My Gear And Equipment For Food Videography
Lately, I have been practicing my filmmaking skills filming recipe videos and cooking videos for beginning food bloggers and YouTubers in my area. During the film shoots, many of these food bloggers and YouTubers have been asking about the tools and equipment I use for food filming.
Since I passed along the information to them on my goto food videography gear and equipment, I decided to offer a little information about my equipment and filming procedure today.
Every week I get e-mail inquiries from wannabe YouTubers or food bloggers about the camera equipment I use to record these culinary videos that’s when I decided to compile a simple list of all the camera equipment I use nowadays.
Since I’ve been helping out with influencers in my area filming their culinary videos on their YouTube channels for the past few months, I feel like I’ve finally found my video rhythm. Despite the fact that I still have a lot to learn.
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My Gear And Equipment For Food Videography
Instead of the overhead, Tasty-style videos, I produce hosted cooking videos from kitchens to kitchens in my area.
Although the overhead videos are fantastic for social sharing, my main objective was to create a community, therefore I did this on purpose from the beginning. Furthermore, it’s challenging to create a community of healthy food enthusiasts without a real-life, relatable individual in the film.
Since I don’t write the copy for the social media content I film, the only thing I have to worry about is the filming and editing of a food videography content.
What’s in my camera bag, then?
MY CAMERA
For the past few years, I’ve been using my Sony a7R II to record videos for vlogging, food videography, and filmmaking, either outside in extremely low light conditions or with a makeshift studio backdrop in my basement. The videos produced with that camera were quite impressive, with my recent upgrade to the new Sony a7SIII, there isn’t much here that video producers won’t enjoy.
My professional confidence has never been higher than it is now after only two weeks of use. in particular with regard to focus locking, face/eye tracking, and autofocus. CHEAT CODE: This camera.
Dual card slots, zebras, insane autofocus accuracy and reliability, strong battery life, solid dynamic range and picture profile options, unbelievable low light performance, small/light form factor, and native lens options are the features for me personally that have already made the biggest noticeable difference in both the quality of my footage and my quality of life.
Pair it with a Sony GM lens and be prepared to have your socks blown off.
MY LENS
I’ve been using my Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 lens since the beginning. It is a “GM” series lens, which denotes that it is an excellent professional lens of the highest caliber.
Because I can zoom in and out on the food if necessary without having to relocate my tripod, I prefer this lens over my prime lenses. I also notice that the lens has a softness to it that enhances the way you (the on-air talent) look.
Now, I might use prime lenses if I had video assistants or other people doing all the work and focusing behind the camera…however, my Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 lens now does the trick for food videography and so much more.
MY VIDEO HEAD
The tripod’s head is the most crucial component by far. Anything less than silky smooth video camera movement is unacceptable. Typically, tripod heads made for still cameras aren’t smooth enough to be used for video. A good tripod head provides a dependable, constant degree of movement resistance.
When photographing food, I use a ball head, but investing in a dedicated video head is worthwhile when shooting videos. A video head’s pan fluid drag and built-in balancing allow for incredibly smooth pictures. The Manfrotto XPRO Video Head is the one I use the most.
MY TRIPOD
This Manfrotto Action Tripod is a wonderful place to start if you’re looking for a portable, lightweight, and highly useful tripod. This tripod is incredibly lightweight at 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg), making it easy to carry on planes and while traveling.
Even though it is a lightweight tripod, it has plenty of strength to support heavier cameras. For instance, this Manfrotto Action Tripod could easily support a medium-sized DSLR or mirrorless camera, such as a Canon EOS R Series or Sony a7 series camera.
The compact action tripod allows you to move about to find the best angle and perspective because it has a shorter handle and a loosening and tightening wheel.
The tripod head’s Photography Mode will be appreciated by photographers. It unlocks the ball joint when engaged, allowing for a wide range of motion that almost reaches 360 degrees, enabling you to create some incredibly original viewpoints and compositions.
It contains a Video Mode that enables you to move the head in the typical tilt and pan movements needed for taking landscapes, lateral movements, and other photographs, which will be appreciated by videographers’ food videography as well.
