craigbuckley

There are imo two completely different concepts of lighting, and to understand why can get you faster to where you like to be with light.

1. Lighting every take to the greatest effect, bending logic as far as needed, excluding natural light from the set or at least rigorously changing it. You study the characteristics of certain types of lights and choose the ones that fit.

2. Looking at natural light on a set. Since someone scouted the set as suitable for the scene, it very probably has something special. It will already capture and reflect the natural or existing light in a nice way. You think hard about what it is that makes the light work and then you merely amplify this mood, usually seldom by much more than reflectors or diffused floodlamps.

Once these two methods were called expressionistic and impressionistic, but if you take them as a yin & yang thing and not as contradictions, you have found the key to see the world through epiphanies of light.

Consider every lightsource as usable - for certain purposes. If there ever was a craft to which 'WYSIWYG' could be attached, it is lighting. But you need to learn how to see.

The Fancierstudio is cheaper than the Silk and more stable at full hight. Also, I know it sounds weird but, the longer handle is actually quite important for doing smooth pans and tilts. It give you more leverage. The shorter handle on the Silk is more prone to jerky movement. Another nice thing about the Fancier is that the quick release plate is a larger sliding type as opposed to a clip in one. This is just easer for use with larger video cameras. The legs also have pins as well as soft rubber feel so you can stick it into the ground when you need to. But really, the Fancier is a video tripod and the Silk is for photography. The advantage that the Silk has is that it's smaller and lighter weight but still pretty stable.

Yep... a fluid head is needed if you pan or tilt... the Slik has a three way head for photography.

I wrote a whole article on lighting for beginners here: [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar11/articles/light-fantastic.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar11/articles/light-fantastic.htm[/url]

You may find it helps!

My most used tools and reflectors (I have three large ones at least with me all the time) and two of those cheap chinese 600LED panels. They're amazing for the money! Fluoros look lovely but they're easy to break and a bit cumbersome for quick jobs.

I think Galenb has got it with his personal pick there, looks great for the money.

+1 for flimsy tripods (almost) smashing expensive gear. If I have a lens that's cost me 800 pounds to replace, I'm not mounting that on a flimsy tripod!

If you wanna turn that one into a branded tripod, put a Manfrotto sticker on it ;)

I bet the same factory make tripods for plenty of other companies.

Well, I happen to disagree. Craig, you are just starting out, you don't need to buy a $500 tripod. The one you picked out on ebay looks fine for what you are trying to do. I've always preferred the aluminum tube, crutch legs over the telescoping legs design. Most of the tripods I've used in studios have been this type. But whatever, thats a matter of taste I think. There are a bunch of similar ones on Amazon for about $120-150. Just look up Fluid head video tripod.

http://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-AVTP-Professional-Camera-Tripod/dp/B00139W0XM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349936949&sr=8-2&keywords=fluid+head+tripod+for+video

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Heavy-Video-Camcorder-Tripod/dp/B003UOMWOK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1349936983&sr=8-3&keywords=fluid+head+tripod+for+video

My personal pick:

http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-Professional-Camera-Tripod-FC-270/dp/B004XMW4SW/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1349937009&sr=8-7&keywords=fluid+head+tripod+for+video

By the way, if you are concerned about your tripod blowing over, try using a sandbag. Sheesh guys.

I would have recommended a Slik 700dx, but, its almost always outta stock. Its a heavy, and tall tripod, and pretty well recommended. I ordered one, online, from some terrible retailer, who didn't inform me, about delivery, even 2-3 days after the promised date. Then they, cheekily mailed me at 4 a.m., to tell me, that, its outta stock (after I placed an order, and waited for 10 days). :angry: I abused them on Facebook, but, I still wasn't satisfied with either the service or explanation (or the fact, that they didn't source a replacement, from some other dealer).

I feel, that, it isn't too wise to pick up a Tripod, for $500, if your camera, costs, well within $1000 ($699, actually). But, I am not way suggesting, that you buy some flimsy tripod, which is unstable, and weighs too little, and also cannot hold much weight.

Ideally, you need something that will support the GH2 with the 14-140 lens (equivalent, in weight, since its among the heavier lenses), and a few hundred grams more. Picking up a tripod which can take the load of a fully loaded Alexa or RED won't be useful. And, I am guessing, you need a little panning, for video, as well.

