Ahoj, this is Zdenka.
The time of the year is here.
It is the time when you ask me the most.
What do you think I should get?
What is the best?
What do you recommend?
Christmas shopping, fever.
I've never done this video before, so this is definitely the first.
Best photography and filmmaking
gear of 2023.
From dirt cheap to must have practical stuff
to expensive ones.
From everything I have showcased on this channel till now
and I've been on this channel for 5 years.
Let's showcase everything I use,
I love and I recommend. All the gear
will be linked below in a video description.
Let's start.
I am going to start with the cheapest item first as number one question
this year was, where the heck did you get that pen for an iPhone?
I simply walked into a dollar store.
I was shopping for something else,
so I saw this by accident and I looked at a label
and it said a pen for touchscreens.
I think the price was about 2 to $3.
It works as a pen and you can write with it.
and also use it for touch screen.
If you go to Amazon and type in a pen for iPhone,
you get so many choices there.
I use this for iPhone tutorials.
My fingers are very thick and they cover quite a lot of the screen,
so this is way thinner.
iPhone 15 Pro just came out and for those wondering
what SSD card I'm using to be able to film in 60 frames
per second, 4K and LOG profile in native camera app,
I went with PNY Pro Elite V2
one terabyte.
There is cable with that included, but the end is a bit thicker,
so I cannot fully plug it into my Freewell case as I would like
to use external lenses.
For that reason I purchased AAOTOKK
type C to C cable and that one is perfect.
It snaps in nicely.
Now you might be wondering
how I'm going to attach it to a smartphone or to a gimbal.
I'm not that far yet.
I just got it,
so I have to figure out the whole setup, what works for me there.
Definitely many different options,
but I'll be making video on that very soon.
Naturally,
this next section is an obvious one.
I review so many gimbals on this channel.
I have four gimbals which I like the most,
and I recommend. Number one is Hohem iSteady M6
because this gimbal allows you to track a person in any app
so you can film a native camera app in LOG profile or Blackmagic camera app.
It also allows you to film motion timelapses in any app
because it has A-B waypoints you program with these buttons.
I find that this gimbal is good for iPhones and most of the Androids.
The second gimbal I like is insta360 Flow.
Because it is small and tracking in 360 app is amazing.
So for any action shots where you really need excellent
tracking without losing a person, this one is the best.
It is also more suitable for social media and mainly younger generation who likes
to share quick stuff with effects as it has lots of AI features in the app.
The third gimbal I like is Zhiyun Smooth 5S
because of the built. It's just smooth, although it is now starting to be
a bit behind with other gimbals which already have AI tracking sensors.
Last one is DJI OM6, but that one is more suitable for iPhones.
I like it because it's compact and fairly easy to work with.
Moving on to a stronger gimbals.
I'm talking about three in one and four in one gimbals which you can use
with mirrorless cameras, smartphones and action cameras.
I like 2. First one is Hohem
iSteady MT2, as it is exactly the same as Hohem iSteady M6.
It also has an AI tracking sensor
and it can program time lapses because of those AB buttons.
The second one I like is Zhiyun Crane M3S.
It doesn't have the AI sensor or AB buttons, but it is strong.
And the build, the quality is there, it is just smooth.
You feel it when you work with it.
I used it in the winter freezing temperatures.
I had no issues with batteries.
I just want to mention one thing.
There is one or more gimbal coming out very soon like that, 4-in-1 gimbal.
which also has an AI tracking sensor.
So Hohem is not going to be the only one.
But I unfortunately cannot say what it is.
However, I will be reviewing it soon, and once I am done with it, I'm
going to be doing a massive comparison of several 3-in1, 4-in1 gimbals,
so don't forget to subscribe if you are not already.
Let's talk about cameras.
Quite often I get an email or you are asking me in comments,
What is the best camera? What should I get?
What do you recommend?
I'm not the right person to ask, unfortunately,
because I don't review cameras on this channel.
I do other things.
I use Sony A7 SIII which is quite expensive as I do this
professionally and I'm not planning on replacing this camera for next few years.
My backup camera and also a second camera for extra footage is Canon M6 Mark II.
Although I'm slowly feeling that it's not giving me what I need anymore.
iPhone 15 Pro gives me more than this one.
Being said, especially this year,
this smartphone got so good now that you can film in LOG profile,
you can get rid of the over sharpened typical smartphone look.
I would honestly start with this one instead of Canon. So these were cameras for
my professional work. In my personal life and a while I travel I use smartphone,
Insta360 X3 and Insta360 GO 3.
I brought those three to Europe this past summer and I used all of them.
The setup is tiny. It fits everywhere.
My family
usually complains when I pull out camera, I say like, Mom, seriously, again?
So when I have the GO 3 on the pendant,
they don't even know
I pressed the record button as I'm walking with them.
But that's a whole different issue because I do this for a living
and they are simply a little bit annoyed that they have to see all the gear
every single day.
The last cameras I'm going to be talking about are drones.
I've got 2. I have DJI Mini 3 Pro, which I bought a few months ago.
Now you are going to be laughing here.
Guess how many times have I flown that drone?
The firmware is
updated, The batteries are charged.
I simply didn't have a chance to fly it even once yet.
I didn't have a time for it.
I didn't have the extra time and I did not need the big shots
for the videos I was producing the last few months.
Right now you are looking at shots from the mini 2 drone I had before
and now the new version Mini 4 Pro came out
and I regret that I didn't wait for a few months to get this one
instead.
Mainly because it has LOG profile now and also the newly added sensors
because I crashed the mini 2
before. I know that there will be times
when I will need to use it for certain videos.
Or maybe not. Who knows?
And now the second one.
There is this also this flying selfie camera
Hover Air X1, which recently came out.
