At this place some informations about the equipment being used. But I don't want to point out the cameras I use (you can see them on every fototechnical store) I want to describe mainly the devices making shootings together with standard equipment possible that aren't usually in a perspective point of view.
Most of all at all camera recordings: the tripod. A calm camera handling is essential to the consequence that at later time the spectators of the film stay calm before the tv-set after 30 min of looking to a film whithout "zapping around" nervously. Blurred persons/objects in front of a rolling landscape - even with a big zoom in - don't really provide necessarily for a relaxing video feeling rather than reduce only the bill for the drinks. After regarding one don't need any alcohol to be able to stagger ... (-; Since the most modern editing equipent isn't able to compensate recording any mistakes filming with a tripod should be obligatory.
The most simple things are the best. A board of plywood, 2 ending angles made of aluminium profiles and a PVC plate as a holding for the tripod head - this tripod has already realized some projects. But, it is also suited to place quite other things on it: lunch plates, vine glasses etc. ... (-; |
In my special case it is a board made of plywood with aluminium profiles keeping on my thighs. On it, there is a tripod head being movable about all 3 axles with a snap-in device being attached to the camera. On this way, the camera can be taken off and remounted on other devices very fastly. With this arrangement I achieve calm camera recordings together with the old photographer's trick to exhale before recording (this brings the pulse down), no breathing during the recording (camera stays calm) and even continue breathing normally after the recording. This has the positive side effect that the individual takes don't last too long because after a certain time mother nature demand after its right (for oxygen). If you find sometime a wheel-chair driver with blue lips and a working camera lying together somewhere around the corner the shooting was evidentially a little bit too long. Please be so kind to switch off the camera thus it don't continue to run anymore unnecessarily...
The waist-high position during filming includes advantages and disadvantages as well. On one side, I have the point of view of a nearly ten year old child with the consequence to get very close to the objects of desire but I have the handicap to get somewhere up(stairs) meaning a unsurmountable obstacle for my wheel chair, on the other side. Or I get some help from the fire-brigade (-:
The same procedure as last year Miss Sophie? The same procedure as every year, James...!
This question comes every year at the fire-brigade of Schkeuditz/Germany with the consequence that the lunch within the stomach fights for its right of staying there especially in 2004, when the responsible fire-man used the basket control very motionaly ... (-;
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With all additional equipment the idea is based keeping the best recordings if the spectator goes to the object (and not vice versa) and when the camera can be brought into position by practical devices very fastly and "golden shootings" can be achieved being not repeatable because of the spontaneousity of the situation. Some ideas I already pointed out relating with a car for garden railway with a camera being able to look around the corner if the train enters the curve. Just a little bit of imagination and some phantasy of playing supplement the palette. In this case, a toy of passed childhood days kept me inventing a pole control of wagon - a metal construction set of the firm Eitech Collecions.
By the construction of a camera steered by the pole the human way of seeing is imitated to look into a curve to that point you want to reach. This provides for real-life pictures.
In the automobile industry, there is a similiar example of use: steering light.
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A little example shows what has to be considered. Another example could be seen where the train goes through a combination of switches. Even at a minimum radius of 60 cm the wagon still works without disturbance. Additional detail pictures you can get on my self-made page of the garden railway.
Besides the recordings in dry areas I can film in the wet element and in this
case the same is true: close to the object because the fishes arrive seldomly the land area voluntarily to pose in front of the cameras of curious tourists - as it happened in Egypt in 2003 at or in the Red Sea, respectively, where a submarine camera housing of Gun Lux saved from the salt water. The housing is designed to be leakproof up to a depth of 70 m and has an external electronic control transmitting the control signals via LANC to the camera. On this way, zooming, switching the camera on/off (filming on/off) and auto focus on/off can be carried out. A mirror on the left side shows the image of the folded up control display of the camera where I can get all necessary information like available film length, picture area or residual battery charge.
The housing consists of polycarbonate being 1 cm thick and provides for enough space for digital video cameras of Sony, Panasonic or Canon equipped with a broad-angular objective. Without lights/batteries an additional weight of 1 kg of lead will be necessary to tare the camera neutrally. Additional accessories: a red filter.
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The external electronic control. Here, the control signals will be initiated and transmitted to the camera via LANC. This control was more confidential to me than mechanical control elements.
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The housing backfront. The camera is screwed on a carriage being pushed into the housing on two rods. The control display is folded out and shows me the necessary information by a side mirror.
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Camera with control display folded out and side mirror. Without this practical tool it would be difficult to fix the object through diver's mask and finder accurately.
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The housing helps me not only at the filming during diving but it helps me to get recordings of models in pools.
The growing number of pieces of equipment could no longer be transported safely and securely in the small video bag. Something more stable was needed. In a hardware store, I came across a pilot's case that seemed suitable for this purpose. However, some modifications still needed to be made.
The pilot case consists of a plywood body lined with fabric on the inside and a protective aluminum cover on the outside. It measures approximately 48 x 22 x 34 cm (LxWxH).
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Despite its size, the case is relatively cramped. Three cameras with additional lenses, filters, cables, batteries, plugs, a tabletop tripod, and video light ? together, they weigh approximately 12 kg. |
The small items are contained in standard household containers. The containers in the hinged lids are card index boxes. |
Finally, everything together in one suitcase. The small items in particular caused regular, extensive searches. I'm now looking for other things instead... (-; |
Two continuous M3 threaded rods prevent the boxes from falling onto the cameras below. There's space on the right and left for the instruction manuals. (Yeah, yeah... I, the wimp I am, read things like that occasionally... (-; ) |
Beneath the foam rubber, the cameras are located in a 6 cm thick polystyrene foam mold that has been worked on with a soldering iron and lined with decorative fabric. |
In detail: 1 - container for recorded cassettes, 2 - tripod mount for video light, 3 - charger SONY, 4 - charger PANASONIC, 5 - container for empty cassettes, 6 - HDR-HC 1 (lying upside down), 7 - NV-GS75, 8 - container for cleaning cassette, 9 - table tripod, 10 - TRV 950 E, 11 - container for note tray.
© Bahnrolli 08/31/2025 | Sitemap
