Update on kit

So I *may* have gone on a little bit of a spree...

I took my camera into the wonderful London Camera Exchange, following the weird issue with my 5D Mk3 detailed here.  And, inevitably, while I was waiting for the paperwork to be sorted out, my attention turned to a lovely little secondhand tripod. It had been brought in just half an hour before I'd arrived so clearly destiny!  The previous owners' paperwork indicates it was bought new from Wex in January and is showing very little wear.

It is made up of this and this and was a bargain for £159 all in (but without a bag). Also this means I now have the option to upgrade to a video head. I have been very happy with my Camlink tripod and I like its stability but it is heavy to transport with all my other equipment and without a car.

As one of my fellow DFP students observed, even short film sequences look more professional when the camera moves so I am keen to have something portable and with a smooth movement.

My next purchase was also related to this ambition but I was nervous about the effectiveness of the device and so cautiously went for a cheap shoulder rig for the purposes of exploration and experimentation. I have not had chance to use it much yet but I can already tell that it does not work well over the shoulder. Might need my Dad to work his engineering magic on it.

Now, that I am working on the sound part of the DFP course, I decided to bite the bullet and get a decent microphone.  Plus a dead cat and a 3m boom pole.

And one final thing:  some continuous lighting.

I keep thinking I am going to need this stuff for certain projects I get roped into (outside my comfort zone) and so buy things in advance of a specific deadline, then finding I really don't need the kit after all.  Still, I am sure it will come in handy one day...