cheap import lights out there - discovered the smallest one when it was in a Big Box advert! May look into them, as they claim to have 0-100% dimming, and pretty small light designs (12 LED with 1 AAA battery!), all the way up to bigger LED arrays.


I mentioned the DIRT cheap (barely over $16US from one eBay seller!) CN-560... got a chance to use it Saturday, and noticed that everyone was taking advantage of the extra light it brought - it allowed all the "consumer" guest cameras to get decent shots I guess!

The cake cutting was in a particularly dark area, and the "on camera" (actually on a bracket) light was PERFECT, although I actually had to crank it up - didn't see anyone squint, cringe, or try to run. I almost felt it was "too" small, but it did the trick at reasonable distances.

There are some good small lights that have dimmers, and for the low amount of investment, a couple of them should probably be in your "kit"... combined with the good low light performance of some of the small handycams, which can "make do" with just a "little" light boost, it opens up the options.

the cx730 has a light build right in and it spreads very equally, but it is quite sharp to look at, from a short distance you can't look at it for sure, like I said, only if there is no other option that light will save your shot for sure, as long as you are not to far from your subject. Just having that build in is awesome, almost like a swiss knive :)

Here is a highlight that was shot with the mix of the CX550v

Thx for sharing Rickey, looks great! :) Can I ask what the other 20% was filmed with? I"m going to pick up a lightstand as well, mainly for some indoor ceremonies where I can use 3 camera's so I can put one on a lightstand in the back high enough over everyones heads. Especially when the photog passes in front of the camera he/she won't be in the image.

I also saw this rig on ebay which would seem compact enough for my use and you can use filters with it to keep the shutter at normal levels in the sun: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-rig-set-quick-release-plate-with-compact-size-pro-Mattebox-4x4-rotatable-/140738554098?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c4abe8f2 Almost looks like the same you got, Rickey? Price at least seems decent and it seems shipping is "free" from China to Belgium without any custom taxes and so on compared to ordering in the Usa, that always adds quite some costs. I won't be using the flags but without them I think it will be a nice addition to my cx730.

"Can I ask what the other 20% was filmed with?"

The prep outdoor was shot with FX1, most indoor shot and in the grapevine was the CX, ceremony and the dancing was FX1. Ring shot was with the DSLR.

The rig you showed me is almost the price of the Genus rig that I have. If I were you I'll go with the Genus, at least you have the grip and the breast support that comes handy and useful, and if you don't like it, just remove it. Some are still selling this rig for $599, B&H sells this for $299, perhaps in your place you could get a better deal since Genus product are made somewhere or near there.

Noa, light is our friend, there are times when you will need to use light, regardless of the cameras you use. Ask yourself this, would you rather shoot on a nice bright day or, a drizzly, cloudy day, which resulting footage would you prefer to watch!!Especially with DSLRs & wide aperture lenses we can now shoot & get adequately exposed images in just about any situation but the images will look flat & lifeless because there is no modelling or shadows. Professional photographers use flash for fill & modelling not because there isn't sufficient light & for video we need to do the same. It's not always practical to add light but with modern cameras we don't need to add much & LED lights don't have to dazzle the subjects. It's really worth adding light when necessary as it can really lift the quality of the video.

It's amazing how just a tiny bit of light on a couple's face can spice up footage...in fact at my last wedding the photog was using a video light as he said a flash just lights up everthing like a football stadium and ruins the mood..a tiny LED light keeps the background lit only by ambient light stunningly lifts exposure on faces.We likewise shot a wedding with a photographer who did not use flash but had an assistant holding a Lowel iD video light on a pole & it was a complete revelation. The assistant was really helpful & would hold the light so that we could grab the shot too & the difference in the footage was just amazing. Now we often will shoot either with a 160-LED video light in one hand (never on the camera as that doesn't provide the modelling & shadows that we want) or one of us holding the light while the other takes the shot. Just shots of simple stuff like the wedding cake or table decorations really sing with some added light.