MY SLIDER
The greatest camera sliders will enable you to produce silky tracking shots that give your videos punch and dynamic movement for your food videography. These lengthy rails allow for easy movement and operation, allowing you to deftly blend camera motions into your film.
For filmmakers and aspiring video pros, a video tripod with a great fluid head is a necessity, but if you want to truly master food videography, you’ll need a powerful camera slider or dolly to enhance your editing.
Sliders are very helpful for producing engaging product films. A track across can also disclose a product as it enters a frame, only for it to vanish briefly after. A track toward an object can show how light interacts with a textured surface from various perspectives.
A slider can also be mounted vertically to simultaneously capture height and depth, or it can be placed at an angle to produce less conventional but no less powerful results. With a slider, you may truly think of unique angles that will help you stand out from the crowd.
I currently use the Neewer Carbon Fibre Track Slider 15″, with a weight of just 22 oz, this carbon fire slider is incredibly light and strong enough to hold camera setups weighing up to 12 lb. The greatest camera slider for the money is this one, as it is lightweight, suitable for both prosumer cameras and smartphone users, and it operates without the aid of a tripod because of its ball feet.
MY LIGHTS
Most of my filming locations are usually next to big windows so I get plenty of natural light, but even if a kitchen I am filming in appears to be bright and airy a the video, having some light fill can improve the look of your food videography videos.
The NEEWER 2 Pieces Bi-color 660 LED Video Light is what I use. Currently, I’m only utilizing two of the lights, and I keep one in front of me and one at a 45-degree angle to the side.
Quality is far superior to what I anticipated. more so with the tripods that were included in the package. Typically, you get some flimsy, cheap tripods that merely hold your equipment enough for it to function. These tripods, however, are unquestionably superior to the typical junker tripods.
If you’re on camera for a blog post or YouTube video, the lights are definitely bright enough to take your picture. In fact, I’d say you might need to bring the wattage down a bit to avoid being overly bright.
Aputure MC RGB On-Camera LED Light – 4 Kit
- Choose any color temperature in the MC’s expanded bi-color range between 3200K-6500K, in increments of 100K.
- Connect to the Sidus Link app if you need more control over your lighting effects9 built-in lighting effects presets.
- Built-in magnets and a 1-4″-20 female screw mount allow you to place and use it anywhere in seconds.
- Compatible with Qi wireless charging.
* The case included in the Kit holds the four MC flights and can be used to wirelessly charge the lights using the included power supply. The case also incorporates two 5 VDC USB power ports for charging mobile accessories.
Amaran 200d Studio LED Light
The Amaran 200d is a daylight point-source LED fixture with stunning brightness and wireless Bluetooth app control. Meet the perfect light for content creators, interviews, portrait photography, and video production. By using the latest COB technology from Amaran, the 200d is able to output a powerful 65,000 lux at 1 meter using the 55° Hyper-Reflector while remaining incredibly compact.
The 200d also boasts CRI & TLCI scores of 95+ for immaculate color quality. The Amaran 200d is equipped with Sidus Mesh® technology, forming a network with other Sidus-compatible lights, allowing users to precisely control the fixture from nearly any smartphone or tablet using the Sidus Link® mobile app.
MY MICROPHONE AND RECORDER
One of the most crucial pieces of technology for hosted, talking videos is this. Because if the sound is echo-y or poor, you will instantly lose your audience (and if you didn’t know, the sound that emanates directly from your camera is terrible).
So buy a recorder and a microphone. I record the audio into a Zoom H1 Recorder using a low-cost Audio Technica ATR3350 Lavalier Mic. The recorded audio track can then be easily substituted for the camera audio track in post-production.
Expert advice: If you’re working with lavs, it can be difficult to conceal the device without sacrificing audio quality, especially if your talent’s clothing isn’t helping the situation. Pinning the lavalier microphone to the button region of a dress shirt is a traditional trick for making the microphone vanish.
