r/videography 21d ago

CAMERA BUYING ADVICE MEGATHREAD /r/videography Monthly Camera Buying Advice Megathread

3 Upvotes

Welcome to the /r/videography monthly camera buying megathread.

All requests asking for camera buying advice must be posted in this thread.

If you've been directed here by a removal reason or moderator, you're in the right place!

Before you begin...

Have a look through the comments of this post

There may be someone looking for a similar camera to you that has already had their question answered.

You can see previous iterations of this thread by clicking this link.

Check the 'What camera are you shooting on' thread

For a few months, we ran a thread where we asked users what cameras they were currently shooting on. There's a lot of good info in there!

Check it out here

Search the subreddit!

/r/videography has over a decade of information, though Reddit doesn’t make searching easy.

A useful trick that typically gets better results than Reddit’s own search bar is to add the following to a Google search:

site:reddit.com/r/videography your search terms

Try the Discord

We have a very active Discord:

https://discord.com/invite/d65kgBn

You’ll usually get a quicker answer asking there than here!


Still can’t find what you’re looking for?

Comment in this post with your requirements.

We strongly recommend you include at least the following details:

  • Budget
    • Specify your local currency!
    • If your budget is under $200 USD, you're unlikely to get any useful recommendations other than 'use your phone!'
  • What are you planning on using it for?
    • Feel free to link to some videos showing content similar to what you want to shoot
  • How long do you need to record for?
    • Recording time is a limiting factor for many smaller cameras
  • What equipment do you already have?
  • What software do you intend to edit your videos in?

Things we don't allow:

The following question formats are not allowed - they don't typically generate useful advice or discussion:

"x vs y comparisons"

"What is the best x?"


r/videography Mar 31 '26

CAMERA BUYING ADVICE MEGATHREAD /r/videography Monthly Camera Buying Advice Megathread

3 Upvotes

Welcome to the /r/videography monthly camera buying megathread.

All requests asking for camera buying advice must be posted in this thread.

If you've been directed here by a removal reason or moderator, you're in the right place!

Before you begin...

Have a look through the comments of this post

There may be someone looking for a similar camera to you that has already had their question answered.

You can see previous iterations of this thread by clicking this link.

Check the 'What camera are you shooting on' thread

For a few months, we ran a thread where we asked users what cameras they were currently shooting on. There's a lot of good info in there!

Check it out here

Search the subreddit!

/r/videography has over a decade of information, though Reddit doesn’t make searching easy.

A useful trick that typically gets better results than Reddit’s own search bar is to add the following to a Google search:

site:reddit.com/r/videography your search terms

Try the Discord

We have a very active Discord:

https://discord.com/invite/d65kgBn

You’ll usually get a quicker answer asking there than here!


Still can’t find what you’re looking for?

Comment in this post with your requirements.

We strongly recommend you include at least the following details:

  • Budget
    • Specify your local currency!
    • If your budget is under $200 USD, you're unlikely to get any useful recommendations other than 'use your phone!'
  • What are you planning on using it for?
    • Feel free to link to some videos showing content similar to what you want to shoot
  • How long do you need to record for?
    • Recording time is a limiting factor for many smaller cameras
  • What equipment do you already have?
  • What software do you intend to edit your videos in?

Things we don't allow:

The following question formats are not allowed - they don't typically generate useful advice or discussion:

"x vs y comparisons"

"What is the best x?"


r/videography 12h ago

Equipment/Software News & Reviews Edelkrone is so ass

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73 Upvotes

I spent $15,000 on all the latest edelkrone items and it’s extremely dissapointing

  1. THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IS THE GODDAM APP, which is required to even use the dam thing, they have an old app and a new app.

-The old app can’t even connect to the new versions of certain devices, or in other words I can’t use it. The new app is literally a new app where yeah I can control my equipment but i can’t do shit with it, I can’t use the vision module because it’s “coming soon” to the app and I can’t use it on the old app because the head plus pro v3 isn’t available on there.

