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Adam's Custom A1U
So after about a month and a half I have finally bought everything I wanted for an ultimate camera. With the help of Laurence Kingston and others, I have managed to build a nicely customized A1U. First off, here are some pictures:
Custom A1U on a tripod with all accessories: http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic1.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic2.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic3.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic4.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic5.jpg Custom A1U on the Spiderbrace with camera light wireless boom: http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic6.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic7.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic8.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic9.jpg Custom A1U with shotgun mic and wireless handheld / lavaliere: http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic10.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic11.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic12.jpg Regular A1U: (look how small it looks without accessories!) http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic13.jpg Hard case for camera and Canon gadget bag for accessories: http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic14.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic15.jpg http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic17.jpg Finally, the tripod, boom pole and Spiderbrace: http://www.adster.net/host/files/1/Camera/pic16.jpg Preface: At the start of the year, I was itching to buy myself a nice professional camera for projects, weddings, films, etc. I came here to DV info and did my research and finally purchased an A1U. Not soon after buying it I realized that to make it really function like I want I need to purchase accessories - a lot of them! I used Laurence's custom A1U thread as a base point but made a few changes. Here's what I got: ------------- Accessories in the pictures: Camera 1) Sony A1U (duh) - $2499.99 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=384527&is=REG (I got this cam due to the great recommendations here at DV Info) 2) Rode NTG-2 - $249.00 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=367747&is=REG I bought this mic for a few good reasons. A lot of reviews said this is the best mic under $500. I chose it over the NTG-1 because of the optional battery so I can use it as a wireless boom mic as well. 3) Sennheiser G2 100 Series Wireless Microphone Kit - $599.99 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=324228&is=REG Hands down the best economy wireless set you can buy. It comes with a body pack and a wireless lavaliere mic as well as a wireless XLR plug, so you can make your boom mic wireless! (a big selling point for me). The transmitter also comes with a shoe mount and an XLR cable. Perfect for the A1U 4) Sony HVL-20DMA On Camera light - $96.95 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...367190&is=REG& This light shines either 10W or 20W worth of light. Best part is that it uses the same batteries as the camera, so just get a few and their interchangeable! Perfect for weddings & interviews. 5) Sony VCL-HG0737Y Wide Angle Lens - $149.95 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=396837&is=REG I chose this lens because it's the only lens approves for HD on Sony's site and it's clear that they made this lens with this camera in mind. They look great together. 6) Cavision LH77 Lens Hood - $49.00 http://www.cavision.com/lenshoods/LH77.htm This is a 77MM rubber lens hoos made specifically for the Sony Y wide angle lens. This hood combined with the Y lens really gives the camera that professional look and feel. The lens can also take 82mm filters if needed and it blocks glare! 7) Sto-fen #OM-EZ Omni-Bounce Diffuser - $16.95 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...u=89908&is=REG This is made for a Canon lens, but fits perfectly over the HVL-20DMA light. Softens the light quite a bit so you don't have that hard edge kind of look. 8) NRG 59111 Shoe Mount Adaptor - $24.95 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=114982&is=REG On a camera, shoe mounts are rare. This one adds 3 additional mounts including one side mount, good for the Sennheiser wireless pack! 9) Random InfoLithium type M batteries - $25.00 I bought this battery and charger on eBay and it works great with the cam. I bought a 2nd smaller capacity battery from the same vendor and it does not work with the cam (gives an error about using official Sony batteries and turns off) but it works great with the light. If you're going to buy batteries off of eBay, BE CAREFUL! It may or may not not work with the A1U! You have been warned... 