5DFilmSchool's Recommended Gear
Curious about the equipment featured in 5DFilmSchool? Follow the links below to see exactly what gear was used in the videos, and to order it from B&H Photo Video - the only place I buy from.
To jump-start your shopping, I've created a "wishlist" at B&H that you can select from directly. Click here to see what I recommend as the beginning filmmaker's gear package, all in one place.
Or, scroll through the equipment below to see my comments on each item, and click on any image to see the official B&H info page for that product (opens in a new window).
Camera Stuff
 Canon 5D Mark II (Camera Body) The camera that launched a filmmaking revolution. Still the least expensive full-frame 35mm HD camera available. |
 Canon 7D (Camera Body) At half the price of the 5D, and 6/10 the sensor size, the 7D is a fantastic alternative to the 5D. The biggest shortcoming, in my opinion, is that the 7D will not support the Magic Lantern firmware update, which makes recording proper audio a much greater challenge. |
 Canon LP-E6 - Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Shooting HD video drains batteries quickly. Extra battery packs are a necessity for any type of video production, and the LP-E6 are OEM for both the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D Cameras. |
 Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs with 501HDV Fluid Video Head An exception to the "as seen on 5DFilmSchool" rule. I actually use a heavier-duty tripod because I sometimes still use full-size video cameras. However, for DSLR shooting, I recommend this tripod kit because it strikes a good balance between price and quality. It has a smooth, light-duty fluid head appropriate for a DSLR. Also, the double-riser (three-segment) legs mean that it will adjust easily to either high-angle or low-angle shots. Tripods with only two segments (like the one I use in the videos) can be awkward to use for low-angle shots or seated interview subjects. |
 SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash Card 16GB (UDMA) Canon recommends using only UDMA-speed CF cards for HD video. Cards larger than 16GB make me nervous for several reasons, not the least of which is that making a client wait while you offload 32GB of footage can be uncomfortable. I recommend getting two (or more) smaller cards, so that you can offload one while you shoot on another. |
 Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Autofocus Lens This is my favorite lens. It's not cheap, but it's very fast, is almost as sharp as a prime, and has an extremely useful range (from fairly wide to modest telephoto). If you only buy one zoom lens, buy this one. |
 Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens If you're just starting to build a set of primes, it's hard to go wrong with Canon's 50mm workhorse. The 1.4 is MUCH less expensive than the 1.2 (like, $1,000 cheaper) and is signicicantly sharper than the 1.8. A great, all-around value. |
 Manhattan LCD HD089B 8.9" HD Field Monitor It's very possible to focus without an external monitor, but the more complex your shot, the more difficult it is. A field monitor is an invaluable aid to maintaning focus throughout a moving shot. This is the best value in an HD-resolution HDMI monitor I've seen. |
Lighting
 Lowel Tota-Light with Bulb (120-240VAC) At just over $100, a Tota light gives great bang for the buck. At 750 watts, it also gives you a lot of light from a small package. The Tota has been around for a long time, and there are dozens of accessories, from softboxes to clamps, designed to work with it. Even if you eventually buy fancier instruments, you'll often find yourself reaching for the trusty Tota. |
 Smith-Victor Q60 600 Watt Open Face Quartz Tungsten Light As an alternative to the Tota, at around the same price range, you might want to consider this light. I've tried several of the Smith-Victor lamps, and this is my favorite. Aside from the barndoors, which are a nice feature, this is a very simple, straightforward instrument, which makes it ideal for throwing light into an umbrella or off a ceiling. |
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 Lowel Pro-Light with Bulb A great companion to the Tota light, the Pro-Light is a smaller and less intense lamp that makes an ideal backlight, fill light or supplementary background light. |
 Photoflex Convertible Umbrella - White Satin with Removable Black Backing - 60" I'm a big fan of white umbrellas, and use them extensively throughout the 5DFilmSchool videos. This is the actual umbrella that I use, and I love it. |
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 Umbrella - Tota-Brella (Special/White) - 27" Sometimes, you don't have room for a 5' umbrella. That's when you pull out this little guy. Also featured in 5DFilmSchool, the Tota-Brella is a steal at under $20. |
 Rosco E-Colour #215 1/2 Tough Spun (21x24" Sheet) You can never have too much diffusion in your kit, so stock up! The 1/2 Tough Spun is ideal for most situations, and can be double or triple-layered for additional effect. |
Audio
 Sony MDR-7506 Professional Monitor Headphone Regardless of what camera, mixer or microphones you're using, you'll always need a pair of quality headphones so that you can feel confident about the quality of audio you're capturing in the field. These Sony headphones have been an industry standard for over a decade, and with good reason. Bonus: they fold up into an included pouch for easy packing. |
 Azden FMX-42 4-Channel Microphone Field Mixer The heart of an audio system for professional video production is the field mixer. Generally speaking, the more expensive the mixer, the less noise (hum/hiss/etc.) it introduces to the signal it's amplifying. This Azden mixer is an outstanding value, because it is much quieter than any other mixer (that I'm aware of) within $500 of its price. |
