I'm off to Japan for a three week fieldtrip: one week in Tokyo, one in Hokkaido (the northern island), and one in Osaka. I'm cramming a lot in a very short amount of time. If you were wondering about the flurry of equipment posts, it's because I've been thinking out loud what equipment to get and to bring with me. This is what my fieldkit looks like:
- HDV Equipment:
- Canon XL-H1 camcorder (primary)
- Sony HDR-HC1 camcorder (secondary)
- Tons of Mini-DV cassettes
- Batteries, battery chargers, cables, etc.
- Sound Equipment
- Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mike
- Sennheiser ME64 cardioid mike
- Sennheiser 100/500 wireless system with lavier mike
- Sennheiser HD-280 monitoring headphones
- Beachtek XLR adapter (for Sony)
- RODE shotgun microphone mount (for Sony) w/ cheapo L-bracket
- iPod 3G 40 gigs (for the 'tunes)
- 1.5' and 10' XLR cables, misc cables for the wireless system, etc.
- Velbon Cargmagne Tripod
- Apple PowerBook G4 / 15"
- Leica M7 with Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon (800 speed B&W film)
Somehow except for the Leica, this all manages to fit into a LowePro Rolling CompuTrekker Plus AW. The LowePro is technically a backpack (with wheels) but I think if I tried to pick it up at this point, something (in me) would break. In any case, this is one trip where I'm glad I have a field assistant.
I envy you your trip to Hokkaido. Memory tells me there are several must-see places! The underground in Sapporo/draft beer ichiban oishi, any contact with Ainu, Eso Fuji, Wakkanai crabs, a world class spa along the southern coast w/3 ofuro=atsui, moto atsui, and OMG atsui somewhere between Sapporo and Nemuro. Inland and uphill is the lake within the dormant volcano (reputedly Hirohitosama's private fishing spot) namae wa waseri mashita. Enjoy it all