5 FAQ About Camera Gear
We get a lot of questions about cameras and camera gear. The biggest question we get is "what camera should I buy," so we wrote a post strictly about that here. Aside from that, we put together the top five common questions about camera gear we get asked ALL the time.
1. What is a good camera for video?
Any camera that shoots video is a good camera for video. In fact what makes a video good is the story! And of course the quality of the audio and editing. You can use your iPhone to shoot video so long as you have good light and a decent mic. There are tons of options out there though if you want to invest in a set up, and it all goes back to budget and what you want to shoot. If you want to set your camera up on a tripod and film yourself, than you can do this on any entry level DSLR with a flip out LCD screen, just make sure you have a good mic to capture audio because most built in omnidirectional mics sound terrible when people try and use them for recording dialogue.
For stabilized video DJI makes the Osmo which is basically a camera on a stabilized gimbal. GoPro has also made their own version called Karma Grip; however, you will get that wide GoPro field of view. You can make anything work as long as you sort of know what you are doing.
Pictured above: DJI Osmo Pro, Rode video micro mic, Canon 5Dmk3, Canon 16-30 mm f/2.8 and Canon 50 mm f/1.2.
2. Can you recommend a good tripod?
Again, this one gets back to budget and shooting style. First figure out if you want a fluid head for video or a standard ball head for photos. If you are going to be shooting long exposures outside where there could potentially be wind, then you will want a set of legs that that are on the sturdier/heavier side. Manfrotto makes a number of styles of legs and heads that you can match to your preference.
I will generally NOT recommend a joystick head. They are shaky and not the most reliable for heavier cameras. If you have a lighter, smaller camera and are looking for something portable to throw up, Gorilla Pod makes a tripod that you can tie around trees and railings. If you scroll down to #5 I have included a link to the tripods we use.
You can see our full basement studio before and after here.
3. What is a good lens for portraits?
You can use ANY lens as a portrait lens depending on what style you are going for. I have used anything from a 16 mm lens to a 200 mm lens for portraits. With that said, a 35 mm (for more wide angle) or 50 mm lens (for a more standard look) would work great. Keep in mind these lenses are prime lenses, meaning you cannot zoom. If you want a good mid range lens that zooms, then something like a 17-55 mm on a crop body or 24-70 mm on a full frame sensor are versatile. Just keep in mind these lenses are heavier than the prime lenses.
Portrait of my friend Yvon Soglo. Shot on Canon 5Dmk3 with Canon 50 mm f/1.2. See full portrait series here.
4. Is camera X better than camera Y?
This one depends on what you are using it for and what features are important to you.
Having studio night with Darrell Edwards and Paul Nicol. Model: Amanda Chretien.
5. What camera do you use?
"What camera did you take this with?" is a question we get a lot on Instagram. Here is a current list of our gear and what we use it for.
Photography
Canon 5Dmk3 w/ magic lantern firmware for video
Canon 16-35 mm f/2.8 for interior photography, landscape, and some group pictures
Canon 24-70 mm f/2.8 for portraits, travel, landscape
Canon 50 mm f/1.2 for portraits and anything requiring ultra shallow depth of field
Canon 70-200 mm f/4 for portraits, landscape, travel, close ups
Video
Sony A7s2 for vlogging (4k with built in image stabilization)
Sony 16-35 mm f4 for wide shots, our main vlogging lens
DJI Osmo for any stabilized 4k video
GoPro Hero Black 5 for more extreme or inconspicuous situations
DJI Phantom 4 for drone/aerial shots
Tripod
We hope this post answered some of your questions about camera gear! Is there something we didn't answer? Let us know in the comments below!