Steve’s not the only one packing for CES today. As the Social Media Manager for the Microsoft brand, I’m looking forward to my week in Vegas covering CES for the Microsoft Facebook page and Twitter account. I’ve hired a crew to help film some video segments for our social properties, but I love taking photos and video myself, so I’m bringing my gear, too. Here’s what’s in my bag:
Camera: One of the many reasons I’m happy to be married to my wife is that she’s a professional photographer. That gives us an excuse to own a really nice camera—The Canon 5D Mark II. The 5D is a beaute—21 megapixels and a full frame sensor. It excels at indoor, low-light situations, like we’ll encounter in the trade show hall. The picture above was taken without a flash at ISO 3200. If you zoom into the full image, you can see just how much detail you can capture. Plus, the 5D takes gorgeous 1080P video.
Mics and mic adapters: Though the quality of the video off this camera is fantastic, it lacks the pro-grade XLR-style inputs of other professional video cameras. So, I add them with a Beachtek DXA-5DA adapter and connect my Azden 200UPR wireless mic kit to it.
On camera light: The LitePanels Micro is a handy on-camera light with an array of 48 LED lights. When you attach them both, I end up with what I like to fondly call “FrankenCamera!”
Tripods: FrankenCamera needs a sturdy tripod to hold all of its heavy, unbalanced weight. So I swear by the Manfrotto 3001BPRO. It’s legs extend with a satisfying KA-thunk! that lets you know that it means business. I also bring a smaller, lighter model, the Manfrotto Modo. If I’m out walking the floor trying to get some still shots, this is all I need, and it’s super light.
Computer: I rock a standard issue Lenovo X201 as my everyday PC. It doesn’t look like much, but it performs great when I’m using such power-hungry applications as Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing or Lightroom for photo editing. I also carry a Microsoft Arc Touch mouse, the best I’ve ever used.
Odds and Ends: Also in my bag are a white-balancing card, a shotgun mic, a pair of Bose headphones, and a Samsung Focus Windows Phone.
I think I should pack some clothes, too. But a man has his priorities.
Rob
