ULTIMATE ACTIONKITS
BAG: MANFROTTO OFFROAD HIKER BACKPACK 20L £145/$196 www.manfrotto.com With custom-fit dividers and removable camera inserts, the Offroad Hiker backpack fromManfrotto is perfect for the action filmmaker. It has enough space for a DSLR and a couple of lenses, as well as room for personal items. A top opening and side zips give easy access, and the modular interior allows complete customisation. Along with water repellent material, it comes with a rain protector and breathable fabric that provides much-needed airflow. There are external tripod holders and it’s also made to match standard airline cabin luggage size. For a reasonable price you can carry everything for a day’s work on your back. It’s lightweight, sturdy and practical.
CAMERA: SONY A6500 £1066/$1098 www.sony.com
Sony claimed its A6500 was launched with the world’s highest auto-focus speed, and it really is blazing fast at acquiring focus and keeping up with the action. It may be a small camera but the APS-C size A6500 can record 4K internally if you use a fast enough memory card. Its speed and performance is down to Sony’s unique processor that provides sharp and low-noise images, with an added sensitivity of up to ISO 51,200. It has one of the most advanced autofocus systems with 425 phase-detection points, and a five-axis optical image stabilisation that makes it ideal for filmmaking on the go. The A6500 is compatible with E-mount lenses and other lenses using adaptors for flexibility; its touchscreen allows you to swipe to shift focus points and the viewfinder has minimal lag. It’s a reliable and sturdy camera due to its magnesium alloy body and light weight, at only 453g, making it portable and great for adventure filmmaking. “This lens should be on the top of your list for action shooting due to its portability, state-of- the-art optics and wide focal range”
AUDIO: SENNHEISER MKE 400 £169/$200 www.sennheiser.com
Sennheiser’s MKE 400 has always been hugely popular as it is compact and versatile, with a rugged all-metal housing, and runs for up to 300 hours from a single AAA battery. Completely affordable and worth every penny, even coming with its own dead cat, the MKE 400 is ideal for action filmmaking on smaller cameras. And the audio quality is good, too. It has a decent frequency response of 40-20,000Hz and being a shotgun design is good at eliminating side noise. Its low-cut filter drastically lowers the amount of frequencies it picks up, while also helping to reduce wind noise. The MKE 400 has a sensitivity setting to help adjust to different environments and subject distances, and an integral shock-mount to limit handling noise.
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AUTUMN 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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