Top 10 Canon 7D Accessories for Videography

Shooting weddings & corporate videos with the Canon 7D has been one of the best aspects of running a video production company. Our Wedding division has booked over 35 weddings for 2010 and we’re steadily filling up the calendar for 2011 and even 2012. Last fall I made the decision to adopt DLR technology that others told me would be a bad move. I was hearing it from all angles. “Don’t buy that camera, wait until the bugs are fixed”.. “I would never adopt new technology like that.” Good thing I didn’t listen to those guys. We’re slowly seeing an increase of clients that specifically request our company because of the look and feel we can deliver.

Below you’ll find a list of some of the Top 10 canon 7D accessories we have found useful for our company. This is no way is supposed to be a comprehensive list. Just some of the new tools we’re using. We’re also not paid to advertise for these companies.

First, you’ll need the actual camera body itself. The prices are dropping and you can probably pick one up for about $1500-$1600

Top 10 Canon 7D Accessories for Videography

1. You’re going to need some lenses. Start with one of the most popular lens. The 17-55mm 2.8 IS. Even though it’s not an L series lens we like the fact it has image stabilization. Most EOS L series lenses don’t have IS until you step up to the telephotos.

2. Another great lens is the 70-200 L f4 IS or the 70-200 L 2.8. Obviously the 2.8 is more expensive however the f4 has served us just fine. Unless your using it in doors you can get away with the 4 instead of the 2.8.

3. Once you have all your lenses and body, you’ll need to be able to mount it on a tripod. Red Rock Micro offers a number of DSLR rig kits. You can even build your own. You’ll need a base plate with rods. We’ve had good luck with our set up.

4. Your rig is not complete because you’ll need some sort of focus assist. A good place to start would be a follow focus system. Again, Red Rock Micro offers a great option if you’re looking to save some money. Their follow focus version 2 is great and reasonable priced for the quality and build of it.

5. You’ll still need more focus assistance while shooting with the Canon 7D because of the small screen. You can either go with a Zacuto viewfinder or you can go for a full blown LCD. We suggest both given your shooting conditions. The viewfinder for the 7D is very good and the magnification helps greatly.

6. If you want to do it right, go with an LCD. Marshall offers a great option. The Marshall V LCD651ST is one of the best HD LCDs on the market and as of today’s pricing they just lowered it from $1,695 to $1,394.95. Can’t beat that!

7. Almost done. Your rig is just about there. Once you have all this sweet gear you’ll need media to record to. We suggest getting at least 16GB CF cards with a minimum of 60mb/s. You’ll Probably need about 4-8 of these bad boys.

8. You’ll need a professional source of audio because the canon 7D has auto levels which means it’s not that great for audio and will clip everything. Get a H4n zoom recorder for all your audio needs it comes with two XLR inputs for wire/wireless mics.

9. Speaking of wireless mics you’ll need a pair of Sennheiser mics. I suggest getting two because you never know when you could need both.

10. You’ll need reference audio as well. We suggest the Rode video mic with a 3.5m mini plug for the Canon 7D. It records fantastic audio which is great for reference and if you’re lucky you might be able to use if for some natural audio in your project.. that’s if the auto levels don’t ruin it first.

11. I know this is a top 10 list. However, you’ll probably need some other basics such as additional batteries, cables, cards, headphones, on-board lighting and such. Stay tuned for an updated list.

This is just a handful of useful pieces of equipment we use. Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions.

NIKE SPARQ Training

We had an exciting shoot yesterday for NIKE in Springfield, MA at the Basketball Hall of Fame. NIKE came to us specifically looking for the Canon 7D for their event. We provided coverage including setup and general overview of the day. The 7D allowed us to be mobile and fast while capturing action from course to course.

NIKE’s SPARQ Training division stands for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness. They were in MA this weekend evaluating some of the North East’s best high school basketball players. Each player evaluated receives a score based on five simple tests. The score is their SPARQ Rating which shows athletes exactly where they can improve their athletic performance through training.

Shooting in the Basketball Hall of Fame was pretty exciting. Standing beneath hundreds of photos and life-sized replicas of some of the greatest basketball players that ever lived was very moving.

To learn more about SPARQ Training click here.

Burlington Foundry MA

This week we had an exciting shoot at the Burlington Foundry. One of the original Aluminum Foundries in Massachusetts. We’ve been asked to produce a short 1-2 minute vignette on the process that Burlington Foundry has been using every since they were found back in 1954. They specialize in producing quality aluminum castings for clients of all industries.

We used the Canon 7D and the Sony EX1 Cameras for the job. Making this the third project we’ve used the Canon 7D on. The foundry was very low lit and the 7D gave us the ability to shoot in these conditions with out a problem. The EX1 was used for back up and also did fantastic in low light. Check back for more updates.

Please visit the Burlington Founrdry’s New Web Site at: Burlington Foundry Inc. http://burlingtonfoundryinc.com/

New Design for Services Pages

McElroy Films is pleased to announce a new user friendly design for our corporate and weddings pages. We’re trying to make our design more appealing and less complication and overwhelming. That’s why we’ve design ours to be modern and sleek with easy to read text and illustrations.

Come check us out the new corporate and wedding pages.

McElroy Films provides a comprehensive line up of high definition video production services for corporate, non-profit and educational clients in Massachusetts and New England. Additional services include, weddings, events, music video production and independent filmmaking.

Summer Special

Enjoy %10 off your next project with McElroy Films from now until September 30, 2009.

Edit Suite

Photos of the new Final Cut Studio at McElroy Films
Photos by David H. Brow

Online Video

We are all living in exciting times, the Internet has exploded into a vast resource of information for everyone big and small. The old days when everyone would get together and watch their favorite TV show on thursday night is in the past. Now most people have DVR or TIVO. Consumers are no longer constrained by schedules of TV networks. The viewer now sets his own schedule for when the content is viewed. Moreover, with the introduction of Hulu viewers can now watch their favorite TV shows online defeating the purpose of the TV all together.

Internet video is on the rise and has been for some time. With the introduction of faster connection speeds such as cable, T1 and FIOS we can now enjoy streaming video lightning fast right to our personal computers and portable devices.  Online videos are a great way to put your product or entity in front of your viewers. Online videos can take down the walls and mystique of an individual or organization and puts it in a convenient and informative package the viewer can watch.  Company profiles give the viewer a first hand look at your business. They’ll feel like they already know you when they contact you for business.

Here are some interesting facts about online video

134 million people in the US went online to watch an astounding average of 81 videos for a total of 11 billion videos in April 2008

71% the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video

The average online viewer watched 228 minutes of video

The average online video duration was 2.8 minutes

Source: ComScore

McElroy Films