For Cinematographers

I often get e-mails with questions from other photographers and videographers, so I have posted some of the more frequently asked questions here:

What kind of equipment do you shoot with/recommend?

Photo/HD-DSLR Kit:

Canon 5D Mark II (This camera has revolutionized the way I shoot. It creates amazing 22mp stills and captures 1080 24p video!)

Canon 7D ( My primary backup camera for stills and B-Camera for Video. The sensor is cropped unlike the 5D, but it allows me to get much closer. It doesn’t look quite as good as the 5D, but its still a great camera. 8 Frames a second is awesome and slow motion for video is very nice.)

70-200mm 2.8 IS (I shoot with this lens about 70% of the time when shooting video. Its so versatile and really the gold standard. If you buy one of these, make it this!)

85mm 1.2 (I lied. I now use this lens 85% of the time. For portraits/fashion, its the best there is.)

50mm 1.4 (A back up portrait lens with excellent bokeh)

24-70mm 2.8 (A great general purpose lens that is very sharp and used a lot in my studio work)

16-35mm 2.8 (A great wide angle that I use mostly for Glidecam shots. Its amazing!)

Canon 580EX II Speedlights (Great speedlights in combination with the Pocket Wizard Flex and Mini)

Elinchrom Studio Strobes (BXRi’s with Skyport)

Litepanels Micro LED video light (Used in receptions and for ring shots to get a soft light on the diamond)

Pocket Wizards (Radio transmitters used to fire the flashes. MUST HAVE.)

Zacuto Z-Finder (This piece of kit is essential for shooting on the 5D Mark II. It turns the LCD into a proper viewfinder and is a MUST HAVE for critical focus.

Video:

Sony PMW-EX1 and EX3 (A truly remarkable piece of kit. I’ve used it for numerous short films, weddings, and documentaries. Its the low light master and workhorse of the 7K-10K range of cameras.)

Glidecam HD4000 (My primary stabilizer for its easy setup and hot swap capabilities. Its perfect for the 5D Mark II.)

Steadicam Flyer LE (I love this setup. You can achieve incredible shots, although its very pricey. The arm and vest is very nice).

Glidetrack Shooter (This is a camera slider. I use it on all of my weddings and a ton of corporate gigs. You can get a quick dolly effect without setting up a dolly system.)

Miller DS-20 Solo (This is the primarily tripod setup that I use. Its completely rock solid and the head on it is amazing. It feels like you are moving a much heavier camera, which in turn makes for super silky movements. Ever since I messed with Philip Bloom’s DS-20 at WEVA, I knew I had to get one and I am so glad I did.)

Manfrotto 351MVB Tripod Legs with 516 Fluid Head ( A great tripod setup, although it can be very heavy. Despite the weight, it is quite solid, which is needed for the slider)

Storage/Transport:

Pelican Cases (I use these cases for my video equipment, memory cards, and computers. They are dust-proof, waterproof, and bomb proof. They are the best and I cannot recommend them more for protecting your gear).

Domke FX1 (I use this for my 5D and Lenses. Its a great bag that you never have to take off your shoulder. Definitely recommend it)

Post Production:

Adobe Creative Suite 5 (Photoshop CS5 is essential and so is Lightroom (not apart of the CS Suite, but well worth buying separately)

Final Cut Studio 3 (I edit all of my video projects in Final Cut. You could cut a feature film on it. Its seriously the best, but there separate plug ins that I could not live without.)

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