Zoom H6 Versatile Portable Audio Recorder
The H6 is the ultimate portable recorder. With its advanced preamps and interchangeable capsules, the H6 delivers unmatched versatility and award-winning quality. From podcasting to music to filmmaking and more, the H6 is your go-to recorder.
Podcast Anywhere
From the studio to remote locations, podcasts are produced everywhere. With inputs for every guest, the battery-powered H6 is a complete portable podcasting solution.
RØDE Microphones VideoMic NTG – On-Camera Shotgun Microphone
The VideoMic NTG is a broadcast-grade, feature-packed shotgun microphone optimized for on-camera use. It features a highly directional supercardioid polar pattern and very low self-noise, this compact on-camera microphone contends with the world’s best shotgun mics.
The VideoMic NTG is so much more than just an on-camera mic! The 3.5mm jack doubles as a headphone output for seamless monitoring of audio while using the USB output.
FOOD VIDEOGRAPHY TIPS & FAQ’S
Currently, these vary depending on a number of variables (including the time of day I’m shooting), but since the camera is farther away, I often shoot my introduction at f/2.8 and the actual cooking at f/3.5. My ISO varies from 320 to 500. And I always shoot at 1/50 shutter speed and 23.98 frames per second (for that movie-like quality).
I’m constantly on the move. Seriously. In between photos, I move the camera around a lot. Since I’m sure I appear like a crazy person behind the scenes of my culinary films, I keep thinking I should film a behind-the-scenes video!
In terms of using extra software, no. In Adobe Premier Pro, I only make simple adjustments like exposure, shadows, sharpness, vibrance, etc. Additionally, I use a neutral photo style when I shoot, so it’s rather flat. That’s just my personal preference because I don’t like the look of too much saturation.
No, not at this time. Nevertheless, after recording my lengthy culinary video for YouTube, I’ll edit the same material again to produce a 45–60 second Facebook video that I crop square.
This is actually very crucial because videos can take up a lot of storage space. I make use of a 128GB SanDisk Extreme Pro card.
Make sure you always have extra batteries – for both your camera and microphone. There have been several instances when my batteries have died (video uses up camera batteries fast), so I always have backups now.
For music, I highly recommend Videvo – it’s the best for YouTubers with an easy monthly subscription plan. I also recommend VidIQ for helping to manage your YouTube channel. Lastly, have fun! Remember that you’ll get better over time and with practice.
Create the ultimate setup for gimbal filmmaking.
The Smooth 5 makes cinematic filming with your smartphone possible. The industry standard 3-axis design allows movements in all angles to be amazingly smooth, even at extreme angles.
The CineBloom Diffusion Filters are the secret sauce for capturing dreamy, film-like footage. Escape the clinical, ultra-sharp look of digital with this specialty glass. Available in 10% and 20% densities, they not only catch and bloom light but soften hard edges and provide a smoothing effect on skin tones, making wrinkles less noticeable.
The 67mm filter mount is the best way to use a filter over the triple-lens camera on new devices. Unlike other mobile filter solutions that block the mic hole, it actually allows you to use the audio from your phone’s rear-facing microphone while filming. This is achieved by machining a speaker grill into the mount and bonding a sound-permeable membrane to allow audio pass through.
The Universal Counterweight makes your gimbal better. Its adjustable design allows you to counterbalance and calibrate your case and lens setup perfectly. Get ready for ultra-flowy shots and smooth cinema videos.
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About the author: Trent Peek (IMDB | Youtube \ Stage 32) is a seasoned filmmaker with over 20 years of experience crafting award-winning content for film, television, and social media platforms like Youtube and Instagram.
A past president of Cinevic (Society of Independent Filmmakers), his work spans the visual spectrum, from capturing stunning stills with top brands like Leica and Hasselblad to wielding powerful cinema cameras from RED and ARRI. He’s also passionate about empowering aspiring filmmakers through workshops and online tutorials.
Currently obsessed with unlocking the cinematic power of compact cameras like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema. When he’s not behind the lens, you’ll find him traveling the world, delving into a good book, or dreaming up his next captivating short film.
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