The Stuff
One of the most common questions I get from peers and colleagues is "What do you use for __________?"
Here's a list of the gear, equipment and accessories I use to run our agency and our content engine. These are all affiliates links and if you purchase something through a link, I make a very small commission.
Sony A7IV Camera Body
We use the Sony A7IV as our main studio camera bodies. They are the foundation of our video capture workflow.
Sony A6700 Camera Body
The A6700 is a fantastic option for entry-level camera body. It is a "crop sensor" body and excels at vlogging and basic studio work.
GoPro Hero 12 Black Camera Body
Surprisingly capable small form factor camera. Primarily used for vlogging.
Sigma 16mm F/1.4 Lens
***This lens is for crop sensor camera bodies only***. If you're shooting with the A6700 or one of it APS-C sensor predecessors, this lens should be in your bag. Before I upgraded to full-frame camera bodies, this was the only lens I owned for several years.
Sigma 24-70 F/2.8 Art Lens
This is the lens on our Camera A in the studio. Super sharp and great color.
Sony PZ (Power Zoom) 16-35mm F/4 Lens
This is my favorite lens for shooting on a gimbal. The lens elements move internally, so there's no change in the center of gravity when you need to zoom in or out while mounted on a gimbal. Other zoom lens require you to re-balance your gimbal if you need to change your focal length.
Sigma 35mm F/1.4 Art Lens
This is the lens most commonly on our Field camera. Super sharp and great color.
Sigma 24mm F/1.4 Art Lens
The widest fast prime lens we use. Buttery smooth bokeh is hard to find at wide angles like 24mm. This lens delivers.
DJI Ronin RS3 Gyroscopic Gimbal
The gold standard for gimbal shooting with a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. For shooting while moving in the field, a gimbal makes a huge difference.
DJI Mavic 3 Pro w/ FlyMore Kit
There are many good options for a drone to use for capturing video for your content. The Mavic 3 Pro will be overkill for most visitors on this page. One big downside is due to the weight of the drone, you have to have a FAA Part 107 Certificate to operate the drone commercially. That said, the image quality, advanced tracking features and flight time make this drone an excellent choice.
RØDE NTG5 Shotgun Microphone
Our main studio microphone. It's overkill for an entry level operation, but it delivers an excellent blend of sensitivity and low noise floor.
RØDE Wireless Go II Microphone System
Our field microphone system. Great performance from flexible kit. When feasible, we pair it with a plug-in lavalier accessory to minimize wind noise. Compatible with Sony wireless camera as well as mobile phone based recording.
RØDE Go Professional Lavelier Microphone
Pairs with the Wireless Go II system for optimal sound performance in the field. Plugs into a 3.5mm headphone jack, so it's compatible with a wide variety of microphone platforms.
Shure SM7B Dynamic Microphone
The king of dynamic cardioid microphones for the last 20+ years. We use this for podcast recording. It requires a pre-amp or external power to function properly.
RØDE PSA1 Boom Arm
Spring loaded boom arm capable of handling whatever dynamic microphone you want to attach to it. the included arm sleeves can hide cables for a cleaner look on your desk.
Zoom H6 External Audio Interface
The gold standard for portable external audio interfaces. The Zoom H6 receives the audio feed from our microphone via a XLR cable and sends it to the switcher for inline recording.
Impact Heavy-Duty Light Stand
General purpose stand we use for smaller items that need to be suspended. For most functions, we use it with the Neewer heavy duty grip head shown below.
Neewer Heavy-Duty Grip Head
General purpose grip head used to mount lighting and audio poles and modifiers.
LyxPro Boom Pole For Shotgun Microphone
General purpose boom pole for off camera microphones. Used in combination with the boom pole cradle mount below.
ATian Boom Pole Cradle
General purpose boom pole cradle used to hold a boom pole and shotgun microphone.
Neewer C-Stand With Boom Arm
General purpose stand we use for larger or heavier items that need to be suspended. Lights and softboxes are all on top of one of these.
Godox SL150III LED Video Light
Our main light source in studio. We currently use two of these in the studio and one over James' desk.
Godox 47 inch Octagon Softbox With Grid
Our main light modifier in studio. We use this for our key light.
Godox 32 inch Octagon Softbox With Grid
Our secondary light modifier in studio. We use this for our fill light.
Neewer LED Video Lights
We use this to place colored lighting on our studio background. Provides adequate power with no flicker like lights not optimized for video recording.
BlackMagic Design ATEM Mini Pro ISO
HDMI livestreaming and video switcher. Receives up to 4 HDMI video inputs, in additional to audio and media inputs. The ISO model records all inputs simultaneously for editing later.
RØDECaster Pro II Audio Interface
Fully integrated audio production studio for podcasters and content creators. Travels nicely in a Pelican case for on-location recording.
RØDE PodMic USB
Outstanding entry-level microphone with the flexibilty of both XLR and USB unputs. We run four of these in the Pelican case for on-location podcast recording.
Pelican Air 1615 Case
Hard shell case we use for on-location podcast recording. It's a beast and perfectly capable of handling any travel you need to do with it.