Okay, the Zoom H1essential is now my #1 budget recommendation for an audio recorder. I used to recommend the original H1 (even when the H1n became available) but the 32-bit float feature of the H1e made it an easy decision. One underrated thing I like about the H1essential is the NUMERICAL headphone out level (perfect for a passthrough!) AUDIO Zoom H1e (Remember, these settings are specific to this audio recorder, paired to each microphone listed below.) The Zoom H1essential is now my #1 budget recommendation for an audio recorder. I used to recommend the original H1 (even when the H1n became available) but the 32-bit float feature of the H1e made it an easy decision. One underrated thing I like about the H1essential is the NUMERICAL headphone out level (perfect for a passthrough!) (BUILT-IN MIC) COMICA RODE SARAMONIC SENNHEISER SHURE ZOOM OTHER (BUILT-IN MIC) (Built-In Mic) Zoom H1n (XY Mics) COMICA Comica C omi ca VM20 (Shotgun) Comica VM30 (Wireless Shotgun) Comica VM40 ( Wireless Shotgun) Comica CVM-M-O1 (Lavalier) RODE Rode Rode Lavalier ii Rode Lavalier Go (Not Reco mmended) Rode VideoMic (Not Recommended) Rode VideoMic Pro (Not Recommended) Rode VideoMic Pro R (Not Recommended) Rode VideoMic Pro+ Rode VideoMicro (Not Recommended) SARAMONIC Saramonic S aramonic SR-M1W (for Blin k 500) Saramonic SR-VM4 Saramonic VMIC SENNHEISER Sennheiser Sennheiser Professional MKE 400 SHURE Shure Shure VP83 LensHopper ZOOM Zoom Zoom LMF-1 (Lavalier) Zoom LMF-2 (Lavalier) OTHER Other 7RYMS Lavalier (for iRAY DW30) JK MIC-J 017 (Lavalier) JK MIC-J 055 (Lavalier) Takstar SGC-598 (Shotgun) Takstar SGC-600 (Not Recommended) Xvive LV1 (Lavalier) Xvive LV2 (Lavalier) GAFFER TAPE SUPPLIED BY REMEMBER TO "REFRESH" PAGE TO SEE NEW DATA

These are real, long-term reviews of gear I actually use. Keep in mind these reviews are just my opinion, and are not supposed to be comprehensive or the final say about these products. These are mostly to help me remember what items worked for me, and what didn't. So, the product may work for you and your needs, but it didn't fit within my Q-P-A-C-E system. REAL REVIEWS Long-term reviews of budget photo & video gear. BUDGET Lights READ REVIEWS REAL REVIEWS LIGHTS Are there any good budget filmmaking lights out there? If so, how do you know? GO REAL REVIEWS AUDIO Looking for good budget filmmaking audio recorders & microphones? GO REAL REVIEWS CAMERAS A good camera and lens can make a huge difference, but do they have to be expensive? GO REAL REVIEWS & MORE More things that may help (especially if you're a frugal photographer or filmmaker). GO These reviews are just my opinion and are focused on my Q.P.A.C.E. packing method, so they're not comprehensive. I wrote these mostly to help me remember what items worked for my KIT PLANS (and which didn't). If I said anything negative I apologize, as these products still may work well for you in your situation, but they were not Q.P.A.C.E (Quality, Portable, Affordable, Common, Easy-to-Use) enough for my budget KIT PLANS .

