So I spend a lot of times creating videos for clients, courses and affiliate marketing. You do not see a lot of these here because they they are not part of the teaching I do here. But I have evolved as I have learned. Some of my technology is “out of date” per say but it works really well, and ultimately speed is what you want a lot of times. So I wanted to share you with you my current technology stack. Almost like a a desk walk through.
AUDIO
Audio to me is one of the most overlooked aspects of video. I don’t care how good your video is, without even decent audio, your video goes to junk. People don’t want to hear that tinny, nasty audio that comes out of your camera, your computer or your phone. So I have a lot of audio products. In fact I buy more audio products, then i do video products.
Podcasting/ScreenCasting Audio Products
For when I am doing computer tutorials or if you want to do podcasting, I use an Audio Technica AT-2035 condenser microphone.
This microphone is not overly expensive but gives good quality audio. Make sure you get a filter to filter out the pops and S’s when you talk into it. Because this is a condenser microphone, it needs power from phantom power and, because it is an XLR microphone, I have to find a way to interface it with my computer. In that case I use a Focusrite 2i2 which allows me to use phantom power to the microphone.
Finally, to keep the microphone out of the way, I use a boom arm from Blue Microphones that looks nice and allows me to move the microphone in front and away from my mouth.
Face to Camera Audio
I prefer to use a wireless Lavalier microphone plugged either into my camera, an audio recorder or if all else fails, into the focusrite. This allows me to record directly into camera or use something like audacity and sync in the editing tool later.
If quality is most important, I use a Sennheiser EW 100 G3 microphone system. Its several years old and has been replaced with the G4 system but man, I love this thing.
On the Go Audio
If I am on the go, I have a few devices I use. But ultimately, I use a Zoom H1. This is great because I can plug it into my laptop and it gets used as a USB microphone. It can also be handheld and with a dead cat can be used in the wind. Finally, I can also plug in an inexpensive wired lapel mic and it works as a quite good lapel microphone.
LIGHTING
After audio, lighting is the most important aspect of video. Your camera needs good light and lots of it to perform at its best. The lights I currently use are no longer produced but they are LED lights and then I use an umbrella in front of them to soften them up. If I was buying now, i would get these pancake lights that would work great in the small spaces here in Hawaii
There are lots of modifiers you can use with your lighting. This can be umbrellas, white boards but one of the best tools I have found is 5 in 1 reflector. Pull the inner part out and its a great scrim to soften the light. I then hang up the silver reflector on the other side to bounce some light back on my face.
VIDEO
This is where I fall behind all the other people online. For the most part, I am using my iPhone Xs to do video a lot of times. It records in 4k and I bought the one with 256K memory in it. If you are just starting out, this is the last place you spend money. Audio and Video first.
DSLR/Mirrorless
I have a Canon T5i I have used for years. It frankly is not a great camera. It doesn’t have duel pixel autofocus like the 80D and others but paired up with a Sigma 18-35 lens, it gets good background blurriness. This lens is available for lots of cameras from Sony to Canon. I am not sure what I will do next. To be honest, Sony has been tempting me with a lot of their cameras.
On the Go Camera
This little camera is a favorite of mine. It is not a 4K camera but there is a ton I like about it. And it is the Canon G7X Mark II camera. Why do Iike it? Pop up screen so I can see myself in the camera. An auto white balance that seems better than the setting on my T5i and dual pixel autofocus. I took this thing to Europe and it was a champ. If it just had a microphone input it would be perfect.
STABILIZATION
I use a ton of tripods. But to be honest, find one that works for your needs. Most times my camera sits on a fairly inexpensive tripod from Raveli. What I like is it will go super high for when I am standing up or want to point it down. I also use a Joby gorilla pod and a table top tripod from Benro.
My secret for when I need smooth pans and tilts is a monopod. Specifically I like this one from Benro. It works fantastic and is pretty inexpensive. I like the Benro stuff.
Make Money, don’t spend Money
I am able to make some decent money with this equipment for both clients and my own affiliate websites. Eventually I will get a new camera, but to be honest, I don’t need them since I am not doing weddings or commercial quality audio and I dont’ want to much up my set up. Any of these would work great for you. Don’t over think it and spend your money wisely.
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