The one question I get the most often is, “What is the best camera?” That’s actually not the right question. The important question is, what do you want to do with it? How much content do you want to create? If it were just one video for deputation or furlough, you can hire someone to shoot your interview and edit our video for less of an investment to produce regular content. However, if you want to produce something quarterly, monthly, or weekly, you will want some tools that can make the process easier. When you get your process down and you produce video regularly, the time investment will become smaller and smaller.

Another question you should be asking yourself, “What is my budget?” When you decide what you are willing to invest, you can pursue some tools and a camera is just one thing to consider. Most cameras do not produce good sound, so you’ll want a microphone too. And then if you want an interview style, or if you are going to speak on camera you’ll want to think about lighting.

So, here is a list of some gear I have either used or researched heavily. I have tried to compile this based on our two biggest concerns — budget and quality.

VIDEO

DSLR (all 4k capable) 

Panasonic G7 | $500 (One Lens), $700 (Two Lenses)

Sony a6400 | $1050 (One Lens Bundle),  ($1,200 Two Lenses)

Panasonic GH5 | $1400 (not including lens) , (Recommended Lens $630)

Sony A7 III | $2200 (One Lens) 

 

DSLR 3 Axis Gimbals 

Zhiyun Crane M2 (FOR SMALL CAMERAS) | $270

Zhiyun Crane Plus | $339

DJI Ronin SC | $440 

DJI Ronin S | $559 

 

Stabilized 4k Cameras 

DJI Osmo Pocket | $380 

GoPro 7 Silver | $185 

GoPro 7 Black | $349 

 

VR 360 Cameras 

GoPro Fusion | $415 | Needs High-End Graphic Card 

Insta360 One X| $400 

 

3-axis Gimbal Phone Stabilizer 

Zhiyun Smooth 4 | $99 

DJI Osmo Mobile 2 | $120

 

Drones

DJI Mavic Air | $800 

DJI Spark| $350 

 

SOUND

External Recorders 

Zoom H1n | $119

 

Professional Shotgun Mic 

Rode NTG4 | $296

Deity S-Mic 2 | $429

 

Lavalier 

Movo WMIC70 Wireless Mic | $149 

Rode Wireless Go | $199 

Rode Rodelink| $368 

 

Smartphone Lavalier Mics 

Purple Panda Smart Lav Kit| $29 

Rode SmartLav | $65 

 

LIGHTS

One Light Setup (x3 for studio lighting)

Light | Godox sl-60w | $134

Softbox | Neewer Hexadecagon Softbox 36 inches | $66

Stand |  Neewer C-Stand | $100 

 

Please do you own research, go to YouTube, and watch reviews. Decide what works best for you.