The heated debate over camera equipment is a topic covered quite frequently by creators. Many say it does not matter what gear you have in your arsenal, while others strongly disagree.
I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
The Main Idea
While certain camera bodies have more megapixels than others and some lenses of the same focal length might be built better than others, it’s not the end all be all. The equipment you use as a Creator should never be seen as a limitation to your creativity.
Evolution
I personally have come a long way with the gear I have used, and that has helped me to better understand the ins and outs of the equipment I use today. I believe this is crucial for learning how to capture a scene and deliver an experience to your audience, rather than just a picture or a video. I attribute a lot of what I know about composition and work efficiency to my old setup and using it for a long period of time before I upgraded.
I still remember back when I had my Canon T7i, I was out doing street photography with a good friend of mine. At the time, he had an A7iii with a lens the price of my entire setup. I was looking at the equipment in his hands with dreams of it being in mine. He then told me “I still remember my old Nikon. I have no clue what I would have done without it.” That’s when I came to a realization, as I knew what I was holding in my hands was only the beginning to a passion that will last a lifetime.
I still remember back when I had my Canon T7i, I was out doing street photography with a good friend of mine. At the time, he had an A7iii with a lens the price of my entire setup. I was looking at the equipment in his hands with dreams of it being in mine. He then told me “I still remember my old Nikon. I have no clue what I would have done without it.” That’s when I came to a realization, as I knew what I was holding in my hands was only the beginning to a passion that will last a lifetime.
Old Gear
The following photo was taken with my old setup back in 2020:
Canon T7i
Canon 50mm F1.8
Hoya circular polarizer
Sunpak tripod
(Essentially my whole gear list at this point)
Canon T7i
Canon 50mm F1.8
Hoya circular polarizer
Sunpak tripod
(Essentially my whole gear list at this point)
Current Setup (Photography)
I have changed a lot of things since the last photo. Here is the list of gear used for this photo I took in late 2022:
Sony A7iii
Sigma ART 35mm F1.4
Hoya circular polarizer
Manfrotto BeFree tripod
Sony A7iii
Sigma ART 35mm F1.4
Hoya circular polarizer
Manfrotto BeFree tripod
The Means to an End
With everything being said, I do still believe better gear does make for better end results. A lot of the time, you get what you pay for in build quality and features, and you unlock certain aspects that some gear may not have.
HOWEVER
Without proper knowledge on how to use the gear you have and how to manipulate it in post, it does not matter what equipment you have. Those certain aspects aforementioned will be meaningless if you do not understand how to use the equipment you have efficiently and effectively. You will still be held back, but instead of technical limitations, you will be held back by yourself without even realizing it.
So I say get out there and forget about what's in your hands; creativity does not come from cameras or accessories…It comes from the mind.
HOWEVER
Without proper knowledge on how to use the gear you have and how to manipulate it in post, it does not matter what equipment you have. Those certain aspects aforementioned will be meaningless if you do not understand how to use the equipment you have efficiently and effectively. You will still be held back, but instead of technical limitations, you will be held back by yourself without even realizing it.
So I say get out there and forget about what's in your hands; creativity does not come from cameras or accessories…It comes from the mind.
Complete List of Current Photography Gear
Sony A7iii
Sony 85mm FE F1.8
Sony 55mm FE F1.8 Zeiss
Sigma ART 35mm F1.4
G Master 24‑70 f2.8 Mk II
Hoya CPL
Tiffen Black 1/4 Pro Mist
KF concept Variable ND and CPL combo
Manfrotto BeFree Tripod
Leather Wrist Strap
Nanlite PavoTube II 6c Two light kit
Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB V90
Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB V30
Pelican 1510 Carry case
Sony 85mm FE F1.8
Sony 55mm FE F1.8 Zeiss
Sigma ART 35mm F1.4
G Master 24‑70 f2.8 Mk II
Hoya CPL
Tiffen Black 1/4 Pro Mist
KF concept Variable ND and CPL combo
Manfrotto BeFree Tripod
Leather Wrist Strap
Nanlite PavoTube II 6c Two light kit
Sandisk Extreme Pro 32GB V90
Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB V30
Pelican 1510 Carry case
Complete List of Videography Gear
Though I mostly covered photography above, the same principle applies to videography. I actually wanted to start making videos before I even got into photography. My first attempt at creating videos was a short skiing montage in Vermont back in 2018 where I used a GoPro strapped to my skiing pole, my iPhone and a free version of DaVinci Resolve to make. I went from there to getting the Canon T7i and attempting video every once in a while. From there, I got the a7iii and a cheap gimbal and continued the trial and error. With the help of Djordanmedia’s courses, I got to a level I was truly proud of, and the growth continues to this day. I have recently upgraded to a new camera and a whole bunch of new peripherals, which I believe I now have the ability to utilize to its full potential.