It's not really a drone.
You can't,
you can't put it in the same category as a drone.
You cannot fly it far away or high.
It has to be quite close to you at all times.
You can get some shots from above, but it's not like a typical drone.
I however use it pretty much now
every single time I film outdoors. As it is all AI programed,
it's super easy to use. There is no G.P.S..
I get all the shots I need within a few minutes.
It's a huge help.
It looks like a plastic toy.
The propellers are loud.
The batteries don't last for too long,
but it's great.
It's not cheap. It's expensive.
But it got sold out when they launched it.
Now it's back on Amazon.
It's simply practical.
I'm hoping they will develop this further.
I would love to see better picture quality.
Not so over sharpened please.
Other than that, it's permanently in my camera bag.
Here and there someone asks me about my camera bag.
I use the PGYTECH
One Mo backpack.
I reviewed it in 2020.
So I'm using it for three years now.
No scratch, no tear.
I've put it through some harsh conditions.
This is simply the best camera bag I've ever used.
Period.
The same company offered me another one, but I declined.
I simply don't need it. For travel
I use Ulanzi light junior casual camera shoulder bag.
I don't use it over my shoulder.
I have it on my waist.
I have everything there, including my wallet, smartphone,
insta360 cameras and it's super comfortable.
Sound is super important,
even though many of us mainly pay attention to the picture.
When it comes to microphones,
I've tried a few brands.
The one I chose to go with is Comica.
I just like the sound the best and the way those microphones work.
I love the built.
I use Comica VM30 exclusively in the studio only, I use Comica
Vimo C outdoors with my Sony camera
and Vimo S UC with iPhone 15 Pro.
I love this brand.
There have been so many lenses and filters shown on this channel.
Just think of few. Viltrox,
Tiffen, Canon,
Reeflex, Moment, Freewell.
What I currently use for smartphones are filters and lenses from Freewell.
If you are going to be using those,
you need a stronger gimbal as these lenses are heavy.
I personally prioritize quality so I don't mind using stronger gimbal.
I also use their filters with my Sony camera.
The quality is simply very high and their magnetic system makes everything
easy and light so you don't have to bring all extra filters or separate filters.
It all snaps together.
I still use mainly Tamron lenses with Sony
and I really don't have any desire to invest into Sony lenses.
My Canon camera is all over the place when it comes to lenses and filters.
But again, i'm not using that one as much anymore.
Let's discuss lights.
The main light I'm using here in the studio is from Aputure
and I will never replace this light unless it stops working.
The main reason is that it's got silent
cooling fan. So right now the fan is on, but the microphone is not picking up.
It's just it's very, very light.
You can almost you cannot almost hear it.
So what I would advise you, if you're going to be buying budget
friendly studio light, is really pay attention to the fan.
I had some lights before, but the fan was so loud, the microphone was picking up.
I got rid of them immediately.
I have also reviewed plenty of tiny LED lights.
I use the most Vitopal R20
because I can move it around like this.
Like that. Use both lights or only one.
This one is absolutely my most favorite.
Second one I like is the Iwata Master S
and the third one is the Falcon Eyes F7.
All three are RGB lights.
I have few other small ones, but I use these ones the most for many reasons.
The versatility.
The option to dim the lights to minimum.
The strength, the angle they cover.
I have used them for several years now for all my videos and so far good.
No issues with batteries.
I'm going to wrap it up with monopods and tripods.
Monopods are starting to be super popular right now.
Many of its smartphones and gimbals to fake drone shots.
There are many places where you cannot film with drones.
So that is a perfect replacement.
I absolutely love the iFootage
Cobra 3 pedal version.
That one is the best hands down.
It's light.
You can take it apart.
It's easy to work with, and it's a very long.
I also absolute love my old tripod.
It's barely holding together,
but I'm super stubborn to replace it.
I've been using it for 17 years now.
There is duct tape on it.
There are a few parts missing.
This one, You can still buy at Henry's store.
It's Cameron T210PH.
I also have a big tripod from iFootage,
but to be quite honest, I don't really use it that much
because it's a little bit harder to set it up.
It requires more power and more strength.
It's quite heavy.
I only use it for certain things.
I only use it if I need a very heavy tripod.
I very much prefer just a basic, lightweight, cheaper tripod.
This Cameron I use indoors.
Outdoors all the time with all cameras.
I hope I was able to answer some of the questions you were asking.
Now, there is one thing I would like to tell you.
Kind of like a friend to a friend.
Well,
don't get caught up
buying all popular gear on the market right now.
Get only what you need.
And learn that first, Master that first.
Then you will see that you will automatically start thinking,
okay, I need with that
also this and that.
All the gear you see on my channel, all the gear you see me using is a result
of being in a business for 17 years, which is a very long time.
Most of the big items like the Sony cameras.
I got on a few years ago.
There is time and place for everything.
Start with fewer items and figure out what you actually need next.
Don't become a collector.
I'm a collector because I do this for a living.
I am reviewing gear. I'm comparing the gear.
I'm teaching how to use the gear.
When I was shooting weddings, for example, I really needed only two cameras,
three lenses, one tripod and two lights.
That's it.
Think about only. What do you need right now?
And if you're someone who is using this guide as this kind
of like a suggestion list to buy a gift for somebody else.
What I would do, I would probably talk to the person and say, look,
is there anything which needs to be replaced?
Is there anything you need right now?
What are your plans for the future?
Stuff like that, to get a little bit more of an idea of what would be
the perfect, ideal gift. Give you the thumbs up,
subscribe for more.
Let me know in a comment section below what gear you are after.
I would like to know.
And don't forget to check out one of these videos next.
See you in the next one. Cau.... Ahoj...