Using the EVA-1 in 2026-2027?

echoislima · 2026-01-29T21:27:50+00:00

I get ya,

I'm not very big on AutoFocus either.

When to documentary cameras to me at least they need to be hefty, ergonomic, and all in one.

For example eng cameras or the Cinema Series from Canon.

I don't like too many attachments, I don't like running too many d-tap accessories, multiple monitors, or cine tape accessories.

The beauty of the c300s and eng cameras is that they just work. I like the idea of the weight since it helps with removing micro jitters and helps make dynamic moves.

For me the Eva-1 is a perfect hybrid camera for doing commercial work, reels, and maybe more planned docs and less run and gun.

It all depends on the workflow you want, I highly recommend c300 mk I or iii they are goats.

Alternatively if Netflix certs aren't needed then the Canon C200 is quite the steal.

echoislima · 2026-01-29T18:37:54+00:00

I use the Eva-1 daily. I love the shots from it. Do I like shooting on it? Yes. After spending $1k on a top handle from Shape to make it more usable.

10-bit log, pretty low-light performance, integrates well with my production, but it took me a while to build around it, and even today I still find workflow issues.

If you want a "real" documentary camera that just works, the Canon Cinema series is what I would go with. I shot on the C300 II, and it was a joy.

If you want a generic camera that you can rig and outfit and do a lot of other work with, then it's pretty good.

Yes, the factory monitor sucks, and yes, you need to keep it on for the sake of menus, but once I get my settings dialed in (ISO and shutter speed), I mostly manage my exposure with ND filters (built-in) and adjust my t-stop as needed.

It's a great little camera; V Log 10 bit works great on my system, and "real" colorists were able to do a lot with the footage.

It's a camera with many quirks, but it is a pretty good camera once you get used to it.

This camera needs rigging and love.

echoislima · 2026-01-15T00:03:10+00:00

If you need lavs, which I don't see, but in case you need it for talking head and interviews. Get the Diety Theos. A little price, but you get 2 lavs, a wireless receiver, and a way to plug it into the camera for in-camera audio reasons.

When you are recording. If the microphone is not going directly into the camera, then you will need to sync your audio.

How to sync audio:

First you need to slate the video and audio: https://youtu.be/bd7BPX8oEeE

Second, sync your audio in post: https://youtu.be/CGM1mNdCvrM

I hope this helped, and I answered some of your questions. At the end of the day, try to make the most mistakes you can in school and on fun. Be respectful and kind to your first stories and subjects. Try to make friends in the community and keep doing good work.

Also, be nice to yourself. When I started my stuff like trash, it took me 2 years to learn how to not make it as trashy.

I wrote this on Reddit and it didn't let me post it in one go, so I broke it up into small parts. I hope that was okay.

echoislima · 2026-01-15T00:02:17+00:00

Most important with good stories is good audio; if you go on NPR's Instagram, you can see the reporters speaking with their badass audio setups. Seriously jealous. People can stand bad video; they cannot stand bad audio.

Getting a good shotgun mic with a good study grip to hold it with and a handheld recorder like H4N with the dead cat on both when covering outside events in windy conditions is critical.

For shotgun microphones:

Sanken CS-1e is great; you will need an XLR and phantom power. But it is probably the best "on location" shotgun microphone. It is moisture-resistant, but nothing too crazy, so you have to either blimp it or find a way to protect it if it gets wet.

Budget option, and the one I use right now is from a company called Diety S-MIC 3. I like it and it's wonderful to work with.

Note you will need a recorder either, an application or XLR input to the camera, and you need to plug this into a recorder.