Try this:

[url="http://www.amazon.com/slik-pro-700dx-professional-tripod-with-panh/dp/B0002EXF38?SubscriptionId=1E628819KWK3ACMYXF82&tag=cameras0c91-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0002EXF38"]http://www.amazon.co...ASIN=B0002EXF38[/url]

or

[url="http://www.amazon.com/Vanguard-Alta-263AP-3-Section-Magnesium/dp/B001HBIYWM/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1"]http://www.amazon.co...sxp_grid_pt_0_1[/url]


(I don't own Either, so, just do a little research, regarding panning for video, and quality).

I noticed ur link/ url. DON'T buy an unbranded Tripod. The chances of it being good, are far lesser. Why take the risk. Especially, if branded and unbranded (in the link you mentioned), would come within a $20-30 difference, or less.

There are many options in Benro, Manfrotto, Slik, etc. You'll just have to do some intensive online research. ;)

No!!! Please buy a descent tripod. Oh, I bought a cheap one before and it blew over in a breeze, smashed my lens. Get something that is really solid. Not to mention a good pan, not just smooth, but one that doesn't make clicking or poping noises. It seems everybody neglects the tripod. I've gone to no-budget films with old film school bodies and we always have 5 7Ds but no tripods. I personally believe a tripod is a better investment than a camera- it will last you a lot longer.

this is free !
have a good read of this US Navy basic photography course all you need to know about all the basics is in here

[url="http://www.scribd.com/doc/7835975/US-Navy-Course-NAVEDTRA-14209-Photography-Basic"]http://www.scribd.co...otography-Basic[/url]

Search both lenses on vimeo, like "Panasonic 14mm gh2" and "Rokinon 14mm gh2" (you can replace rokinon with samyang, if you don't find any matches). Look at the images and decide which one of the two you like best.
With the panny being faster, the Rokinon has an aperture ring (even clickless with the cine version), which could be an advantage over the panny with video. The rokinon is larger and you have to buy another adapter for it, Nikon or EF to m43. The rokinon also has no filter ring, only a mattebox will be an option for using filters.

My two cents; If you're looking for a cinematic like image, go for the rokinon or the SLR magic.
If you just want a cheap fast wideangle prime, buy the Panasonic.

Try the SLR Magic HyperPrime Cine 12mm T/1.6 Lens for Micro Four Thirds. Andrew (Reid) has shot some gr8 footage with it, which you could check out.
The Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0 is also a gr8 lens (though more expensive).

There is a certainly kind of earnest curiosity, in your questions. I guess, a lot of people on this forum (including me, sometimes), believe that they are too elementary, at times, but, please don't let it bother you.
I have worked in a few features, and we had a DoP/ Cinematographer, with about 30 years of experience (or more), who, more than once, missed shadows, and bills on trees, in the frame. Though, he was broad-shouldered enough to admit his folly, the moral of the story is, no one is perfect :)
The length of the time left, on the card, depending on the MB rate, you are shooting at.

get the panasonic 14mm f2.5, that is the cheapest wide lens available for the gh2. Besides you might want to consider the canon fd 35mm f2 and the 85mm 1.8.

A fast wide-angle prime is the SLR Magic Hyperprime 12mm f1.6. It's not that cheap, but very fast and wide.

I suppose you already have the kitlens? It starts at 14mm, so if that's wide enough for you and you just need a faster lens, the panny 14mm f2.5 will suit you fine.

The hack is 3rd party (as in, not made by Panasonic) software that you can download and install on your GH2 for different settings. It allows shooting at higher bit-rates, which basically means you'll have video that is more open to colour correction, and that holds more information in the shadows, etc. The downside is that you can hold less video on your memory card.

You can zoom 2.6x on the 20mm and all your other lenses by using the GH2's 'ex-tele' mode. This is different from an optical zoom (where you change the mm of your lens), but the quality is very good and it's worth using in good lighting conditions.

The Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is a fixed focal length lens, meaning, that you cannot zoom in. The advantage that it offers, over a zoom, is that, you can get prime lenses, which are very fast (meaning, that they are very bright). This is great for indoor, or night shooting.

Thought, I haven't tried any video or other tutorials, myself (I read a lot of articles, by various users, from Cinematographers, to Bloggers, to regular users, apart from checking various videos on Vimeo and YouTube), maybe, these will be helpful:

[url="http://osgfilms.com/gh2-quickstart/"]http://osgfilms.com/gh2-quickstart/[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROQbbiiO2I&noredirect=1"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROQbbiiO2I&noredirect=1[/url]

Btw, do NOT use the 20mm f1.7, with Autofocus, for video. Its too slow. Otherwise its a nice and fast lens, and very good, for the price. Best of Luck, with your new cam.

