My Gear for Stills & Filming

Sony RX100 mkVII Camera

I’ve noticed my very small sensor cameras have struggled when the light has a high dynamic range, or in low light. This 20Mpix camera is perfect for high quality A-roll, whether handheld without a gimbal or set up on a tripod. Audio and flip around screen make it really easy to use and the auto focus is simply astounding.

RØDE Wireless Go Compact Wireless Microphone System

This has proved a great acquisition, as I can run high-quality audio into any device I happened to be using without needing to be wired up so switching across from one to another and being able to use a camera at some distance from my position makes life very much easier, and more flexible for interesting shots.

Smallrig Cage for Sony RX100

This is hugely helpful for mounting audio and lighting accessories. It is extremely well-made and rugged, offering additional protection to the camera from the sort of abuse it gets from me! In case you’re wondering about my image I have taken the wooden handle off as I don’t need it.

Set of 3 Gadget Travel Cases

These are handy to store little bits of kit which would either go missing or end up in the wrong bag when I need them. By keeping them in these pouches I can just shunt it from bag to bag and no worries about not having the right bit of cable when the time comes!

DJI Mavic Mini Drone

I switched over to this drone from the Spark. It is more compact, lightweight, runs for 30 minutes on one charge and has better image quality. Since I can fit it into my main video pouch it is always with me and therefore likely to get used more often. I don’t tend to use this for epic high level stuff these days – once the novelty wore off!! But I do like to set up B-roll follow-shots or low-level dolly-style and crane shots which are hard to get smooth with a hand-held.

So I use it sparingly.

Vanguard VEO 2GO 235CB Carbon Fibre Travel Tripod

I chose this because at only 1.1Kg it was the lightest I could find with any rigidity to it at a sensible price. This is used now and then as my main tripod if I want to travel really light and I’m not vlogging. It’s not too good in strong winds, but in the right conditions its weight and rigidity are spot-on. See my Niagara trip, for example!

DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal Camera

It’s tiny and weighs nothing. The sound and vision is very good for such a portable device and it’s a great B-roll back-up camera. Add in mechanical stabilisation and it’s a complete game-changer for vlogging – you’d need the audio adapter too, though, which is only available direct from DJI at the time of writing.

Rode Smartlav+ Lavalier Microphone

This is an excellent quality lavalier mic which I have had for about five years now, using adapters to run it into various cameras over the years. I currently use it on the transmit module of the Rode wireless go system, As it gives measurably better quality sound than the built-in microphone, and is much easier to protect from wind noise.

Manfrotto PIXI EVO 2-Section Mini Tripod

Beautifully designed and functional lightweight mini tripod. Perfect for B-camera and timelapses etc. Built in ball head and 1/4″ mounting very handy. I use this a lot for secondary shots with action cams.

Mini LED Video Light

I often use the lighting for a bit of fill even in daylight if it’s lowish lighting conditions as really helps with camera if dynamic range is limited such as in action cams. This one is very lightweight, bright and rechargeable – perfect for the sort of thing I do.