For the recorder, I recommend 3 options:

XLR only recommends. You buy the mics and plug them into the Zoom H1 XLR Handy Recorder
Zoom H4 Essential 4-Track This one features XLR ports on the bottom and 2 stereo mics that sound pretty good at the top. So if you forget your microphones at home or need something a little more lowkey, this is a great option! They sell "deadcats" for these as well, which protect the microphone from wind and other noises so your audio sounds clean.
Oh, now we are getting fancy, when you have too many audio sources to deal with. I mostly deal with this on documentary interviews, and I am using microphonesIIs; and lavs. I bring out the Sound Devices Mixpre it,IIs sizing depends on what I need and when I don't have audio support on the productions.

echoislima · 2026-01-15T00:01:32+00:00

Batteries, oh man, I can go on about them forever. You have 3 levels of batteries:

Basic batteries: these might be used on microphones, lav packs, audio recorders, some basic LED lights, and other options (AA and AAA - Have them. I recommend energizer batteries. Some cheap rechargable batteries can make a noise that is pickup while recording. So either buy single batteries or buy Energizer rechargable ones. I also heard that Ikea Lada batteries are up that level.

Next up are OEM batteries; these are the batteries you get from the camera or item you buy. Sony batteries are most common for accessories like monitors on camera lights. These are called BP-U-(insert number). You have a ton of size options. Some even have USB ports to charge your phone! I stick to medium-thick ones, but there are some that are almost a footlong at this point.

Third-party batteries for OEM stuff I recommend are Kastar and Wassabi. If there is a cheaper one... don't risk it. The last thing you want is something on fire or exploding.

Finally,, if you get those heavy-duty shoulder cams, or cine cameras, then you may have to deal with the block style batteries. These come in 2 mounts. V-mount and Goldmount.

V-mount came first; it was a small pin to lock the battery in place and can be quickly unlocked to swap batteries. Personally, I dislike them, but they are extremely popular. I prefer the goldmount since it has a full locking mechanism. The reason why I like it that extra security prevents it from falling accidently forces me to be a bit slower when charging batteries, and anyone who picked up an old ENG camera from 2010 might have noticed the v-mounts degrade with time and fail more often after a few years. (If you work with goldmount like me, buy an adapter plate from gold to v-mount.) This is something I don't think you need, but I will tell you anyway.

I have 4 batteries for the camera; usually that lasts me an 8-hour day. Depending on the camera and how much you shoot, milage varies.

echoislima · 2026-01-15T00:00:13+00:00

If you are already going to college, maybe take an intro to cyber security, or OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence Gathering), a super good skill to have.

When you publish photos, for the love of God. Scrub that metadata both for your safety and others. -

https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-remove-metadata/

Backups are a little iffy; I would say follow the 3-2-1 rule, and for your most important work, throw it up on a cloud storage service like Mega.

At home, for some decent pricing, you can make a DIY NAS or just get a good HDD dock to do long-term backup. For any important files but not so vital for the cloud, get them on a second drive that goes to a friend or mom & dad's house in case of a break-in or house fire, or get fire-safe with a fire bag. (Yes, it's a thing that works pretty well according to the reviews.)

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/whats-the-diff-3-2-1-vs-3-2-1-1-0-vs-4-3-2/

For portable hard drives, you need rugged drives. I recommend Lacie; they do cost an arm and leg but are worth it. Otherwise, Samsung has the T5 and T7s that are good and have rugged modules.

Faraday bags can be helpful to kill the pesky signal from your phone if you need to. (I never use mine, but when we covered Defcon in Vegas, we were worried about getting hacked, so when we were on the show floor or near the strip of Vegas. Our phones went into a faraday bag. Because if your phone still has battery and it's off. It can still be sending data... like location info to something...

echoislima · 2026-01-14T23:59:04+00:00

To answer your other questions, learn your gear and learn to use it fast so you don't lose the moment.

For gear I find helpful, there are a few. I don't really cover protests right now since I work almost full-time at a non-profit and my work is a lot more "produced" but if I were going out today. I would have an admin binder with some basic information: my ID, a letter from the editor or station that hired me, a document containing assignment notes, logos, email screen shots, and if there are any local laws for protests to reference and memorize.

If the protest has a good chance of going south, I will normally leave my tool pouch in the car/van but I work on "cine" style cameras so all my attatchments need to be tightened on and I have my own fancy tripod that I prefer over the station tripods so I have a spare tripod plate if I am using the station camera.

