Recording From Home Gear

I have slowly stepped up my home Zoom setup over the past year. Below is what my current setup looks like and the gear needed to pull it off.

• Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 lens.

• Canon mount adapter EF-EOS R.

• Canon EOS R6 body. I keep my aperture at 2.0 to get the bokeh effect but use the eye detecting AF so I also stay tack sharp. I use the body for professional photography and videography so it’s overkill just for Zoom. It you are just doing Zoom, I suggest the Canon EOS M50 body. It is about a quarter of the price.

• Cam Link video capture card.

• Basic ring light.

• Rode Podcaster mic.

• Laptop stand. This enables me to record at eye level.

• I suggest some basic accent lighting in the background on a dimmer.

Below is some gear I recommend if you are trying to record and video conference yourself on a phone or laptop during this season of sheltering from home. Also check out this video with ten tips on recording yourself during this crisis. Spending a little effort and money will avoid making bad videos while we are social distancing.

Lighting For Phone Or Laptop

• $45 Ring Light

• $100 Ring Light

Audio For Laptop

• $35 Mic

• $130 Mic

Audio For Phone

• $60 Shotgun Mic

• $280 Wireless Lav

Accessories For Phone

• $100 Stabilizer

• $20 Tripod

Accessories For Laptop

• $25 Laptop stand - This enables you to record at eye level.

Apps For Phone

• MoviePro - Allows you to record the audio from bluetooth earbuds.

• $17 Video Teleprompter - Because of shelter at home policies a lot of videos once recorded in studios with a teleprompter are now gonna be recorded in homes without a teleprompter. This is great for the majority of communication because it adds a greater sense of vulnerability and authenticity. That being said, there are times you still might need a teleprompter for clear and concise communication.