Ed’s Camera Gear 2021!
When it comes to creating content, having all the best gear in the world is nice but isn’t everything. Not everyone can own an Arri Alexa LF or a RED Monstro VV camera. At the end of the day, content is king. It’s the story that counts, no matter what the budget is. We all have to start somewhere and so this is my story!
When I first got into video, I started with a cheap, consumer Sony camcorder way back in high school. It shot in standard 480p resolution and even had a built-in flashlight! I shot some really silly things with that camera purely just for fun and with my friends.
Over the years, I got a Canon 6D from my folks and it was one of the best cameras I got to own at the time. It was a full-frame DSLR that took great photos and shot 1080p video that looked pretty decent! I even used it to shoot the film, Tess: Before & After!
However, that camera had its drawbacks, one mainly being not able to autofocus in video. As someone who tends to shoot solo most of the time, it was pretty challenging. Not only that, 4K was slowly becoming the new standard in content creation.
Eventually, my folks got me a Canon M50 along with some kit lenses. This was the first mirrorless camera I got to use. At first, I wasn’t sure about it as it had an APS-C sensor, which was smaller than full-frame. Even though it had more megapixels than my Canon 6D, it didn’t seem to take the best photos. Not only that, I wasn’t a big fan of its EF-M mount as the lenses Canon had for it didn’t seem to be the best when compared to their L-Series glass in their EF and RF line of lenses. However, I eventually began to realize that the camera had more up its sleeve than what I had initially thought.
The camera can autofocus in video, shoot 1080p up to 60fps, had face-tracking autofocus, and it even had image stabilization and focus peaking! So eventually, I began to work with the camera and I even got to use it on some client projects. In the end, I got some really solid results out of it.
Fast forward to 2021 and I have since migrated to the Sony ecosystem. While I still love Canon’s lenses, I feel their camera bodies weren’t really quite meeting my needs. Thankfully, I haven’t fully invested myself in Canon and so the transition to Sony was much easier.
And so without further or due, here is my current camera setup for 2021! This isn’t all of my gear, but this a snippet of the stuff I mainly use nowadays.
Sony a7SIII
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 E-Mount
Deity D3 Pro On-Camera microphone
Sigma MC-11 E to EF adapter
DJI Ronin-S gimbal
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Sony a7SIII
This was the first camera I got to purchase with my own money. And my goodness, was it a purchase.
The a7SIII is quite possibly one of the best cameras to come out in a very long time. The camera can not only shoot 4K, but also in 10-bit 4:2:2 color which is great for color grading in post. It can also shoot 4K at 120fps and in 1080p at up to 240fps! The camera has amazing autofocus with eye and face tracking, as well as image stabilization and its famous low-light performance. It also has insane dynamic rage at a whopping advertised 15 stops, thanks to S-Log 3! The camera has so many amazing specs that I’m not even sure if I can mention them all in this post. But I will say that it is definitely one of the best investments of my career and massive jump from the previous gear I was using.
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 E-Mount
I’ve never owned a single "holy trinity” lens before. So being able to get this lens was a big step up. The reason I went with the Sigma version over the Sony G-Master version was because even though the Sony had slightly better autofocus performance over the Sigma, that was pretty much it. The Sigma had more neutral colors over the Sony, had more aperture blades for more smoother bokeh, solid build quality, and it came at half the price of the G-Master version.
To me, the Sigma was a steal and I even got it when it was on sale!
Deity D3 Pro On-Camera Microphone
Before I got the Deity, I had a Rode VideoMic Pro. It was one of the best mics I had at the time. It gave me solid audio in a fast-paced environment. However, it ran on a 9V battery, which is slowly becoming obsolete in favor of USB charging. And with that, I went with the Deity D3 Pro. This mic is much like my VideoMic Pro except it has an adjustable gain knob so that I can quickly adjust my levels. It even includes two low-pass filter settings in case I’m ever filming with an HVAC present. The sound quality was also very nice as it wasn’t as overly aggressive on low-end as the Rode mic.
It’s a really versatile mic that can charge through USB-C and it’s served me well since.
Sigma MC-11 E to EF Adapter
Cameras may last you a few years; however, lenses will last you for life. That is why I still keep my Canon EF lenses. EF-Mount is such an incredibly popular lens mount that being able to adapt them to your camera opens up a wide range of possibilities.
I chose the Sigma adapter in particular over the Metabones version because it was $100 cheaper and works really well with Sigma’s EF lenses (my good friend, Stephen Collera, can vouch for this at the wedding we just shot!). While it may not work with my Canon lenses when shooting video, it still works well when taking photos.
DJI Ronin-S Gimbal
Gimbals are a piece of equipment that you don’t necessarily need. Yet when you have one, it’s amazing what you can do with it.
The shots you can pull off with gimbals is so impressive that it can be very easy to overdo it. The Ronin-S has been great in my time using it. And when paired with my a7SIII, the smooth shots you can do are absolutely breathtaking.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Drones can add so much production value to a project. And so that’s why I ended up getting the Mavic 2 Pro. The image quality and specs are so great on this drone that if you know how to pilot a drone, you can get some really gorgeous cinematic shots that can add a ton to your project.
And so that is my gear for 2021! So much has changed from my equipment and it has made a big impact on my projects. I hope to continue developing my skills and using what I have to the best of my ability.
In the meantime, I’ll see ya round!