As a stills photographer I ALWAYS bounce flash from ceilings or other suitable surfaces when the subject is inside. The light then becomes much more even and with no nasty pronounced shadows. using a slowish shutter speed ("dragging the shutter") also ensures that where there is nice ambient light it will also feature in the image. The flash can give a nice twinkle in the eye, adding life to what might otherwise appear to be a lifeless subject. When I say always I of course mean nearly always. If there is no suitable bounce surface (rare) then I use small softboxes that clip to the flashgun heads. The light then becomes more directional but still passable.

Panels like the Z96 can also be in effect bounced off surfaces so they don't need to be directly into the face. They are also light enough to sit atop a handheld cam and when used with a 12" articulating arm in the hotshoe will get the output higher than eye level and directed slightly downwards.

Video lights have become the must have accessory for stills photographers in the past year or so, promoted by many self-proclaimed "high end" photographers who have seen their bookings plummet and therefore turned to the seminar and training disc circuit to milk the newbies. I'm not a huge fan myself as I think the results look over-elaborate and over- constructed for weddings (as opposed to fashion and glamour). I don't like the circus that can ensue when using assistants / 2nds either, but thats more a photographer marketing ruse than bringing much real benefit to the clients.

Pete

I just came back from a wedding and have another one tomorrow, my footage is importing as I type, I made a bold move and left my xh-a1 at home today and filmed the ceremony with the sony cx camera's only and the rest of the day a combination of my cx730 and my dslr.

For those that are used to work in this way this might not seem a big deal but for me it was, leaving my trusty xh-a1 at home in the bag made me very nervous yesterday but I wanted to know how the workflow would be with those small cams.

It took getting used to the lcd screen to do spotfocus and the small wheel to ride the exposure but after a half hour I got more and more accustomed to it and the spotfocus feature actually works really well and also the iris wheel. Only if I want to go to auto exposure for a while but the button that you have to press is not that responsive, sometimes nothing happened, sometimes I got that selection menu to assign focus etc, so pressing that button needs exactly the right amount of pressure to function right, can be a bit frustrating at times but probable I will get the feel for that after using it more.

it was not easy handholding the camera and adjusting the exposure or operate other functions through the lcd screen, especially when you are used to a xh-a1, but it does getting used to. I absolutely loved the light wheight and easy moving it from one to another place, we did a photshoot in a big town and I just had the cx730 attached to my belt in a small bag and the dslr and monopod with me. Soooo easy to quickly switch from dslr to the cx730, that was a revelation, never felt so light when doing run and gun.

I also saw some footage just know and it's just amazing, you have to know that I come from a xh-a1 so that's all I can compare to from experience and this small cx730 blows my mind, we went in a very dark pub to make photo's and the camera did cope extremely well, the footage just looks so ridiculous good.

Tomorrow I have to take my xh-a1 with me as I need to do interviews and I have to use my large azden setup with my wireless handmicrophone, I must get me a small sennheiser kit asap, my beachtek also arrived this morning but need some experimenting time with it before I use it in the field.

I"m getting more excited every time I use this small camera :)

Noa, the only thing that I use in the small wheel in front is the exposure, if it's outdoor sunny and bright I meter on the grass or something gray like the road, pavements and lock my exposure. During night time, I auto expose it and let the camera decide than lock it once Im happy with the result.

Holding the camera without the grip is a little bit cumbersome, but you will get the hang of it. When I bought my CX, I also bought the grip, since then, it never leaves the camera, unless I have to mount it on a light stand or tripod. The CX alone has a great stabilization, and with the grip while walking is almost like a having a steadicam.

I actually find that the right exposure is quite important to get good footage with the cx730, I have been doing the exposure manually the past 2 days, it's just that I have been doing that with my xh-a1 as well and it has become second nature :) The xh-a1 has beside zebra's also has a meter which gives you an indication what the camera thinks is accurate so you can adjust to that or over- or underexpose depending on the situation, like inside a house with a backlight. With the cx 730 you only have zebra's but I feel confident enough now using that only as a guide. The zebra's together with the the very good lcd give me good feedback about where I am with my exposure.

Based on the zebra's I have noticed that the cx730 get's it wrong in automode quite a lot, usually resulting in overexposure, it might not be much but it doesn't do your image much good. That's why I find the addition of the zebra's a godsend, with my xr520 you don't have that and the lcd screen is not that accurate, this has caused me to get overexposed images before eventhough the lcd screen looked all right.