- IMPORTANT, on the new app, it’s so buggy and you can’t even select point A-C or B-C or C-A. It’s literally a miracle if you keep pressing something that gets you to point A - C. All it does is when you press whichever point, it just goes to that. It doesn’t play the entire sequence. There’s literally no other buttons that explain or do anything other than holding on it which just deletes or replace the position. (Yes I’ve tried double tapping, sliding, literally everything) it makes the overall experience just extremely disappointing

  1. Device compatibility, you can literally only control two devices at the same time, so if you’re someone like me who got the dolly, tripod, jib and head plus pro, etc. You can only control two at a time with the app ( for example dolly + head or dolly + jib) the rest that is paired with the group, you would have to adjust manually, on top of that you can’t pair the tripod x with anything else. Also bought the turn table with the head one, BUT YOU NEED TO USE THE APP TO CONTROL IT, BUT I CANT CONTROL IT IF MY APP IS ALREADY CONTROLLING THE MAIN WORK HORSE.

3.The jib makes this very loud cranking noise when it over compensates a complex maneuver or at times even just simple panning. Everything is calibrated and leveled, even with a minimal setup of an fx3 and gm II lens, itll struggle. It’s like a machine freaking out when it doesnt get to point B in time or when it goes a little too fast than what it thought it could handle.

Conclusion: putting aside the LARGE learning curve, the app is what makes it super disappointing because it’s a vital requirement to even use it, and yet it feels like a cheap underdeveloped app for some random Amazon product. And if you’re like me who spent over 10 grand on this, you should at least expect a decent or smooth experience in trying to use it

There’s alot of pros and cool things about edelkrone coming from a camera nerd, but when it comes to using this as an asset in a professional work environment, it’s like trying to use someone’s unfinished experimental project, thus just a headache and unreliable

Don’t get the bad end of the stick like me thinking all of their products would work together seamlessly, wait 5 more year until they get their shit together and develop their stuff more.


r/videography 26m ago

Discussion / Other If someone hands me their phone, I want to automatically be able to take noticeably better video/pictures than them.

Upvotes

Using a phone isn't really my point, but rather that I don't want clients to think its just my equipment, or my technical knowledge of the equipment that they are making a smart choice of hiring me for. I want them to see that I can do something with images and moving images that they can't.

In unpredictable environments with natural sunlight, or a cloudy day, I want to be good at using that natural light to make the picture better than just snapping it from a random angle as the client might. I want to feel "necessary" or "irreplaceable". I want them to see why they can't replace me with the "budget option".

I want to know how background interacts with foreground to create a great subject-environment relationship in whatever situation I'm in.

----

I have some experience and general understanding in every aspect of videography and filmmaking. But that general understanding alone isn't enough to significantly set me apart from someone else who has the same equipment I do.

What would you guys recommend as good resources or approaches to learn great techniques for framing, lighting, and shooting in a completely natural, unpredictable environment where I can't change anything except what I do with my camera.


r/videography 5h ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Aliexpress NISI VND FILTER Seller Opinions

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3 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I wanted to know if anyone has experience buying from this AliExpress shop called Ruimi Photography Store.

I’m looking to buy a NiSi True Color ND-VARIO Pro Nano 1–5 Stop VND filter (55mm). Shops in my country sell it for around $150, but I saw that I could get it for $90 at this AliExpress store.

I’ve never bought anything on AliExpress, so I have no idea which sellers are reliable. That’s why I wanted to ask if anyone has experience buying there—specifically from that store or this product.

The seller's page says "Brand+ Certified Original"; they’ve sold 177 of these filters and have a good rating with 27 reviews.

I’ve attached reference images of the product and some general info from the seller's page.

