Monday, November 21, 2011

Wiring up the Think Tank Multimedia Wired Up 20

One of the problems when shooting wedding videos out on the beach is trying to carry all of your gear and keep it out of the sand.  I used to use a large camera bag to hold all my stuff, but constantly worried about having to leave it unattended on the beach during a wedding.  I wanted to find something that would let me carry the vital necessities with me, yet not get in the way when filming.

I came across the ThinkTank Multimedia Wired Up 20 and it looked like it would fit the bill.  






I also ordered the Multimedia Wireless Mic Kit to go along with it. It attaches to the built in belt of the the Wired Up 20.



One of the great things about the Multimedia Wired Up series is that they designed them with small openings that allow you to run cables between the various bags.  


I have two wireless mic receivers in the Wireless Mic Kit and run the output from that bag into the Zoom H4N stored in the audio compartment of the Wired Up 20 .


Since the cables run through the bottoms of the bags, I can zip the top closed and throw on the included rain cover when needed.




The audio compartment of the Wired Up 20 is designed to open away from the body, so that you can see and adjust the levels on the screen of the audio recorder.




Had some custom right angle XLR connectors made to reduce the stress on the cables that are plugged into the bottom of the H4N.


The cord for the headphones runs through an opening on the other side of the bag.


The Wired Up 20 also comes with a hook to hang your headphones on.  Very handy to have.




The main compartment is nice and roomy.  I can fit a 5D mkII with a battery grip and a 70-200L lens (hood reversed) in the center section  with room for another lens on the side (maybe the 50mm 1.2L when I buy it later this year).


When I shoot a ceremony with my regular video cameras, a Canon XF100 and an XA10 as a second/backup camera, the Wired Up 20 is roomy enough that I can quickly store the XA10 in the bag after the ceremony and continue shooting with the XF100.

The Wired Up 20 also has large side pockets that can stretch out to hold water bottles or LCD lights, or whatever else you can think of.


It also comes with a Cable Management bag and mini bungie cords useful for storing microphone cables and things.



As I make the transition to shooting more and more video with my HDSLRs instead of my video cameras, I'll be using this setup more often since it makes recording dual system audio much easier.


Right now Think Tank Photo is offering up 11 camera pouches and memory card holders worth almost $300 that you can have added for free to your purchases when you visit their website via one of the links on this blog.  Every time you place an order with Think Tank, when you check out you will be asked which one of the items listed below you wish you receive for free.  There is no limit on the number of orders you can place.  You receive free gear with every order. 

To get this “free gear with every order” offer, click on this link or on any of the Think Tank links on this blog:


FREE GEAR LIST
Cable Management 10 ($16.75)
R U Thirsty ($19.96)
LARGE Lens Drop In ($31.96)
Whip It Out ($35.96)
Skin 50 ($22.36)
Skin 75 Pop Down ($28.80)
Skin Double Wide ($35.96)
Skin Strobe ($28.80)
Skin Chimp Cage ($31.96)
Pixel Pocket Rocket ($18.75) 
Security Tag ($25.00)