About your handgrip, I definitely need something extra to hold the camera for longer periods yet stay mobile enough, so a monopod is out of the question, I do need the camera to go on and of the tripod quickly so will be looking for a small grip that does allow the tripod plate to be attached as well. Yesterday I almost dropped the camera when taking it out of the bag, it's so small it just slipped my hand so need something solid to grab on to, something really simple like one small handgrip on the side of the camera.

Hi Noa

Just like Colin has made!! I had these when I was still shooting in the late 90's with Panny DS30's ..Just two strips of aluminium bar and two bits of pipe with cycle foam handle bar grips on them....you can tap a 1/4" hole in the bottom bar and screw in your quick release for your tripod too plus the top bar is great for mount other stuff onto!!

Here's mine back when I had the DS30's

Chris

thx for sharing this Chris, I am thinking about just one handle on the right side very close to the camera's body, I stll need to be able to fit it in a small bag and I also need to reach the zoom and record button with the same hand that holds the handle. I have some time this week to try some things out.

Noa, how about this sort of thing:

PHOTOGRAPHYattic - Vivitar Medium Format Camera Flash Grip Flash accessory for sale (http://www.photographyattic.com/product-2354)

I have the Sony grip for the CX550 which is a single handle that sits under the camera it is handy in that it has rec/stop and zoom but I find it awkward to use, the buttons don't seem to be in the right place for my hands, I find it easier to use the screen controls with my left hand. I doesn't have a tripod scre so you have to take it off to attach it to a tripod although the grip itself does double as a table tripod, good for very low floor level shots.

This one:
Sony GP-AVT1 Support system - shooting grip / mini tripod (http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=Shooting+Grip+with+Mini+Tripod&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=rcs&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15386280538912399941&sa=X&ei=fULwT5urBcbf8gOuv6z-DA&ved=0CFgQ8wIwAA)

yes, the vivitar flash grip is something I"m going to try to find localy, just something very basic to get a more solid grip on the camera, at this stage I"m just worried that soon or later the camera will hit the ground.

This one also looks very interesting: DSLR Mini Shoulder Pad Rig Mount Rails with Handles For Sony T3i T2i GH2 D60 D90 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-Mini-Shoulder-Pad-Rig-Mount-Rails-Handles-Sony-T3i-T2i-GH2-D60-D90-/370625824934?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564b0548a6)
Maybe just to leave the left handle off and point the right handle upwards and move it a bit backward so you can still reach the zoom while filming and get a solid grip, seems very small and compact and a good price. With a bit of modification that just might work.

The rig you showed me is almost the price of the Genus rig that I have

The Genus product I can find back are very expensive? Like 600 dollar just for the mattebox.

I should be editing today but I"m too tired after doing 2 weddings in a row :) so I just imported all footage from yesterday's wedding and had a look and took out some parts to show cx730 footage I used as main cam again and why I like the camera so much. I did not include too much footage as I don't have permission but I"m sure the couple won't mind me posting a hidden link on youtube and using it for educational purposes :D

So it's just some random shots, quickly done and because of that handheld, for those shots I didn't have the time to set up a tripod, you"ll also see I really love low angle shots :) This was also for a part to emphasize the size of the church but it's a coincidence that I mainly choose those shots (just found them nice), I mainly shoot from tripods but just shoot those b-roll shots to have some inserts I can use.

I did notice some very fine aliasing in the castle near the end (footage was shot in 50i), it doesn't show on a big lcd HD screen but it does when downconverting for youtube, I do have a bit more time on my hands the following 3 weeks and will be doing some 50p tests but need to get edius 6.5 for that, since I"ll be getting a second cx730 I can do full progressive recordings (50p together with 25p on my dslr's and shouldn't have any issues anymore.)

One thing I have noticed and that is I really need to check up on my focus more using my hoodloupe, in auto mode the camera does an excellent job setting focus, even in dim light but I often switch to manual if I zoom in, 2 times I forgot to switch it back to auto resulting in 2 slightly blurred shots. Not the camera's fault but I need to look better at the info on the screen as a small thumbnail did show I was in manual. Even though the lcd has excellent resolution it's hard to tell from a distance if I"m spot on, if I use my hoodloupe I can see out of focus immediately.