NEW NOTES: ... (BELOW IS FROM TIFFEN BPM18): (These new settings are for using the lens with the Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8.) I started this test because I wasn't able to get this lens-sensor combo (or with G85) to work very well UNFILTERED (see my older notes below). So, while testing I noticed a number of interesting things, including that this filter (with the specific settings I use) is reducing the compression artifacts that were occurring in video (when using it UNFILTERED). Also, no surprise, but using this filter makes this lens more prone to flare (need a lens hood or matte box) and though this can reduce the contrast in certain lighting situations (i.e. pointing toward a light source) the flare doesn't look that bad. So, while I didn't like the results of this lens UNFILTERED, I now feel pretty good about using it with these settings (which include the Tiffen BPM18/Black Pro Mist 1/8). OLDER NOTES (from UNFILTERED test): When I started this test, I was surprised, as I had heard so many people say good things about this lens, but when compared with a lot of the vintage lenses I've been testing, this thing isn't very good...so let me explain. When I started this test (at -0-0-0-0 using the Natural profile) what immediately jumped out at me were the outlines on the edges of objects, which I'm pretty sure is due to over-sharpening...yet at the same time, the image was soft and needed sharpening! This is a problem, because to remove the outlines on the edges of things, you have to REDUCE the SHARPENING...but doing that will mean the image needs even MORE sharpening during post production, so I may have to see how far I can take the sharpening in post production (using Davinci Resolve). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: Tiffen Ultra Contrast 1 Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6 ADAPTER: None (Native Mount) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -0 SHARPNESS -3 NOISE +4 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -2+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: NEW NOTES: ... (BELOW IS FROM TIFFEN BPM18): (These new settings are for using the lens with the Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8.) I started this test because I wasn't able to get this lens-sensor combo (or with G85) to work very well UNFILTERED (see my older notes below). So, while testing I noticed a number of interesting things, including that this filter (with the specific settings I use) is reducing the compression artifacts that were occurring in video (when using it UNFILTERED). Also, no surprise, but using this filter makes this lens more prone to flare (need a lens hood or matte box) and though this can reduce the contrast in certain lighting situations (i.e. pointing toward a light source) the flare doesn't look that bad. So, while I didn't like the results of this lens UNFILTERED, I now feel pretty good about using it with these settings (which include the Tiffen BPM18/Black Pro Mist 1/8). OLDER NOTES (from UNFILTERED test): When I started this test, I was surprised, as I had heard so many people say good things about this lens, but when compared with a lot of the vintage lenses I've been testing, this thing isn't very good...so let me explain. When I started this test (at -0-0-0-0 using the Natural profile) what immediately jumped out at me were the outlines on the edges of objects, which I'm pretty sure is due to over-sharpening...yet at the same time, the image was soft and needed sharpening! This is a problem, because to remove the outlines on the edges of things, you have to REDUCE the SHARPENING...but doing that will mean the image needs even MORE sharpening during post production, so I may have to see how far I can take the sharpening in post production (using Davinci Resolve). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Test looks decent (so far) but I need more sample footage to get a better feel for this lens-sensor combo. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Nikon 18-55 ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic G7 CineLike D "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS -2 NOISE +5 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW Standard iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS ? IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR ? IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Test looks decent (so far) but I need more sample footage to get a better feel for this lens-sensor combo. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Normally I would add an AUX. (headphone) amplifier for the "BOOM" proximity, but in this case, using what I consider the maximum record level of 6.3 (on the dial) of the Zoom H1n worked pretty well. I've learned that this recorder (and many of the budget Zoom recorders) have too much self-noise above 6.3 (or 63 on the Zoom H1). "BOOM" Proximity [35 inches / 88.8 cm] Zoom H1n BOOST: None Rode VideoMic Pro R WINDSCREEN: FOAM (Stock) WAV 24-bit/96kHz REC. SETTINGS Off REC. LOWCUT Off REC. LIMITER 6.3 REC. LEVEL AUX. SETTINGS AUX. BASS AUX. HIGH-LOW AUX. OUTPUT MIC. SETTINGS ON MIC. LOWCUT N/A MIC. HIGH PASS +20 MIC. BOOST (RFI) RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE LESS THAN 1.1ft / 0.34m BETWEEN 1.1ft / 0.34m -2.2ft / 0.67m BETWEEN 2.2ft / 0.67m -3.3ft / 1m BETWEEN 3.3ft / 1m -4.4ft / 1.34m Published: May 4, 2022 at 2:25:07 PM REAL RATINGS After testing each microphone, I like to know if it sounds realistic (accurate lows/bass, mids, highs/treble) in combination with the recorder and/or AUX. amplifier, to see if it needs EQ. LOWS/BASS DO THE "LOWS" SOUND REAL? MIDS DO THE "MIDS" SOUND REAL? HIGHS/TREBLE DO THE "HIGHS" SOUND REAL? NOTES: Normally I would add an AUX. (headphone) amplifier for the "BOOM" proximity, but in this case, using what I consider the maximum record level of 6.3 (on the dial) of the Zoom H1n worked pretty well. I've learned that this recorder (and many of the budget Zoom recorders) have too much self-noise above 6.3 (or 63 on the Zoom H1). Remember to always monitor your audio while you're recording (using accurate headphones) because good settings can't fix bad audio. Also, these settings will not establish the exact level you'll need for every scene, but the goal is to provide a good starting point that will become clean, after adjusting in post. Additionally, these "custom settings" are used to make the Microphone-Specific EQ files work (as they won't work as intended if any of they aren't used). The EQ files were created to correct any imperfections of the microphone and/or wind protection (FOAM and/or FURRY) and were made in Audacity (the free audio editor) to make them as affordable & universal as possible.

