BUYERS’ GUIDE
4. STABILISATION: SEVENOAK SK-W02N LEVELCAM MINI STABILISER £60/$78 sevenoak.biz If you want a cheaper, more simple alternative to a motorised gimbal, then the Sevenoak SK-W02N LevelcamMini Stabiliser is lightweight, compact and can carry cameras up to 1.35kg/2.98lb in weight. It’s made of aluminium, and features a comfortable grip handle, built- in spirit level, and rubberised camera plate and mount. To keep your camera steady, it uses up to four adjustable counterweights and a super-smooth and flexible gimbal. The SK-W02N is one of the most affordable and versatile stabilisers on the market, ideal for mirrorless cameras.
3. LENSES: VOIGTLANDER 110MM F/2.5 MACRO APO-LANTHAR PRIME £799/$1099 flaghead.co.uk Voigtländer may not be the first name filmmakers think of when it comes to quality lenses, but it was a huge name years ago and is now re-establishing itself as a maker of good-quality manual focus lenses. The 110mm f/2.5 Macro Apo- Lanthar is for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras and is a manually geared MF-only lens. Filmmakers will love the geared feel of the focus ring compared to fly-by-wire lenses designed for AF-based mirrorless systems. The Apo-Lanthar focuses as close as 35cm to give life-size magnification without any extra accessories. The longer focal length allows a comfortable working distance when shooting close up and also gives a flattering perspective for portrait and general work. This lens is a quality piece of engineering, with an all-metal body, 14 lens elements and an aperture ring with 0.3EV-step click-stops. Add classic styling and you have a lens that impresses straight out of the box.
5. STABILISATION: SACHTLER FLOWTECH 75 MS TRIPOD £972/$1344 sachtler.com There is no substitute for a solid tripod. Add a long lens, cage, audio kit and monitor, and suddenly that small camera isn’t so light. You need a serious tripod, but one that’s packed with technical innovation and lighweight. Sachtler’s carbon-fibre Flowtech 75 MS has quickly attachable and removable foot pads and spiked feet so it’s easy to manoeuvre and carry, with ergonomic legs that sit comfortably on the user’s shoulders and magnetic locks to keep them stable. The tripod can lift 20kg of rig with ease, and you can extend all three legs at once and shoot down to 26cm if required.
6. AUDIO: SENNHEISER XSW-DWIRELESS KIT £289/$350 sennheiser.com
Sennheiser’s XSWWireless kit is an entry-level wireless audio system that’s ideal for mirrorless users. It’s compact and built to be very simple to operate. The units have just one button to power them on and off, pair a transmitter and receiver, and mute the recording. The range is up to 75m/250ft and you can get up to five hours of battery life on a single charge of the internal 850mAh battery. The batteries are charged via the USB-C port. There are various different packages available to make the system usable for lots of applications. For filmmaking, the basic kit is the XSW-D Portable Lavalier, which costs £289/$350 and includes the ME2-II clip-on lapel mic, 3.5mm coiled cable, charging cable, belt clip, coldshoe mount, transmitter and receiver.
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AUTUMN 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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