Disclaimer:
This list comes from personal experience, hearsay, research and/or educated guesses. You are responsible for the purchases you make, and this list is only for reference, to be used as a starting point.
Not all information is complete, correct or up to date.
Links maybe to affiliates where I earn a commission for any purchases (you don’t get charged extra).
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My Gear
Camera Accessories
Rigs and Support
Cameras
For the Beginner Filmmaker
This combination is a powerful system with excellent image quality, excellent low light performance, and a lens with a great reach that will serve you across many types of films.
“Zero Budget” Films and Short Films
This is my recommendation for a camera that is more tuned towards fictional films:
As of 2025, I don’t think you’ll get better image quality for this price which offers very important cinema features:
- Red RAW with 15 stops of DR
- AF and IS
Read my review here:
Corporate Videos and Documentaries
Feature Films
$100,000+:
Arri Alexa LF Mini or Red Raptor
65mm digital:
Arri Alexa 65 (rental only)
How do you decide whether to pick an Arri Alexa or a Red camera? Here’s a guide I made for you:
High-speed Filmmaking in 4K
PROFESSIONAL 120 FPS:
Red Raptor
For up to 938 fps you need a Phantom Flex4K:
The resolution is 4096 x 2304. It’s a Super 35mm sensor with an ISO of 250 (Rec. EI 800 – 1000). Expensive to rent and operate.
Action Camera
Drone Cinematography
For high-end cinema work it is advisable to use a professional camera and a drone built for it. Hire a professional.
Internet Video and VLogs
Lenses
It’s impossible to recommend lenses, because there’s no such thing as “the best lens”. Lenses are like paintbrushes and color – you choose the one that you like.
- For great autofocus performance, use the lenses from the manufacturer itself. There isn’t a case where a third-party lens focuses faster and more accurately than a manufacturer’s lenses. Check out our dedicated Sony and Canon lens guides.
- For low budget (but still decent lenses), I prefer Nikon D lenses (Amazon, B&H) or the Rokinon DS (Amazon, B&H) line.
- For low budget cine lenses that are tough and professional enough for regular shoots, I prefer Zeiss CP.3 (non-XD) (Amazon, B&H) and Zeiss CZ.2 zooms (Amazon, B&H).
- For the best cine lenses, check out the dedicated guide to cine lenses.
If you force me to pick one prime set and one zoom as “the best”, these are my personal favorites:
Audio Gear
Shotgun Microphones
I’ve been using my Sennheiser ME66/K6 (Amazon, B&H) for over 15 years and it is still going strong. It’s an excellent time-tested low budget shotgun microphone for all kinds of ENG, documentary and corporate work.
Further Reference: Five budget boom microphones that won’t let you down.
On-camera Shotgun Microphones
Wireless Systems with Lavalier Microphone
Wired Lavalier Microphones
Production Mixer/Recorders
I’ve also heard great things about the Aaton Cantar X3.
Headphones
It the industry standard. You’ll find it everywhere.
Audio Post Software
- Free: Audacity
- General all-purpose – Adobe Audition CC or Fairlight in Resolve.
- Industry standard – Avid Pro Tools
Studio Mixer
- Only for basic editing stations – Avid S3 or S6
- Industry standard console – Neve DFC. This is what it looks like:
Studio Reference Monitors
- Cash-starved – Yamaha MSP3
- Basic for small spaces – Yamaha MSP5
- Top of the line – Genelec 8xxx series
Sound Cards and Interfaces: M-Audio
Lighting Equipment
Here are my preferences:
Tungsten/Halogen
Important: I no longer recommend tungsten fixtures unless you can find them easily and replace lamps.
- Single: Arrilite 750 Plus with a Chimera softbox and grid (Amazon, B&H)
- Kit: Arri Softbank II Fresnel Kit (Amazon, B&H)
- For extreme spot lights and precision: ETC Source 4 750W Spotlight (Amazon, B&H)
- Low budget lighting that gets the job done: Lowel DV Creator Kit (Amazon, B&H)
LED
Check out my individual pics below for different types of LED fixtures:
- The 5 Best LED Light Panels for Video and Cinematography
- 5 Affordable LED Light Panels for Video and Cinematography
- The 5 Best LED Light Tubes for Video and Cinematography
- Comparison of 4 Powerful LED Spot Lights
If you’re looking for general low budget brands, I recommend Godox (Amazon, B&H) and Nanlite (Amazon, B&H). I’ve owned both and they have served me well for years. I even shot a feature film with these lights.
Other standard LED lights I would look for:
- Spotlight: Dedolight DLED 4.1 (Amazon, B&H)
- Top of the line LED fresnel: Arri L7-C LE2 fresnel (Amazon, B&H)
- Top of the line LED panel: Arri Skypanel (B&H)
Fluorescent: Kino Flo Diva (Amazon, B&H) – Important: I no longer recommend fluorescent fixtures.
HMI
- Arri M-series (Amazon, B&H). Anything Arri or Mole Richardson should do. The latter brand isn’t available in India.
- For fashion work – Broncolor Para reflectors
Calibration Systems
- Basic – XRite i1Display Pro
- Top of the line – LightSpace CMS with a Klein K10A probe
External Recorders
- Most versatile recorder: Atomos Shogun 7 (Amazon, B&H)
- Cheap and does the job: Atomos Ninja V (Amazon, B&H)
Production Monitors
- Tough production monitor and best bang for your buck: SmallHD 702 (Amazon, B&H)
- Professional monitors with most accurate color: FSI (C and D series) and Sony (Amazon, B&H).
- Top of the line monitors: Sony OLED series (Amazon, B&H)
- Best studio monitor in the world: Dolby Reference PRM-4220 monitor
Electronic Viewfinders
Support and Camera Movement
Tripods and Fluid Head systems
- 11 Fluid Head Options for Every Budget – from $80 to $5000+
- The 6 Best Lightweight Carbon Fiber Camera Tripods for Fluid Heads
- Best Video tripods: Sachtler (Amazon, B&H)
- Best table-top tripod: Pedco Ultrapod II (Amazon, B&H)
Dollies and Sliders
I’m not a fan of sliders, especially if you can’t afford heavy duty. In India, I’ve used GFM and Panther dollies.
For something really versatile, I’d pick the Dana Dolly (Amazon, B&H) over a slider any day.
- How is a dolly different from a slider?
- Older: Which is the best Camera Slider? A Comparison of 18 Camera Sliders for Travel and Timelapses
That’s it for my recommedations!