10) 1.5 ft Right-Angled XLR Cable - $17.48 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=262152&is=REG I bought my blue colored one locally from the same place that Laurence got his - TAI Audio in Orlando, Florida. If locally is not an option, B&H sure is! 11) Sony MDR-V150 Headphones - $14.95 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=225498&is=REG I don't need anything spectacular when it comes to sound monitoring, but these work great at a great price. Mounts 12) Velbon CX-690 Tripod - $39.88 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TY7I/ The Velbon CX-570 seems to be greatly reviewed here at DV Info as a good cheap Tripod. Well, this is a little higher of a model for the same price as the 570 and it ships free! 13) Spiderbrace 2 - $64.95 http://www.spiderbrace.com/ Great product. Not even going to go into it. Do a search if you really wanna see the 212343 positive reviews. 14) Pro78-SM Boom Pole & Shock Mount - $79.99 I bought this because frankly - I ran out of money. It's not a bad boom pole, but it is a little cheap. I would highly recommend a pole with an XLR cable integrated. It does come with a shockmount however, and that works great! Cases 15) Vanguard VGP13 Hard Case - $39.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JQLK/ I bought this case because I really wanted to get a hard case with foam inside. I think it protects the equipment better and gives more of a professional feel to the gig. 16) Canon 200DG Gadget Bag - $50.94 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Y5WZC/ Perfect for all those little things that don't go in the hard case. Cables, chargers, batteries, manuals, tapes, anything that doesn't fit! Total Cost: $4019.96 ------------- What would I do differently? 1) I wish I had gotten a better boom pole. The one I have now works pretty good, but if you add the wireless XLR pack to the end of the Rode NTG-2, it becomes too heavy to stay properly in the shock mount. I could add an 8ft XLR cable but that would kind of defeat the theory of a "wireless" boom now wouldn't it? What I have been looking at is this boom pole: K-Tek KE89CC - $179.95 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=319988&is=REG 2) When getting a hard case with the foam that you pluck out, make sure you plan exactly where everything's going to go and make sure you have everything available to put in immediately. The case was the first thing I bought, so every time I got another accessory I would pluck out the foam and put it in - but I had not planned so ahead of time, so the arrangement of my hard case is less then stellar but it's not super bad. One day I'll get another case and start over. 3) I sold my ECM-NV1 on eBay to pay for the Rode NTG-2, but when I sold the mic I also sold the little rubber spacer it uses to stay in the shockmount. I didn't think about it at the time, but I kind of needed that to make the Rode fit. I called Sony, and they sell that rubber piece but it was a whopping $11.05 with another $11 ground shipping. No thank you. So I just ended using the soft side of some velcro, and it seems to fit perfectly. I haven't tested audio with it yet, so there might be all kinds of noise that I don't know about. Rode sells a shockmount that fixes this exact issue, the Rode SM5 but it is becoming extremely hard to find one and harder yet - at a decent price. B&H had a used one for $30 but when I went to purchase it, some other shifty person was a little quicker then I. Oh well. ------------- Thats really about it! I would love to hear what people think of this setup and if someone has something add or change, by all means, bring it up! I'm always looking to make things better. Thanks to everyone at DV Info for their help, especially Lauren Kingston, Alex Thames and Poppe Johansson. |
I wish! Your set up seems perfect (with the exception of the problem with the wireless pack and the boom pole). I have yet to get a better microphone. Seems like I have to add the NTG-2 microphone to the list. I was between the NTG-1 and the Sennheiser ME64. I know both are different types, and that is why I am split.
Anyways, congratulations on your setup. I have yet to post mine. I'll do it this week sometime. PS - Where in Orlando are you? I'm by Sea World; Williamsburg. You're the second person here that I met from Orlando. :) |
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I live in East Orlando, over by the University of Central Florida but I work full time at Universal Studios. Is Sea World over by Buch Gardens? |
How well does the NTG-2 perform indoors? Being a shotgun mic, I am reluctant to use it indoors much as it seems to be too directional.
Sea World is by Universal Studios. I have a lot of friends at UCF and visit there quite often. |
Very nice. How much were you able to sell your ECM-NV1 for? I'm thinking of doing the same, since I've never used it once, and it's just been sitting in the plastic bag ever since I got the camera.