Lower f-stop numbers like f/1.4 or f/2.0 are better then f/3.5 or f/4. Lenses are usually described with a focal length and widest possible aperture. The wider the aperture the better. So if you see a lens described as a "50mm, f/3.5" and then another "50mm, f/1.4", the latter is better because the lower F-stop number indicates a wider aperture opening. f/1.4 is better then f/3.5.

Yup, prime, though I hear the AF speed is a bit slow compared to other native GH2 lenses. I'd say get that over the kit lens either way because of the significant difference in aperture. The kit lens is really only good in daylight unless you don't mind noise. Then just pick up a manual prime in a different focal length + adapter, and you have a good starter kit.

I still think you should get the 14-42mm but the Panasonic 14mm f2.8 is a really nice lens and very inexpensive. It looks like it's about the cheapest 14mm you can get:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Aspherical-Thirds-Interchangeable-Cameras/dp/B008R6F6HG/ref=pd_sim_sbs_p_2

Oh and check out this guys website where he does some really great scientific comparisons between different micro 4/3 lenses:
http://m43photo.blogspot.com

About Neutral Density filter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_density_filter
Basically, it allows you to shoot wide open aperture in full daylight by cutting down the light entering the lens. It's so you can get that shallow depth of field look in brightly lit scenes. A variable ND filter is actually two pieces of specially coated glass that rotate against each other. The more you rotate the top glass, the less light gets through. It's an indispensable tool and great for outdoor shooting.

Yup, I've got one of those for my Nikon G (electronic aperture) lenses and it works just fine. Just be aware that if you're also using lenses with electronically actuated apertures, the adjustment ring on that adapter is very coarse, with a very short adjustment range (still goes from min to max aperture). It's pretty much impossible to get any type of repeatable precision when setting the aperture. If you're just adjusting aperture based on the appearance of the light and/or bokeh in the scene, that adapter is fine. But if you need to know the precise aperture setting being used, and/or be able to return to it later, you'll need an expensive adapter with a fine adjustment. One of the biggest reasons to get fully manual primes.

In FCP X, there are no 'issues' with the GH2. You also won't need 5D2RGB. Just skim through the import-window with patience, in order not to crash the program by to hecticly hopping between AVCHD files, choose your desired clips, hit 'import' and leave the 'optimized media' preset at it's default (ProRes like with 5D2RGB). Then meticulously tag and rename the clips in the event browser, avoid too fast skimming movements between clips. Once you are finished, the selected clips have been transcoded in the background and you can create a project. With this workflow and disciplin you won't see the beachball even on slower macs and will be faster than with every other NLE.

wait with the follow focus rig.

For the start you need some decent primes and a decent tripod. Without a decent tripod you wont do good. Then later you can think about a decent microphone. But primes and tripod first. The gh2 onboard mic is ok for the start, not for professional work of course.

I suggest you get a wide lens (14mm) and 28 or 35mm. Then perhaps a lens like 85mm. The kit lens is not that bad if you can get it cheaply. ND filters you need for filming with shallow depth of field during the day or with a lot of sunlight.

But i tell you, you will need patience to get used to all kind of settings and till you find out how things work. It took me quite a while when i entered the DSLR-world (although technically the gh2 is not a dslr) to start figuring out which option does what. This forum is a good place to learn about things. Same as personal-view. But always try to search the forums first, because most of the starting questions have been asked many times.

Canon and Nikon are pretty similar, though Nikons tend to be a bit sharper more often than not, especially when you get to the higher end primes that are also more contrasty and colorful. There are adapters for each specific brand/lens mount. Even the cheap ones work (around $25), though may need a bit of tightening (slip a knife in the prongs of the mount). If you look hard enough, you can probably get an old F/1.8-2.8 prime between 28-55mm without issues for as low as $50, though they usually hover around $100. Go wider/longer/faster and the price starts to go up.