All footage in this short trailer is handheld (except the shot at 00:12) and unaltered. Just check the last zoom shot, that was handheld and the camera was in full auto, considering it was getting dark the camera did cope very well keeping focus, like to see that done on a panasonic ag ac130/160 ;) I also really, really, really like the wide angle :) It makes all the difference for me being able to shoot in tight spaces or just to show a big space like this church.

Don't mind the audio as it sounds a bit distorted, it's also directly from the camera, I do use external audio recorders for all my critical audio but with last wedding I noticed distortion on loud sounds in camera, must be a setting that I need to look into.

http://youtu.be/gEXKZMWAw8s

My second cx730 has been ordered, should arrive next week and I will be custom building a small handle next week as well to have some extra grip taking the camera in and out the bag. With prizes around 150 to 300 euro for some very simple rigs on Ebay I decided to custom build and make it small enough so it still fits in a small bag.

With the wedding last Saturday I left the xh-a1 at home again and used a xr520 as second camera, heavy rain moved a ceremony from out- to inside, a very small and dark place but what a joy again using the camera, The camera did not loose it's autofocus once and touch focus did a great job as well, though I check with a hoodloupe everytime I use that function. I'm getting pretty fast now riding the exposure with the small wheel on front and setting the autofocus to manual whenever I zoom in and then use spotfocus to direct the focus to where I want, it's also quickly back to autofocus which is so good you would be an idiot not ot use it when the lens is wide.

Below I did a very short comparison with my 550d and a 35mm f1.4 lens at night with just one reading light on the right, the footage is brighter then what I could see. The cx730 in low lux mode is pretty close to 3200 iso on the 550d, the cx730 does records at a shutter of 1/25th in low lux but that footage is perfectly usable as long as you don't film sports. With low lux mode off it's 1/50 shutter and then it's just a bit darker then the 550d at 1600 iso. Seeing them side by side the cx730 does have a little bit more noise then the 550d but with compression to the internet or dvd that dissappeares.

cx730 and 550d low light comparison (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkz5okKWDIo&feature=youtu.be)

So I finally got all my accesoires in this morning and just rigged up my little sony cx730, I got myself a 86 dollar rig from ebay DSLR Mini Shoulder Pad Rig Mount Rails with Handles For Sony T3i T2i GH2 D60 D90 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLR-Mini-Shoulder-Pad-Rig-Mount-Rails-with-Handles-For-Sony-T3i-T2i-GH2-D60-D90-/370629987374?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564b44cc2e#ht_3113wt_1139) and a 50 pound viewfinder GGS DSLR 3x LCD Viewfinder Loupe for Canon 5D MKII 7D | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170674140221&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:BE:3160) that flips open.

This is how it looks (just click on the photo's to browse)https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103263257318614858171/albums/5768498578731199969/5768498582212428482

I plan on using this setup only for interviews on a tripod with a wireless handmicrophone or during "run and gun" interviews but then shouldermount, since the camera has a good build in videolight I don't need to attach this as well. The whole set up like on the photo (including camera) weighs only 2,2kg.

I had to do some modification to get the tripod plate mounted and to get my azden wireless setup attached, the azden is quite bulky but decided to not to buy a small sony wireless system for the time being, my azden is very good and since I had it already I decided to put it to use.

The hoodloupe is pretty cool, flips open so I can look at the viewfinder from a distance but also touch the screen to access controlls and when I want to check focus I just close it, for shoulder mount use its also quite good as I can look through the hooddloupe and can still access the small wheel on front of teh camera to controll exposure and the knob on top to zoom while I"m filming.

I Only need to find a better way to attach it to the screen, on the photo is stuck onto the viewfinder but then I can't close the lcd screen, so I will be looking into a way to easily attach and detach the hoodloupe. Something like this here maybe: Hoodman HoodLoupe 3.0 Camcorder Mount Strap - UK | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hoodman-HoodLoupe-3-0-Camcorder-Mount-Strap-UK-/200641183850?pt=UK_Photography_DigitalCamAccess_RL&hash=item2eb725806a#ht_1430wt_1163)

I really like the fact that I can easily go from a full option rig that lets me record wireless audio, film shoulder mount and back to a very small handsize camera by just detaching it from the beachtek. That's the kind of swiss knive I was llooking for :) I still need to do quite some fine tuning on the rig but I"m quite happy with the result so far, especially considering that the camera, the beachtek, the rig and the hoodloupe together are still 750 dollar cheaper then what i have to pay for a canon xa10. And since I can use the beachtek with my dslr's as well it's a good investment too.