I still need a few things to finish up my setup, but that'll come later. |
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As far as indoors, the NTG-2 dies pick up quite a bit of background noise including the A/C units, squeaking chairs, etc... which is why I kind of plan on using the wireless lav's for indoor interviews and scenes. I haven't tried the Sennheiser ME64 but the cost just really turns me off to it :-/ Quote:
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Hi Adam, very nice sytem. Thank you for taking the time to detail all the items you purchased, this has given me some great ideas.
Regards Dennis Kane |
The ME64 is definitely worth it. It behaves well in even highly reflective environments. I've tried using it in places including big stage halls, dance studios (which have hardwood floors everywhere and mirrors - not a lot of dulling furniture at all), and large tiled bathrooms. The audio that I get doesn't sound boxy or echo-y at all.
I also wish I had gotten the NTG-2 instead of NTG-1 now too. I hadn't considered the versatility of using the Rode NTG-1 on a boom. But since I only have the NTG-1 that requires phantom power, how would I use it on a boom? Do I just have to hook up a recorder that provides phantom power and clip it on my belt or something? What if I wanted to hook up the NTG-1 to a wireless setup? Would that work? In other words, does the wireless setup provide phantom power? |
No screen hood on Adam's A1
One thing that Adam's amazing A1 does NOT have is an LCD screen hood. I know these can be useful with other camcorders but perhaps the A1 does not need one ?
Cheers Mike |
What would they be used for, just making the LCD screen viewable under bright lighting? You could probably make it yourself out of those binders and cutting it up, then velcroing it on.
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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=349264&is=REG Quote:
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Nice sunny day here in Yorkshire so I have had the A1 outside with an LCD screen hood fitted. The hood is only 5.5cms deep (2 1/4 inches ) so unless you have abnormally short fingers you should have no difficulty reaching the touch screen menus. The Hoodman H300 fits fine. Available your end from www.hoodmanusa.com/camcorder_hoods.asp
Only snag is I honestly can't see much difference between having the screen on or not ! I had the A1 on a Spiderbrace2 and my eyes were some distance from the screen perhaps if I had got up close to the hood things would have looked better. Any one else had experience with the A1 / Hoodman combination ? Cheers Mike |
So basically, the LCD hood is useless?
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Begins to look that way.
Certainly I didn't see much, if any, improvement when hand held or on the Spiderbrace. There might be occasions when it might be useful. If you were filming on tripod you would be able to get up close and squint into the hood. That might improve the definition of the image. But the sun has disappeared now and who knows how long it might be before I can put that to the test. I'm curious to know if others have experience of the A1/Hoodman combination. |
I am looking for a nice camera bag / case (I guess I prefer a bag) for my HDR-HC1 with many of the accessoires you are also carrying. I have the HDR-HC1, wide-angle lens, few extra batteries, the cables, a Rode-NTG 2 shotgun microphone, a Spiderbrace 2 and a Manfrotto tripod. Some of the accesoires like the Spiderbrace and tripod do not have to go in the bag. I am also planning to buy a Rode NT-3 as well as a videolight, and some filters. All of these accesoires need to fit in the bag comfortably. Furthermore, I want a weather-proof bag and am willing to pay for quality.
I have been really satisfied with Lowe Pro bags in the past and hope someone can give me some advice for which I have to look. |
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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=152798&is=REG It should be big enough to fit your camera and all your accessories in there. It's not cheap, but its very high quality! |
For waterproof, almost unbreakable cases try these two manufacturers :
http://www.stormcase.com/ http://www.pelican.com/ |
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I have pretty much the same system as Adam. I have 3 microphones, a matt box with 6 filters, batteries, in another words, lots of stuff. I use the Petrol PWB HDV. I looked at a lot of various manufactures and ultimately settled on Petrol. I feel it is designed and made better than most and best of all cost less than a Porta Brace product. I have a Lowe Pro small back pack that I use when flying and love it dearly. But when I am on the ground traveling by car then I use the Petrol. There is an excellent article on www.dvuser.com about Petrol bags. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation D Kane |
I have just purchased the Petrol PCCB-1N compact camcorder bag for my HVR-A1U after your recommendation. Hoping it is as good as it sounds.
