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Recommended multimedia gear kits for low, moderate, and high-end budgets

By ⋅ June 21, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

This post is also available in: Spanish

Ok. Gear.

I know this can be a controversial subject. I know there are passionate beliefs built up over years of personal experience. This list, like any list of its kind is bound to have some short comings. In the spirit of that acknowledgment, please feel free to leave additions or suggestions in the comment section. This list will inevitably be outdated within a year, so an updated comment section would be of real value to everyone.

For this post, I’ve created three separate gear lists (budget, moderate and high-end) with three budgets in mind. I’ve done so because I think most of us have to be considerate of cost for various reasons. When perusing the gear, please keep in mind the following…

1. The prices on these lists are based off the B&H website. I also trust Calumet Photo and Adorama. Additionally, if you’re looking for used gear from a trusted source, KEH.com has a solid reputation.

2. You get what you pay for. The gear on the budget list is not as capable as the gear on the moderate or high-end list. If you have the means, buy moderate or up. Photo, audio and video quality are of the utmost importance so don’t undercut yourself, or your work.

3. For shooting stills, prime lenses are almost always sharper, faster and cheaper than comparable zoom lenses. If you can stand the mild inconvenience of switching lenses, I’d go with primes. That being said, there are advantages to a fast zoom lens when shooting video from an HDSLR. I’d make that decision based on how much HDSLR video you plan on doing, and how much coin you’re willing to pony up.

4. Nikon or Canon (no flame wars please). For shooting stills I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but if you plan on shooting video from an HDSLR, I’d go with Canon. The video is 1080p rather than 720p (sorry Nikon, I don’t buy that photojournalists want the smaller number of scan lines), Canon has more frame rates to choose from and they come from a company that has institutional knowledge of digital video. If you have thousands of dollars worth of those beautiful Nikkor lenses and you’re more comfortable with that platform, by all means stick with what you love. However, I think it’s common knowledge that Canon has the edge with its video capabilities.

5. I’ve provided multiple options for some of the gear below, so don’t go buying three audio recorders. And speaking of options, if you’re unsure of what to buy and you’d like to see some reviews, check out the following sites: For audio equipment transom.org, for photo I’ve enjoyed digitalrev.com and for video check out creativecow.net or videomaker.com.

Low-end Budget Gear Kit:

Audio

Digital Audio Recorder

Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder – $139

Microphones

Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone – $28
Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount – $149

HDSLR/Lenses

Canon

Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) – $799

Prime Lenses

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $249
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Camera Lens – $95
Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $430

Zoom Lenses

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $400
Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $400

Nikon

Nikon D90 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) – $900

Prime Lenses

Nikon 28mm f/2.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $245
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $115
Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $420

Zoom Lenses

Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 – $510

Tripods

Manfrotto 190xb tripod Legs with 3126 micro fluid head – $190

Workstation

Computers

Apple Macbook with 4gb of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM – $1099
Apple iMac 21.5in with 4gb of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM – $1199

Production Software

Final Cut Express 4 – $199.00

Imaging Software

Aperture 3 – $199
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 – $299

Moderate Budget Gear Kit:

Audio

Digital Audio Recorders

Zoom H4n Handy Portable Digital Recorder – $299
Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder – $300

Microphones

Audio-Technica AT897 Shotgun Mic kit w/shockmount and right angle XLR cable – $260
Rode SVM Stereo Condenser Microphone – $249
Sennheiser ew115 G3 Wireless Instrument Microphone System UHF Evolution G3 100 Series – $800

HDSLR/Lenses

Canon

Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD (Body Only) – $1700

Prime Lenses

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $249
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $350
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $370
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $750

Zoom Lenses

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $730
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $624

Nikon

Nikon D300s 12MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) – $1700

Prime Lenses

Nikon 28mm f/2.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $245
Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $290
Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $425
Nikon 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $850

Zoom Lenses

Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5D – $590
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $520

Tripods

Manfrotto 755xb tripod legs with 701 HDV fluid head – $428
Gitzo GT-2331 tripod legs with Gitzo 2180 fluid head – $625

Stand-Alone Video Cameras

Sony Professional HVR-A1U CMOS High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom – $2,150
Canon VIXIA HV40 HD HDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom – 2009 MODEL – $950

Workstation

Computers

Apple Macbook Pro 15in 2.4 GHz Core i5 – $1799
Apple iMac 27in 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo – $1,699

Production Software

Final Cut Studio – $999
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium – $1500

Imaging Software

Aperture 3 – $199
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 – $299

High-end Budget Gear Kit:

Audio

Digital Audio Recorders

Sony Professional Portable 24-bit Linear Audio Recorder – $500
Marantz PMD661 Portable SD Recorder – $600
Tascam HD-P2 Audio Recorder – $749

Microphones

Sennheiser ME66/K6 Shotgun Mic – $460
Rode NTG-3 Shotgun Mic – $699
Lectrosonic Wireless UHF Lavalier System – $1,380
Sennheiser EK 2000 Reciever, Sennheiser SK 2000 Transmitter – $1600

HDSLR/Lenses

Canon

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) – $2500
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV 16.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and 1080p HD Video (Body Only) – $5000

