Budget DSLR Video Gear List

It’s kind of crazy these days how cheap things are getting. You can have almost a FULL (semi-professional) DSLR video setup now for somewhere around $2000 or less! Crazy. So for all you people out there looking to break into the DSLR film world without breaking the bank, here’s a low budget gear list for you. For some of the items I also have a more expensive option in parentheses in case you want to upgrade a bit.

Canon t2i/t3i camera (Canon 60D or 7D) – $400 (make sure to check slickdeals rather than Amazon)
Canon EF-S 18-135mm lens – $300 (even cheaper sometimes from online classifieds)
Canon EF 50mm 1.8 lens – $100
Variable ND Filter (52mm) – $15
Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod (Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod) – $125
Velbon Video Fluid Head (Manfrotto Fluid Head) – $50
Varavon Slidecam Lite Slider (Konova Large Slider) – $250
Flycam Nano Steadicam (Glidecam HD1000) – $150
LCD Viewfinder – $50
Z-96 LED Light – $80
Zoom H1 Audio Recorder – $100
Lav Microphone – $25
Rode Videomic Pro – $225
Lowepro Fastpack 200 – $65

Other (more expensive) lenses:
Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens
Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 lens
Canon EF-S 18-200mm lens

Now keep in mind that you might want different equipment depending on the kind of filming you’re doing. I like to stay mobile and travel as light as I can, especially when I’m shooting weddings. So things like the t3i, manfrotto tripod, and slidecam lite are all very lightweight and work well for that purpose. I also take very good care of my equipment, so even if some of the items listed above are not the greatest build quality (i.e. they’re plastic) they work just fine for me because I baby them. If you have any questions on the gear above or need recommendations on other equipment just leave me a comment.

Happy filming!