I’m an education video director by day and online video educator by night. Here’s some of my thoughts on the gear I use and what I like and don’t like about each. Most of the links are affiliate links. As an affiliate of B&H, Sweetwater, Trew Audio, Amazon, and others, I earn a commission from qualifying sales.
Cameras and Lenses
Canon C70 — This is my main camera and what we use for most of the talking-head video in my courses and on my YouTube channels. We also use this at my day job in our studio. It is all we really need — a solid performing camera with good face-tracking autofocus, clean 4K imagery even at higher ISOs, plenty of dynamic range for our studio work, and a solid 10-bit 4:2:2 codec. Because we’re generally filming in studio, we don’t usually film in raw. This speeds up our workflow and to ensure we’re getting everything right, we use a light meter to set up our lighting. I like that it has internal ND filters as well. We rigged the camera up with a Zacuto shoulder plate and a Tilta matte box. We almost always use a Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter (1 or 2 strength — just a slight diffusion effect).
Canon RF 24-70 — This lens never leaves the camera. We use it in studio almost always set to around 60mm and usually shoot at f/2.8 to create a bit of separation from the wall behind me.
Audio Recorders/Mixers and Microphones
The DPA 4017B is my primary shotgun microphone. The microphone is very small and light relative to other medium shotgun microphones. It has a focused pickup pattern which is directional but not so tight as to make slight mis-aims problematic. It sounds sweet, it's off-axis rejection at different frequencies is smoother than most other shotgun mics, and it has been very reliable so far. The 4017B is my favorite mic.
RØDE’s NTG5 shotgun microphone is an exceptionally well balanced small shotgun microphone which, in my opinion, performs as well as classic shotgun microphones like the Sennheiser MKH 416 or the RØDE NTG3. The NTG5 is the least expensive RF-bias microphone I know of and is much smaller than the others to which it very favorable compares.
Sennheiser MKH8050 Supercardioid microphone. When recording dialogue indoors, this is my favorite boom mic. It is tiny and weighs very little, works well in terms of rejecting RF interference, and most importantly sounds great. This one is a little more expensive so will be out of reach of most enthusiast recordists, but a great option when you’re working on sound professionally.
Sanken COS-11D Lavalier Microphone--This is a classic lavalier microphones used in film and TV production for many years and is still used. I much prefer the sound of this lav to the RODE and it cuts decently with my boom mics.
SHURE Twinplex TL-48 — This is my favorite pro-grade Lavalier microphone and when I have to use lavs, this is usually the first I use.
Shure SM7B is my voice over microphone for live Sound for Video Sessions. It works better for my voice than that also excellent Electro-Voice RE20 which is a little brighter sounding. You need a LOT of gain from your preamp to make this work well, but the sound is good and it is good in terms of managing ambient noise in your recording space.
On Stage Stands Euro Boom Microphone Stand. With all these mics, you're going to need a stand at some point! I've had two of these for a long, long time. I bought the first one about ten years ago and it is still going strong. Also works well for booming a shotgun or small diaphragm condenser mic overhead for interviews.
K-Tek KEG 150CCR Carbon Fiber Boom Pole - when shooting my corporate pieces, I almost always prefer a boom mic over a lavalier but almost always record with both for safety. 9 times out of 10 I'll end up using the boom track. To get that boom track, you've got to get that microphone in close to the talent whether they're seated or moving around. The KEG 150CCR is a joy to use for getting that sound. The carbon fiber makes it incredibly light but sturdy. The internal cabling keeps things clean and simple, and the right angle XLR output at the base of the pole means I can rest the end of the pole on the floor between takes (because as light as it is, anything is heavy after a 5 minute take).
When I'm booming this for an interview, I'll usually mount it on a century stand (more on that below) and use the Auray Boom Pole Holder to hold the boom in the stand:
Sound Devices 888 Audio Field Mixer/Recorder - This is currently my main mixer/recorder for narrative and corporate video production work. Yes, this is an expensive piece of gear, but once you understand why it is so expensive, the price shock quickly wears off. This machine helps the pros get the job done without requiring a lot of retakes. It is more than I can explain in a paragraph but please see our piece on why pros use gear like the Sound Devices Scorpio and 833 - the two siblings of the 888.
Sound Devices MixPre II Series Audio Mixer/Recorders - This is Sound Devices second series of pro-sumer recorders for YouTubers, podcasters, and gigging musicians. Without blathering on about it here, see my review above. In short, this is my favorite sub $1000 audio field recorder for film and video making.