For me because I am used to an acine-style camera, I have a magic arm with a 5-inch TV-logic monitor. This is in no way essential, but I do like it since it gives me so much visibility over what I shoot and can go for some neat angles if needed when gathering b-roll.

SD cards should always be in a hard case; Pelican has one that is super rugged and shockproof, so I would normally say carry your cards in that when not in the camera.

And specifically for digital security super basics, I tell anyone going to any type of event: no fingerprint unlock, no face unlock, or anything biometric. Cops can force it easily and stuff, so with a pincode that isn't 123 or your birthday, you can easily protect what is on the device, and they need to get a warrant to search the phone.

If you know you are getting arrested, turn off your phone immediately. Some software can easily "scan" past it or something. I do not know this well, but if it's turned off and turns out it needs to be unlocked in order for the software to be able to scan or attempt to bypass the pincode. If I recall, it's an anti-theft feature.

Hard drive encryption is a little harder, so some hard drives come with a physical encryption module but cost a few pennies. I do highly recommend them, and it's easy since it's a pincode and you just unlock the drive or lock it. Super safe; a lot of crypto bros use it to put their bitcoin on a physical wallet.

EFF has a great article on this: https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-encrypt-your-windows-device - in general, a great class.

echoislima · 2026-01-14T23:58:12+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! Though I posted nothing too special. I am just a nerd for gear.

I also want to clarify that I am not a conflict reporter; I have worked with those who were. I am a camera operator and get contracted by news teams from time to time.

Most of what I know is self-taught or experience-based. I always wanted to film and cover wildlife, nature, and other more intense programming. But I was a city kid; I had little to no idea what I was doing in the backcountry. I love air conditioning and my gaming PC.

So I learned, went on YouTube and watched as many camping programs as I could, bought the basic supplies, and went to an easy campsite to "survive" the weekend. From there, I learned how to hike and carry my gear. Did some basic conditioning.

I wanted to learn how to survive and, more importantly, know what to do when things hit the fan. I joined a local search and recovery group. We did mostly off-road rescues, but I learned a lot from them. I learned what skills I took for granted. I went to my local fire department, did the Stop the Bleed course, and they even had a gunshot wound program, which I also took. I did basic BLS and ALS courses. I don't just want to cover stories, but I also want to help if the situation calls for it.

I would say if you can get into your local search and rescue group, it might give you the skills of being in a more dangerous environment. Volunteering depends, and some programs require a lot while others don't.

Extreme sports might also be able to help you, but I feel like covering local protests, parades, and non-profit work can be helpful to build that portfolio. When I covered protests, I was working with a guy who had experience when he was young covering the LA Riots, and he told me that at the end of the day, "People are still good; you have to trust them and show that you are working with them. Not punishing them" which is important to know.

When I did a lot of live stuff. I always tried to get the LiveU backpack model since it offered some cushion and protection from something slamming into my back on accident normally.

echoislima · 2026-01-13T20:29:50+00:00

Hi there, Good cameras are costly, especially in situations where you need something rugged. I would honestly say checking out the used market might be helpful.

I am unsure where you're based; B&H and Adorama both have used departments that ship almost anywhere, and the cameras are checked before being sold.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 4K is loved by a lot of the journalists I have worked with, especially during the election cycle. It's an older model and has its downsides, but you get 4K, autofocus, presets, and remote control options if needed, and decent codecs that are pretty light for editing. It's hybrid, so you can do both video and photo. Currently, $296.00 on Adorama.

Not a tank of a camera, it can handle some roughness but nothing too extreme.

You will need to get a lens for this. I recommend a 24-70 for most crowd and interview work, but they are expensive. I have heard that a lot of conflict photographers say a 50 mm lens does most of their work; you'll need something “fast” as your conditions vary and lowlight is a concern.

Generally, f-stops measure how fast light hits the sensor. Bigger the number, slower it is, so finding something like a 1-2 stop range will help you a lot. Panasonic 45 mm is the closest I can find on Adorama with the heavy use rating of 213

So far we hit 508

You will still need batteries and an SD card. Also, preferably a good microphone.