By the way, it is www.dvuser.co.uk. not .com. The review he is referring to can be found here: http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=49 |
I bought this:
You can also try this: and other bags on eBay. I don't see what the big deal with getting a super quality bag is. It's just a bag. I've had no-name bags for other purposes for years and still using them. |
Talk to me in 5-10 years. You'll have gone through at least 2 of them then.
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We'll see. I'm very gentle on my bags, so my bags last a long time. Like I said, I've used bags for other applications that are actually much more rugged than I would imagine video needs (such as playing paintball, airsoft, camping, etc. where the bags are transported and dragged in rough, rocky, dirty environments all the time) and I've always used the cheaper bags and no big problems.
Also, if in 5-10 years I only go through 2 bags, or even say 5 bags, at $25 a bag, I'd still be saving more money than if I bought a quality $150+ bag. |
I believe there is no such a thing as a perfect bag. However, I do like a bag that is comfortable to wear (shoulders) and which servers as a good protection of my camera. I have dozens of bags laying around where I can put my equipment in but with the microphones I need a big with compartments, which firmly holds everything at one place. Also when travelling by airplane for example. With Lowe Pro bags for example, I know you can use them for 10 years without any problems. I really hate buying something, then buying something better, ending up with something good. The first purchases for lets say $20 and $40 are $60 in total of a $150 bag. So that would make a $90 difference. But one bad bag which results in damaged equipment and you can pay like $500 in repair costs.
The bottom-line is that I do not care if it is an expensive bag, but if it is a solid bag with compartments, and above all comfortable to carry. Basically I am looking for two things: one bag like stated above for transportion use in my car to shooting locations, and another one for in the field for walking/biking/hiking/nature documentary etcetera. I really appreciate the help of the members on this board. |
The Petrol bag looks excellent but the price is as high as the Lowe Pro and the Pots Brace bags in the same size. The Lowe Pro bags are All-Weather and I am not sure if the Petrol bag has the same All-Weater sleeve.
The Lowe Pro bag I had in mind can be found here: http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Shou...ial_AW_DV.aspx It looks very decent to me. If anyone has other suggestion, please let me know cause I want to make a good decision on this one. I also looked at the Porta Brace website and they have this wonderful Hiker product line, which are backpacks, which I think is ideal for nature trips. However, I am not sure which product in this product line is adequate for my HDR-HC1 with microphones, tripod, batteries, cables, filters, wide-angle lens and cleaning equipment. Does anyone know this line? It can be seen at the Porta Brace website: http://www.portabrace.com/landing_us...p?id=25&sid=22 |
Another question I have is, when looking for a 82mm UV filter, which filter would I be looking at? Like B+W, Tiffen, Hoya. Of course the filter should not degrade the image quality too much so I guess I am looking at $80 filters?
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Alex, when buying cheaper bags, you have to be gentle. That is why some people prefer to spend more on something that can take more a beating. Sometimes when you are out in the field, you don't have time to be meticulous. I try to take care of my bags as well, but sometimes the filming circumstances don't allow me to.
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I always make time to take care of my bag and equipment. Even if those situations that seem like you could not take care of the bag, I do. Like I said, even when doing more rigorous activities than filming, my bags still stay in good condition as does my equipment. I really doubt that I'll be changing bags anytime soon or be getting damaged equipment because of buying a cheaper bag. I guess it comes down to how good do you want to feel about your bag and if you're the type who likes to throw his bags around, drag them around, and not take enough time to care for them or not. I treat my bags as if they were the camera (or whatever equipment they hold) themselves. Furthermore, my philosophy is the more expensive the bag, the MORE gently I handle them. I might not care as much tossing around a $25 bag, but tossing around a $150 bag - no. Of course, tossing around bags are just not my philosophy at all, especially if they house expensive equipment.
