D610 for Video

Hi fellow members!

I just bought the D610. Im a total noob and dont have a clue what i am doing!

In the last week I have done plenty of googling and watching YouTube videos of DigitalRev (Funny Bloke!) so I could understand what the difference is between 1.4d and 2.8g and the various focal lengths. I now love bokeh! It looks great when done right.

My intended use for the D610 is for YouTube videos and interviews. I chose the D610 because it has the mic in, does Full HD video and can also be used as a camera to take photos of the family instead of the mobile phone. I did some research on the D610 and bought it after reading some great reviews on it and was backed up further after speaking to a friend that shoots a lot of surfing photos. He told me the D610 will do an excellent job and recommended I get either a 50mm 1.8g or the more expensive 1.4g lens because they will produce nice bokeh in the videos and make them look more professional. Also he said the 50mm is what humans see through our eyes.

What I have bought so far:
Sennhieser EW122p G3 Wireless Lapel Mic (ME-4)
Rode Lav + MiCon1 adapter
Photo Studio Softbox Continuous Lighting set (7x Lights with stands + Backdrop)
Camera Slider Track 60cm
Kenko Auto Extension tube set
Nikon EP-5B Power Connector
2x Tripods (1.6m)
Teleprompter

What I cant decide on:
Do I need a Rode NTG3 + something to provide Phantom Power/pre power?
Lenses - Do i need a 24mm, 35mm lens for my video? Should I go 1.4g in one of these? Expensive but imagine the bokeh and also it will be my most used lens.

I nearly bought two second hand lenses today. Nikon AF-S 58mm 1.4g ed and Nikon AF-S 24mm - 70mm 2.8g ed. both got within $300 of the HK brand new lens prices. If I was to buy a lens from HK would it be ok? Here in Australia we have import tax on anything over $1,000 but my D610 came from HK and I never got taxed on it. Is there any rule on buying lenses? like don't pay more than half for second hand? or avoid second hand?

Would love some help and tips.

Just bought the Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.8G ED Lens.

Just curious... you seem to have quite a bit of microphone stuff, but I don't see an external recorder... ???

That's a great setup, please post some links to interviews or videos you make with it. Fenchel & Janisch make some good Youtube videos about using DSLRs to shoot video. Here's one link that shows you how to adjust sharpness, contrast, etc. if you want to get a "film" look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf_3gX_Z6Lo&list=PL1313304690E66E3E

Looking forward to seeing your work. Though I love the D600, I find the video annoying for general use because the auto focus is really loud, even with an external mic mounted in the hotshoe. Fred's idea of an external audio recorder could fix that. This is not the case for a static shot, however, and I did get some lovely video of my wife's orchestra.

Yeah the auto focus is really loud. But all my shots will be with a tripod and at a fixed distance. I had a play with the extender tubes before and they work great and saved me buying a macro lens. The audio is a big issue and I'm going all out to make sure it's just as good as the visual quality that I'm trying to provide. Let's be honest there is nothing nicer than high quality audio on a youtube video. The wireless lapel Mic system will give me direct audio on each person and cut out any unnecessary background noise. The shot gun Mic if I get it will be good for getting localised sound from the set and I have no intention of leaving it near that noisy lens lol. I think I need a juiced link for a pre amp and phantom power for the mics this should then allow me to go straight into the d610 and have the sound synced as I record. I hate syncing audio! At the moment it's hard to give it all a go because my wife and I are undecided if we are going to leave this rental house to another rental or finally buy a house in the area. The house I'm in now I'm just going to use the garage but the new houses we are looking at all have 4 bedrooms so I will be able to use one as a dedicated studio. The back drop will be a green screen.

The best static "talking head" interviews I've seen lately, from an A/V perspective, were in the documentary "Blackfish." They had two cameras on each person, good lighting and bokeh, and the editing would switch between cameras to add some variety. Sometimes the second camera would be moving. While watching, I was wondering if they were using DSLRs. I've heard that the show "Dexter" used a Nikon D800 for some second shots.

So most of my gear has arrived. Unfortunate for me Im moving house in 4 weeks and I have to fly out for work this week for a few weeks so I dont really see the point of setting up all the light boxes and backdrop etc, maybe I should open them up to make sure everything arrived lol.
I have had a good play with the sennheiser wireless mic and found having the D610 mic level set to 1 and ramp up the recording decibels on wireless mic to -16db or -19db was clear and a good level for the Rode Lav that I attached to the ew100.

Here are some pictures.