Buying video gear is one of the most exciting and most paralyzing decisions you’ll make as a producer. The options are endless, the price tags are real, and YouTube will happily send you down a rabbit hole for six hours without getting you any closer to a decision.
After 15 years building and rebuilding our kit, here’s how I actually think about it.
Start with the Job, Not the Gear
The first question isn’t “which camera should I buy?” — it’s “what am I being paid to shoot?” Those are very different conversations. A run-and-gun documentary shooter has completely different needs than someone building a studio interview setup. A live event operator needs reliability above all else. A narrative filmmaker needs latitude and color science.
Know your job. Then buy the tool that does that job better than anything else in your budget.
“The best camera is the one that consistently shows up on set, works every time, and produces an image your client is proud of.”
Buy Bodies Last
I know that sounds backwards. But here’s the truth: a mediocre camera with exceptional glass and lighting will beat an exceptional camera with mediocre glass and no lighting every single time. Lenses hold their value. Lighting transforms a scene. Camera bodies depreciate fast and get superseded every 18 months.
My priority order when building a kit from scratch:
- A solid set of primes or a versatile zoom with real character
- At least one quality key light — even a single Aputure 300d changes everything
- A reliable audio solution — bad sound kills good footage
- Then the camera body that makes sense for your jobs
Rent Before You Buy
We list our entire kit on ShareGrid for a reason — renting before buying is the smartest thing you can do. Spend a weekend with a Red Dragon before committing to the purchase. Shoot a short project on a Sony Burano. See how it fits into your workflow, how it handles in the situations you actually work in, whether the files play nicely with your edit system.
Rental cost on a test weekend is nothing compared to buyer’s remorse on a $10,000 camera body.
Buy Used, Buy Smart
Cinema cameras are built to last. A well-maintained used body at half the price of new is almost always the right call early in your career. Check shutter counts, ask for service records, and buy from reputable sellers. Sites like ShareGrid, Adorama Used, and local production communities are good places to start.
The Kit We Actually Use
Our current workhorse setup is the Sony Burano for most productions — flexible, cinema-grade, and the built-in NDs make fast-moving shoots manageable. When a project calls for it, we step up to the Red Dragon. For B-camera work and locked-off shots, the Sony FX3 is reliable and compact.
None of this happened overnight. It was built piece by piece over years, each addition justified by the work we were doing at the time.
Buy what you need for the next six months. Let the work tell you what to buy after that.
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