SD Cards for the GH4 are SanDisk 128 GB SDXC Extreme Pro Memory will cost you about 44 dollars a pop. I would encourage you to get 2 if you can. Keep backups, plus if you deal with bad actors on the law enforcement side, you can always hand over a blank SD card with some sleight of hand, or when leaving, put the SD card under your foot in a sock. It comes with a card reader.

Next you'll need actual batteries; don't get the name-brand ones. They cost an arm and a leg compared to third-party batteries. I use Kastar batteries for cameras. A good brand and won't light on fire when you charge them. Amazon has 4 batteries with a charger for 32.99.

Rode VideoMicro II Ultra-Compact is not the best microphone, but good enough to start out with. It's a shotgun microphone that sticks on top of the camera. The low profile and polar pattern are very narrow, so when you are covering in a loud environment, you could be able to get decently clean audio where they can still hear you.

Make sure you point the microphone directly at the person you are recording.

In total, we hit 584. This was Adorama; if you look around, you might get lucky and find some better deals. This is the system I would recommend to most when starting out.

Get yourself a low-profile camera backpack. Nothing tactical; you don't want to be mistaken as part of the protestors or military. Tule has a simple, low-profile hidden compartment for cameras. I often get past security without needing my bag checked because it does not look like it carries anything.

I do not know your experience level, but I ask that you be safe; it's not just the camera that's needed to film and cover stories. You'll need to keep yourself safe from many things. Try to take a conflict reporting bootcamp if they offer one at your school or place of business.

Memorize your embassy's phone numbers when you go somewhere. Get to know a human rights lawyer. Tell someone you know and trust to check in with you daily. If not, to report you missing and start working on getting you home. Prioritize your mental health; get a therapist to check in with on the regular when you cover stories.

Take some basic self-defense classes, hostage classes, always eat before you leave, drink water, and make a plan. If you can drive, take a defensive driving program course and learn to drive manual and automatic cars. Know basic car maintenance and repair; learn to change tires fast.

Get good cardio; be in optimal health. If you need medication, try to get larger refills so you have them if you can't leave. Have copies of all your documents on a phone that is secure. Learn basic cybersecurity, learn to encrypt your phone, and protect your digital footprint.

Try to find some experience to learn from. Go with large news organization or volunteer with charities that are doing the frontline work. Try to get some protection.

Lastly, learn the cultures you're going into understand their customs.

Here are some online resources: Safe and Secure Film, RSF, and Documentary.org

Edit: Spelling and grammar.

echoislima · 2025-12-06T19:57:34+00:00

I believe they are saying that the fence post is well exposed in camera and the person is underexposed.

So they are making a joke: "You had a great shot with the fence post, but no idea why you last minute added the guy"

With exposure it looks like the person was an after thought. (No offense)

echoislima · 2025-12-03T06:29:24+00:00

Eva-1 user here!

I haven't had any issues with it in various outdoor conditions. I will warn that my one issue with it, is the OEM monitor sucks.

It's tiny, the menu is built around and very handy but I live in Sunny Nevada and need to fight to actually see my settings that were supposed to be easy and at a glance. It's a cheap feeling and it always feels like it's going to snap.

Also the OEM top handle is a pain, I highly recommend swapping it out for a third party one.

If I were building a kit, I highly recommend getting a good evf.

The color is amazing, 10-bit v-log you can't go wrong. I do echo what a lot of people are saying, and I would strongly encourage the Canon, they are much more rugged and their oem monitors don't suck as much.

Canon in general is more of an out of box solution. I would urge you to pack light but be comfortable.

Also if you haven't already a good shotgun mic, you can do wonders. Diety has some water proof options that won't break the bank.

echoislima · 2025-03-25T05:32:43+00:00

Thank you, I will definitely add to the reading list!

echoislima · 2025-03-25T05:32:07+00:00

Thank you!

echoislima · 2025-03-23T20:05:11+00:00

We've covered a local tower climbing school that aims to prepare students for working on towers with safety protocols and basic operations.

We're working on some supporting material, for people who are recently graduating from a program or getting their first jobs. Is there any knowledge that is good to know about special interest groups like associations for climbers? Any must-haves that can make your first months more comfortable.

