3 quick accessory ?s before I buy FX1

mhbstevens wrote on 2/5/2005, 7:22 PM

I can'y dilly and dally anymore. Tomorrow I must get an FX1, probably from B&H. But before I do, I ask three little questions.

ONE
As the FX1 has a mic mini plug and not XLR seems I should use mini-plug mics. If anyone wants to use XLR mics they should not they get a Z1 rather than consider an XLR converter box. So are there any good mini-plug stick/interview mics I could use?

TWO
How necessary is the wide angle lense for documantary work with this camera. With my current Canon Z65 I keep the wide angle lense on 100% of the time. Will the FX1 benefit from this too?

THREE
I am considering a circulizing polaroid filter for lense protection as an alternative to the usualy UV Haze. Is this a good idear or not?

Thanks

Comments

farss wrote on 2/5/2005, 7:34 PM

1) If your camera has a minipin socket I'd go with a matching mic, less interconnects the better, the new Rode mic is pretty good it seems. If you really need external mics a lot I'd go with the Z1 with its own mic. It can pay big dividends to have two independant sound sources / recording paths.
2) I'd say you shoot wide a LOT so you might like the Sony WA adaptor but bear in mind you'll now be shooting 16:9 so the shots are wider anyway.
3) Polarizers as very handy but can cause unintended effects on things like car windshields, not something you want on the camera ALL the time.

Please don't take any of this as hard advice, just siggestions of ways to look at things and before I parted with much money I'd be having a good play with anything if I could. Factor in cost of batteries too.
Speaking of that, all be aware, Z1 use more power than FX1, the LCD screen is on all the time.
Bob.

Spot|DSE wrote on 2/5/2005, 7:35 PM

You can get adapters for the AT 822 microphone, but it's not a good option, since you've got a fairly decent stereo mic on the front.
If budget is a concern, look at the Rode VideoMic. It's not bad, and is already miniplugged.
If you aren't on a budget, look at the AT 897. It's a great mic, and ask Kendall to sell you an XLR to 1/8 cable.

Wide angle isn't necessary, it's just nice. But yes, the FX will benefit from the wide lens. I'd strongly recommend the Sony.8 lens vs the Century optics.

If your shooting outdoors, a polarizer is very useful. Be SURE to get a Sky 1A filter as well, use this to protect the Zeiss lens on the FX1. If you have a Sky 1A on there, you don't have to worry about damaging the threads on the camera lens, you don't have to worry about scratches. Cheap insurance policy, basically.

epirb wrote on 2/5/2005, 9:39 PM

one other thing to consider I noticed is when using the circular polarizer you cannot attach the factory lens hood. I know that you need it off to rotate the filter, but even if you have a locked down shot and have rotated the filter it would be nice to be able to reinstall the hood/lens cap to help prevent lens/filter flare.
Also remember you loose a stop or so with the polarizer, and its not nearly as disposible/lower cost as a UV.
I purchased the Sony Polar/UV filters and as a note the UV filter does not have external threads, so it must be removed to install any other filter.
I dont know if that is the norm, but I always thought that's better anyways then stacking filters.

mhbstevens wrote on 2/6/2005, 12:16 PM

Great answers, Thanks.

The AT897 is a shotgun long distance pick up mic. I may use the on camera mic for that. I'm looking for an "on camera" meaning in an interviewers hand for on camera intervies or to hang from a boom. A good looking stick mic to hold in the hand, with a mini-plug.

Mike

Spot|DSE wrote on 2/6/2005, 12:24 PM

You won't find one. A good mic for handheld will always be low impedance, so you'll want to get a balancing adaptor.
The 897 is indeed a shotgun, but contrary to popular belief, shotguns make great interview mics.
The AT3300 is a great handheld, same with the AE 5400. Keep the run low impedance until you are within a couple feet from the camera. I recommend converting to hi impedance as close to the cam as possible.

Coursedesign wrote on 2/6/2005, 12:52 PM

I haven't used the Sony cirpol filter, but found a huge difference between Tiffen and B&W (Schneider). The B&W filter cost a lot more, but the difference was quite substantial in DV25, and likely to be even greater in HDV.

mhbstevens wrote on 2/6/2005, 4:41 PM

Thanks again:

I'll get the Sony .8 wide-angle and the Sony UV/CP filter package. I am still DAZED & CONFUISED about the mic.

I have just re-read Spot's book and cabels and impedence are still not leading me to my mic.

I want a ruged mono stick mic for on-camera interviews. As I am just a hobbyist I want it to double for boom use and voice-overs in the studio. As the FX1 has mini-plug imputs I would prefer to have a mic with a mini-plug out to keep it simple.

Here ismy confusion. Are Mini-plug outs and the FX1 camera high impedence? Are high impedance cabel runs bad for interferance? If I get a XLR out mic like the Electrovoic/Shure models do I need take the XLR cabel right to camera then use a low to high impedance transformer like the Shure A96F at the camera end as an alternative to a XLR converter/mixer box? Is this the same as using an XLR to mini-plug cable as Spot suggested? Why does Spot say, or why is it so, that there are no good stick mics with a mini-plug out? Could I use one of the cheaper stick mics that DO have mini-plug cabels or are these really bad? On my Canon Z65 I have the cheapo mini-pluged ATR25 that works quite well so what about the better ATR55 mentioned in Spot's book (even though I know this is not a stick mic)?

The FX1 is a top end camera so what mic did Sony see me buying for street interviews or did they expect me to get a XLR mixer box at the camera?

Mike

corug7 wrote on 2/7/2005, 8:48 PM

I have always gotten very clean sound from my Sennheiser MKE300. I have taped mine to a home-fashioned handle and used a short 1/8" miniplug extension cable and had EXCELLENT results. No, it isn't a perfect option, but it has worked well for me. Keep in mind that the MKE300 does have a plastic body, a no-no in Spot's book, but for those times when you must go camera-mounted, it saves weight, too.