It’s Black Friday, arguably the best time of the year to buy camera gear, and I want to run you through the coolest equipment I think is worth picking up. Some of it is from the sponsor of this video, SmallRig, who are running discounts of up to 30% off from November 20th to December 1st. The rest is just stuff I have bought and used this year.
The RF 10C Light
Let’s start with one of the coolest, most versatile and most affordable lights I have ever used. It is rare to get all three of those in one package.
This is the SmallRig RF 10C, and it looks like a flashlight, which I suppose you could use it as if you wanted. More importantly it does four colors, white, red, orange and blue, and it comes with 20 different gobo attachments for the front so you can project patterns onto whatever you are filming.
Need it to look like there is a window with sun streaming through behind you? Ridiculously easy. Although looking at it, that is actually moonlight. Still. So quick, so simple.
It also has a built-in battery, a 7500mAh cell that SmallRig rates at three hours or more at full power, several mounting points and a focus beam. And did I mention it is affordable? You are thinking $200, $300. No. $53. Probably cheaper than that right now, because Black Friday. That is impulse buy territory, baby.
The VB99 Pro Battery
That light has a battery built in, but of course not everything does, and you need power for everything else.
For universal power, meaning V-mount, this is the VB99 Pro, and it is one of the most feature packed V-mount batteries I have seen. Very rugged, rubberized edges, multiple weather sealed D-tap in and out ports. Pop the top open and you find dual USB-C, USB-A, and 12 volt and 8 volt outputs.
But the thing that got me is the screen. Press the check button on the side and you get a full color touchscreen showing remaining battery life, temperature and how long it will last. Swipe and you can see exactly how much power each output is drawing. Hold your finger on an output and you can disable it or turn it back on.
I have never had a battery with this much control, and once you have used one, going back to a dumb battery with four little LEDs on it is genuinely annoying. You want all this information. It is incredibly useful.
If you need a way to mount it, the V-mount battery plate kit attaches under any camera so you can just slide the battery straight onto the back. Very adjustable, lots of mounting points.
And while we are here: the magic arm with a super clamp. I use these constantly, I own several, and they are just endlessly useful. Basically if you need to attach a thing to another thing, SmallRig has probably made a tool for it.
My Favorite Purchase Of 2025 Cost $20
Staying on the power train, I have to show you this, because it cost me less than twenty dollars and I should have bought it decades ago.
Here is the situation. You are trying to power all your gear. Cameras, lights, monitors. And you run out of space on the power strip, not because every socket is used, but because every device has an oddly shaped brick that hogs the space next to it. Your six port surge protector is really a four port surge protector.
The fix is to go online and search for a short extension cord, which is a slightly ridiculous phrase, because you normally want an extension cord to be long. But search that and you will find companies selling cords about six inches long. I got a bag of ten for under $20.
Now when I need to plug something in, I put one of these in between and the brick sits off to the side instead of blocking two sockets. I get the whole surge protector back. It is such a simple thing and I really love it.
The Microphone System I Reach For
Not under $20, this one. A lot of people ask me what microphone system to buy, and for most of this year my default has been the Hollyland Lark Max 2.
It wins on the overall size of the system plus everything that comes with it. Whenever I have to record a YouTube video or an Instagram reel without access to a proper shotgun mic, the Lark Max 2 is what I grab. In my opinion the mic on the receiver itself sounds better than a lot of the competition, even better than the lav mics some of them include.
The Varipole
Support gear now. This one is not from SmallRig, it is a Varipole from B&H, and it is incredible.
If you are filming in a small space with no room for a tripod or a light stand, or you want a lightweight truss system, this is what you need. Put one end on the floor, raise the other to the ceiling, lock it into place, and the tension between floor and ceiling holds it there. Then you hang lights or whatever else off it without taking up any real footprint.
You can also pressure mount one between two walls, add some clamps to the pole, and hang lights off that. No drilling, nothing permanent. If you want a modular filmmaking setup that does not damage the room, these are perfect.
Sliders Are Back, Apparently
I know sliders have been out of fashion for a while. I used to bring one to every wedding I filmed, and then gimbals got good and it became so much faster to get a smooth moving shot that way.
But there is one I keep reaching for, and that is the Zeapon EVO D60. Lightweight, really well built, and most importantly motorized with the easiest control system I have used for repeating motion shots.
Three Tripods
Pair the fastest slider with the fastest tripod and it gets faster still.
First is the Tribex, which introduced hydraulic legs and an X clutch system. You squeeze the handle and the legs extend in under a second. That is the whole setup.
SmallRig has since released the Tribex SE, which keeps the fast setup and is significantly more affordable. Throw the EVO D60 on a Tribex SE and your slider is up faster than ever.
The last one is the interesting one, because it does not have hydraulic legs, which may have you thinking, Matt, this is just a regular tripod, how boring.
Well. This is the CT-10, an ultra compact travel tripod, and it has a trick. If you shoot destination weddings or you travel a lot and you want your bag as light as possible, this might be the one.
Loosen the center column, slide it out. Find the leg that looks different from the other two, loosen it and unscrew it completely. Put the rest of the tripod down. Screw that leg into the center column. And just like that you have a fully functional monopod.
Two things in one, so you are not packing a tripod and a monopod, and you can swap between them in a few seconds. If you are a fast filmmaker like me and you never have enough time to set anything up, that is time and bag space back.
So, What Should You Actually Buy?
As the Black Friday and holiday sales roll through and you are working out what your kit is missing, I would genuinely consider at least some of the above. I have tested all of it, it all works well, it is all high quality, and right now you can get it cheap.
If you want more, my free Filmmaker Gear Guide covers everything else I recommend for wedding filmmaking and beyond.