What Accessories To Get

[StuOS]

unluckytoe:

I may get disagreement on this, but I don't think the brand of UV filter really matters. If there's a difference, I never saw it in film photography, and I've yet to see it in HV20 shots, either.

Lighting is my current issue, since I'm in the market for a system, and trying to negotiate with my own wife for one.

It's possible that the lighting in your church is good. Church lighting is, in general, just notoriously bad. There are usually different colors of light (sunlight is bluish, tungsten yellow-orange, and flourescent varies but can be greenish), vastly different lumens depending on where a person is standing, sometimes colored light coming in from stained glass, etc. Even when there is sufficient light, it can be downlight, creating shadows on the eyes and under the nose (the "nose caret"), making the video look pretty amateurish.

Depending on the church, it would probably be good if "someone" donated some lights with sufficient strenth to throw light to the stage and allow the videographer to get a difference of a stop from the key to the fill light, at least. Then, it would be great to get some backlight in key places by hanging light behind the pulpit.

In most places, that's dreaming.

A light on top of the camera would probably be of little use for your church. Few ministers are going to allow a videographer to get close enough to use one for the service. It's way too distracting. In addition, those kinds of lights tend to give the 6 o'clock news, deer-in-the-headlights-type look to videos. I wouldn't recommend it.

As far as manual exposure goes, I suspect your husband has discovered that the gain on his CMOS chip is compensating for low light, and causing some graininess in his shots. He's probably hoping he can control manual exposure to avoid the graininess. It might work, if there's sufficient light, but I believe that the HV20 uses gain as a last resort, so opening up the aperture and reducing the shutter speed may not be enough for him.

Good luck with the birthday. Sure wish you were my wife.

[Super8Guy]

Hello:

Raynox makes wide angle lenses that work with the HV20

Raynox wide lens - HD-5050PRO |
0.5x - zoom through 12x
Canon HV20 10x - 6.1 to 61mm

35mm equivalent: 53 to 530mm - 5x wide: 26.5 to 265mm

26mm in 35mm is wide. Good choice.
see: http://JLVideoUSA.com/RaynoxLenses.html

JOHN LONGENECKER
800 470-4602

[nolonemo]

Hey John, 2 questions if you know,

1. How does the 5050 compare to the 6600 in terms of sharpness and chromatic aberration?

2. If you take the 5050 and zoom it out match the field of view of the 6600 at full wide, which will have the least barrel distortion, partially zoom 5050 or full wide 6600?

Thanks

[unluckytoe]

Dear StuOS:

Thank you for your reply. OK, so any UV filter brand is good, but they come in different colors right? So I'll just order a few and see how he likes it.

Our church has really great stage lighting, but they cut the houslights during the sermons. Gain was something that he mentioned last night, that is the fuzzy part of the dark picture (yay I'm learning ) OK, and there is no need for the light at the top of the camera, I will make note of that.

Yeah, his birthday is in 2 weeks, I'm so excited!

LOL, tell your wife that I said it's OK for you to get what you need, I'm sure it wont help but I'll support ya

Thank you,

Jenn

[Erik Bien]

Jenn,

UV filters are colorless (clear). Multi-coated ones are more expensive (so presumably "better," but like Stu I've never been able to see a difference so I just ordered a cheap-o Tiffen for my camera). That and a polarizer are all the filters most people will ever need. If you or your unreasonably lucky spouse want to experiment with FX filters, my recommendation is to stick to very subtle grades: 1/8 Black Pro-Mist or the 1/2 Black Diffusion FX available in this kit (note he will also need a 43mm-58mm step-up ring to fit those filters). Either way, he'll need a cleaning kit to clean the filters and a lens cap to keep them that way.

[unluckytoe]

Dear Erik:

Thank you for clearing that up for me! I will place all those items on the list. I'm still reading here about the Raynox wide angle lens and I think that I'll get that one for him, and now I'm reading about the Mattebox and that sounds like a good investment too.

I just ordered for him Final Cut Studio for him as well as I read that it is a popular editing program for our Apple.

I'm thinking that he's going to need another carry bag as the one I bought for him I don't think has enough room.

Thank you so much Erik:

Jenn

[unluckytoe]

Dear Guys and Gals:

Here's my list thus far, all my ordering research was done through B and H:

Video Innovations s-800 Shoulder Mount $44.95
Canon TL-H43 Tele Lens $159.95
Canon DM-50 Shotgun Mic $149.95
Hoodman H-300 LCD Hood $29.95
B and W 43MM to 58MM Step-Up Ring $24.95
Raynox HD6600 Pro 58MM Wide Angle Lens $119.95
General Brand 43MM Lens Cap $3.50
Giotto Lens Cleaning Kit $17.95
Tiffen 58MM Black Pro Mist 1/8 Filter $54.60
Tiffen 43MM Polar Filter $35.35
Tiffen 43MM UV Filter $9.63

After More reading I think I need these:

A bigger bag for all this stuff
Mattebox to go with his Raynox Lens (may need your help with a good quality one)
Neutral Density filter

And of course anything else that you guys recommend

You Guys and Gals are the BEST! Thank you so very much!

Jenn

Update: I'm not even sure if the Raynox 58MM is the right size for him. Should I go smaller MM? If so than I'll remove the 58MM from my list.

I also read his owners book I found the Canon FS-43UII Neutral Density Lens .8 $59.95, so unless you say other wise that should be good.

[Erik Bien]

Sixty bucks seems a bit steep for a .8ND, something he'd only need when shooting in very bright outdoor conditions -- rather than buy a full set of ND filters, I ordered a Pol-Fader which is something like a variable ND filter (spin it to dial away a little of the light or a lot). Also I don't remember if extra batteries and an external charger are on your list already or not: that and a couple of packs of blank tape would be on my list. I've never used any of the Raynox lenses and so don't have a comment, but I love the Canon wide angle adapter I bought for my GL-2 and I liked my friend's Canon WD-H43 enough I'll likely buy one once I tire of "getting by" with my WD-58H. (Again, that's not a knock on Raynox, just my own experience and comfort level with Canon optics.)

[unluckytoe]

Dear Erik:

Thank you so much for your advice thus far! OK, I will remove the Canon ND filter and Replace it with your suggestion.

Thank you,

Jenn

[unluckytoe]

Dear Guys and Gals:

I'm so close to finishing and I can't thank you enough...

Instead of buying the 58MM Raynox I've read that the most popular size is the 52MM. So I'll get that one and a ring for it as well. All I need now is to find the best hood/mattebox for him and I think I'm set.

Thank you,

Jenn

[heyrobert]

As for the hood, with the Raynox, you should just get a 52mm petal shaped hood. You can go to Fotodiox's site or eBay. Sometimes eBay can be really cheap

[Lunchbox]

Jenn, we'll nonimate you as the

"WIFE OF THE YEAR"

Congratulations.

[unluckytoe]

Dear HeyRobert and Taky:

I guess they make those hoods in many different sizes, which one do I need for the 52MM Raynox? Do I need a square one, round or flower?

Trying to get more info out of him without him knowing what I'm doing, he plans on filming Supermoto and Motocross events with them as well.

Taky:

You're too sweet

[Lunchbox]

Jenn, can you cast your vote here?

http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=4814

[unluckytoe]

Dear Taky:

I casted my vote, but I don't know what to say. Sorry, I'm so focused on trying to figure out this mattebox/hood size situation.

He gets off work in 2 hours (basically 3 to get home) and I want to have everything ordered before he gets home.

Thank you so much:

Jenn

Update: Ohh, I think I found one, from B and H it's the Cavision LH-77 $39.95. Will this work? will there need to be any other accessories for it?

Thanks again,

Jenn

[Erik Bien]

Hi Jenn,

Hope I'm not too late with this, but it looks as if the Raynox 6600s all have a 72mm front mount diameter, so you'd need to find a lens hood of the same size (the Cavision you mentioned is 77mm). I think this one or this one might work.

[Numbox]

I'm gonna hijack this thread for a moment. i finally got one of my friends to use his credit card to buy me cheapo Vegas from BH site. Now i'd like to thorw in the battery charger also, cause here where i live everything is atleast 2-3 times expensive than buying online, even with postage included. So, should i get Canon's CB-2LW or should i get something else? I'm strictly limited to BH site. Most of the chargers mentioned here are not available on BH.

[rgtaa]

I wasn't sure was she planning on getting 2 wide angle lens?
Canon and Raynox?
Would that be too much?
Do you think the husband needs both?
I would keep it simple:
Get Cannon Wide angle lens and Cannon Mic with lens cap and uv filter to protect lens. Pana tapes/pana tape cleaner. (I don't have the cannon wide angle lens or cannon mic (not sure I need it ... camcorder seems good out of the box. But I have been looking at the cannon wide angle lens and cannon mic and others for a month or 2 ....
One of my videos shot with just canon hv20 with nothing extra:
http://www.vimeo.com/453143

Good Luck! If he is a Nice Husband ... point out this site ... and he can have fun with the rest of us , figuring out what "to get next" ! Half the fun!
p.s. Part of what makes the Hv20 so COOL is I put just the hv20 in a small shaving case and slip it in pocket (summer shorts... i'm in florida") ... so it's with me and take it out when I need it , with extra stuff in car / exception is flexible tripod slips around wrist, so I can attach to tree, or table, or railing or rest on ground to get steady shot.

