Jason Gorman Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hi all I hope this is in the right section. I have a Flyer and am buying the 5D mkii this week (as it has been used on the last couple of shots I have been on). My question is what other accessories should I start to look at. I realize I will need a weight plate, and a way to an image on the sled but most important is a follow-focus system. Is Bartech a good brand? Is there something cheaper? How do I power the motor off of the Flyer Sled? I also have a job upcoming that is using the Sony HDV-HVR, the only video hookup I saw was for s-video. Is there an s-video to BNC adapter out there? Thanks in advance for any insight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sydney Seeber Posted July 27, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 HVR what? there's several Sony HVR's out there, and they all come with a standard 1/8" video/audio cable, so all you need to do is attach a BNC to RCA adaptor to the video RCA end, and you're all set. (NTSC signal) It also has analog HD out, but I can almost guarantee the Flyer won't have anything to attach to that. I've been using the 5D for a while now, and any follow focus will work, at least I haven't seen one that doesn't. You're going to need a matte box setup for the camera. there are a ton of companies out there that'll sell you one, but you need a good quality setup... the cheap ones will not be able to handle a follow focus motor. I do not like either Zacuto or Red Rock's setup for this camera, but I know guys who use them... Several, actually, including a Canon employee. These particular setups just seem flimsy and cheap to me. You'll need to get an adapter for the motor gears, assuming you're using Canon lenses... The rubber lens exterior is pretty shitty in that regard, but the adapters are crazy cheap... I also highly recommend the Singh Ray Vari- ND filter for video only. I'd be lost without that filter. Freakin' lost, I tell you. If you shoot stills, you will run into limitations with this filter, but the video is 1/10th the resolution of the stills... It works much like an iris on a video camera works... Well actually, the physical function is nothing like it at all, but it accomplishes the same result you'd get from a smooth video iris, probably the biggest set back in using still lenses for video use. Opening and closing the aperture on a still lens sucks when using it for video. But there's lots of adapters for that as well. Oh, and a tripod, if you don't have one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Gorman Posted July 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 HVR what? there's several Sony HVR's out there, and they all come with a standard 1/8" video/audio cable, so all you need to do is attach a BNC to RCA adaptor to the video RCA end, and you're all set. (NTSC signal) It also has analog HD out, but I can almost guarantee the Flyer won't have anything to attach to that. I've been using the 5D for a while now, and any follow focus will work, at least I haven't seen one that doesn't. You're going to need a matte box setup for the camera. there are a ton of companies out there that'll sell you one, but you need a good quality setup... the cheap ones will not be able to handle a follow focus motor. I do not like either Zacuto or Red Rock's setup for this camera, but I know guys who use them... Several, actually, including a Canon employee. These particular setups just seem flimsy and cheap to me. You'll need to get an adapter for the motor gears, assuming you're using Canon lenses... The rubber lens exterior is pretty shitty in that regard, but the adapters are crazy cheap... I also highly recommend the Singh Ray Vari- ND filter for video only. I'd be lost without that filter. Freakin' lost, I tell you. If you shoot stills, you will run into limitations with this filter, but the video is 1/10th the resolution of the stills... It works much like an iris on a video camera works... Well actually, the physical function is nothing like it at all, but it accomplishes the same result you'd get from a smooth video iris, probably the biggest set back in using still lenses for video use. Opening and closing the aperture on a still lens sucks when using it for video. But there's lots of adapters for that as well. Thanks for all the insight Sydney, much appreciated. RCA on the sony (fx1000) isn't working, s-video is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sydney Seeber Posted July 28, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Not working? that sucks... You can easily get an SVideo to RCA adapter from Radio Shack/Frys, then just attach an RCA to BNC connector to that... they do sell BNC to S-Video as well, but you're going to have a much harder time finding that one, and since you're just using it for the monitor, I'm not sure there's much point in trying, unless you really want one, especially when the RCA to BNC adapters come in L-shaped as well, very useful. The other two adapters are pretty easily found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike Germond SOC Posted October 10, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 10, 2009 I'm shooting with the 5D and a Zacuto rail system with BFD this week, so I'll have a fair chance to evaluate that setup. I'll report my findings.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hawkes Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 I'm shooting with the 5D and a Zacuto rail system with BFD this week, so I'll have a fair chance to evaluate that setup. I'll report my findings.. Hi Mike, How did things work? What configuration for the 5D are you finding work best? Cheers, Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mike Germond SOC Posted November 27, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 (edited) The shoot went well after we established ground rules for lens lengths. We flew it with rails, mattebox, and BFD. On that note, these electronic Canon lenses with the endlessly spinning focus ring are a pain for calibrating the BFD. The inertia was quite good with my 12lb steel weight plate in the equation. Had some interference with the wireless video in the various hospital rooms. Here's a prep photo: Edited November 27, 2009 by Mike Germond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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