(Part 3) Top products from r/PanasonicG7

Spend BIG on your tripod, lighting and audio if you're looking at narrative work. ESPECIALLY tripod. I have the Sachtler Ace M and it's excellent, especially for a lighter setup. IMO avoid manfrotto "fluid" heads. Most of them within your price range are not fluid. Their legs are excellent though! Also look at a used Miller or Sachtler kit. For narrative work, chances are that 80-90% of your shots are going to be locked down, tripod shots or pan/tilt shots. The G7 is NOT a camera that you want to be using for the "handheld" look. (I also have a horrible bias against unnecessary camera movement, especially handheld or shoulder rig shots in narrative work). As a rule, NEVER take your camera off the tripod unless you have very good reason to do so.


I put a good $300 into my G7 kit so it's hard to say what $1500 will get you, but you should be able to get a good start, especially since you already have some lenses.

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AUDIO - Audio is arguably more important than video quality for low budget work. Audiences will forgive slightly out of focus/unsteady and grainy footage, but poor audio will IMMEDIATELY make your work seem amateurish,The boom mic is king for narrative audio, and truth be told, mic placement is often far more important than the hardware. I'd take a boom op who knows how to mic, with a $400 setup, over a guy with $$$$ of equipment who doesnt know how to mic talent. A solid entry audio kit can be put together for under $450. Pick up a decent shotgun (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/495302-REG/Audio_Technica_AT875R_AT875_Short_Condenser_Shotgun.html) and a recorder. A boom pole and shock mount are necessary. If you're on a real tight budget, a painter's pole with a shockmount can be used. Shop monoprice for any audio cables. I recommend the following on a budget: Mic Kit ($200) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/563843-REG/Audio_Technica_AT875_Short_Condenser_Shotgun.html, Tascam Recorder ($150) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/821259-REG/Tascam_DR_40_DR_40_4_Track_Handheld_Digital.html, Used Sony MDR-V6 ($40) https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00001WRSJ/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all, Painter's pole ($20-30)

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LIGHTING - LED panels are cheap, portable, and convenient. The Yongnuo YN-300III is excellent for the money. Pick up two of those and a reflector (as well as a couple $30 light stands), and as long as you have some daylight or even practicals, you have a very decent light setup as long as you're not trying to light an entire room or scene super bright. Very portable as well. Eventually you'll want to save up for heavier stuff like maybe Arri Fresnels or Kino Flos. LEDs are pretty viable these days also...you can pick up 2-3 nice Aputure panels for under $500. If you're very cheap and need more light, shop lights can be useful if you dont care about modifying the light. Clamp lights or Halogen work lights can help.

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LENSES... there's a couple routes you can go. You've already got a decent start. The vintage lenses are great but you wont be able to get fast, wide legacy glass for the G7. Wide focal lengths are VERY important for narrative work, as they're used almost any time the camera moves and for wide/establishing shots. Your canon 17mm will be roughly 40mm at the widest without a speedbooster, which IMO isn't wide enough for narrative. As far as i'm concerned a Metabones Speedbooster is required kit if you want to shoot with Panasonic mirrorless, IF you're planning to stick to one system. For example, i have a Nikon one, and thus i can use my Sigma 18-35 as well as my old manual Nikon glass. If you only have one Canon i don't know if the price tag is worth it quite yet. Maybe just get a couple of dumb adapters for around $20 for the time being. You can also pick up something like a Rokinon 12mm f2.0 for around $300, which will be around a 27mm on the sensor of the G7 at 4k.

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SUPPORT - Dont worry about cage, rail system, mattebox, follow focus, dolly for now. Dont worry about external recorder or monitor. That is stuff that you should invest in and spend big to get good stuff. If you can fashion a DIY dolly., by all means do that. If you want to be taken seriously, a great tripod is number one priority. How can you expect to shoot great video if your gear isn't even capable of smooth pans and tilts? A $3000 camera body is essentially useless on a cheap tripod. A $500 G7 on an $800 tripod will result in much better movement than an a7sii on a cheap one. And no, a $200-300 tripod will NOT get you smooth movement. Keep in mind that a dolly is pretty useless without proper lights and a fast wide lens. Any dolly movement (especially a push) typically involves a wide lens and you need to throw plenty of light at the scene to ensure you can stop down enough to keep the subject in focus while you're pushing into them. And for $23, there's no reason why you shouldnt pick up one of these: https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Shoulder-Support-Camcorder-Camera/dp/B0036NMQ7S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479589459&sr=8-1&keywords=shoulder+rig+cowboy

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BAGS: The Canon "Gadget" bags are excellent. I have the Canon 200DG https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/351537-REG/Canon_9320A003_200DG_Deluxe_Gadget_Bag.html. Picked it up in B&H used section for like $23. It should hold your camera, all your lenses and have room for additional things. Ebay is also a good place for bags.

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I would look at a glidecam type stabilizer or slider as a first upgrade past your initial purchases. You can get very decent ones for around the $200 mark. I've heard very decent things about the "off-brand" glidecams. Or find a used one. A slider can do more than you'd think. Especially for narrative work, usually all you need is just a tiny bit of smooth camera movement, which a decent sized slider can allow. Truth be told, you can spend YEARS studying cinematography just using well composed tripod shots with proper lighting, blocking, and staging. There's really no reason to be moving to camera movements until you have shot quite a bit on sticks.

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Here is what i would suggest for a little over $1.5k:

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Tripod - $800


Audio - $400


Lighting - $200 (two cheap panels, two stands, and reflector)


Remaining ~$200: Bag, Batteries, SD cards, slate, cables

> Ive played with a dslr which I assumed was the best available and toyed with the idea of getting a 1300d but I have heard mirror less camera's are better? aswell as the 4k availability.

