As a video production enthusiast, you know it can be a very expensive hobby.  Especially when the market comes out with new equipment daily.  I’m very fortunate to have been able to make a career out of my hobby, less fortunate that I have yet to find an endless source of money so that I can buy an unlimited amount of gear.  As video professionals, we all have that B & H or Amazon wish list.  We sometimes put them in the “needs” column, but let’s be honest, it’s mostly a “things we really want to play with” list.  Or the pieces of gear our bosses won’t let us buy because we just asked them to drop $10K on another cool toy.

While there are probably hundreds of items I’ve drooled over just in the past six months, the three items below are at the top of my (growing daily) wish list that I would buy right now if I could.

 

Wireless Video: The first item on my list is more like two items, because they complement each other well. A professional-grade, color accurate production/ client monitor and a wireless video transmitter system.  There are a lot of benefits to having these in your tool kit.  Besides making you look like a total boss on set. These will help keep unnecessary people away from that tiny screen on your camera and help your director to step away from the camera and concentrate on your actor’s performance. Finally, this will help your clients see what the final shot might look like and allow them to give live feedback while on set.

The Items shown are:

  • SmallHD 1703 P3X 17” Studio Monitor
  • Teradek Bolt 500 XT 3G-SDI/HDMI Wireless Video Transmitter

 

Proper Cinema Lenses and Wireless Control: If you’re just starting out and on a heavily controlled budget, you can get away with using photography-style lenses, as most of us do (and continue to use).  Photo lenses are great for capturing b-roll and live events, plus they’re generally way easier to travel with.  As your company grows a natural next step is to evolve your camera gear, however lenses are often times the last thing people think to invest in.  Proper cinema lenses help to get full control over the final image, in camera.  Depending on what brand you decide on, cinema glass can easily out-price a high-end film camera.  Cinema lenses paired with a wireless follow focus and iris control will allow you to make smooth and very fine adjustments while recording.

The items shown are:

  • SLR Magic 32mm APO HyperPrime Cine
  • Tilta Nucleus-M Wireless Lens Control System

 

The Grip Truck: This is, in my opinion, one of the biggest and best investments a production person or company can make .  You know you’re on the right track when you see this parked out front.  The grip truck is the production company’s home away from home.  Inside, you’d keep everything you need to make your video of the highest quality and anywhere you can drive to.

 

These items in my list are 100% want.  Though in time, if you’re successful, naturally you’d want to invest in new equipment…unless your boss is total cheapskate and doesn’t think you actually need any of these things.  In the meantime, I’m going to play the lottery and see if I can find that endless money source.

Equipment photos compliments and copyright of BHphotovideo.com
Equipment photos compliments and copyright of BHphotovideo.com