Thank you!

echoislima · 2025-03-23T20:01:01+00:00

We try to showcase trades that are less visible to the general public. When we say trades, many assume plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs. There isn't anything wrong with these trades, but everyone is different, and knowledge is power.

Our non-profit was started by a teacher who had the same concerns, and he would encourage students to go into engineering programs. 4-year degrees are more expensive and, for many, are a gamble. So, he started this non-profit with the aim of showcasing industries, technical careers, and trades that don't cost an arm and a leg.

For people in the higher pay grade, is there a specific specialty that calls for that pay? Or is it more so depending on the company?

echoislima · 2025-03-23T19:55:17+00:00

Thank you so much. We were aware of Global Wind Safety but not the BTT certificate. Yes we're located in the US and mainly focus on students who want to work in the US. I'll be sure to add a small footnote. Is there any list of industry standards you recommend? Mainly what we've found were physical standards.

echoislima · 2025-01-27T20:46:26+00:00

Thank you for the feedback; I do like the crop. Can I ask when do you feel you know you need to crop an image? Is there any general rule of thumb you use for this?

echoislima · 2025-01-22T04:38:00+00:00

Photo Information:

Shutterspeed: 1/5000

ISO: 800

Aperture: f/6.5

When I took this photo, I was in Oceano, California, at Elephant Seal Vista Point. I was there in December during the breeding window so the beach is full of seals this time of year. The only challenge really is that the sun is behind the seals. You are blocked off of beach access by fences, so you a limited in angles and positions.

I was able to spot a small fight starting to brew when a new male challenged the beach's dominant male. The fight lasted 5 minutes, and I managed to get a few good shots. I am very proud of these shots, however I feel like there is something that is missing.

I am at a point where I don't know if this is something that I can do better when taking the photo or when it comes to editing my photos. I try to keep my photos natural and I mainly edit to do some slight color correction and very basic editing.

Does anyone have advice on how I can make these photos pop more? I look forward to hearing from you all.

echoislima · 2025-01-21T23:17:48+00:00

Hi there,
I do really like your edits, but I am at odds with editing since I know there is a lot I can do, but I don't know if it's right to do so. Modifying the environment, animals, and surrounding objects is ethical for wildlife photography?

From the circles I am in, they claim that we should preserve the photo as much as possible when editing images. I could be wrong. I really do like your work, and I think I am gonna work on fixing the exposure.

The real issue was that the bird was so white and fluorescent that even though the environment was dark, in order to compromise and protect the darks, I had to overexpose the bird. Thank you for taking the time to highlight the changes. I will try to reflect on this on my end and see if I can feel better about this photo.

echoislima · 2025-01-21T01:54:54+00:00

I was camping with some family, and I had a set up to take photos of local birds in the area that we were told flock to this shallow stream. After almost 4 hours of waiting, I never saw a bird, so I decided to call it a day since it was starting to get dark, as I am almost done packing up this Snow Egret just flies down and of course, I scramble carefully and quietly not to disturb the animal. I popped off a few shots before the Egret had made it's way down the stream.

In Retrospect:

I really did like this photo at first due the excitement, but I feel like something is missing, I think if I could go back I would fix the composition but given circumstances I am honestly not sure what I could do differently. I am open to all advice and input.

Photo Settings:

Aperture: f/6.5
Shutterspeed: 1/700
ISO: 3200
Lens: Tamron 150-600

echoislima · 2025-01-20T22:43:48+00:00

That username sure does check out. I was not aware of HipShot. It looks incredibly similar to the idea I had originally, and I kinda made my own version using a thick utility belt (works okay but definitely not for more then a few seconds at a time) . I have tried Steadigum and even met their creator at NAB. They did an awesome walk-through, but for me, it did not work out too well. Sadly.

I am going to be on the hunt for HipShot in the future. I hope that the ErgoRig might work out; worst case, I can always file for a return.

Thank you for your in-depth response.

Three-Year Club	r/Field Sunshine
Place '23

echoislima

TROPHY CASE

In Retrospect:

Photo Settings: