Unsure....wanted to get some feedback here...I have some thoughts, but wanted to get people lie you guys with more experience.

Also, I am flying to India at X-mas and bringing my HVX and gear with me, what would be the best bag to take? most people are saying that something that wasn't a hard case would be better so itwouldn't look expensive and being more prone to being ripped off....

Anye ideas?

Cheers!

IndieSnap makes a cheap matte box, but it's huge. Geardear makes a slightly costlier matte box - it's plastic, but it can be taken apart and packed away. My lightweight tripod/head of choice is the Bogen 501 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=220389&is=REG&addedTroughType=search). If you don't want an expensive looking bag... get a cheapo travelling bag (WalMart, etc.) and line it with foam from your local hardware store (cut the foam to shape). I did this for my HVX and it works great. Also, a cheapo tripod bag option - those cloth outdoor folding chairs (WalMart, etc.) that come in their own bags... they're usually under $30.

Justin,

You can skimp on accessories to fit the budget but I would not under any circumstances use anything other than a hard-case such as the Pelican. They don't look expensive (not to me anyway) since they have a dark plastic exterior, but the level of protection they offer can't be rivaled. You can get away with a soft case with foam inserts but if you're going to be flying or traveling at all you don't want to take a chance that your bag might get squished by something heavy. I weigh about 220; I can literally stand in the middle of any of my Pelican cases and it won't cave in.

About the Indie-Snap: It has very limited functionality as a true matte-box. One of the main functions of a matte-box is to "flag out" unwanted light from the top and both sides. This is normally accomplished by physcially moving either the "french flag" up top or the side-wing panels on either side to match the FOV of the focal length being used and give you the ability to remove any stray light or reflections that are off-sides.

The Indie-Snap however does not offer this capability because it's upper flag and side-wings are in a fixed position and cannot be changed. That makes it's "flagging" capabilities no different than the standard lens hood that the HVX comes with. However, it will allow you to add filters to the front the lens.

Take a look at the Indie-Snap website, then compare their matte-box to the photos I posted of the HVX with a matte-box from Century Optics (go to the Image Gallery on this site) and you'll see what I mean about how the Indie has limited functionality.

With respect to a tripod head, the Bogen 501 is a great choice however the Bogen 503 is a better option since it has inner springs to help balance the load which the 501 does not have. The 503 also comes with an extendable pan-handle, the handle on the 501 is a fixed length. The 503 is just a little more $$ than the 501 but completely worth the added features.

Lastly, I've tried batteries from 3 different manufacturers, none of them have as much runtime or hold a charge overnight as well as the Panasonics do.

Check out the geardear mattebox system www.geardear.com

In a higher-end mattebox system, nothing beats, IMHO, the combination of the Zacuto baseplate and rods with the Petroff 3-stage box.

I do not like Bogen/Manfrotto sticks and heads. I personally have a Sachtler DV-4 which I have from Sony DVCAM days. Whenever I replace the DV-4, I would replace it with the DV6. Other users are reporting great success with the Cartoni Action Pro. The Cartoni is slightly more than the Sacthler DV4 but less expensive than the DV6.

Ned Soltz

thanks for the sound info y'all...very cool!