🎬 Color in Resolve (CU)

There are several reasons Resolve is widely regarded as an excellent color application. Before it was a VFX, audio, and editorial tool, DaVinci Resolve was an expensive, hardware based color timing system. Expensive as it was, the capabilities of early DaVinci systems are primitive by today’s standards. Resolve’s roots in color are still manifest today in a very robust set of color tools that are widely used across a variety of Hollywood feature films.

The following is the essential information anyone should know to get started “correcting” footage or creating a “grade” in Resolve.

Color is handled inside the “Color” page. From the edit page, just place your playhead atop the clip you want to color and click the “Color” in the page navigation panel at the bottom of the screen. The topmost active clip will automatically be selected for color, but you can still use the “Timeline” and “Clips” panels from within the color page to navigate between different clips without leaving the color page.

“Primary” Grading

Primary grades affect the whole frame as opposed to “secondary” grades which make targeted adjustments to specific portions of the frame. The main controls I use on a day-to-day basis are the primary color wheels.

• Lift primarily affects black and shadows.
• Gamma primarily affects midtones.
• Gain primarily affects white and highlights.
• Offset adjusts the image as a whole.

The horizontal bar beneath the color wheel allows you to increase or decrease values by dragging right or left. The colored wheel above allows you to skew color towards the hue visually shown on the perimeter of the wheel (notice how it aligns with the vectorscope). Double-click in the middle to reset any value or use the loop-arrow icon to reset one or all values.

Another way of making the same adjustments, but in a more targeted way, is by use of the primary bars. These allow you to control red, green and blue individually against one another.

If you like grading this way (colorists had no alternative for decades) then also check out the printer lights. Even without a fancy grading panel, you can use these printer lights and your numpad to make RGB adjustments.

Finally, note along the bottom of the panel several additional controls for handy tools like auto white balance, auto grade and common image adjustments (divided between two pages) like contrast, saturation, midtone detail, etc.

Secondary Grading

Secondary grades are selective about which portion of the image is affected. This means we need tools to tell Resolve which parts of the image to affect. We can do that several different ways.

Power Windows

These are basically just stencil cutouts that let us draw a mask around the area we want to affect.

“Vs. Curves”

These curves let you pick one parameter and adjust its value relative to another parameter. For example, this curve, a “Hue Vs Sat” curve means you pick the Hue (the greens in this case) and adjust its saturation, either up by dragging upwards like I’ve done here, or down by dragging down.

The Qualifier

The qualifier allows you to use the eye dropper tool to sample the image and then choose which area you want to isolate based on Hue, and/or Saturation, and/or Luminance. This lets you get very specific with the area you need to adjust.

Keep in mind that all of these tools can be mixed and matched and applied across one or many nodes. For example, let’s say you have a lot of noise a dark portion of the image on the right of the frame. You could add a node just for that specific noise reduction task, “qualify” the area in the image you need adjusted via a power window and target the shadows using a luminance qualifier.

Node Types & Usage

Color changes inside Resolve are made inside these little boxes called “nodes”. A node can contain a single operation or the entire grade. There’s an “order of operations” to what happens inside a given node, but for now just be aware that nodes hold the color changes you’re making and they apply to footage from the left input to the right output in the “node graph”.

Serial Node: These nodes follow one after the other affecting the image cumulatively. The effects of one node carry over into the next. The easy example is to desaturate the image in the first node, then try “re-saturating” it in the second node. Because the second node receives only the black and white version from the first node there is no color information to saturate and the saturation has no effect.

Parallel Node: Parallel nodes aren’t strictly linear, meaning a parallel nodes have more than one output and the effects of one can always be countered in another. Take the same saturation example. See how both nodes are fed by the same node? So even though we desaturate in the top node, we can still “re-saturate” in the bottom node because it’s getting all the color information necessary from the first node.

Layer Node: A layer node is similar to the parallel node in that the various layer nodes receive their image stream from a single node. The difference here is in how the layer nodes combine. With the parallel node the effects were averaged together. The layer node works more like layers in Photoshop where one layer will obscure the one below it. Just remember that the order is flipped from Photoshop, so in Resolve’s case the bottom-most layer takes priority over other layers “above” it. In the example below, the image would appear more saturated since the “re-saturation” has full effect due to its priority positioning in the layer mixer node.

