Kit List
If you are a manufacturer of any of the kit below and want to sponsor MexicoReporter.com, get in touch with me via dbonello@gmail.com
MacBook Pro 15″
I switched from PC to Mac in April 2009 after advice from video professionals – I’ve never looked back. I edit on Final Cut Pro.
Dell Inspiron 1800 Laptop
I was editing on Sony Vegas, and even Windows Movie Maker, on a PC during my early video work. My trusty Dell lasted me nearly ten years and I still use it on and off now. Dells – not to be spat at.
Sony HDR-SR7 camera
Small, light HDV video camera with hard-disc storage. Excellent quality film and easy, touch-screen playback gives easy access for watching what you’ve got so far when you’re recording in the field.
Sony SONPFH70 NP-FH70 H Series Info-Lithium Battery Pack
For charging batteries.
Canon HD20 camcorder
I was shooting with this a lot until recently. Really an excellent, low-cost camera with great definition and – if you know what you’re doing – excellent aperture and exposure control for photographic shots, as well as different settings to match your surroundings. A great piece of kit if the SR7 is out of your price range.
Panasonic Canon Elura 90 video camera
An older, consumer handheld camcorder, which performed pretty well for me in the early days.
Olympus C-8080 fixed wide angle lens and zoom digital camera.
A great piece of kit. Amazing lens that forces you to get up close if you can but also does justice to wide takes. My first one got nicked at knifepoint in a Mexican park, so I bought exactly the same model again.
Olympus Ws-200s Handheld Digital Voice Recorder
I bought this some year’s ago, and it does the job, although the mic quality is quite bad if you don’t have an external mic attached. WITH an external mic, external audio is good enough for use on audio slideshows etc.
Sony MDR-V500 headphones
Really flexible pair of headphones that fold into my camera bad, and block out sounds so I can just hear what I’m recording onto the camera.
LaCie rugged 120GB external hard drive
Big enough to use for editing short video projects, and doesn’t need external power.
Maxtor 250GB hard drive
Used this storage when I was still editing on PC – worked like a dream.
LaCie 1TB External Hard Drive
New bit of kit – works like a dream so far.
Beachtek BEDXA6A DXA-6A Audio Adapter
Fits onto the bottom of the video camera to give superior sound, using a Panasonic AG-MC200G shotgun mic.
Panasonic AG-MC200G shotgun mic
Sits on the top of the video camera and is connected through the Beachtek box – a must, due to the poorness of the onboard video camera mic.
Sennheiser SEEW112PG2B Evolution G2 100 Series – UHF Lavalier System (B)
Wireless lavaliere mics that I can strap onto my subjects and lets them and me move around whilst recording.
Hands-Free Tie-Clip Omnidirectional Electret
Around US$20 from Radio Shack, this clip-on tie mic saved my bacon many a time and is a goof alternative if you’re pressed for time and don’t want to fiddle around with the wireless lavaliere – this just clips straight into your video mic jack and the sound is quality.
Lowepro Stealth Reporter D300 All Weather Bag
This is a great, small-ish bag with a lot of volume. I can carry both my stills camera, video camera, beachtek box and mics, notebook, voice-recorder and other bits and bobs in this little devil – and it’s waterproof!!
Kingston DataTraveler 16GB USB memory
Handy, but there’s a limit to the sizes of files you can put on it, which is frustrating.
Velbon Videomate 607 Tripod
Must have for controlled interviews, still shooting and more photographic-style shooting.
Nokia N73 Mobile phone
Kindly given to me by 3 before I left the UK. Amazing photo lens, but no 3G services here in Mexico, alas.
Cables – too many to mention!!