I also didn't buy a mattebox as this would make the rig even bigger and I wanted to keep it within "normal size", I plan to look into nd filters that I can just screw onto the lens, in run and gun I don't have time to deal with placing separate filters but in controlled shoots that might be an option.

Noa Put, first of all allow me to congratulate you for the wedding video you posted on the first page of this thread, I just watched it and it almost made me shed some man tears. Really good work. What did you use to record the sound outside for the exchange of the rings? I could clearly see wind and could also hear it but just barely, so I'm guessing you had something to reduce wind noise. I'm using a Rode VideoMic Pro which doesn't do a good job in windy conditions, I'm considering buying a Micover Slipover for it.

To answer your initial question, I also use a small camera for weddings. I did 3 weddings so far with my Panasonic TM900 and I really like everything about it, except for the low light performance (which is probably better on your Sony that has a slightly bigger sensor). Looking forward to read the entire thread :)

....This is how it looks (just click on the photo's to browse)https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103263257318614858171/albums/5768498578731199969/5768498582212428482
...

Wow Noa, with all the accessories you can't even see the camera.... :-)

Stelios

Wow Noa, with all the accessories you can't even see the camera.... :-)

Well, the photo's are a bit misleading so I just removed them, just check out below video and you"ll see how small it is in it's more basic setup, I actually lost the handles as they where to bulky but will use just one in the front only when doing run and gun interviews.

It's also the azden receiver that makes it too big and that should be replaced by a smaller one but it works, gives great audio quality when needed (allowing me to use my wireless handmicrophone) and it's still a very light set up. It's also very comfortable as a shoulder rig, you hardly feel it on your shoulder and very stable when using one handle in front, this still allows me to control the exposure in realtime. The hoodloupe is a different version then I originally bhought as I still need to find a better way to attach it onto the lcd screen but this older one I had lying around does an ok job for the time being.

I have been using it in this set up the last weddings (without the azden receiver) and it works a treat. My second cx730 stays without accessories. It also makes me feel less "naked" when I have to shoot handheld in front of a large crowd, then I just lay it on my shoulder, press the beachtek against the side of my head, I slide my right hand in the camera side strap (so I have zoom control) and I controll the exposure with my left hand, I then look through the hoodloupe viewfinder and imagine having an overpriced F3 on my shoulder. ;)

http://youtu.be/Fb16mWkw4Do

What did you use to record the sound outside for the exchange of the rings? I could clearly see wind and could also hear it but just barely, so I'm guessing you had something to reduce wind noise

Actually I got a bit lucky, there was plenty of wind noise, only not in that part I used in the demo. :D I don't have any specific wind reducers, if it's a wedding outside and if they use a wireless microphone I try to connect my zoom h4 to the dj's table or to the back of a soundspeaker, some do have xlr out connections. or what I also do is attach my yamaha c24 to the microphones handle and I put a second yamaha c24 inside the grooms vest with a lav attached to his vest. That's about it.

allow me to congratulate you for the wedding video you posted
Nah, it's not "that" good, but thx for the compliment anyway :) Now that I have done more weddings with my small sony's I"m getting much better at using them right. The right exposure is key for good images, overexpose a bit and the colors look washed out and faces get blown out highlights that look plain ugly but get the exposure right, or even a bit underexposed (which is easy to correct in post) and I end up with a great image.

Below a trailer from a wedding where I used one cx730, one xr520 (I didn't had my second cx730 at that time) and a t2i, all shots on the steadicam are from the t2i including every static shot with a shallow dof. All the rest is from the small sony's (the footage f.i. in church or persons doing speaches is also all sony). You have to skip though the first 50 seconds of the video to see the first sony shot. I have shot in quite demanding situations, with the sunlight almost directly into the lens up to very dark places and the camera held up beautifull. The lantern shot outside was done at night at 24db gain and on a big screen it looks great.

http://youtu.be/7SDJi1rznzw