Node types in DaVinci Resolve

Memories, Stills & Power Grades

“Stills” are comprised of two components:

• .dpx reference images on the hard drive (a screenshot of the current look)
• Accompanying grade metadata that can be copied anywhere for recreation of all or part of the node tree

Opt+Cmd+G grabs a still (and sends it to whatever folder is selected–global powergrades or local stills). Middle-click a still to apply it. Double-click a still to wipe it. (Double-clicking doesn’t work with power grades shared between projects).

“Powergrades” are simply stills that globally can be accessed from any project–looks you want to save in an ever-accessible database. I find this massively useful for storing a set of creative grades as well as grades that apply across seasons of a show in different projects.

“Memories” are stills that you can recall with control panel or one-button press for convenience–effects you use a lot. They’re really the same thing as “stills” just with a different, more convenient way to access. I use them a lot for quickly storing temporary looks. Alt+Number key will save a memory and Cmd+Number Key will recall that memory.

Clip vs. Timeline Grades

Resolve allows you to apply a given operation across the entirety of your sequence via the “Timeline” node tree. Common adjustments include noise reduction, sharpening, soft clipping, and gamut limiting (via a “Gamut Mapping” node set to rec709). This is extremely handy, but Resolve takes it even one step further with its ability to group clips.

Grouping

You’ll often end up applying the same basic adjustments to a group of clips, everything shot on “Camera B” from a two-camera shoot for example. Instead of manually copy/pasting the same look across all of “Camera B’s” shots and then maintaining any adjustments made thereafter, Resolve has a powerful grouping feature. You add all of Camera B’s shots to a group, call it “Camera B”, and then you have the option of making color adjustments on the entire group. Not only that, but you get control over “where” these adjustments happen. Let’s say, for example, Camera B’s operator forgot to white balance and all his stuff is too warm. You want to pull the warmth out as a technical correction before even getting to the creative part of your grade. This correction can be done in the “Group Pre-Clip” stage and everything in that group will have the preliminary correction applied. When you jump into the “Clip” stage (the stage you’re used to seeing if you’ve never before used groups) you now have a blank canvas for, say, copying a grade from another project.

Pre-clip > Clip > Post Clip

Versioning

Resolve has a powerful ability to test different grades and easily compare them via “versions”.

Cmd+Y adds a new version and cmd+b (before) and cmd+n (next) allow you to step through the versions.

The “Split Screen” feature can be activated via the grid-like icon in the upper left. This allows you to easily compare different versions side-by-side. You can also use the feature to compare multiple clips in a variety of ways. I used to use the ‘neighboring clips’ feature, but now rely more on the “Clips” grid view in the dual panel layout to compare neighboring clips and how well they match.

Keyframing

Resolve lets you change pretty well any adjustment’s value over time by setting different values across “key frames”. I find the “Color” mode most useful for keyframing as it will auto-key only the selected node’s parameters.

Tracking & Stabilization

Resolve has one of the industry’s strongest trackers.

Cmd+T to track forward and Alt+T to track backward.

The “Frame” mode makes manual additions to your tracks much simpler.

Remember to disable any effects that slow down playback as they’ll massively (and often unnecessarily) slow down your track speed.

Change the mode in the upper left to invert the tracker for stabilization (there are alternative ways to stabilize post version 16)