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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search
How do you think this backpack will suit the HDR-HC1 with Sony Y wideangle and hood attached? Many bags are suited for the Sony PDX-10, which I believe is about the same size as the HDR-HC1/A1 but I am not sure. I do not want a really huge backpack, but a normal sized one like a regular Eastpak bag or something, which will hold all my gear. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont....x=0&image.y=0 This is another bag I am looking at. However, the bag I mentioned above does come with the raincover which costs $85 normally, so if the size of the bags is not too different I prefer the one with the raincover. |
Nice setup. Mike Wade says the only thing missing is the Hoodman, but I've spotted a couple more. Firstly (and ideally) the lens hood for the wide-angle should be a 16:9 aspect ratio. Even more important when you've added another three lens elements to the line-up.
Next up is the extender shoe that allows tapes to be changed while the camera's fixed on the tripod (there's a few of these about now) and a levelling bowl tripod would be grand. tom. |
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Also, I setup a page with thumbnails of all those pics at: http://www.adster.net/camera/ |
Adam,
Get the bottom loading tape adapter! I am a faithful user of it and it is a great piece of equipment! I posted a thread about it. I am not in any way affiliated with the maker of it. At first I didn't really need it and actually don't shoot a whole lot of video that would cause me to have many tape changes. I just figure that I should be prepared when I start shooting more video. Also, I hate it when I have to take off the Cold shoe adapter, Beachtek DXA-2s, and tripod head adapter just to change a freakin tape! So, this adapter is a blessing. Check it out here: http://www.dm-accessories.com/HC1-SHIM.php |
Can we get an update, Adam?
Adam,
Now that you've had the equipment for a few weeks I'm sure there are those of us who'd love an update on how it all works together, what you like and what you don't like. I for one am about to pull the trigger (within the next 2 days) on a setup darn near identical to yours (but including the Steadicam Merlin in the mix as well) and am wondering how the wireless xlr adaptor works with the boom if you got the K-Tec one because I'm a bit confused about how well that works having the internal cable running the boom pole along with the wireless XLR adaptor. I'm assuming you would plug the adaptor into the mic itself and leave the cable alone. I already have the Spiderbrace and while it's not gonna take the place of the Steadicam it sure as heck can replace the tripod in 75% of the situations I'll be using it. It's an awesome little piece of equipment and for the price everyone ought to have it in their arsenal of tools. Cheers! |
What is the difference in the G2 500 Series and the one you listed at the beginning of your thread?
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Adam,
Congrats on the great setup! What do you think of you're Tripod? Is it very good? Does it pan nice? Thanks! ~Gabriel~ |
I am starting to round up some of Adam's kit for my A1. I am having trouble deciding on which mic to get though. Can someone explain a little about the different Sennheiser capsules? Are the Me62/64/66 the same mic with different parts for different purposes?
I was planning on getting an NTG-2 for an outside shotgun and an ME64 for indoors. Would it be better to just buy the one Sennheiser with a couple different capsules that serve the same purpose as buying both the NTG-2 and the ME64? Or do they? I am confused. I already have an NTG-1 but that is more an away from the camera mic, correct? Help! |
From my reply above, I meant to say I already have an NT-3. Do I place that near the subject and still use an on-camera shotgun?
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You don't need NTG2 if you've got an NTG1. They're essentially exactly the same mic but the NTG2 has an internal battery so you can power it from internal battery OR phantom power. Both NTG1 and NTG2 are shotgun mics. ME64 would work better indoors yes. I'm not sure if the Senn capsules are interchangeable - someone else will jump in here on this one... AT does a nice setup (but more money...) in the 4053a hypercardioid mic and you can buy a cardioid capsule for it (essentially becomes a 4051a) and also an omni capsule (becomes the 4049a). |
The ME6x Senn. series uses the K6 and related K6 (like K6 Red dot) power capsules, so they're interchangeable. The ME64 is a cardioid, ME66 is shotgun.
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