The biggest limitation when using primes on a GH2 is when it comes to wide angles. You'll usually find down to 28mm cheaply enough, but things start to get more expensive past that. Primes tend to bottom out at 20mm, too, which is about a 40mm equivalent on the GH2. Not very wide. I have a Nikon-mount Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 so I can go wider than that (about 22-32, wide enough), though it's above your suggested budget at $650 (and needs a slightly more expensive adapter because no aperture ring). Sigma makes a cheaper, slower, wide angle lens that can work, too. A bonus to these is that under good lighting, you can use ETC mode's additional 2.6x crop for a normal field of view. Like having two lenses in one! :)

I double all of the above.. I'm also glad you posted this here instead of Personal View... It's good to see you still have a good self-esteem:)

A GH2 with the 64gb, 95mbps Sandisk Extreme Pro card... Others will disagree, but this is the only card that has "never" stopped recording on me from 2 years of personal experience.. So don't skimp on that... Get it if you can afford it and plan on using patches with bit rates around 150+

A GH2 with a set of old fast manual Nikon AIS's or Canon FD's (especially the older 'ssc' ones) - will make it sing. Then buy the proper corresponding adapter for around $30. (Sorry.. I'm sure Novoflex is awesome for $200... But come on.). Get a variable ND, and make a movie man.

Yes, that adaptor will work on the GH2.

Now for that particular lens, I'm going to offer my personal opinion. ;-) First off, I have a lens almost exactly like it but I paid about $40 for it. It's a Minolta 50mm f1.4. 50mm is about the most common lens you can find out there. Check ebay and I'm sure you'll see what I'm talking about.

But here, there is a slight issue you should be aware of. The sensor in the GH2 is a micro 4/3 size. That means it's smaller then an APS-C sensor and even smaller then a full frame sensor. So, if you had a full frame sensor camera, a 50mm lens would be a 50mm lens just fine. But on a micro 4/3 camera, The sensor is actually crops the lens by 2x more then a full frame sensor. So a 50mm (which is about medium focal length on a full frame camera) is actually 100mm on the GH2! This means that a medium lens is actually a telephoto! Now, this is both good news and bad for some people. I love the look of telephoto. To me, I have this cool, 70's, raw documentary kind of romantic vision in my head. So this is right up my alley. However, a lot of people are really into wide angle or even fisheye lenses. If you look through the listings on ebay, you'll quickly see that wide angle lenses are some of the most expensive out there. To make things worse, what is considered wide to a full frame camera is actually medium focal length on a GH2 because of the 2x crop. So a 24mm lens is almost a 50mm on a GH2. So, you need to go down further and further in focal length to to actually get a wide angle look. The kit lens is 14mm-42mm so with the crop that's actually 28mm-84mm (which is actually perfect for most people's taste). So, the kind of lens that you'll be wanting to get is either something wider then 14mm (like a 7mm or 10mm) if you want to shoot skateboard videos... Or, something longer then 42 mm (like 100mm... well, you get the idea). But wait, there's a special trick that GH2 has that allows you to push in on the sensor to get a 2X telephoto zoom. It's kind of like digital zoom but it actually just grabs the middle 1920x1080 pixels of the full 16 megapixel image and gives you a 1:1 pixel ratio. So it is for all practical purposes a regular 2X zoom with the flick of a switch.

One thing I also wanted to say about the Nikon lens you picked out. That lens is pretty expensive due in part to a lot of features that you wouldn't even be able to use on that camera. So, you need to keep in mind that even though Nikon lenses and Canon lenses and whatever lenses can be adapted to micro 4/3, the GH2 won't be able to use auto focus, in-body aperture control or optical image stabilization. Only the full manual lenses are of any use. If you really want those features, take a look at the Panasonic micro 4/3 lenses out there. They are expensive but very sharp.

If you don't care about auto control, cruse ebay for old lenses. Search for "Nikon F mount", "Canon FD mount", "minolta MD", "Pentax PK", "Olympus OM" and "M42". These are all manual lens mounts and in general, pretty safe for the GH2. I have PK, F, and MD adaptors for my lenses and they all work great.

The last thing I wanted to add was, if you have money burning a whole in your pocket, think about investing in some of the other tools you might need. Like a really nice tripod or a follow focus rig ( [url="http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Shoulder-Support-Handles-Standard/dp/B008MTRGJY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2JCTXBQZ88F4F&coliid=IXXSDLH9NRU1G"]I've had my eye on this[/url] ) or a nice veriable-ND filter with some stepper rings. Reflectors, lights, soft boxes, etc, etc...


[edit: hmmm. Looks like I took so long responding that two other got there before I could! :-D]