REAL REVIEWS Long-term reviews of budget photo & video gear. KIT PLAN RECOMMENDATION: BASIC KIT Forbidden Road Camping Stool This image is 100% REAL, and no A.I. (or Photoshop compositing) were used to make it, and I know because I took it myself. Quality? LIGHT USE OK Yes MEDIUM USE OK Yes HEAVY USE OK ? Portable? POCKET No CAMERA BAG No BACKPACK Yes Affordable? AVERAGE NEW PRICE NA *Indicates SALE price. Amazon AFFILIATE LINK AVERAGE USED PRICE NA **Indicates BUY NOW price. Ebay AFFILIATE LINK Common? ON AMAZON Yes ON EBAY No Easy To Use? SKILL LEVEL EASY These reviews are just my opinion and are focused on my Q.P.A.C.E. packing method, so they're not comprehensive. I wrote these mostly to help me remember what items worked for my KIT PLANS (and which didn't). If I said anything negative I apologize, as these products still may work well for you in your situation, but they were not Q.P.A.C.E (Quality, Portable, Affordable, Common, Easy-to-Use) enough for my budget filmmaking KIT PLANS .

This was my second test of this lens-sensor combination, and last time I was using the NATURAL profile, but I found that the characteristics of this lens (color rendering, etc.) are working better with CINELIKE D2 (so that's what I use now). My use case for this lens is focused on architectural content. I'll need to create a Lightroom preset (for processing bracketed still photos) as well, because that is the traditional workflow...but I'm kind of interested in seeing if I can be a little bit innovative, and try out the real-time LUT option as well :-) Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: CPL (PolarPro) Rokinon 24 3.5 Tilt Shift ADAPTER: Minolta AF (Sony A) to L Panasonic S9 Cinelike D2 "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -0.5 SHARPNESS -3.5 NOISE -0 SATURATION +1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3.5+3.5 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-1023 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS B IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR B IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: This was my second test of this lens-sensor combination, and last time I was using the NATURAL profile, but I found that the characteristics of this lens (color rendering, etc.) are working better with CINELIKE D2 (so that's what I use now). My use case for this lens is focused on architectural content. I'll need to create a Lightroom preset (for processing bracketed still photos) as well, because that is the traditional workflow...but I'm kind of interested in seeing if I can be a little bit innovative, and try out the real-time LUT option as well :-) The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

For the money, I don't currently recommend this camera if you're just getting into budget filmmaking. I've been testing this in addition to the G7, GX85 and G85, and I would spend my money on a G85, GX85 (or even a G7) before buying a GH4. The GH4 screen is so inaccurate, you need an external monitor to use it (the GX85 and G85 are better, the G7 screen okay). You can get decent results from the GH4 (especially with my custom settings) but the lack of IBIS makes it a no-go for me. CAMERAS Panasonic FZ1000 You can't change the lens on the FZ1000, so it gets a whole page! I'm now convinced the FZ1000 is a decent (budget) filmmaking tool. After over 2 years of testing, I figured out how to make it produce a "non-digital" image (using custom camera settings) which are on my website. It's a great tool to buy before buying an expensive TELE lens, especially if you're mostly using it OUTDOORS. The small 1" sensor is okay in LOW LIGHT, but it's not the best. SETTINGS GEAR BLOG TIPS TEST FOOTAGE TEST #1 TEST #2 TEST #3 SETTINGS Settings BARE Panasonic FZ1000 #ad ND8 (GOBE) Panasonic FZ1000 #ad RAYNOX DCR-150 Panasonic FZ1000 #ad GEAR Gear ND8 Filter (Gobe) #ad Raynox DCR-150 (MACRO) #ad Leather Camera