Thanks!


r/videography 1h ago

Feedback / I made this! Concert recap made with cell phones

Upvotes

Hatebreed let us know last minute no professional photography . I wasn't going to let that stop me. Everything but about 15 seconds I filmed. The lead singer just accepted my collab and it's getting a lot of like now. Hopefully this leads to more access with the band. #metal #concert #hardcore #hardcorepunk

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbFC74cxr7L/?igsh=ZWdqcm5uMm1qZHht


r/videography 5h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Canon C50 - Number of clips already at maximum - issue /asking for help

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2 Upvotes

hey guys, i'm having a pretty big issue with my canon c50 and i'm hoping someone's found a workaround. So i've got a 1tb cf card that i use as a backup for multiple shoots, and i also use a fresh formatted sd card to offload stuff after each shoot. But the problem is that canon's got this 999 file limit for video files, which is kinda annoying. Formatting the CF card would work, but that's not really how i want to do things - it was fine with my canon r5 and a 512gb cf card, btw.

this actually ended up being a huge problem for me at a festival recently, where i didn't bring a cf reader and offloading via usb didn't seem to work on the c50. i checked the manual and it says i should be able to create a new folder, but that option's nowhere to be found on my c50... So I shoot the whole music festival in 50 FPS instead of 100.

i'm on firmware 1.0.3.1 - not the latest one, i'm gonna wait till it's verified


r/videography 2h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Pixieset upload issues

1 Upvotes

I have a ceremony video I am trying to upload to pixieset. It’s a very long ceremony so the file size is 60gb. I have been trying for days to get it to upload but it fails every time. Sometimes it gets to 40gb and fails. My upload speed is 40mb/s so it takes forever to begin with. Anyone have any advice? Switch to a different platform? Very frustrated with this. It has happened once before but the video was a lot smaller so I just kept trying until it eventually worked. I’m going on 4 days straight of trying to upload this video and it fails everytime. I have tried to switch browsers, switch computers etc nothing works.


r/videography 7h ago

Post-Production Help and Information Rendering & delivery workflow for 4k 10bit footage with windows, what's your approach?

2 Upvotes

Hi all. I'm in the process of editing my first paid wedding. Everything was filmed in 4k 4:2:2 150mb/s 10bit on my sony FX30 at 50p.

I've just edited the ceremony into 3 minutes, went to export in MP4 h.264 at 60kbps, 4k, 50p... 9 hours rendering time... eugh. PC has an intel i7-10770k, and a 3090, so I'm really surprised at this. There's a few tracking nodes, some de-noising, but no upscaling.

Anyway, I'm now trying a Quicktime DNxHR master to put through handbrake for delivery. Render time is down to 2 hours, and output size around 30gb. Currently waiting for it to finish.

How is your workflow for this sort of footage? Any recommendations? Cheers.

Update: the DNxHR render only took 23 minutes in the end.


r/videography 10h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Why is my footage always full of noise and grain?

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2 Upvotes

I feel like I do everything I can and am still getting grainy, noisy footage. many of my recordings look this way. Here are the settings for this shot in the recording:

Sony A7siii

ISO: 2000

Shutter speed: 1/100

Aperture: f 4.0

Environment:

Indoors with overhead lighting.

Post processing:

Davinci FREE version

This footage is after I tried to apply the Remove Noise effect in DaVinci but, as you can see, it is still noisy.

I have read some things online about over exposing a bit to catch shadow details which may help reduce noise, but I cannot use the AI noise reduction in DaVinci in the free version, so I am not sure what I can do.

Let me know if you have any ideas or experience.

Thank you so much for your time.


r/videography 1d ago

Feedback / I made this! shot another short film on my iPhone, challenged myself to a low-light setting for this one

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813 Upvotes

r/videography 5h ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Is the Ronin SC enough for my Sony a6400 + Tamron 17-70mm, or should I get an RS 3 Mini / RS 4 Mini?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy my first gimbal and could use some advice from people with real-world experience.

My setup:

  • Sony a6400
  • Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (this will be my primary lens)
  • Occasionally a small shotgun microphone, but nothing heavy.

I mainly shoot cinematic videos, travel content, family videos, and product shots. I don't do any extreme action filming, but I want smooth, reliable stabilization.

I'm considering three options:

  • DJI Ronin SC (used)
  • DJI RS 3 Mini
  • DJI RS 4 Mini

The Ronin SC is much cheaper on the used market, but I'm wondering if it's still a good choice for my setup, especially with the relatively heavy Tamron 17-70. I don't want to constantly fight with balancing issues or have the motors struggling.

