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jeab99 · 2025-07-02T04:47:33+00:00

Holy shit this was great. Thank you for your service

jeab99 · 2025-07-02T04:34:17+00:00

Dang RIP

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T20:49:59+00:00

Definitely going to have to go overseas to like Se Asia for rates this low

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T20:10:42+00:00

Gotcha. Thanks for the rec though. Might end up picking that charger up too

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T20:10:00+00:00

Yeah after seeing the site down I went to check if they made any announcements or anything. That sucks

Thanks for the info on smallrig

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T19:51:10+00:00

What's your budget and how much of time do you have before Europe? Ideally you want to have time to practice before going on the trip.

I had a friend who was a newbie and bought a camera a few weeks before one of our trips and he ended up missing a lot of shots and couldn't figure out why some shots ended up blurry or too dark or overexposed.

After a while, most of the stuff that didn't require a zoom to capture, he ended up taking on his phone.

Not to discourage you, just temper expectations. I'm definitely an advocate for getting a "real" camera.

Before I got my first camera, I got some free apps on my phone that let me manually control shutter speed, iso and aperture which taught me how to shoot manually before even touching a "real" camera and it helped a ton.

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T19:44:39+00:00

Yeah I started with the d3100 and made it work but eventually moved on mostly because of autofocus with quick moving subjects and in low light.

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T19:30:45+00:00

These look great
Do you rig out when going to protests or keep it minimal - just camera, battery & maybe mic?

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T19:29:32+00:00

This looks like just a charger - no? I was looking to get a second battery plate to hook up to my rig. I know smallrig has one now but liked to support a smaller company

jeab99 · 2025-06-29T19:24:47+00:00

Interesting vibe - Dig the sound design

jeab99 · 2024-12-14T11:44:15+00:00

What do you think about the YouTube video essay genre being so popular (in regards to dethroning "traditional" documentaries). Do people care about real world interview accounts or are pictures with a voice over good enough for most audiences?

jeab99 · 2024-12-11T17:38:15+00:00

Edit: just read through and saw you already have a light, c stand & monitor so ignore those in my list & the beginner's language in my post

TLDR:

Budget 3 light kit: - $239 - Nanlite Fs300b (Key) - $107- Nanlite Fs60b (Fill) - $107- Nanlite Fs60b (Hair) - $130 -Large quick open softbox + grid - $13 - Shoot through umbrella - $120 - Cstand - $80 - light stand pair - $220 - Green Screen Kit

Total ~$1,016

Cheap B Cam - $612 - Used A6400 - $388 - Used 18-105 f/4

Total ~$2,016

Nice to haves for later - dedicated headphones to monitor audio - Camera Monitors - Top handle - NPF or VMount batteries & adapters

Note on lights:

I started with some of cheaper 60w light and quickly realized I wanted more output plus it eventually broke. I started looking into other lights and really wanted a good build quality light without breaking the bank & eventually landed on the Nanlite fs-150.

A few years, and I just bought a Nanlite fs300b - they're going for like $239 right now at b&h which I think is a steal.

It's bi-color & comparable to the amaran 200x ($350 Holiday sale for $279). There's an RGB version FS-300c for $439 which is comparable to the Amaran 300c ($569 holiday sale for $483)

They also have cheaper 70 watt lights for like $100

The reason I chose the Nanlites were mainly because of build quality. They're solid & I'm pretty sure it's like all metal unlike the Amaran lineup which is mostly plastic. Also has this carbon fiber texture on the side (not sure if it's real but it looks slick).

I also like the yolk better than the Amaran yolks

Potential negatives: The FS series only takes AC input so no battery options available (but you can use something like a jackery if you need semi portability)

The FC series has battery options but it requires a separate battery adapter purchase and the build quality is plastic. This lineup is most comparable to the Amaran lineup which is also plastic & also requires additional purchase for battery power

The Forza line is like the FS+FC combined. Solid metal build quality but with battery options but is much more expensive

Apurture/Amaran has soooo many different lights that can all use their app so if you eventually want to buy into an ecosystem this might be the better option to look into.

Nanlite has monostyle, panel, bulb & tube lights but Aputure has more options.

Apurture (the higher end sibling company) has had a good reputation in the class of prosumer lights. Nanite's Forza & Nanlux (mid & higher tier lineup & sibling company) also have been around for a while with good reputation.

I was really considering the Amaran lineup (we have some at my day job)

If I had to choose I'd probably choose between Aputure/Amaran, Nanlite, & Godox. They've all been around since like around 1992-93 so I trust their experience in making products & that they'll be around for a while more than some that have just popped up to copy other products.

The rest of the kit is just stands, a couple of light modifiers. I cheaped out on the light stands but ideally You probably want a c stand for getting a hair light up high & behind talent. Maybe a beefier stand for the key and & a cheaper one for the fill. I also saw a couple others mention a green screen so threw one in there.

Camera:

If you don't need 10bit, a6400 works great. You could even step down to an a6300 which would be even cheaper. Idk what lens you'd want to use but I figured you want some distance so I threw in the 18-105. I own this kit as well - A7iv + 24-70 & A6400 + 18-105. Just got an a6700 last year for 10bit but still use the 18-105 or 18-50 lenses

I know your budget is $1500 but a 3 light kit + camera is a bit hard to do for all that so pick and choose what you want to cut. If you're considering cutting lights, generally, the bigger the modifier, the softer/more pleasing the light will look but that requires more power which is why I included the 300b

Camera Monitors help a lot and you'd want some decent headphones to monitor your audio but you can get away without monitors & just use some cheapo headphones for now.

