Like many things, video is one of those places where spending too much money, too little money, or buying the wrong stuff all causes problems. My minimalist tendencies drive me towards the simplest cleanest systems that will allow me to achieve my goals. Slowly I’ve narrowed in on the following setup which is just barely good enough to shoot decent quality instructional video.
Camera: Panasonic G85 Micro 4/3rds. inexpensive, good image quality, somewhat weather sealed, reasonable file sizes (my projects are huge so I’m a 1080p guy), packed with video friendly features, reasonable price lenses, amazing stabilization. Sucks in low light, poor audio recording (actual recording not mic) crappy autofocus in some conditions.
Camera 2: iPhone 7 baby! It surprisingly good.
Tripod: Manfrotto aluminum with a manfrotto fluid head. Solid footing and smooth pans at a price I can afford. I’ve owned this for 15 years. It rolls on a cheap dolly.
Lens: Panasonic 14-140. 3.5-5.6. An absolute workhorse of a lens with a focal equivalent of 25-300. Lens stabilization plus camera stabilization let’s you chase distant subject HANDHELD. Not a super fast lens but personally I’ve never liked a “fast” 4/3 lens. If you want that look you need full frame glass. A true, good quality jack of all trades.
Key Light: Aputure HR672W, adjustable intensity 5000k, remote control, bright enough for a key if close in. The retrofitted EZ box soft box has poor build quality and isn’t very soft, but the alternatives are all too cumbersome for quick shooting.
Fill light: Aputure AL F7. An AMAZING little light. Too many awesome features to list. Batteries sold separately. I hang a D-fuse soft box on it which also works great.
Light stands: cheap Neewer stands. These are complete garbage, this is what going too cheap looks like. They piss me off every day.
Mic: Sennheiser AVX2 wireless lavalier mic. Expensive, but worth it. Dealing with crappy audio will take years off your life. This thing is simple to use and works great.
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