Best filmmaking equipment for creators
The gear here that leans toward filmmaking rather than talking to camera. Cinema bodies, fast glass, stabilization and the support that makes a shot repeatable.
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❓ FAQs
FAQs about Filmmaking equipment
What people ask before buying Filmmaking equipment.
No, but you will want one once you are recording long takes with a crew waiting.
The Sony FX30 at $2,098 is the best affordable cinema camera on this list. What it gives you over a mirrorless body is heat handling, video controls where a filmmaker expects them, and a body designed to be rigged. What it costs you is portability and stills.
The Sony FX30 at $2,098 is the best affordable cinema camera on this list. What it gives you over a mirrorless body is heat handling, video controls where a filmmaker expects them, and a body designed to be rigged. What it costs you is portability and stills.
Mostly endurance and ergonomics, not image quality.
My Sony Alpha 7 V at $2,798 produces images the FX30 cannot beat, and it also takes photographs, travels well and autofocuses superbly. The FX30 will record for longer without complaint and has the ports and mounting points a rig needs. Choose by how you shoot, not by which sensor sounds more serious.
My Sony Alpha 7 V at $2,798 produces images the FX30 cannot beat, and it also takes photographs, travels well and autofocuses superbly. The FX30 will record for longer without complaint and has the ports and mounting points a rig needs. Choose by how you shoot, not by which sensor sounds more serious.
Fast primes, because they give you a look you can repeat across a whole project.
The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM at $1,398 and the FE 50mm f/1.4 GM at $1,298 cover wide and close. Primes force you to move the camera, which for planned shots is a feature rather than a cost. A zoom is the practical choice when you are filming alone and cannot reset.
The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM at $1,398 and the FE 50mm f/1.4 GM at $1,298 cover wide and close. Primes force you to move the camera, which for planned shots is a feature rather than a cost. A zoom is the practical choice when you are filming alone and cannot reset.
A gimbal, and the discipline to walk properly while using one.
The DJI RS 3 Mini at $199 on sale is the lightweight option for a mirrorless body, and light matters more than you think because a gimbal you can hold for a whole take is worth more than a stronger one you cannot. Nothing about a gimbal fixes footsteps. Roll your feet and move slowly.
The DJI RS 3 Mini at $199 on sale is the lightweight option for a mirrorless body, and light matters more than you think because a gimbal you can hold for a whole take is worth more than a stronger one you cannot. Nothing about a gimbal fixes footsteps. Roll your feet and move slowly.
Longer than you own. The Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at $2,798 is the telephoto zoom here, and the FE 2x Teleconverter at $548 doubles it to 400mm when that is still not enough.
On APS-C the Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS at $1,198 reaches further for far less money. The teleconverter costs you two stops of light, so it needs sun.
On APS-C the Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS at $1,198 reaches further for far less money. The teleconverter costs you two stops of light, so it needs sun.
V mount batteries and dummy battery cables, so nothing on set stops for a swap.
The SmallRig VB99 Pro at $199.98 on sale runs my camera through the D-Tap to NP-FZ100 cable at $31.98 and my light through the Nanlite D-Tap to 5.5mm cable at $44.20. This is the difference between a set that runs and a set that pauses every forty minutes.
The SmallRig VB99 Pro at $199.98 on sale runs my camera through the D-Tap to NP-FZ100 cable at $31.98 and my light through the Nanlite D-Tap to 5.5mm cable at $44.20. This is the difference between a set that runs and a set that pauses every forty minutes.
One controllable key and the ability to shape it, rather than more lights.
The Amaran COB 60d S at $135 on sale through the Aputure Light Dome Mini III at $129 gives directional soft light you can aim, which is what makes an image look shaped rather than lit. Cinematic is mostly about what you leave dark, and a controlled softbox is how you keep the rest dark.
The Amaran COB 60d S at $135 on sale through the Aputure Light Dome Mini III at $129 gives directional soft light you can aim, which is what makes an image look shaped rather than lit. Cinematic is mostly about what you leave dark, and a controlled softbox is how you keep the rest dark.
A shotgun mic close to the subject and out of frame, which is why boom operators exist.
The Rode VideoMic NTG at $223 works on or off camera, and the Sony ECM-M1 at $388 goes digital straight into a Sony body with no cable. For anything with dialogue you want the mic overhead and close, not mounted on the camera across the room.
The Rode VideoMic NTG at $223 works on or off camera, and the Sony ECM-M1 at $388 goes digital straight into a Sony body with no cable. For anything with dialogue you want the mic overhead and close, not mounted on the camera across the room.
Yes, and more than for any other kind of shooting, because a locked shot has nowhere to hide.
The Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod at $594.95 is my highest rated piece of gear at 4.9 and holds a full frame body with a fast zoom on it. If your pans and tilts appear in the final cut you will eventually want a fluid head, which is a separate purchase.
The Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod at $594.95 is my highest rated piece of gear at 4.9 and holds a full frame body with a fast zoom on it. If your pans and tilts appear in the final cut you will eventually want a fluid head, which is a separate purchase.
Fast cards and a drive you trust, because filming stops when a card cannot keep up.
I use the Sony SF-G TOUGH 128GB UHS-II card at $208 in my Sony bodies and offload to the OWC Envoy Pro mini 1TB at $257.72. Slow cards drop frames and stop recordings mid take, and it always happens on the take that was working.
I use the Sony SF-G TOUGH 128GB UHS-II card at $208 in my Sony bodies and offload to the OWC Envoy Pro mini 1TB at $257.72. Slow cards drop frames and stop recordings mid take, and it always happens on the take that was working.
One or two shots, yes. A whole sequence of them, rarely.
The DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo Plus at $1,159 gives image quality that cuts against my main camera without an obvious drop, which is the real test. Drone footage works as a transition or an establishing shot. Used for its own sake it flattens a film, because nothing on the ground has a scale to compare against.
The DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo Plus at $1,159 gives image quality that cuts against my main camera without an obvious drop, which is the real test. Drone footage works as a transition or an establishing shot. Used for its own sake it flattens a film, because nothing on the ground has a scale to compare against.
Support and light before the camera, exactly as everywhere else on this site.
The Peak Design tripod at $594.95, the Amaran COB 60d S at $135 through the Aputure Light Dome Mini III at $129, and the Rode VideoMic NTG at $223. That is roughly $1,080 and it makes footage from a mid-range body look considered. A cinema camera on a wobbly tripod under a ceiling light looks worse than a phone on a good one.
The Peak Design tripod at $594.95, the Amaran COB 60d S at $135 through the Aputure Light Dome Mini III at $129, and the Rode VideoMic NTG at $223. That is roughly $1,080 and it makes footage from a mid-range body look considered. A cinema camera on a wobbly tripod under a ceiling light looks worse than a phone on a good one.