2024's Best Gear & Tactics
Let’s wrap the year with a roundup of the best gear and tactics [2024 edition]:
The two things we’re all interested in knowing more about…
The gear that’s actually worth buying and the tactics that are actually growing business.
I’m not here to waste your time, so let’s get straight to it!
BEST GEAR OF 2024
Let’s break this down in categories of price so there’s something for everyone. Here’s the best gear I’ve used or purchased in 2024 and I believe is worth picking up:
Up to $200:
SmallRig Magic Arm dual ball heads ($25) - great for mounting anything on a camera cage. I have several for monitors, transmitters, etc.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones ($129) - over ear headphones that I use for monitoring camera audio. I keep these in our audio kit.
Glide Gear tablet teleprompter ($199) - as much as I hate teleprompters, some clients need it to succeed on camera, and this one works great with an iPad. I’ve used it with multiple camera bodies: FX3, C70, R5, and others.
Aputure Light Dome III ($186) - the fastest softbox I’ve ever set up and torn down. The v2 was terrible so it was a perfect time to upgrade to this one.
SmallRig VB99 V mount battery ($119) - great and affordable V mount battery. I use these with my FX6, FX3, and A7cii. Also for charging devices on the go.
SmallRig V mount battery plate ($80) - the battery plate I use for the v mount batteries. It’s made for Arca Swiss, which makes it easy to slide on and off my Tilta cages, without having to use rails.
Godox TT350S Flash ($76) - I’ve never used a flash much, but I got this cheap one this year for some event coverage and various needs. It’s proven to be a good flash and does exactly what I need.
$200 to $500:
Amaran 200x COB Light ($279) - a powerful and versatile light for the price. I have two of these and frequently use for quick interview setups or headshots.
Multi-Cart R12RT ($329) - the gear cart I’ve used for 5 years and it’s been one of the most handy and time saving tools. I can easily fit 4 pelicans, 3 lights, and tripods on top of this cart.
Shure SM7db Vocal Microphone ($499) - my favorite mic for voice overs, discussion videos, and podcasts. The vocal quality is so insanely good.
DJI Mic 2 ($349) - when it was announced these had 32 bit audio, I jumped on them. The design, battery life, and ease of use made these a no brainer for me as well.
PolarPro VND Peter McKinnon II ($215) - VNDs are essential if you don’t have a cam with built-in ND. I also like this v2 over the v1 in terms of less color shift.
BenQ 4K 27” Monitor ($420) - I have two of these and I love how accurate they are for the price. They fire up fast with USB-C connection to my Macbook Pro and charge from that too. I also take one on multi-cam shoots and run cam feeds to it, and it’s really accurate for exposure and colors.
Over $500:
Synology Diskstation 4-Bay NAS ($635) - I finally upgraded to a NAS for my file storage in my office. The diskstation was easy to set up and it’s great for backing up files locally and managing them remotely. This is just the enclosure and the hard drives do add up, so be prepared to spend a minimum of $1,000 - $1.5k overall to get up and running.
Nanlite 720b LED light ($1,899) - I snagged this powerful light back in the spring and it’s been a crucial part of my kit. Powerful lights really elevate the look of shoots, whether it’s with a book light or spot through a window.
Sony A7C II camera ($2,198) - easily one of my favorite cameras in my kit. The video and photo quality is insane. Probably my favorite hybrid cam of all time. Hot take: I think the footage out of this cam is better than the FX3.