Would you recommend saving money and getting the Ronin SC, or is it worth spending more for the RS 3 Mini or RS 4 Mini?

I don't necessarily need the latest features—I just want something reliable that works well with this setup and will last me for years.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's used this exact camera/lens combination or has experience with these gimbals.

Thanks!


r/videography 18h ago

Feedback / I made this! AJ KRASH - PSYCHOSIS (Vhs Music Video)

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5 Upvotes

First post here ~ ! Been making videos for 15+ years though never sure why I never utilized reddit. I've recently gotten back into shooting music video on my VHS camera ! Hope you enjoy here is the link to the full version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3x6vA4g-5g&feature=youtu.be - This is still my favorite camera to shoot on - Any advice for something that might make it look even older / more vintage?


r/videography 9h ago

Feedback / I made this! A short Europe trip film with the Lumixs5iix and kit lens

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1 Upvotes

Me and my friend traveled through Europe by car in 10 days, visiting 7 different countries, and i captured our journey with the Lumix s5iix and stock 20-60 f3.5 lens, which is not great, but tried to maximise. I wasn't sure about what kind of edit i would make, so this was mostly freestyled in Da Vinci. What do you think?


r/videography 10h ago

How do I do this? / What's This Thing? Looking for advice on lighting and camera setup for music recording studio

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I am working in a music production studio at a university, where we also do a lot of video. The whole setup is focused on the audio production part of things as students come in and record their music with their ensembles but most of them want or need video to use it for promo/YouTube/booking. The setup right now is suboptimal, as we have lighting, but it is tailored more to be stage lighting for studio concerts. So it is aimed at a „stage“ (it’s not a real elevated stage, but just a space in the room defined as being the stage) that then everything gets placed upon. When recording we mostly place the musicians in a circle to have better communication while playing and then the lighting doesn’t work. Also all of the walls are not lit, so with our, also suboptimal cameras (we have old canon xa20s) everyone stands in a black void, which I do not like at all. Also the main lights are kind of yellow…

Our lighting fixtures need to be quiet of course because recording audio has priority, which is why I am thinking that video lights by jinbei might be a good budget option. Does anyone of you have experience with this brand I saw some very positive reviews on YouTube.

So, what I was thinking was to have multiple light sources pointing out (like one big light source) in the middle of the room, at maybe 3m height with lanterns as a soft key light. Some kind of washer or LED setup lighting the walls and something around the perimeter on the walls as a ring of backlights. Then combine that with a setup of Blackmagic 4k studio cameras.

Does that make sense? I have experience in photography and a little bit in video as well, but I don’t really know which lights are smartest for which purpose.

I think the main objective is to have even, somewhat flattering lighting without harsh shadows most places. And to avoid the ugly void of blackness on the walls. Also it has to be quiet, and affordable. I don’t think we need perfect color accuracy, extreme brightness, and definitely no movement, chases and so on.

Also can you recommend an easy to use preferably free planning software? The kind of software like l’acoustics Soundvision or d&b array calc but for studio lights?

Thankful for all and every advice

Jakob


r/videography 10h ago

Feedback / I made this! Some days do not need to be special to stay with you.

0 Upvotes

A quiet little reminder that life is still happening, even in the moments we almost miss.

https://reddit.com/link/1v3asli/video/o0qjpojfzqeh1/player


r/videography 20h ago

Feedback / I made this! I dabble in editing when I was fifteen, 15 years later im back at it

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5 Upvotes

Some context if somebody’s curious.

I dabbled in editing when I was in High School. Doing Call of Duty and Battlefield montages, they were great. I had a niche channel called TutorialSolution987 and had tutorials, montages and other things.

I edited for my high school and was a photographer for an awards show, i was really heading into it at 15 years old.

I ended up being a Phlebotomist with a certification of a Paramedic. Now at 30 years old, I thought I’d repay myself and start back filming


r/videography 11h ago

Post-Production Help and Information Raw/unedited Footage For Practice Editing

1 Upvotes

Hey, I am a concert photographer and I was wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some unedited preferably raw video footage from a concert because I want to learn how to edit it and make a video recap, currently I have very little video experience and none from concerts.

