What Kind of Equipment Should I Get?

Trying to get into video? Welcome to the club! A question I get a lot as a videographer is "what should I start with?" Fear not, dear video peeps, I come bearing answers!

Camera

Now, I'm not going to lie to you: I am a Lumix fanboy. It's light, compact, and has 4K capabilities. However, this recommendation doesn't come from nowhere! The Lumix G7 was my first camera. The first big boy paycheck I got, I turned around and purchased this beautiful camera.

But why mirrorless? What's the difference between that and a DSLR?

Honestly, from a technical standpoint, I couldn't tell you. However, that doesn't matter! The Lumix G7's mirrorless frame that lets you pop the display out, rotate it and tilt it! This is great for people who are filming entire projects by themselves because you can see yourself with the rotated display. The autofocus is great, and the colors options are intuitive.

Microphone

The great TomSka once said "People's ears are quicker to be offended than their eyes." So getting a good microphone off the bat is very important! I recommend the Rode Video Micro. It doesn't require batteries, it's compact and Rode has great sound quality! With just a basic audio jack attachment, this microphone is good for cameras, phones, or anything else you're shooting on!

Tripod

Ah yes, the holy trinity. A sturdy tripod is necessary for any camera adventure. Even if you plan on holding your camera for the entirety of an event, it's always a good idea to bring a tripod in case you want to place the camera off to the side or just to set some stable b-roll shots! You can find good tripods to start off with anywhere. I got my first one from a garage sale for like $5, the sky really is the limit with this! Find one that is able to pan, tilt, and raise/lower!