Hi! I’m Allison! And I have a habit of choosing hobbies that are expensive AF.
I love photography. I love making videos. Problem is, it’s expensive. Cameras are expensive. Lenses are expensive.
The A-Word Photography – freezing highway
A vintage truck sits in a field near Bon Accord, Alberta
The A-Word Photography – Mama cow nuzzles babies
The A-Word Photography – Birdhouse in front of a farmers field
Here’s a secret – you probably already have the best tool for content creation, right in your hands.
I had access to fancier equipment prior to the departure from my last gig. I won’t lie, I miss some of the toys that I was able to play with. Check out what this Broke AF content creator is using now.
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What’s In my Broke As F*ck Content Creation Kit?
Camera
When hunting for a camera, I spent A LOT of time on CameraDecision.com. Probably too much time actually. If you read enough of those comparisons, your brain starts to hurt. In the end I chose the R50 because of the affordability and the flexibility it had to do both photography AND film videos for YouTube. If I was going to be a broke AF content creator, I was going to need a unit that could do both. It needed to swing both ways.
I chose the Canon R50. Just the camera body runs about $899 on Amazon.
Canon R50
Canon describes the R50 as “The EOS R50 camera makes photography fun, simple, and convenient with intuitive photo functions that capture beautiful images automatically, just as you imagine them.”
Pros
Lightweight
Flexible touch screen
Wireless connectivity
4K Video Recording
Cons
Poor low light performance
Poor battery life
Not compatible with some third party accessories
I already had an EF 50mm lens, so I bought this adapter so I could use it with my RF mount that comes with the Canon R50.
I’m impressed with the video capabilities of the R50. For a beginner vlogger or beginner content creator – to me it is a great thing to have in your kit.
Gimbal(s)
Do you need a gimbal? I would say, if you’re going to make a go out of content creation, yes. A gimbal will:
Ensure footage is stable – reducing editing time in the long run
Creates versatility – so many shots you can do!
Smooth footage will make the viewing experience better – promise
I used to have a really fancy gimbal. Like…really bougie. But obvs, we had to explore other options. The Hohem iSteady MT2 is a budget gimbal that is amazing for the price point. Not only that, but I actually think it’s easier to use than my previous unit. It’s lightweight, and can handle both DSLRs and phones as well.
If you’re intimidated by that, I get it. Truthfully, I haven’t brought this thing out in public much. I’ve used this one from DJI for years. It’s compact and really easy to use. You mount your phone and sync to the app and it does the rest. It includes camera moves too.
Audio
You. Need. A. Mic.
If you’re going to do anything content creation, you’ll need a mic. Now. This doesn’t mean you need a $500 lavalier microphone set. At the very least, use your headphones with a mic built in. Anything to bring your voice closer.
This one is from OSA. It retails for $49.99 – there’s a coupon on this page right now. The sound quality is great, and the case charges the mics!
The only downside here would be that if you wanted to record with this unit on the R50 or another camera, you’d need an adaptor cable.
Editing
I do most of my video editing on CapCut. Is it the Adobe Premiere Pro I was used to? No. But I also don’t want to commit to a monthly subscription either. The styles are very similar, and perfect for people just getting started or pros who want to ease their workflow. I also downloaded Davinci Resolve but haven’t used it yet. There’s a free version as well as a paid version. For photo editing, I’ve been using a program called Affinity Photo. It retails for $94.99. It’s very similar to Adobe photoshop, but comes in cheaper overall and there’s not a long term commitment.
I’m not going to lie though..I’m missing Adobe Lightroom. A lot. Still might hit that one up later. I hate the subscription base though. It’s so annoying. Especially for a broke b like me.
The big reveal – the most important tool
The most important tool, is probably one you already have. Your phone. Honestly – your phone. The cameras on phones these days can produce some amazing photo and video.
What are your go to things for affordable content creation?
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