Of course I would not be sharing it anywhere except maybe on reddit to get feedback on it and I would always credit you.

Thank you!


r/videography 5h ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Gimbal to record art process videos

0 Upvotes

Hi! I am an artist wanting to make shorts/reels of my art videos. Just 20 seconds in total, with 2-3 second shots. I have a gooseneck, and the bluetooth remote, but honestly, it’s a pain to constantly wait for the wobbling to stop, plus unclamp the phone and check the footage. It takes me out of the drawing process. I have tried a proper tripod, and naturally, the same thing happens. A C-stand is ineffective since my setup is on an easel.

I like recording these short shots with my second hand, while drawing. However, my second hand is very shaky, resulting in the video being shaky. Would a gimbal be useful for this? I know it may seem overkill, but at this point, I would rather invest in something like a gimbal than make my drawinf process miserable.

I have tried stabilizing too, but none of the mobile ones work well. Since the footage is art, it ends up distorting/reducing the quality of the footage.

Edit: I am looking for a phone gimbal


r/videography 4h ago

Feedback / I made this! Practicing short-form video editing. Would love some feedback!

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0 Upvotes

r/videography 18h ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... What type of audio equipment do you recommend? I want to remain versatile.

2 Upvotes

I wanna do anything as long as its videography. I currently have 1 xlr shotgun mic, 1 Deity TC1, Deity PR2, 2 DJI Mic 1's.

I know this isn't enough for weddings, events, marketing videos, etc.

What type of audio equipment do you guys recommend I expand my arsenal with?

Thank you.


r/videography 15h ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Buying my first COB light: is 300W worth it for my work?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I’m buying my first COB video light and I’m trying to figure out what actually makes the most sense for my work, rather than just buying the most powerful option.

Right now these are my local prices:
Amaran Halo 100x – $169
Nanlite FS-200 – $169
Nanlite FS-300 – $199

I mainly shoot:
Fashion films
Music videos
Social media/content creation
Small narrative projects

Most of my shoots are with one or two people, usually indoors, but I also want something that will still be useful as I improve.

My biggest question is whether spending the extra $30 for the FS-300 is worth it. I’m not sure if I’ll actually benefit from the extra output, or if a 100–200W light is already enough for the type of work I’m doing.

If you were starting over with these options, what would you prioritize? Light output, build quality, modifier compatibility, color accuracy, portability, or something else?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have used any of these lights in real productions. Thanks!


r/videography 1d ago

How do I do this? / What's This Thing? Client asking for HTML5 Video format?

11 Upvotes

I've never heard of a video being a HTML5 video - the client is asking for specifically this for their website. I initially sent over website-friendly .mp4s.

Is this a true format?


r/videography 7h ago

Technical/Equipment Help and Information Nameless eBay camcorder recording/shooting footage fine but trouble uploading to my PC.

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0 Upvotes

I got this nameless $50 camcorder off eBay because I figured "but the cheapest one to see if you actually finish an idea and then upgrade later". It has night vision which I enjoy (trying a FFH that's hopefully just me as the only actor akin to hiimmarymary)

It uses a micro SD akin to a phone not a full SD as I had assumed (that's ok, I'll make sure I check when I upgrade) & suggests plugging the camcorder directly into the computer like a USB, ok cool.

But, my PC keeps struggling HARD to even let me preview 30 seconds of avi much less actually upload my test footage. I'm going to get a micro SD adapter, maybe get a name brand micro SD instead of the factory one.

Any ideas? Just wait till a few paychecks to get a proper used Sony or something? I really wanted something w night vision.

Thank you!


r/videography 17h ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Seeking Video Bulk Repair software

0 Upvotes

Seeking Video Bulk Repair software

Yes, I was scammed by Wondershare Video Repairit. I believe the same will happen if I purchase Stellar Video Repair. So, what are my options? I need to fix a ton of videos in bulk and I'm seeking software that is not trying to scam me. Is too much to ask in 2026?