Zoom F8n Pro Audio Field Recorder - Zoom has really upped their game with the F8n Pro. The preamps are fantastic, the build quality is good, the size is super convenient whether in a bag or on a cart. This is an amazing little device for solo and small crew shooters. To my ear, the preamps are nearly as good as Sound Devices MixPre recorders. It has a Lemo DC input so I can use pro-level batteries like V-mount or Gold mount (Anton Bauer). There are a couple of things that Sound Devices and Zaxcom mixers have that this doesn't (like large faders, analog limiters or super wide dynamic range, etc), but for the money, this is the best I've used in this price range.
Zoom H1n - My very first recorder was a Zoom H1. This handy little recorder has in-built stereo microphones but also, very importantly, has a 3.5mm TRS input jack. I used this with several lavalier microphones in lieu of wireless systems. You avoid all of the issues with wireless (dropouts, interference, finding a non-busy frequency, frequent battery changes, and more). It was a great device to learn how to record better dialogue audio and now I use it mainly for recording sound effects and ambience.
Tascam DR-60DmkII Audio Recorder--My favorite sub-$200 USD field recorder. Cleanest pre-amps in the sub $400 USD range of field recorders, including the Zoom H4n and H6. Nice screen that is totally usable outdoors. The form factor is decent, though arguably a little odd for some (I wish it had more points at which it could be mounted to a camera cage/rig) and battery life can be a challenge (I usually get 3 hours which is fine for most of my shoots). I add an external USB battery for longer shoots (up to 50! hours)
25' Nady XLR Cable--You've got to have an XLR cable to connect a pro-grade mic to the Tascam DR-60D. This one does great.
Lighting
I use a wide variety of lights depending on what type of piece I’m working on. Here are some of my ideal kits:
My ultimate lighting kit:
Aputure NOVA P300C with soft box as key light.
LitePanels Gemini 1x1 LED panel as hair/rim light.
Aputure LS600C Pro with ellipsoidal spotlight mount and gobos as background light.
Amaran P60X LED panel as hair/rim light.
Amaran MC mini-lights as effects lights.
My small-space kit:
Amaran P60X LED panel as key light (see video above).
Amaran PT-1, -2, or -4c pixel tubes for hair/rim/effects lights.
Here are some other lights and light modifiers that we keep on hand in our general studio kit:
When possible, we often use Aputure’s Light Dome Mini II and Light Dome II. They’re a great way to make any point-source Bowens mount light nice and soft for a key light:
Kupo Backlite Stand. we’ve used this all the time for years and find it very useful. I mount my Gemini 1x1 panel on this stand and set it on the ground just behind the talent, aimed at the backdrop. Makes it easy and convenient to get some light on the background, particularly when working in a small space which is a common situation in my shoots. Great, solid build. I expect many years of use out of this.
Westcott Photo Basics 5-in-1 Reflector. I bought this as my first reflector years ago and that original is still going strong and still getting occasional use. I've added 3 more to my kit since then. This isn't quite the quality of a Lastolite reflector but it is also about 1/2 the price. I've found that reflectors, bounce cards, or whatever you choose to call them are one of the most useful pieces of lighting gear. It just so happens that they are reasonably priced as well, at least relative to most lighting instruments. I use them in studio, outdoors, on-location, you name it. Of course it has the removable cover which gives you four reflector options. I find the white, silver, and gold useful most often, and the black makes a good flag for blocking light. The scrim in the middle is a great diffuser for both outdoor use (to diffuse harsh sunlight) and in studio (to diffuse hard lights).
Impact Turtle Base Century Stand Kit. I know, I know, it is hard to get excited about stands for lights and flags because stands don't directly affect how your film looks or sounds. But what I've found over time is that because I have a good number of these, I spend less time trying to rig up lights and flags (to keep light from spilling where I don't want it) so shooting is quicker and, frankly, a lot more pleasurable because I'm not fighting with cheap stands that easily tip over. No, these things are not light weight so if you have to haul them around, you're going to get some serious exercise. But exercise is good for your heart. ;-) They can hold just about anything in just about any position and because they're so heavy and solid, concerns about tipping are much less than with traditional, lightweight portable stands. The turtle base makes is super easy to set up and break down and the grip arm can hold anything. They're way pricier than the cheap hollow aluminun stands but I have never felt a twinge of regret for buying these and I'm pretty sure they'll still be in good working order even after I'm not able to lift them anymore in 60 years from now.