IN[FOCUS]

With DSLRs, getting the right lenses are an important investment. And naturally, it can get expensive fast! In this video, I dissect how it’s possible to go off the beaten path and purchase some great lenses without breaking the bank. Of course, everyone knows Canon L lenses are the best, but not everyone (including Life Stage w/ 3 teams!) can afford ALL the best. This video breaks down what lenses you might find in our gear bag and WHY we use certain lenses in specific situations. 

I mention…

Tokina 11-16

Canon 100-400L

Sigma 85mm

and the staples such as Canon 24-70L, Canon 70-200L IS and Canon 50mm

Matt Davis

Matt Davis (coaching at lifestagefilms.com) of Life Stage Films has been described as the “head coach of wedding videography,” providing one-on-one business coaching as well as group coaching webinars. A featured speaker at both WEVA 2009-10 and IN[FOCUS] 2010-11, as well as a multiple CEA award winner and 2009-10 EventDV 25 All-Star, he is based in Wilmington, N.C.

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Deciding what bag to store your gear in is always a tough decision – how does one sort through all the options? 

Thankfully, twitter helped me seal the deal on purchasing the Think Tank Airport Addicted v2.0.

I was debating, wheels vs no wheels.

Do you play golf?

Are you a cart person or do you prefer to wheel or carry your own clubs?

Personally I like to have everything with me when I’m on the move (pre ceremony prep, running into a ceremony, moving between locations at venues).

Here in New England it’s rare that I will film at a venue with smooth surfaces from my car to the ceremony and reception. Often times I’m going through grass, a field, an Inn or old hotel (no elevators) so to have the “hands free” capability of going up stairs and still be able to carry a slider or tripod is a bonus for me.

Check out the capacity of these handy bags inside and out and see for yourself what may work best. I love my Addicted 2.0 backpack so much, I bought a second one within a month of owning the first. 

This year I’ve seen more Think Tanks (both wheeled and backpacks) at weddings then any other bag or brand. Who knows, maybe it’s a New England thing?

Meg Simone

Wedding filmmaker, avid skier, and travel enthusiast!

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Greetings humans! Hope all is well.

Today I’m reviewing a new LED light panel that we picked up from LCD4Video out of Detroit, MI. If you’re an event filmmaker, or even if your background is ENG…a portable light is an essential piece to your toolkit.

Once upon a time, those lights were large, incandescent lights. Those lights are one of the reasons we wedding filmmakers got a bad rep. Fast forward 10-15 years, and now everyone and their brother sells an LED light. They have become increasingly popular, but their performance quality has increased substantially as well. Lights that once  would struggle to light the end of your nose and would take 8 AA batteries to power can nearly replace a 1K light (with a large enough LED panel) on a production.

We picked up the LCD4Video iLED Dual-Color LED Light Kit a few weeks ago, and I was instantly intrigued. This was unlike any light panel I had ever seen. Super bright, uses a rechargeable battery, but most importantly allows you to adjust the color temperature of the LED panel itself! No gels necessary.

The light has two adjustable dials on the back, one for the dimmer and the other for the color temperature. This is an awesome feature to have because now you can easily make changes to the color temperature of the light depending on your shooting situation. You can also have your cameras white balance locked in more accurately knowing where your LED’s color temperature is set.

Although the LED boasts 144 LED diodes, they are split between the 3200K and the 5600K temperature. When adjusting the color temperature the diodes brightness will change and mix, depending on the needed color temperature.

The light costs $250. The kit comes with a rechargeable battery, car charger adapter, table stand, and two battery adapters if you have your own canon (the  BR-511, not the LP-e6) or panasonic batteries. The light also has a DC adapter.

I still have some field testing to do with this light, but based on our initial tests and observations this light is MUCH brighter then the litepanel micro, and having the ability to change the color temperature is reason enough to consider purchasing this light.

Happy Shooting!
Eric 

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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