Advice on equipment investments

In my opinion, invest in sound equipment. No matter how good your projects looks, as AA would say "sound is half the experience." Even if you are just shooting music videos, there could be a time you might want to branch out to something else, and when you do you will already have the tools needed. You already have video equipment that does a good job. The audio guys could give you a better list, but I'd invest in a H4n or Tascam Dr-40 and a good shotgun mic.

If you really don't want sound equipment, investing in lenses may be the way to go. A good zoom lens is nice to have, especially since you already have a a couple primes.

Jay hit upon a good point; you may need a passable sound kit in the unseen future.

Instead of thinking

I'm planning on shooting music videos in the near future

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think more long term. What are your goals? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? That's what should drive your equipment decisions. If you're thinking of being a DP then most definitely lenses. But if you want to do something else then you should think it through. Maybe now is the time to get some sound gear.

Another option - if you have not already done it - is to tighten up your kit. Get really good cases, stock up on gaffers tape and other expendables, a decent slate if you don't already have one, battery packs and chargers, etc. Need/want anything for the tripod? What's something that bugged you on your last shoots? Make everything as as ergonomic and convenient as you can. Make everything as organized as you can. Make sure it's all secure physically and from a security standpoint. Don't forget to put together a basic but rounded tool kit; get good quality tools. This is the kind of stuff that saves headaches later on.

Others might say you should invest in lighting.

"You pays your money and you makes your choice."


Remember, opinions are like a$$holes;
Everybody has one, and they all stink.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.

I think I'll invest in a Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM, a h4n, some new batteries and a new SD card. The current card I have bugs out and stops the recording automatically and randomly after sometimes 3 seconds and sometimes 20 seconds.

Can anyone suggest any SD cards for my Canon t2i that is great in price ?

Just to add my a$$hole to the mix

If I were you, I'm not sure I would invest in sound equipment at this stage. For starters, as you say, you don't actually need any sound equipment at the moment and secondly, who's to know what your situation will be when you do need to record sound? Maybe you'll have become friends with someone by then who is into sound, already has the equipment and who wants to collaborate or maybe you'll have a budget to hire a professional who has some proper sound gear rather than a consumer unit like the H4n. Either way, you could end up buying sound equipment which you may never use.

As Alcove essentially said, only you know where you are and where you want to go, so no one is in a better position to advise you than you yourself. I would say though that a H4n by itself is relatively useless. If you are going to buy sound equipment then at least get the useful basics; a recorder + boom + shotgun mic (plus cables, dead-kitty, etc.).

G

If you are going to consider an audio recorder take a look at the Tascam DR-40 or DR-100mkII. IMHO they have a better build and I like the interface better. Tascam units can use battery packs - the H4n cannot. Check out some of the other threads about the DR vs the H4 debate.

Another option would be a Rode VideoMic. It can sit on the camera (yeah APE, I know... but it's better sounding crap), or you can put it on a mic stand or even a boom if you can find someone willing. At least you'll be making a decent investment as it can be useful later on.

In another thread I wrote about doing your research, and in this one I mentioned assessing your goals.

BTW,

Can anyone suggest any SD cards for my Canon t2i that is great in price ?

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is a really bad way to think. You should be asking "What are really reliable SD cards?" Then you start looking around for price. This is one of the things I was discussing when I mentioned tightening up your kit. I would rather pay a little extra to get something known to be reliable.

Uncle Bob will now get off his soap box.

Alcove Audio said:

You should be asking "What are really reliable SD cards?" Then you start looking around for price. This is one of the things I was discussing when I mentioned tightening up your kit. I would rather pay a little extra to get something known to be reliable.

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Sandisk Extreme. As long as it's at least 45mbs transfer rate, then yer rocking. I WILL NOT touch any other card now. Amazon do them very cheap.

Asker said:

Hi Indietalk,

The past half year I've been saving money to buy new camera equipment. I've saved about ~1700 USD (in danish krones), and now I am not entirely sure what to spend it on. I pretty much only have a tiny starting kit.

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If you're asking these questions, perhaps you've not taken full advantage of your tiny starting kit. Have you gone out and shot a lot of footage and edited them into shorts? Shown them to anyone? Were they entertained?

If you haven't done this or been honing your skills with what you have, you may not be ready yet -- new equipment will not translate into entertaining shorts. Someone really ready for a step up will know exactly what they need.

Either way, good luck.