I have been blogging for quite some time now and technology and gear have come a long way since my first years. I think the biggest impact to blogging is how far the camera phones have come. If you are a new blogger looking for some essentials you probably already have it. A computer and an iPhone, alongside some great content you don’t need anything else to get started.For those that are looking for a more diverse tool belt to get a little more creative options in photography/videography check out this Gift Guide for a New Blogger.
We currently use a mixture of our iPhone, Nikon Z6, DJI Pocket, and Lumix G85. The iPhone is the front runner for most of our Instagram and story photos and videos, but for the blog we use our Nikon Z6. The range of use of the Nikon allows for us to tap into features that the iPhone doesn’t have. Our common Lenses for shooting interiors and casual photo shoots around the farm, are the Sigma 20mm f1.4, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8, and the 105mm macro f2.8.
Sigma 20mm
The Sigma 20mm is a great lens for smaller rooms, as it gets quite wide without fish eyeing. This has taken over as the primary lens for our wide shoots in our home and some tighter detailed shots. The wide aperture allows for it to let a bit more light in then our 24-70, making it the perfect option for darker spaces too.
Nikon 24-70mm
The 24-70 is a workhorse, allowing for the zooming range, perfect any situation. The 2.8 aperture allows for it to get a great depth of field for tighter shots of our interiors. The zoom range is perfect for shooting interiors and lifestyle of the dogs and Cope.
Nikon 105mm Macro Lens
The 105mm macro lens is a great lens for very tight shots and closeups. Although its a Macro Lens, Jose loves this lens for portraits, especially livestock.
The Lumix G85 is our go-to for video. With the mounted Rode Mic, it allows for us to make some crisp video and vlogs with outstanding sound. The Lumix G85 is a small Micro 4/3 sensor, but still shoots 4k video with great color. The G85 has an outstanding 5 axis in-body-image stabilization. This keeps your videos very steady. The only downfall to this camera is that is only shoots 60fps, limiting your slow motion b-roll.
If you are traveling a lot, the new addition of the DJI Pocket has been great for being a little pocket camera, awesome for b-roll! This little camera has a stabilizer and also shoots in 4k. If you are still hesitant about carrying a big camera in public, this little camera is a great way to get some smooth b-roll without while being very concealed.
The rest of our gear supports our camera gear, the gorillapod tripod is great for phone and thaae smaller Lumix G85. We use it to hold the phone during interview style stories. Also, this is a great tool for those fun little time-lapses we do from time to time, recording a long build or project. The rest o of our gear like our drone and tripod are all very important, and you can check out the rest below. I hope this helps point you in the right direction if you are looking for some new gear, as a new blogger… You most likely have all the essentials, but if you are looking to having more in your toolbox, these are our favorite pieces of gear that we use each and everyday. Thank you for stopping by the blog today and every other day. XxLizMarie
