Taking it further
Have a bit more budget? If so, take a look at these powerful video accessories
DJI RSC 2 £389
If you’re serious about video and want to capture stabilised footage without breaking the bank then the RSC 2 from DJI strikes a great balance between cost and features. Able to take a payload of 3kg, the gimbal folds away to make it travel-friendly. The gimbal, which tips the scales at just 1,216g, can rest on the supplied tripod foot and boasts an epic battery life of up to 14 hours from a single charge.
Zoom F1 field recorder £200
A great alternative to a radio mic is a field recorder. A lav mic plugs into the recorder, which isn’t connected to the camera and this means you’ll have to sync up the audio when you edit the content on the computer. The big advantage is that your subject can be really far away from the camera as there’s no Bluetooth link to maintain. A limiter avoids clipping, and you can save to MicroSD cards. Powered by AA
cells.
Atomos Ninja V HDMI monitor/ recorder £570
A monitor provides a big display of your scene and can be used flipped around if you are vlogging. The Ninja offers a 5.2in 10-bit HDR display, weighs a reasanable 360g and offers advanced features, such as the ability to store and display LUTs on screen. Connecting to the camera via HDMI, the Ninja V records directly from your camera’s sensor to a wide range of codecs including Apple ProRes, increasing editing options.
Hague Edge slider rail £198
Slider rails enable videographers to introduce smooth motion into what could otherwise be a fairly static scene. These shots work best when there is also some foreground interest to emphasise the motion. This slider, which is made of carbon fibre and has a 1/4in screw and a 3/8in adapter, measures 80cm long, giving videographers a decent amount of space.
Leofoto camera cage X-T4 £64.99 for the Fujifilm X-T4
Cages add an extra level of protection against knocks and bumps, and provide a range of mounts and ports that will enable you to add extra accessories and create a ‘rig.’ These accessories could be a monitor, an external microphone or additional plate mounts to pair the rig with a tripod or slider rail. A cage may seem like a luxury, but once you’ve bought one, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
Loupedeck £220
Anyone who has edited a large video file will tell you it can be a laborious process but now there is a far better tool for the job than the modest mouse. The Loupedeck provides shortcut keys and dials to complete tasks such as altering the exposure of your footage in a far quicker fashion. It’s compatible with Final Cut Pro as well as Adobe Premiere and you can also use it for stills editing.