Case #ad Camera Rig (Option 1) #ad Camera Rig (Option 2) #ad Camera Rig (Option 3) #ad BLOG Blog Is the FZ1000 Good for (Budget) Filmmaking? Food Photography with the FZ1000 (& App) TIPS Tips Buy It Used (In Good Condition) Don't Use In Low Light (ISO 800 max.) Use an ND8 Filter (OUTDOORS) Use My Custom Settings (without a filter) Use My Custom Settings (with a filter) Use a Camera Cage (for VIDEO) Use a Heavy Monopod (to "fly") The Panasonic Image App Is Fun (INDOORS) The Built-In Lens Is Great (Leica) It's NOT Good for Macro (Get a Raynox DCR-150 ) #ad REMEMBER TO "REFRESH" PAGE TO SEE NEW DATA

With all of the A.I. development going on, there is certainly enough "FAKE" content being put out there. So not only did we decide to never use (generative) A.I. when creating images, but also to use realistic-looking LENS-SENSOR SPECIFIC CAMERA SETTINGS (& LUTs) that help make it easier for the cameras to render scenes accurately (with very little post-processing). REAL PEOPLE Cinematic-Style Environmental Portraits. 5 Photo/Video Portraits (OUTDOORS) Cinematic environmental portraits pulled from video footage filmed outdoors (at one location). Read More 1 hr 255 US dollars $255 SCHEDULE 5 Photo/Video Portraits (INDOORS) Cinematic environmental portraits pulled from video footage filmed indoors (uses movie lights). Read More 1 hr 275 US dollars $275 SCHEDULE

We've figured out a really good way to get more ("perceived") dynamic range from certain budget hybrid cameras. The key is to use lens-sensor specific picture profile settings. The reason this works is these settings are being applied in REAL-TIME (before the image data is compressed and saved) and therefore it's sort of like adjusting the RAW video. TOP SECRET: WE USE LENS-SENSOR RECIPES (& LUTs) WHY WE'RE USING "LENS-SENSOR" RECIPES (& LUTs ) We've figured out a really good way to get more ("perceived") dynamic range from certain budget hybrid cameras . The key is to use lens-sensor specific picture profile settings. The reason this works is these settings are being applied in REAL-TIME (before the image data is compressed and saved) and therefore it's sort of like adjusting the RAW video. I learned this as I was testing a bunch of low-budget ($600 or less) cameras with every lens I could afford, while hunting for the film look. I started taking notes of film look settings for every lens and camera, and I ended up documenting so many lens-sensor combinations I had to create this website. Now, I use these settings almost every time I shoot (and it makes files a lot easier to work with in post)! STEP 1 CHOOSE YOUR CAMERA START BY GOING TO THE CAMERAS PAGE (FROM THE TOP NAVIGATION BAR) The first step is to find the camera you use. To do this, click on "CAMERAS " (from the top navigation bar on this website). There's also a link from the ABOUT page (just click the "SEE SETTINGS" button). THEN, CLICK ON YOUR CAMERA (OR CLICK THE "SEE SETTINGS" BUTTON) Once you're on the CAMERAS page, you can click on either the picture of your camera (at the top) or scroll down to the notes about each camera, and then click the "SEE SETTINGS" button. OR ENTER THE CAMERA NAME IN THE SEARCH BAR (AT TOP OF WEBSITE) Another way to see the settings for a specific lens-sensor combo is to enter the CAMERA & LENS name into the "SEARCH" bar (the orange oval at top right of the website). STEP 2 FIND YOUR LENS WHEN YOU'RE ON YOUR CAMERA'S PAGE, SCROLL DOWN TO FIND YOUR LENS Once you get to your camera's page, the lenses are listed by brand (and you can click on the brand name to go to that section). Find your lens in the list and then click on the “SETTINGS” button. NOTE: Some of the lenses have optional settings for using FILTERS. These are marked differently (so see the filter key, at the bottom of each camera's page). OR ENTER THE LENS NAME IN THE SEARCH BAR (AT TOP OF WEBSITE) Another way to find a specific lens-sensor combo is to