Here is the list of video equipment I currently use:
Sony A7Siii
Same lenses as Photo list
Small rig cage for a7s model cameras
Hoya CPL
KF concept Variable ND and CPL combo
DJI Ronin Rs3 Pro
Tilta Advanced Ring Grip
Atomos Ninja V
AngelBird 500GB SSD
JSAUX 3FT HDMI to HDMI cable
Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB V90
Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB V90
DJI Mavic 3
Rode video Micro
Pelican 1510 Carry case
AUDIO:
Zoom H5 audio recorder
RODE M5 2 pack
2x 10ft XLR cables
2x RODE VMPR+ dead cats
2x suction cup mounts (one for the mic in the back of the car and one to mount the h5 to glass in the interior)
Painters tape (to adhere wires to the car to eliminate tapping noises)
Here is the list of video equipment I currently use:
Sony A7Siii
Same lenses as Photo list
Small rig cage for a7s model cameras
Hoya CPL
KF concept Variable ND and CPL combo
DJI Ronin Rs3 Pro
Tilta Advanced Ring Grip
Atomos Ninja V
AngelBird 500GB SSD
JSAUX 3FT HDMI to HDMI cable
Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB V90
Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB V90
DJI Mavic 3
Rode video Micro
Pelican 1510 Carry case
AUDIO:
Zoom H5 audio recorder
RODE M5 2 pack
2x 10ft XLR cables
2x RODE VMPR+ dead cats
2x suction cup mounts (one for the mic in the back of the car and one to mount the h5 to glass in the interior)
Painters tape (to adhere wires to the car to eliminate tapping noises)
PC Setup
I currently do 99% of my editing on my desktop PC, which I custom built. I will list the specs below, but not before I mention Apple.
MacBook Pro’s are an amazing tool that get the job done without much hiccup, especially if you have one of the top of the line MacBook Pro’s. These workhorses can pump out content and do so reliably. I will say for After Effects, you do need to have a decently specced out Mac to handle a heavy load of effects or higher megapixel photo if you intend to do that. However, these are amazing devices and can be setup on a desk to a larger monitor, keyboard and all the other accessories of a larger, desktop setup. Additionally they are portable, which is a huge plus. I still keep my 2020 MacBook Pro for travel.
Speaking of portable, iPhones do an amazing job with photo editing as well in a pinch. Though not my first choice, I have used it occasionally and I never had an issue with the task at hand. I don’t have much experience with mobile video editing apps such as CapCut, so I cannot speak on those. However I have seen some pretty impressive tutorials and it seems to have a wide range of effects for you to use.
Here are my PC specs:
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 VISION 10gb
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5950x
COOLING: Corsair H150i Elite Capillex
MOBO: MSI MAG X570s Tomahawk Max Wi‑Fi
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 64gb DDR4 (2x 32gb)
STORAGE: Samsung 1TB nvme M.2 (x2) + 2TB SSD
CASE: Corsair iCUE 5000x
MacBook Pro’s are an amazing tool that get the job done without much hiccup, especially if you have one of the top of the line MacBook Pro’s. These workhorses can pump out content and do so reliably. I will say for After Effects, you do need to have a decently specced out Mac to handle a heavy load of effects or higher megapixel photo if you intend to do that. However, these are amazing devices and can be setup on a desk to a larger monitor, keyboard and all the other accessories of a larger, desktop setup. Additionally they are portable, which is a huge plus. I still keep my 2020 MacBook Pro for travel.
Speaking of portable, iPhones do an amazing job with photo editing as well in a pinch. Though not my first choice, I have used it occasionally and I never had an issue with the task at hand. I don’t have much experience with mobile video editing apps such as CapCut, so I cannot speak on those. However I have seen some pretty impressive tutorials and it seems to have a wide range of effects for you to use.
Here are my PC specs:
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 VISION 10gb
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5950x
COOLING: Corsair H150i Elite Capillex
MOBO: MSI MAG X570s Tomahawk Max Wi‑Fi
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 64gb DDR4 (2x 32gb)
STORAGE: Samsung 1TB nvme M.2 (x2) + 2TB SSD
CASE: Corsair iCUE 5000x