Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

This sounds stupid but reading glasses! For us guys that are getting older and vision in a dark reception gets hard! On Saturday I changed camera modes and then realised that the P was easy to see until I had to change back to Creative Movie Mode on the top dial and I couldn't quite make out the symbols and it was dark all over (candle lit reception) Adrian's torch would have helped but I must really buy a cheap pair of reading glasses from the discount store ($5.00) and keep them in my accessory case!

I only wear glasses for reading anyway and all my cameras have dioptre adjustment so no issue there but having to suddenly read icons on a mode dial in the dark isn't easy!!! My spare pair was in the centre console of the car and parked a good 100 metres away...However I asked a young 20/20 vision waitress to check the symbol and luckily it was correct!!

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

You are getting old Chris, as well as the markings on the selector dial, they also show on the screen top left. I only realised that after having the same problem as you!

Roger

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

Are they the Pro or non Pro cards Chris?

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

Hi Anthony

Mine are Transcend SDXC 64GB U3 Gold cards R95 W60 Mbps. However I have some Sony 32GB Class 10 U1 cards and they seem to work just as well but haven't used them for critical stuff like weddings.

Shot 2 weddings so far on these cards with no issues



Hi Roger - As Homer Simpson would say "DOH" I never thought of that!! AND it's even outlined in red too!! Thanks for that!! However I will still keep a pair of reading glasses in the case just in case!!

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

Thank you Chris.

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

I agree about the 4K cards. I have four of the SanDisk Extremes with 95mb/s. I'll hopefully have a full kit of them once they come down in price.

That's great stuff, Chris! I am still happy with my Pelican case, but may not have used it as much as you did in your six months! Mine seems to be 'like new' still, and I have used it about 10 times... I'll see how long it lasts!

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

One odd thing in my bag is a large white table cloth. I use it to white balance on the podium when the cameras are mounted across the room.

And of course there is a Swiss army knife in every bag.

Thanks for the tip on the Sennheiser adapter. That is a must get one item.

Steve

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

Hey Steven, what do you find you use the Swiss army knife for?

I used to carry one... but took it out of my bag for a few plane trips, then never ended up putting it back in. The main use it saw was "bridal repair" -- when the bride had a loose thread or something she needed to cut off. "Hey, would you guys happen to have a pair of scissors?" (because we no doubt look like we're carrying everything, including kitchen sinks, and we probably are).

I still carry various allen keys and wrenches and screwdrivers -- mainly for tightening steadicam and monopod, whose joints sometimes come loose.

Re: Non Essential But Helpful Purchases
 

It is the screwdrivers I use the most. I rarely have change in my pocket so tripod plates are the most common use. Then any other screw that comes loose. Then it is the blade and scissors for lighting gels.

Traveling is a pain. I keep a leatherman tool in an adapter bag that always goes in a checked bag. And these days it is a cheap imitation leatherman tool from Home Depot because I have had two of them stolen when I used the $100.00 real thing. I have Swiss army knives that live in different kits. I just have to remember them before a flight.

Here in the US almost all Swiss army knives are Red. I discovered on trips to Europe that they come in different colors. So when I am lucky enough to book an international gig I treat myself to a new one in a new color if I find one. I have different models in Black, Orange, Camo, Blue (now lost or stolen) and of course several in Red. I am not out of the US often so now I can't remember which country I got each color in but that was the idea at the time. I guess the knives are sharper than my brain!

Here is a link to a tread similar to this one I started in the lighting forum three weeks ago where I posted pictures of all the gadgets in my grip kit:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/photon-m...-all-have.html

There is a cheap do it all tool kit in that case.

Kind Regards,
Steve