FILMING AND EDITING GEAR
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filming
Main Camera - Sony A7SIII
If you have the budget, this is the camera to buy. Unbeatable low-light performance and flexibility when it comes to different slow-motion options. It has a magnesium chassis that’s excellent for heat dissipation. Record all day long in the sweltering humidity of Southeast Asia without issue. The OLED viewfinder is great to have for precise framing of shots and photography. The SIII is getting pretty old now, but it is still one of the best video-centric hybrid cameras you can buy.
Wide Lens - Sony 16-35mm f/4 G
Fantastic, compact lens with a nice wide field of view. 16mm is crucial for car & building interior shots. The power zoom is perfectly smooth and silent. We find f/4 aperture on a full frame body to be more than adequate, and we don’t particularly care about bokeh. So this lens saved us a lot of weight and money over the 16-35mm f/2.8 GM that is often recommended in this category.
Do-It-All Lens - Sony 20-70mm f/4 G
If you’re only going to buy one lens, this is it. 20mm is just wide enough for most situations, and 70mm is a good amount of reach for anything short of wildlife videography. This lens is weather-sealed, has a respectable f/4 constant aperture, and is - crucially - lightweight enough to carry around all day.
Action Camera - DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
Action cameras have inherently compromised image quality. That said, the Action 5 Pro is as good as any of its competitors in this regard. Low-light performance is excellent, for an action camera. The primary reason to buy this action cam, though, is reliability and durability. GoPro is the big name amongst action cameras, but ask anyone familiar with the segment and they’ll tell you: DJI makes the better action camera. No overheating, crashing, or pitiful battery life with this one.
Discrete Camera - DJI Pocket 3
Outstanding little camera. Noticeably better image quality than a phone or action camera, in a size that’s much more comfortable to work with in crowded or anxiety-inducing environments. Tia loves this one.
Drone - HoverAir X1 Pro Max
The name is a bit of a mouthful, but this is a great little drone. The 1/1.3” sensor is respectably large for how light the drone is (195g!) and it does a better job flying itself than other drones we have used. The best part, though, is that it makes even the DJI Mini drones look big. It really is small enough to fit in your pocket.
ND Filters - Peter McKinnon Variable ND 2-5 Stop
A neutral density filter is crucial for controlling exposure in daylight or other bright environments. These are pricey but they’re arguably the best consumer-grade variable ND filters available. Very high build quality with clever, durable packaging.
Tripod - Peak Design Carbon Fiber Tripod
We travel light and at the time of writing, this is the most compact, high quality full-sized tripod available. Peak Design is a pricey brand that justifies it with quality and a lifetime guarantee. I initially balked at the price but then I realized that we’ll likely own this tripod forever.
Shotgun Microphone - Sennhesier MKE 400
We’ve tried every popular on-camera shotgun mic around. The MKE 400 sounds great like you’d expect from an established brand like Sennheiser. But most importantly, it is more discrete than any Rode mic and more robust than the Sony hot shoe mics. It has its own amp, which requires two AAA batteries. This may seem like a nuisance, but the batteries are good for around 100 hours of recording time in our experience. So we only replace them a couple times a year.
Lavalier Microphone - DJI Wireless Mic Mini
I’m going to preface this by saying: lavalier mics are a pain to use when you are run & gun filming. But sometimes you must use them. There’s no alternative in some situations. So we opted for the DJI Mini because they’re as discreet as it gets and we know from experience that DJI makes a solid product. They’re the best, easiest to use lav mics around. Still hate using them.
EDITING
Laptop - 16” MacBook Pro M4 Max
Hugely expensive. We needed this one for Tia’s ever increasingly complex color grading workflow. Any MacBook sold since 2021 will be great for general video editing. Say what you will about Apple and their expensive products - for video editing, there is no Windows laptop that comes close to matching them on battery power. Being on the move constantly, around 80% of our videos have been edited on battery power alone. Where a MacBook will go for 6-8 hours on a charge, a Windows laptop would die after 1-3 hours under load.
Storage - Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD
These drives are waterproof & dust-proof while being small and fast. Can’t ask for more. To be honest, though, I am skeptical about the importance of backing up footage. 4.5 years into YouTube, and we have gone back for old footage precious few times. I know some creators draw on old footage constantly, but Tia and I just don’t. So while I think backing up footage is important for some people, I would evaluate your own workflow and decide for yourself rather than listening to the prevailing opinion that all old footage is priceless and needs to be backed up in 16 different locations.
Software - Final Cut Pro
Pairs very nicely with Apple computers. One-time purchase rather than a subscription service. Is an excellent next step if you’ve learned to edit with iMovie.