Mirrorless cameras are better for video - but not necessarily for stills. That said, if you want both, buy a mirrorless.

> Another thing is lenses. I want to shoot moving subjects so Ill need a good zoom lens for animal photography(Hawks,Deer, Squirrels?) What type of lens should I be going for to achieve this?

You will want a telephoto for wildlife, but which one depends on how much you want to spend. Here are the lenses I recommended over in your [earlier thread] (https://www.reddit.com/r/PanasonicG7/comments/5i3szd/interested_in_a_g7_need_to_confirm_its_what_i_want/):

• [Panasonic 100-300 mm, f4-5.6 O.I.S - £378.00 (pp - free delivery in the UK)] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004445O4K//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21)
  
  
• [Panasonic 45-150mm, f4-5.6 Mega O.I.S. - £220.08 (pp - free delivery in the UK)] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-45-LUMIX-HFS45150-mm-Lens/dp/B010Q5EG58//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21)
  
  
• [Panasonic 45-175mm f4-5.6 Power Zoom with Power O.I.S. - £365.63 (pp - free delivery to the UK)] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-45-175-VARIO-mm-Lens/dp/B006FZ3B5K//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21)
  
  
• If money were no object, I would recommend the [£1349 pp Panasonic 100-400] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-H-RS100400E-100-Vario-Elmar-Camera/dp/B01AAGIS9S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21)
  
  > I read somewhere that the 4/3 in the g7 allows for double the zoom of whatever lens you have on? Or have I misread this?. i dont really know what the 4/3 is doing??
  
  The smaller the sensor, the greater the sensor "crop" of the field of view when compared to an old-style 35mm still camera frame. Micro 4/3 has a 2x "crop", which means that a 100mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera will give you a field of view equivalent to a 200mm lens on a 35mm "full frame" camera.
  
  You can read a more technical explanation [here] (http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-sensor-size.htm) from Cambridge in Colour.
  
  > is there a way to develop my skills and then potentially earn cash from my hobby in a feasible way? Weddings seems a little hard for a beginner, but what other ways can a photographer make cash??
  
  The easiest answer is stock photography. The best book on this topic is probably a [£5.99 Kindle book called Getting Started in Stock: 2017 Edition of the guide to microstock photography] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Started-Stock-microstock-photography-ebook/dp/B00560R9VC//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21).
  
  Glamour photography is also a consistent money maker. The best Kindle book on the subject is probably a [£2.39 title called Get started in Digital Glamour Photography] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Get-started-Digital-Glamour-Photography-ebook/dp/B005DSAQEO//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21).
  
  The other good introductory book on this topic, Create Erotic Photography : Find Models, Choose Locations, Design Great Lighting, and Sell Your Images is [only available in paperback and costs a little more at £18.98] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Create-Erotic-Photography-Models-Choose-Locations-Lighting/1608956180//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=hybrcamerevo-21).
  
  Again. hope this is helpful!

I'm gonna offer my two cents here, I hope this helps:

Here is pretty much exactly what I would buy with that amount of money:

1. G7 with 14-42 Kit Lens - 497 on Adorama w/ a $50 gift card. here.
   
   
2. use that $50 to get yourself a couple of 64GB Transcend Class 10 SD Cards. here.
   
   
3. For a tripod, this Amazon Basics fluid head is a great value at $65, but frequently goes on sale for $35-$45. here.
   
   
4. Low light on the kit lens sucks, you can solve that by grabbing some FD lenses on eBay. I'd go for 50mm 1.4 and 28mm 2.8 as a start. Each can be had for ~$50.
   
   
5. To use those lenses on your G7, you'll need a simple, cheap adapter. Find that here.
   
   
6. For audio, you can get surprisingly good sound out of this cheap, cold shoe mountable shotgun right here.
   
   I believe that totals a little less than $700 for an enviable amount of non garbage, budget friendly equipment. You can even add some lighting and still stay under that bundle price.

So I use a $80 tripod that I thought would be terrible but is actually surprisingly good. It’s made of carbon fiber, admittedly the clips are plastic, but it’s got a great fluid head. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GMWNY8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

If you’re unsure you can check out my work where I use the tripod for almost every shot (look at my profile).

If you want something better you could always look at getting a Benro Tripod.

Nope. Actually, comparing our lenses a bit more closely... I have a different model lol. This is the one I have
https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-17-50mm-Aperture-Standard-Digital/dp/B003A6H27K?sa-no-redirect=1
Sorry--I guess I glossed over the zoom specs (the 24-70) and just went by appearance. Nevertheless, great lenses!

The 25 isn't a bad portrait lens (it's equivalent to the "nifty 50" on 35mm) but it's not going to be ideal for landscape. Fast, wide, OIS lenses aren't cheap. For landscape you'll probably be using a monopoly or tripod, consider a manual prime or a used Panny pancake.

Panasonic Lumix 14mm f/2.5 G Aspherical Lens for Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Cameras (Discontinued by Manufacturer) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043VE29C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_L1o-BbAE26014

Second thoughts, that won't arrive in time. How about this one? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Neutral-Density-Adjustable-Variable/dp/B0085J3THO/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1464967380&sr=8-13&keywords=46mm+ND+Filter

There is a 30mm Panasonic macro for around the same price as this one but still without OIS. The option with OIS would be this one but it is much more expensive. I would buy the Olympus or wait to a discount on the Panasonic

Rule of thumb for ND filters is to buy the largest size of ND filter that corresponds to the size of the largest lens you intend to buy for your camera system.

No step up ring system is going to include the thread size for your kit lens or the 25mm since they're non-standard. As such I suggest buying a regular step-up ring kit alongside a specific step-up ring that adapts your current lenses to the kit.

Step up ring kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016I7RW9A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Specialized non-standard step up ring:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048IFQCC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1