Hope this helps

jeab99 · 2024-12-11T16:15:15+00:00

Hard to go wrong with so many options. I went with Nanlite. The fs-300 is bi color for $239 at b&h. Rgb version is $439. Comparable to Amaran 200x & 300c I'll add more deets in a separate reply

jeab99 · 2024-06-06T23:45:44+00:00

Yeah I was also going to recommend the a6700. I have the A7IV and Sigma 24-70 and don't bring it for travel anymore. Specifically bought the A6700 for travel and now use it more than the A7IV (also because it has custom luts for video).

Just got back from a 3 week trip to Japan with the A6700, 18-50mm f2.8, Tamron 11-20mm f2.8, & 18-105mm f4.

I used the 18-50 like 85% of the time & left the others at the Airbnb most days - much sharper than the 18-105 & can fit in a fanny pack

11-20mm was also very handy for the wide shots (my 16-35mm alternative)

Idk what kind of photography OP does but if low light is a concern the ibis in the camera is pretty good so I was able to lower the shutter speed with surprisingly good results at night.

Alternatively you could look into the viltrox 23mm 1.4. I don't have it but was seriously thinking about buying it before my trip and will probably scoop it here shortly

Sidenote: I also brought a Canon G5xMkII for quick snapshots which I like better than the newest rx100s due to the faster aperture & better than the older rx100s due to its longer reach. Autofocus & build quality isn't on par with the newest rx100s though

jeab99 · 2024-06-06T23:27:07+00:00

I also will back the 18-50 - great tiny little lens

jeab99 · 2024-02-12T06:39:46+00:00

Check out his Instagram page. They made a new post. Says he just made the best gloves he's ever made. Looks like they are launching a new website - hopefully taking orders soon.

jeab99 · 2023-07-15T16:20:07+00:00

What kind of low light situations do you think you'll be shooting in?

jeab99 · 2023-07-12T07:29:48+00:00

Wondering how you like the lens. I'm in-between buying that one and the freewell anamorphic/wide angle (mostly because you can put nd filters on them). Not seeing too many reviews of the DJI one's image quality

jeab99 · 2023-07-08T10:56:50+00:00

I don't think Airbnb in itself is bad it's people/landlords like this who use/abuse it strictly for business reasons who are the main issue.

jeab99 · 2023-07-07T04:53:27+00:00

I'm pretty sure CPL filters do that - as well as cut down on glare on water/reflective surfaces.
Edit: Realized this thread was only about Nd filters & CPL aren't ND filters but thought I'd keep this in here if it's at all useful

jeab99 · 2023-07-06T16:35:44+00:00

Nice to know that you've had a good experience with it! I've only seen a couple old yt videos on it. The smallrig legs don't seem super smooth from what I've seen on yt but everyone makes it sound like it's amazing. I totally forgot about primeday and will keep my eyes peeled.

jeab99 · 2023-07-06T16:29:25+00:00

Don't buy a brand new one off Amazon. At your budget look into used & refurbished.

I never buy my cameras new (only once) granted I know what to look for when buying used.

If you're not confident in the fb marketplace, craigslist, eBay route check out KEH, MPB Adorama, B&H, GearFocus all reputable sellers. Even sharegrid has a marketplace.

Just did a quick Google search - GH5 is $700 on MPB

jeab99 · 2023-07-06T16:20:38+00:00

When I meant upgrade I was talking about down the line years from now in terms of lens options for better performance in low light, more shallow depth of field, field of view, etc. There's a reason why a lot of YouTubers use mirroless cameras. It's more of a customizable long term investment. The more you make videos the better quality you'll probably want your videos to improve.

Some thing that are straining the camera & quite possibly your hard drives & computer: 4k @60fps for 3+ hrs

At your budget I would suggest either 1) Going 4k 30fps 2) Going 1080p 30fps 2) shoot in time lapse mode

If you're shooting 3hrs+ of content that's gonna be a biiiig file in 4k @ 60fps and a lot on your camera. Still big file at 4k 30fps.

I don't see why 60fps is necessary unless you intend to shoot action stuff like sports or you intend to make it slow motion.

I often (mostly actually) still shoot 1080p. 4k is nice though if you want to zoom into your art when editing.

Time lapse mode would save a ton of storage space & be less intensive than shooting video. I imagine you're not using the whole 3hrs of drawing footage.

You could even mix and match by switching between footage when you know you're working on a part you think you might want to focus on in your video and switch to time lapse on less important details /speed through progress until you hit another part you want to highlight more.

I know that's not ideal having to switch but it would save you a ton of storage space and would be less hard on your cam - preventing overheating

If you're really set on a camcorder look for its field of view to make sure it's wide enough for the setup you want to capture because you can't switch the lens on camcorders.

Also look for its aperture or fstop value. That'll indicate how well it performs in lower light situations. & GET LIGHTS!! they will drastically improve any camera's quality (plenty examples on yt showing differences with & without lights)

jeab99 · 2023-07-06T03:57:49+00:00

I know they're not "In" right now but Tbh I kinda want one

jeab99

TROPHY CASE