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Cinema kit at MPB As we went to press, these items had just gone on sale at mpb.com
THRIFTY WAYS TO BUY YOUR CAMERA With new stock added every day, the exact model you’ve been looking for is only a few clicks away
DJI MAVIC PRO 2 Like new condition: £649 Powerful consumer drone that utilises a low-drag aerodynamic body design. Features a four-cell LiPo battery for up to 31 minutes of flying, and low-noise propellers.
carefully priced based on make, model, condition and market, so there are masses of options. With new stock added daily, rest assured if the right camera or lens isn’t in stock now, it soon will be. For instance, at the time of going to press, MPB had a selection of Canon CN-E 30-105mm T2.8L in PL fit, ranging from £6199 in ‘Excellent’ condition to £4189 in ‘Well Used’ condition – both with the standard six-month warranty. Diving a little deeper into those ratings, the scale runs through Like New, Excellent, Good, Well Used and Heavily Used. ‘Like New’ means exactly that; the kit shows no signs of use and comes with its original packaging and accessories. ‘Excellent’ has only surface-level cosmetic wear, with performance unaffected – and that’s where you’ll find the majority of MPB’s stock. Kit rated as ‘Good’ has more noticeable wear, but nothing that impairs image quality or handling. ‘Well Used’ shows some more significant scuffs and scratches – signs of
use like chipped paint, dust and occasionally missing port covers or stiffness in lens rings. Finally, ‘Heavily Used’ means lots of scratches and some minor loss of functions, but nothing that impacts the essential usability of the gear. Reality check. As you’re no doubt aware, ‘used’ doesn’t mean ‘free’, and the price of professional cinema kit does not plummet as soon as it changes hands. That said, there are some real bargains to be had on mpb.com, and we’ve outlined some on these very pages. The upside is that – certainly in the current kit-starved market – you’ll suffer less depreciation. Also, remember that the kit you invest in doesn’t need to sit unused in a cupboard while you’re not working with it. Many production teams and solo cinematographers rent out cameras and lenses, so while making a saving, you could also end up turning a significant profit. You could buy a used Red DSMC2 Dragon-X 5K for £8000 in Excellent used condition from MPB, and rent it for £180 a day. That concept also chimes with one of MPB’s biggest drivers: sustainability. Sharing, renting and generally keeping cameras and lenses in use for longer is a big part of what makes them tick. Remember, too, that many clients are looking for green credentials when choosing filmmakers. Used kit is also more affordable for those starting out, so by going through MPB, you’re giving everyone a hand, along with the planet.
ARRI ALEXA PLUS 4:3 Good condition: £8299 The perfect solution for anamorphic
productions. On the Alexa Plus 4:3, the full area of the sensor is used and a much higher image quality retained.
FUJINON MK18-55MM T2.9 – SONY E FIT Excellent condition: £2119 A lightweight cine-style zoom lens for E-mount cameras with a Super 35-sized sensor. Has a macro mode for close focusing.
CANON EOS C200 – EF FIT Excellent condition: £2499 Compact and versatile camera that records up to 4K 50p. Capture 4K internally to CFast 2.0 or SD cards respectively; additionally, shoot 120p slow motion in Full HD.
PRISTINE CONDITION MPB’s team of experts inspect and service every item, even issuing a six-month guarantee
23. NOVEMBER 2022
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