 juicedLink CX231 Audio Mixer and Preamplifier with Phantom Power Sometimes, you're running and gunning, and don't have the luxury of a separate field mixer. But, if you still want good audio, you need a separate preamp. The juicedlink fits the bill. It has superb, quiet amplification, mounts directly to the bottom of your camera, and provides phantom power. |
 juicedLink DN101 Automatic Gain Control Disabler for DSLR Cameras This is a real boon to run-and-gun 7D and Nikon shooters who can't use Magic Lantern. Using this gadget in conjunction with your juicedlink CX231, you can disable the noisy AGC circuits in your camera and feed in clean audio without the camera adjusting your levels, adding hiss, etc. NOTE: This device works by blasting a loud, constant signal into the right channel of your camera, which makes the AGC circuitry clamp down on BOTH channels, giving you external control over the record volume in the left channel. If you need more than one channel of high-quality audio, you're probably going to want to get a stand alone recorder, such as the Zoom H4N (see below). |
 Zoom H4n Handy Recorder Kit with 8GB SD Card and Remote Control The Zoom recorders - first the H3, and now the H4 - have become the de facto standard for dual-system sound with HDSLRs. Loaded with features, the Zoom recorders strike a great balance between price and recording quality. |
 Audio-Technica AT897 - Short Condenser Shotgun Microphone Ask two audio operators which microphone you should use, and you'll get three different opinions. There are countless microphones, each incrementally better suited to one application than another. However, to simplify the "what should I buy" problem, allow me to suggest the venerable AT897. This microphone is well-suited to DSLR filmmaking for several reasons: 1) It has a good, clean sound without excessive bass or treble. 2) As a shotgun microphone, it is very directional - meaning that it is designed to pick up whatever sound it's pointing at, and largely ignore everything else. 3) It can be powered either by a field mixer/preamp or by a simple AA battery. This is a big advantage for times when you don't have phantom power available, or if you're working with a lower-end mixer that generates noisy phantom power. 4) The microphone is physically small enough to mount on top of a DSLR for run-and-gun shoots without getting in the way, or being visible by the lens. |
 Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavalier ENG Microphone Package A good wireless mic is a huge asset to an audio kit. This brand-new product from Sony is rugged, has great sound, and - my favorite feature - has a diversity receiver, meaning that if the signal on one channel gets weak, the unit will automatically switch to the other one. If you buy more than one of these mic kits, be sure to get ones on different frequencies. On the subject of frequencies, you may have heard that the FCC is banning all RF transmissions in the (approximately) 700 mHZ range. The bad news is that this will make it illegal to use many older microphones. The good news is that the Sony UWP series uses the legal portion of the spectrum around the 600 MHz range. |
 Stereo Mini Angled Male to Two 3-Pin XLR Female Y-Cable - 5' To plug your mixer's XLR ouputs into your DSLR's 1/8" ("mini") input, you'll need one of these cables. 5' is a good length. |
 WindTech Hot-Shoe Shotgun Microphone Clip CM-21 Sometimes, you just need to stick your microphone on your camera. For a couple of dollars, this little guy does that for you. |
 Mini Stereo Male to 3-pin XLR Female When you have your microphone stuck on your camera, you need to plug them together. This little cable does that. |
 K-Tek KE-89CC Aluminum Boompole with Internal Coiled XLR Cable A good "fishpole" boompole will make your life a lot easier, particularly if you to boom an interview or dialogue by hand, as opposed to putting the boom in a stand. I recommend getting one that has an internal cable, so that you don't have an audio cable hanging down and getting in the way. The higher-end models are made of carbon fiber, which is great, but if you're not planning on carrying it around all day, aluminum isn't that much heavier. Be careful too: some of the cheaper ones don't extend very far, so you want to look for one (like this) that has at least a good 7' range. |
 Audio-Technica AT8415 Low Profile Universal Shock Mount You'll also need a "shock mount" to hold your shotgun mic to the end of the boom pole. Here's one from Audio Technica that's about as inexpensive as they come. |
 Pearstone Boom Pole Holder You don't need an expensive dedicated mic boom stand, by the way. All you need is a little boompole holder that fits into the grip head of a Century stand (C-stand - see below). |
Grip
 General Brand Gaffer Cloth Tape - Black - 2" x 60 Yards If you've watched 5DFilmSchool Class 101, you know that I love Gaffer Tape. This is an absolute necessity for any type of shoot. Whether you're taping cables to the floor for safety, taping equipment together for an emergency, or just holding things together, gaffer tape is the only product that will hold securely, and then peel off without leaving a sticky residue. |
 Matthews Hollywood C-Stand Grip Head Kit, Black - 10.5' (3.2m) The ubiquitous C-Stand with grip head can be found on virtually every professional film or photo set for one simple reason: it works. You can use it to securely hold lights, microphones, backgrounds, pieces of foamcore ... anything you can imagine, and everything you'll eventually need to. |