Ho ho ho, it’s Santa Matt. Can you tell I meant to record this before Christmas? I even bought beardaments. I had everything set up, and then I had to go see family for the holidays and never found the time.
Anyway. It is now 2019, and I want to talk about my favorite camera gear from 2018.
If this format feels familiar, it is a common one, but my specific inspiration is Philip Bloom’s version, which he has made for the past two years and which I have absolutely loved. Don’t worry, our lists are very different.
Most of this is gear that came out in 2018 and that I have either bought, rented or had hands-on time with. I have also thrown in some things that came out earlier but that I only picked up in 2018 and now use constantly, plus a couple of services I started using this year.
Side note: this is not a sponsored video. Nobody is paying me to talk about any of this. I bought it with my own money.
Also, I took the beard ornaments out. For professionalism.
Favorite Camera
Starting with a heavy hitter. In case you missed it, 2018 was completely nuts for camera releases. August and September in particular kind of blew my mind, because in about six weeks we got a full-frame mirrorless from Nikon, a full-frame mirrorless from Canon, a new Fuji, a new Blackmagic, and Panasonic saying hey, we have a full-frame mirrorless coming next year. That is insane. And that is before you count the Sony a7 III and the Panasonic GH5S earlier in the year. I am sure I am forgetting some.
So what was my favorite? You can probably guess. The Sony a7 III.
I wish I had one here to hold up, but I only rented it, I have not bought one yet. That may change soon.
This camera is amazing for wedding filmmakers. The video quality is very close to the a7S II that I love, but Sony fixed a lot of what was wrong with that body. Battery life is nearly three times better, the autofocus is much improved, and there is actually a record button now. If you do any run and gun shooting, it is incredible.
Two honorable mentions, neither of which I have had hands-on time with, but both of which I have heard very good things about.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K is really what people have wanted from Blackmagic. Small, 4K, shoots RAW, reasonable price. I have heard mixed things about the battery, but on specs and image quality it looks like a tiny powerhouse.
The Fuji X-T3 comes from a company whose consumer brand is not usually associated with high end video, and they made a massive jump. 4K 60, 10 bit, genuinely crazy video quality out of a line that was not known for it. Going forward, when we talk about brands offering high quality at a reasonable price, Fuji is in that conversation now.
For every other camera company: better luck next year. I am really hoping the a7S III makes next year’s list.
Favorite Security Camera
Let’s get weird, because this next category is nontraditional but still video.
Rachel and I are having a baby in 2019, which is super exciting and simultaneously terrifying, and that meant looking into baby gadgets. Specifically, ways to video monitor a baby. Which led me to wireless video, which led me to security cameras, and before I knew what had happened I had wired the whole house with them.
My favorite, which doubles as a baby monitor if you want it to, is the Wyze Cam. It records 1080p with night vision, 24/7, to an internal microSD card. On a 32GB card that is about two days of HD or seven to eight days of SD footage.
If it detects motion or sound, it automatically uploads a 12 second event clip to the cloud, which you can view free for 14 days with no subscription and no monthly fee. It is USB powered.
And did I mention it costs $25? When I found this thing I ended up buying a lot of them, because it is just so cheap and so cool.
Favorite Tripod
This one came out before 2018, but 2018 is when I bought one, so it counts.
The Manfrotto Befree Live. If you are a traveling filmmaker, this is the tripod I recommend. I have taken it to Iceland, Alaska and New Mexico, and it is very well built while staying tiny and light. Great for throwing in a suitcase for a destination wedding.
Do keep in mind it is still a travel tripod, so it is not going to be as sturdy as a full size, heavier, beefier one.
Favorite Light
Same story: released earlier, bought in 2018, love it now.
The Practilite 602, which I have reviewed in full. This light feels like it was built for wedding filmmakers, and the only real con is the nearly $1,000 price tag.
For that you get dimmable, bicolor output and a genuinely clever smartphone app that lets you control the lights from across a dance floor. I cannot really imagine shooting a wedding without it now.
Favorite Music Licensing Site
Two big things happened in music licensing in 2018.
In April, Musicbed announced a membership option, which means you can now license unlimited music from their library. I have always loved their catalog, and being able to download as much as I want for far less than I used to spend per song is so great. That is why they are my favorite of 2018. I made a whole video about the membership.
The second was Soundstripe announcing Soundstripe Premium, which gives you over 10,000 sound effects plus music stems you can remix however you like. Honorable mention.
Favorite Gimbal
I have been shooting on the Zhiyun Crane 2 since late 2017 and I really love it. Then this summer DJI released the Ronin-S, and people love that too.
While you’re here, take a look at Reviewing your wedding films LIVE! | September 2018 and Reviewing Your Wedding Films Live! | August 2018.
So this is a tie. I do think the Ronin-S is the better gimbal, but not enough better to make me spend another $700 to replace a Crane 2 that works. If you have not bought a gimbal yet, buy the Ronin-S, you are going to love it.
From my limited time with it, the Ronin-S is easier to use, mostly because of the 45 degree camera mount that makes the screen visible and a nicer grip. That said, I prefer the Crane 2’s interchangeable batteries.
Favorite Service
A weird category, but I use this every single time I make a YouTube video or a wedding film, so it earns a spot.
Captions matter more than ever. Not only do they help people with hearing disabilities, but so many people watch video on Facebook, on a phone, with the sound off. No captions, no idea what anyone is saying.
Rather than trusting Facebook’s or YouTube’s automatic captioning, which is always a crapshoot, or typing them myself and syncing everything by hand, I pay Rev a dollar a minute and a real human types them. It looks great and it is completely worth it. That link gets you $10 off your first order.
Favorite Drone
The Mavic 2 Pro, obviously, which I reviewed recently. In a nutshell it gives you the video quality of a Phantom 4 Pro in the size of a Mavic. I love it.
Honorable mention to the Mavic Air, which is even smaller and still has very good image quality. I do wish DJI would improve its image transmission though, because it is nowhere near the Mavic 2 Pro.
Favorite Audio Gear
Almost done. My favorite piece of audio gear bought in 2018, which did not come out in 2018, is the Tascam DR-10L in white.
I now use this to stealthily mic the bride on a wedding day, and it sounds so good. White is the whole trick: it disappears into a dress. I made a video about how I mic the bride if you want the method.
Bonus: Favorite Relaxation Gear
Let’s finish with a bonus round. My favorite relaxation gear of 2018 is the Nintendo Switch.
I enjoy video games but I do not have a lot of time to sit down on a couch and go right, I am playing now. This thing is small and portable and it has actually let me play games again, and have fun, and relax.
Also I am including it because I need more friends to play Super Smash Bros Ultimate with. Let’s play.
That is my list. I am sure 2019 will bring plenty more.