[Lunchbox]

Get the wide angle lens adapter. You will love it

[unluckytoe]

Dear Guys and Gals:

I almost blew it...my husband came home sooner than I thought, I was in the middle of ordering his stuff and he just walks in the door! So I will be placing the order today (hopefully).

Erik:

I did a little bit more reading last night on Raynox's web site, and IF I read it correctly, it states that the inside lens thread is 72mm, but the overall size is 77mm outside. Am I reading this correctly?

Rgtaa:

I'm sorry for the confusion as I have been doing so much reading and asking so many questions. I picked the Canon wide angle because it was easy for me to get the part number from the owners book. However, after doing the research I heard that the Raynox was the most popular. I only want to get him one for now, the Raynox, if he wants another one (size) it will be his call.
I'm looking so forward to our vacations and new events for use so that we can both use the camera, and I can't wait to see the look on his face.

This site is a MUST for him! I will give him this user name so he can ask questions to you guys, he will love it!

Thank you so very much:

Jenn

BTW: There are too many choices for mics out there, now Taky advised me to buy the Canon Mic, but I've been reading up on all the treads about the Rode Stereo mic. LOL, it just never ends

Thank you,

Jenn

[unluckytoe]

Dear Rgtaa:

WOW! That video looked great. And you didn't have anything attached to your camera? Now I'm even more excited!

Thank you for sharing,

Jenn

[raul]

Dear rgtaa

Those videos are amazing!!
What tapes did you use?

Thanks.

[vj_jasper]

hi Jenn, i have just read this thread with interest..

one thing i would mention is this: you seem not to have noticed the advice that the Canon Wide Angle Lens is going to be a lot (or at least some) better than the Raynox Wide Angle Lens.

with such a comprehensive list of Good Things, it would be easy to miss the advice about the Canon vs the Raynox, however it is quite an important point.

So, imho, it would be a good idea to remove the Raynox Wide Angle Lens from your shopping list, and go with the Canon Wide Angle Lens.

[rgtaa]

Thanks for the comments on the video.

I used jvc high Def tape ... but from the forum rooms here, doesn't seem to make much difference which tapes you get hd/reg. I bought some panasonic tapes but haven't used them yet.

I was saying to keep it simple and that the camcorder out of the box takes good videos , all my videos had no extra's but I am also open for getting extra stuff, but your husband and you together can have fun on this site, and I'm sure he will LOVE reading your comments on doing research!

Keep it simple: If you must buy EXTRA stuff ... think about maybe getting Cannon wide angle with Cannon Dm50 mic, keeps the package small and LOOKING GOOD. Mic has shotgun and stereo settings and you don't have to worry about batteries for the MIC since it is Hotshoe powered. But, I don't have that stuff yet but it's fun to think about maybe getting.

Some guys here are "PRO's" ... and others do this as "hobby" ... so we have "fun" trying stuff and "talking" about getting stuff.

Your husband will Love the camcorder, and that site where my video's are at have a HV20 High Def channel that has tons of videos taken with the Hv20! And people are testing equipment and you can see what the "equipment" produces from watching their video and if that is an effect you want or NEED!

p.s. Also, if you look at the HV20 High Def channel 90 percent of the videos add music to the video and bypass Mic from camcorder completely. So for external /internal mic it doesn't seem most people shooting from MIC perspective. I too made one little movie and also added MUSIC to it and toned down sounds from location. My other shots are done without any music , so , that is something to think about. If you need external sound , getting something for that type "event" would be something to look into and ask about , and the "pro's" here can give you advice about that.

But for general stuff, using a wide angle lens people say would be for indoor shots to get wider view of house if you "felt" you didn't get enough (although EVERYONE says HOW HEAVY the WIDE ANGLE LENS IS 2lbs , and Dm50 mic would give more PINPOINTED sound , if you needed it. Although for "interviews" lapel or more specialized setup would be "better". I did buy a 25 dollar lapel mic but really haven't had to use it yet. The Stereo Internal Mic is nice for me and in small room picks up everything I need it too. If I need to interview someone I can pin lapel mic to them and get VERY CLEAR SOUND. How PRO do you want to go!

[unluckytoe]

Dear Vj Jasper:

LOL, I'm so glad I haven't placed that order yet, I'm off work for the next few days so there's plenty of time to "Make Sure" of what I'm ordering. I don't know anything about the wide angle lenses other than what others have been saying. I sounds like it's a 50/50 between the two Canon and Raynox. Now seeing that I don't understand the technical aspect of things like you guys and gals do, are there differences in picture between the two?

Dear Rgtaa:

Other members videos are so GREAT! I've spent a few hours looking at them. He has a bunch of videos on this computer and I'm sure he will be posting some.

BTW: I will be posting the final list of stuff in a few hours after more reading and advice.

Thank you for everything,

Jenn