Prime

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $449
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $1350
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras – $1459
Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras – $1970

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $750
Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM Telephoto Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras – $5200

Zoom

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens – $1500
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM AF Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras – $1329
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – $1300 a $2400 depending on image stabilization options

Nikon

Nikon D3S 12.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and 24fps 720p HD Video Capability (Body Only) – $5200

Prime

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S RF SWM Prime Wide Angle Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $2199
Nikon 35mm f/2D AF Wide-Angle Nikkor Lens for Nikon 35mm and Digital SLR Cameras – $320
Nikon 50mm f/1.4G SIC SW Prime Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $435
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $1135
Nikkor 200mm f/2.0G – $4300

Zoom

Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $1580
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens – $1360
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens – $1680
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – $1225

Zeiss – Manual Focus Zeiss Primes, come with Canon or Nikon mounts

Zeiss Ikon Wide Angle 25mm f/2.8 Biogon T* ZM Series Manual Focus Lens with Standard M-Mount, Black – $1283
35mm f/2: Canon | Nikon – $1004
50mm f/1.4: Nikon – $725
85mm f/1.4: Nikon – $1283

Tripod

Gitzo Series 2 6x Leveling 4-Section Fluid Tripod Kit – $875

Stand-Alone Video Cameras

Canon XH-A1S 3CCD HDV High Definition Professional Camcorder with 20x HD Video Zoom Lens III – $3395
Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD 24fps Camcorder – $3430
Sony HXR-NX5U NXCAM Digital HD Video Camcorder, 3.2 LCD – $3999

Workstation

Computers

Apple Macbook Pro 17in 2.53 GHz core i5 – $2300
Apple iMac 27in 2.8 GHz core i7 Quad-Core – $2200
Apple Mac Pro 8-Core – $3299

Production Software

Final Cut Studio – $999
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium – $1500

Imaging Software

Aperture 3 – $199
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 – $299

Universal Gear Needs:

Rode PG2 Pistol Grip ShockMount for Shotgun Mics (for handholding a shotgun mic) – $79
Sandisk 8GB Extreme CF memory card (or more), at least 133x – Starting at around $30
Rycote Smoothie or Rycote Softie (for reducing windnoise on mics) – $65 or $110

1TB (or larger) LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk – $180
G-Technology 1TB External Drive – $174

Sony MDR-7506 Headphones – $89.95
Sennheiser HD 203 Headphones – $69.95

Tim McLaughlin

Currently the Director of Multimedia at the Maine Media Workshops and Maine Media College, Tim McLaughlin is a photographer, multimedia documentarian and educator located in Rockport, ME. Originally from Louisville KY., Tim has his masters of fine arts from the University of Florida and a bachelors from Centre College, but owes a great deal to the two years he spent at Western Kentucky University. Tim has worked with MediaStorm, the Eddie Adams Workshop, the Rocky Mountain News, the Mountain Workshops and most recently shot a film for the Rotterdam Film Festival.

This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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Discussion

10 comments for “Recommended multimedia gear kits for low, moderate, and high-end budgets”

  • tss

    Does it means “you can't do it without a Mac” ?

  • Tim McLaughlin

    You absolutely can if you're willing to use Adobe Premiere Pro or Avid for editing. However, the industry standard (at this point) is Apple's Final Cut Studio, which of course only runs on a Mac. If you have a suggestion for a PC rig please feel free to leave it in the comments!

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  • http://twitter.com/hadders Hadrian Cawthorne

    Great post – But even the low-end budget kit gets a bit too pricey! Ever considered iMovie for video and Preview or iPhoto for pictures?

  • http://www.tracynboyer.com Tracy Boyer

    Thanks for your input, Hadrian. I suppose the low budget option could be iMovie, the middle option Final Cut Express, and the high end Final Cut Pro. That being said, the capabilities within iMovie or another sub-par video editing software are greatly limited. Of course though, if you buy a Mac the iMovie and iPhoto software are already included …

  • duckrabbit

    This is a great list thank you.

    Just to add if your digital recorder had decent inbuilt microphones, there is little point plugging another microphone into it, although of course you may want a microphone to plug into your video camera (though recording sound separately and syncing it can often provide better results)

    If you want a camera that is better suited to video you should also consider the Panasonic GH1. Its a superb bit of kit.

    IMOVIE 9 will pull work together very nicely and you can also consider Soundslides if you are only working with still photographs.

    In my opinion a PC will do everything you need to do to create multimedia as well as a MAC. You can alos run Adobe Audition on a PC, which is a brilliant audio editing programme.

    THANKS again for a top list.

  • duckrabbit

    This is a great list thank you.

    Just to add if your digital recorder had decent inbuilt microphones, there is little point plugging another microphone into it, although of course you may want a microphone to plug into your video camera (though recording sound separately and syncing it can often provide better results)

    If you want a camera that is better suited to video you should also consider the Panasonic GH1. Its a superb bit of kit.

    IMOVIE 9 will pull work together very nicely and you can also consider Soundslides if you are only working with still photographs.

    In my opinion a PC will do everything you need to do to create multimedia as well as a MAC. You can alos run Adobe Audition on a PC, which is a brilliant audio editing programme.

    THANKS again for a top list.

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