search for the LENS name (by typing in the brand name and focal length) using the "SEARCH" bar or the SEARCH page. It can also be good to enter the name of the camera in the search (makes it faster). STEP 3 USE "LENS-SENSOR" SETTINGS (WHILE RECORDING) ENTER THE CUSTOM "LENS-SENSOR" SETTINGS (IN THE PICTURE PROFILE) This is the most important step, and it's easy (as long as you pick the right settings for your camera/lens combo). Most of the settings are accessed through the picture profile, but some are in other places. START SHOOTING, ENJOY HOW EASY IT IS TO GET THE EXPOSURE RIGHT! This part is kind of difficult to explain unless you've tried it. The short story is, it's easier to judge the exposure when using custom (lens-sensor specific) settings because what you're looking at is WYSIWYG . IF YOU SWITCH LENSES, SWITCH SETTINGS (AND SAVE CUSTOM SETTINGS) This is probably the most difficult part of my whole process (because you have to change settings every time you change lenses) but it's actually pretty easy and fast to do (especially if you save the custom settings as presets to the camera, one for each lens). STEP 4 DOWNLOAD & APPLY THE LUT (*UNLESS IT'S GOOD SOOC ) BUY AND DOWNLOAD THE "LENS-SENSOR" LUT (FROM THE LUTS PAGE) You can download the lens-sensor LUT from the LUTs page but just remember, you'll need to use the custom "lens-sensor" CAMERA SETTINGS (while you're shooting) to make them work. APPLY THE "LENS-SENSOR" LUT (USING YOUR VIDEO EDITOR OF CHOICE) Apply the LUT to your clips using whatever video editor you use (as long as it supports LUTs). If you're editing shots from multiple cameras make sure to use the right LUT (specific to that lens & camera). *SOMETIMES THE SOOC SHOT IS GOOD ENOUGH (AND NO LUT IS NEEDED!) My goal is to make "lens-sensor specific" camera settings that are good enough to work WITHOUT a LUT (the SOOC workflow) yet sometimes I do create a lens-sensor LUT if the image needs work. STEP 5 SHARE THIS (IF YOU LIKE IT) Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link MY GOAL IS TO MAKE BUDGET FILMMAKING CAMERAS LOOK BETTER! When I started this website, my goal was to make it easier for me to get the "film look" with the budget filmmaking cameras I was using (the Panasonic GH4 , G7 , FZ1000 , GX85 and G85 ). I soon realized the "secret sauce" was to use custom (lens-sensor specific) settings, and sometimes to add a LUT . I now use these settings every time I shoot, and I feel good about how easy these files are to work with in post...yet it's even better when I can go SOOC (and not have to spend any time color grading).

My #1 AUDIO tip for budget filmmaking AUDIO is to "always back up your audio (passthrough)" one of the most important things is to have an audio recorder that is small and light enough to sit on top of the camera (or cage). So, while there are other good audio recorders out there, these are my favorite (budget) options for backing up your audio, with this system. Budget Filmmaking WIRELESS AUDIO MY CUSTOM SETTINGS Wireless Audio (Recorders) I had high hopes for this section of my website (and I was looking forward to using a lot of my mics wirelessly) and while it is turning out to be a good idea, it's only because it lists all of the mics that have problems (with RFI) when connected to these devices. Budget Filmmaking WIRELESS AUDIO 7RYMS iRAY DW30 I now only recommend wireless systems that offer on-board recording (like this one) because of the unreliable nature of some frequencies. This is one of the few wireless systems that does this, and yet it may be one of the least talked about (but it's becoming popular). I'm still testing but so far it's working pretty good (and it's a lot less expensive than the DJI and Rode options.) MY SETTINGS AMAZON* #ad EBAY* #ad OFFER UP* *Most of these are product-specific affiliate links, but EBAY and OFFER UP simply initiate a "search". ALWAYS CHECK THE "USED" MARKET!