Our Camera Gear for Content Creation
One of the main questions we are often asked is what camera gear we use!
In this blog we will be sharing exactly what we have in our kit and the pros and cons of all our equipment.
Trying to decide on what camera gear to purchase can be overwhelming at times so we hope we can help your decision making process a bit easier!
Camera gear can also be crazy expensive and we are huge believers in purchasing second hand from gumtree or Facebook markets. In fact, aside from our GoPro- ALL of our camera gear was purchased second hand!
We hope this guide can also prove that you don’t always need to have the newest and best gear to be paid as a content creator!
CANON 5D MIV - CAMERA BODY
First up we have the Canon 5D mark iv. This is the camera we use for all of our photography.
It is definitely not the newest model of camera anymore however it is still a professional grade camera that allows you to get amazing shots.
Pros:
Super sharp quality photos that can be blown up for prints or used for any purpose.
Has a timed continuous shutter which is perfect for couple shots (don’t need to use a remote the camera just automatically takes photos at whatever interval you set).
Precise focusing options.
Cons:
Its is big, bulky and heavy so not really ideal for travelling.
Can still be quite expensive although it is an older model now (around the $4,000 mark new or have seen second hand for around the $2,00 mark).
CANON 24-70MM F2.8 - LENS
Believe it or not the Canon 24-70mm f2.8 is actually the only lens we have for our Canon! If you could only have one lens we would definitely recommend this one.
Pros:
It gives an incredible variety of shots and is super sharp quality.
Great in low light and has great bokeh due to the 2.8 aperture.
Cons:
Honestly can’t think of any!
This lens also comes in an f4 model. If the f2.8 is over your budget, we would recommend that one instead!
DJI MAVIC PRO
So the drone we used on our entire lap of Australia was the DJI Mavic Pro. We have recently upgraded to the Mavic 2 however we haven’t really tested it out enough to share our pros and cons yet.
The DJI Mavic pro is a few years old now so you could get one for a bargain second hand!
Pros:
Easy to fly with full sensors (when not in sports mode)
Sharp camera and video quality.
Shoots 4K video.
Cons:
Does not have full control of the camera settings so not always great for photography.
One thing we have noticed that is much better about the Mavic 2 is the ability to change the aperture for photo & video and shoot in a flat picture profile for video.
SONY A6400
The Sony a6400 is the camera body we use for all our videography. Again, it is not the newest and best but definitely gets the job done well!
Pros:
It is mirrorless so it is lightweight and great for travellers.
Can capture 4K footage up to 30fps and can capture 120fps in 1080p for great slow motion.
Cons:
There is no in body stabilisation so the camera shake can be quite bad sometimes.
This camera does also take great photos! We just prefer to use the canon for photography however the photos below were taken with the Sony!
SONY 35MM F1.8
We have actually recently sold this lens however we wanted to share the Sony 35mm f1.8 in this guide because it really is the perfect portrait lens!
The photos above were taken with this lens and we think the bokeh on them is just beautiful.
The only reason we sold it is because we are pretty lazy when it comes to changing lenses so if we wanted to shoot something at 35mm we would just use the next lens on the list.
SONY 18-105MM F4
The Sony 18-105mm f4 is our most used lens for video!
This lens captures all of our B-roll sequences (and sometimes vlogging if we have the camera on our Joby gorillapod or Jack is holding the camera. It is not quite wide enough for vlogging with Megans shorter arms 😅).
If you only have room in the budget for one lens, we would recommend this one!
Pro:
You are able to get a huge variety of shots from the one lens.
SONY 10-18MM F4
The Sony 10-18mm f4 is the wide angle lens we use for all our vlogging.
Pro:
Perfect for vlogging or landscape/inside the troopy shots because it is super wide.
VARIABLE ND FILTERS
We don’t currently have any variable ND filters in our kit, however it is definitely something we will be purchasing!
