My B&H Cart - What do you think? ;)

[Ted]

Well, ordering closes in about 20 minutes or so, but instead of rushing, I thought I'd share my items with you folks and get your expert advice. I'd rather wait a couple of days and get GOOD items, than rush and buy things I may not need/want later on.

Here's what I'm ordering:

The WA lens
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 051&is=REG

The LCD hood (although I'm questioning this if I have a viewfinder)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 621&is=REG

WA Lens hood
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 539&is=REG

General Brand filter (yes, I know it's General Brand, but I'm using it mostly for protection)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 174&is=REG

43 mm lens cap (can I use this with the filter I'm currently using on my lens?)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 566&is=REG

Light
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 376&is=REG

Any input is appreciated!

[jackfalbey]

My thoughts...

-The viewfinder is rather small and irritating to me, so I always use the LCD when shooting.

-I'd pay the extra few bucks for a Tiffen or Hoya filter... even though it's only for protection, it still affects the light passing through it into the lens and a lower-grade filter may degrade your image quality.

-The 43mm lens cap should fit just fine when you're not using the wide-angle, but the HV30 has a built-in automatic lens cover, so the cap will only serve to protect your 43mm filter.

-On-camera lights can overexpose a close subject, not to mention being irritating to people's eyes, and they're only effective for a few feet in front. I'd only get one if you plan on doing a lot of low-light shooting in close quarters. A shotgun mic (in my opinion) would be much more beneficial. The on-cam mic is great quality (I had to use its audio on a concert where the primary audio feed from the mixing board was badly corrupted, and it sounded great) but it is very sensitive and picks up everything in a 360-degree arc; if you sniffle behind the camera, it will pick it up. The Canon DM-50 (or a Rode or Sennheiser) would be a better accessory.

[Ted]

Thank you, Jack!

Any recommendations for a microphone. You definitely have a point that I may not use the VL-3 that frequently.

I'm looking at a microphone thread on HV20.com, but a lot of it's going WAY over my head.

I'm up for suggestions on what mic works/doesn't work.

(I'm glad I didn't rush to order the Canon light!)

[Ted]

Also... is there any risk of the microphone interfering with the WA? (Or vice versa)?

[Doreen L.]

I just recently bought a Hoodman LCD hood for my Panasonic GS400 and love it. I find it makes a huge difference when doing video.

[jackfalbey]

I like the Canon DM-50 because it runs directly through the HV30's hot shoe, so there are no wires hanging off and no batteries to die at a bad moment. Rode, Shure, and Sennheiser also make good quality short shotguns, but they are battery-powered and plug in to the mic port.

The DM-50 definitely doesn't interfere with the wide-angle, and the others shouldn't either.

[Ted]

Hi Jack,

Yes, I was looking at the DM-50 actually and it looks like a pretty good mic.

The Rode VideoMic also looked good in that it seems to have more flexibility (ie. it can be added to a boom pole or placed near the people).

However, I definitely like the idea of no dangling wires or worrying about batteries!

Just when I thought I had the HF10 vs. HV30 debate in my head squished.... along comes this one! LOL!

Would the microphone be useful in everyday settings? (parties, classroom field trips, etc.)? I don't be doing much interviewing and I'm in no way a professional! But when I heard some YouTube samples of internal mic vs. external mic I was AMAZED at the difference in audio quality!

Appreciate the help!

[jackfalbey]

I keep my DM-50 attached at all times (except when I'm going ultra-mobile; then I just drop the HV20 in the pocket of my cargo shorts!)

[Ted]

Thanks, Jack!

Am I to understand that directional is better than stereo...in that I'll have less chance of ambient noise?

Also... are there any suggestions for good bags?

I currently have a bag that I used for my HV20...but I didn't have a WA, hood(s), microphone, etc... and I fear it might be too small.

Thanks for any advice!

[Bobby]

I am still thinking about HV30 accessories, but my new PC purchase has strained the budget just a little bit!

For an external mic, I was thinking more of a remote, lavalier type. To me, the issue is camera movement. I think the shotgun mics are good when you are still or on a tripod, fcused on a single scene.

I think I would use more a mic that I can attach to the narrator, which I move the camera around. Example: we're at the Grand Canyon and I want to pan around while my wife describes it.

Anybody have a good recommendation in these?

Thanks, Bob

[jackfalbey]

Am I to understand that directional is better than stereo...in that I'll have less chance of ambient noise?

Most good-quality directional (shotgun) mics are stereo; they just have a focused pick-up pattern rather than picking up every nearby sound.

I think I would use more a mic that I can attach to the narrator

The best wireless lavs are connected via XLR, which means you'd have to get an XLR adapter http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/8673 ... pters.html. The downside is that you'd have an extra device mounted to the bottom of the cam, and a belt-pack for the wireless receiver. Great for audio, but not as convenient for vacation videos. The upside is that you'd have 2 XLR inputs, so you could have a good-quality shotgun on the cam and a wireless lav, each going to a separate audio channel and you could control the gain for each channel.

The alternative is a mini-stereo-connected wireless; lower quality audio, but unless you're shooting professionally it shouldn't be a big deal. Stick with brands like Audio-Technica, Azden, Bescor, Sennheiser, and Sony. UHF is preferable to VHF because it's less prone to pick up interference and stray signals, but it's also more expensive. The downside to using a mini-stereo wireless is that you'll only be able to have 1 mic connected. The upside is that they're a lot less expensive than XLR, and a lot smaller.

[Ted]

Thanks, Jack...for answering!

I have another question... about this item

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... is=REG&m=Y

Can that be attached to my Nikon D50 28-80mm lens? (it's also 58 mm)

I'm asking because heck... maybe I can kill two birds with one stone... use this for both my camcorder and my dSLR...

[jackfalbey]

As long as your lens has 58mm front threads, then it will fit. You'll still need the step-up ring for the HV30, though.

[Ted]

As long as your lens has 58mm front threads, then it will fit. You'll still need the step-up ring for the HV30, though.

That's what I thought...thanks, Jack.

I'm looking at the Cavision WA lens hood you suggested... and wondering if that would work with this...? It's 77 mm and this is 72 mm. (Unless I'm not understanding the fitting of a lens hood)... (quite possible! LOL)

Thus, why I'm thinking about this..

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 012&is=REG

[jackfalbey]

That would also work. The Cavision mounts to the outside of the Raynox lens which has a diameter of 77mm. The General Brand screw-in fits into the filter threads which are 72mm. My only concern with the General would be the possibility of vignetting (where the rim of the lens hood casts a shadow on the outside of the image)... I don't know if it would be a problem, but you could call B&H and ask them. They're very good about testing equipment for customers over the phone. They'll mount up all the gear you're looking at and tell you if there's a problem.