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Full kit for less When it’s time to get serious, buying a complete set-up from MPB means you don’t have to spend a fortune
T he leap to pro-quality of thousands on the latest brand-new cameras, lenses, audio kit, gimbals and tripods to get you going. In fact, shooting 8K Raw files or 240fps slow motion with a cine lens only shows how much you need to learn and invest in large memory cards, hard drives and fast computers. It’s best to start with kit good enough to keep up with your skills as you get more experience, but is easy to manage using a laptop and affordable memory, for example. If a camera has more than eight megapixels of resolution, chances are it’s capable of recording video in 4K and is cheaper than a 50-megapixel 8K monster. One of the best ways of spending carefully is trusting used equipment from MPB; almost everything you need to get going is available used and at a huge saving over new. Unlike buying used kit from auction filmmaking needn’t cost the earth. As a new filmmaker, you don’t need to splurge tens sites, social media or classifieds, buying from MPB assures you’re not purchasing broken, stolen or grey import kit. And of course, there’s a significant saving over new, so you get more for your money. MPB’s team of technical experts test every item to make sure it’s working right
and has the latest firmware installed. It’s listed on the website, graded from ‘like-new’ to ‘well-used’ and individually photographed from every angle so you can see the actual item for sale. If you’re not hugely experienced, it’s a peace of mind to know everything you buy comes with a free six-month warranty. There is a vast stock of DSLR and mirrorless cameras, lenses and as accessories from Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, Panasonic and more – all from a retailer rated five stars on Trustpilot with over 300,000 customers. MPB also has stock of kit filmmakers need, such as tripods, gimbals, action cameras and drones. But with such a massive choice, what would be an ideal set-up for a relative newbie who wants professional-quality kit that will not only perform, but also last? We choose some key buys. Camera: The heart of the system Compact mirrorless cameras are rather inexpensive, lightweight and can produce incredible results as they have relatively large sensors. This allows for a shallow depth-of-field for that cinematic effect. Full-frame cameras often have the edge in low-light photography. But that’s far from essential; the smaller the sensor,
QUALITY KIT FOR ALL Good audio is essential and MPB offers fantastic deals on used gear like the Zoom H6 recorder, as well as various mics and wireless equipment from the likes of Rode and Sennheiser to get you started
the smaller and more affordable the lenses often are. We recommend one of Panasonic’s range of Micro Four Thirds cameras as the brand has always led the way with video- spec in its range of GH cameras. Plus, they take a range of Micro Four Thirds lenses from various manufacturers. We’d go for a Panasonic GH5 or even better, the GH5 II, which has the same 20.3-megapixel sensor but with around a
CHOICE BUYS The Panasonic GH5 II with 12-60mm lens is a great used buy and matches up perfectly to a Manfrotto video tripod and DJI RS 3 gimbal kit as the heart of a pro system
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