Don’t make the same mistake we did and buy a fixed filter that is way too dark to ever use without bumping up the ISO to 3000 😅
They also help protect your lens from scratches.
RODE VIDEO MICRO
If you are planning on making your own videos we strongly suggest you get a microphone. The Rode Video Micro is the one that we use!
Audio quality is something that is often overlooked but can seriously make or break your video!
Pros:
Small and great for travelling.
Affordable and definitely an upgrade from your cameras in built microphone.
Cons:
Isn’t the best when in windy conditions.
We are looking at upgrading to the Rode Video Mic Go instead.
GIMBAL
If we could recommend one tool to elevate your content to look as professional as possible, it would be a gimbal!
The Zhiyun Weebil is the gimbal that we use.
Pros:
Easily disassembled - good for travellers!
Easy to balance once you get the hang of it.
Cons:
We haven’t really experienced any cons with the gimbal itself, however it doesn't really get used as often as we expected!
GOPRO HERO 8
The GoPro is a great addition to your kit as it allows to get a great variety of shots. Our favourite ways to use our GoPro are for underwater shots and for driving shots.
Pros:
Insane stabilisation for videos taken while 4x4ing.
Great variety of settings and ability to shoot super slow motion and 4K.
Cons:
Requires colour grading in post production as the footage looks very different to what is shot on the mirrorless camera (usually find dropping the shadows and increasing the contrast helps).
Pretty bad audio quality.
IPHONE 12 PRO MAX
The iPhone is what we use for all of our instagram stories the majority of our instagram reels. We often get people replying to stories asking if they were filmed on a camera so it just goes to show that you probably have a great camera already in your pocket!
We also like to use the iPhone to film snippets of vlogs if we are going into a crowded public area because sometimes the camera setup with the big fluffy microphone can attract some funny looks 😅.
MACBOOK PRO 2019 15”
In our opinion content creation is 50% physically getting the shots and 50% editing. If you are planning on editing 4K footage you are going to need a capable laptop.
We opted for the MacBook Pro 2019 15” because of its 16GB of RAM and ability to handle copious amounts of editing and 4K footage.
EDITING PROGRAMS
For editing we use Adobe Lightroom for photography and Premiere Pro for video. They are both subscription based programs that are direct debited monthly.
It all comes down to personal preference so I would recommend trialing a few programs for free before committing to a contract to figure out what works best for you.
There is obviously going to be a learning curve involved but you should be able to tell which program is going to suit your needs best.
EXTRAS
A few extras we have in our kit:
As stated above we do have a Joby GorillaPod. We originally purchased this to keep attached to the Sony all the time, however it is quite large and we rarely use it now.
Instead we use a much smaller stick that just screws onto the bottom of the camera. With this we can only use the very wide lens for vlogging however it is also good to have an extra point of contact to avoid excess camera shake.
We would also suggest purchasing a good quality collapsable tripod. We have been using a Joby tripod for the past few months.
Our previous tripod was a real budget model and attempting to take portrait photos was extremely stress inducing as the camera did not feel secure and was just hanging sideways- plus it eventually broke (thankfully the camera was not attached at the time).
So we would definitely recommend saving yourself some stress and investing in a good quality tripod from the start!
When travelling you will also need a good quality laptop case and camera bag.
WHAT WE WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
After using all of this gear for over a year we definitely think we made some mistakes with our setup.
In the future, we would like to upgrade our Sony mirrorless camera to something with better stabilisation and picture quality so that we could use the one camera for both video and photo. That way we could not only have better quality YouTube videos but also by parting ways with our beloved 5D Miv, we could reduce a lot of space and weight in our camera bag.
The Canon R5 would be our ultimate dream camera however the body and lenses are a huge investment 😅.
We would also like to invest in a water housing for the Sony for better quality under water shots, or a dome for the GoPro to get those cool split-level shots!
We hope this guide was helpful and inspires you to go out and make your own content! At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what gear you’re using. You can still produce amazing visual stories with anything you have access to.
