To raise awareness of the work undertaken by the Kipungani Schools Trust, building, equipping, and staffing schools in remote parts of Kenya, Ian Stark recently spent two weeks living and filming in the bush.

Because of certain constraints and airline luggage restrictions Ian (director at the time of a company called filmIT) chose to shoot on a Canon XL2 supported by a Manfrotto 501HDV head and 525HDV legs.

"Despite concerns that the XL2 would be too heavy for for the 501/525, in pre-production tests we found it to be perfectly workable," notes Ian, "especially with the extended camera plate, which helped to shift the centre of gravity to a sweeter spot.

"In the field the combination was easily transportable and set-up was quick and easy. Camera movement was nice and fluid and we achieved some very pleasing pans and tilts," adds Ian. "The legs were reassuringly steady, even when the crew was mobbed by more than several hundred over-excited schoolchildren who had never seen a camera before!"

Despite taking some pretty rough punishment in harsh conditions, the Manfrotto 501HDV and 525HDV combination proved to be more than capable of meeting the demands of this challenging situation.

For more information call Manfrotto Distribution on Tel: 01293 583300 or email: info@manfrottodistribution.co.uk