Misc Useful Things

• Having a mouse with a middle click button is imperative for speed in Resolve.
• Right-click in the viewer to “Show Picker RGB” value. Similar to scopes, this can help you identify a color cast.
• – and + keys allow for copying the previous clip’s grade or two clips back.
• “Color Trace” is a useful tool for copying grades between projects, even where timecode and/or reel names do not match.
• There’s a built-in color chart matching tool which is marginally useful.
• ‘g’ adds a flag defaulting to color of flags on edit page but double click to change flag color.
• Hamburger menu: Convert to bezier for making circular power window editable. From the same menu you can save windows as presets.
• Put tape on BlackMagic controllers for quicker muscle memory. You’ll immediately feel the difference in the buttons.
• Destructive clipping happens via LUTs, Soft Clipping and any Vs Curve operations. Also, you’ll see clipped highlights on anything cached to a non-HDR video format (this is a big problem).
• Use the “prev memory” button on the BM mini panel or via keyboard shortcut to see the clip’s grade when you first navigated to it.
• Hamburger Dots on the viewer window enable you to “gang” the relationship between the selected clip and the timeline reference wipe clip. This can be convenient when you’re frequently trying to compare to the previous clip.
• Using Gamma 2.4 is fine for both broadcast work and web deliveries.
• Changing clip color can also be useful, especially in tandem with clip filtering (accessible via the carrot next to “Clips”)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Use the interactive keyboard database below to learn my recommended set of keyboard shortcuts. Priority indicates how essential they are to know (1 being highest priority). The table will default to sort by 1st priority shortcuts, but feel free to use the search feature to find a specific shortcut or filter the table in any way you’d like. You can print the results (or save them to an eco-friendly PDF) as well.

⌃Control   ⇧Shift    ⌥Alt    ⌘Cmd   ⇕Scroll   MMB (Middle Mouse Button) *Fenn Custom Key

Category	Brand	Model	Gist	Launch Price USD	Launch Date
TxRx	Accsoon	CineEye Air	125g 2 devices No built-in battery but has USB-C Does NOT transmit AUDIO <50ms latency, uses 3.5mm barrel jack from 6–18V.	$150
TxRx	Accsoon	CineEye	Does not transmit audio, app is buggy and it'll drive you mad if you try connecting in WiFi-congested areas.	$250
Cine Lens	Angenieux Anamorphic 44-440 (newer 420)		this color and contrast on skin tone is amazing. It's not just the usual Angenieux warmth, but a very pleasing skin rendition. Bulkiness of lens and slow f-stop are not. 44–440 🙁 It's a rear anamorphic so no oval bokeh which I dont mind. 2x squeeze. $75k. Sharp. Consistent. Parfocal. Can be converted into a 25-250 T3.5 spherical.
Cine Lens	Angenieux Anamorphic Optimo 30-72		T4; 2' 2" close focus; 2x;
Cine Lens	Angénieux EZ-2		"Traditional angenieux look, colorimetry matches those of Optimo & OPTIMO STYLE series" they say but practice seems to differ
Cine Lens	Angenieux Optimo 12-1 t2.8		Great!
Cine Lens	Apollo Anamorphic		More 'budget' anamorphics like Atlas: $12k each.
Lighting	Aputure	Amaran 200D	"the shiz for value -Backordered -Fan is a bit loud - No DC battery power option +Value for output + Sidus Link control"	$300
Lighting	Aputure	Amaran 100d	the shiz for value -Backordered Fan isn't as loud as 200D - No DC battery power option +Value for output + Sidus Link control	$200
Lighting	Aputure	Nova P300c	RGBWW Aputure SkyPanel S30 equivalent at $1700.	$1,700
Lighting	Aputure	600d	Pulls 720 watts for "600 Watt Output"; Aputure claims is the brightest single point light source on the market. Weatherproof. Near a 5k tungsten (1.2k HMI). Control box acts as a battery charger.
Lighting	Aputure	120D	Good light quality (though tungsten version is superior), output is limited, dimmer and power bank a bit clumsy, pretty good value
Lighting	Aputure	300D	Good value for output
Lighting	Aputure	300D II	Integrated ballast and controller, $1k, 20% brighter than v1, 350 watts, good light quality, lighting effects and Sidus Link App Integration	$1,000
Lighting	Aputure	300X	Bi-color version of 300D. Good color rendition and more versatile if you can take the output loss.
Lighting	Aputure	F7	Great all-purpose cheap light
Lighting	Aputure	MC	$90 launch. RGB LED; RGBWW; "Sidus Mesh Link" with other Aputure lights is cool; 100Lux@1M id s little low.	$90
Camera	Arri	Alexa
Camera	Arri	Alexa 65	Fantastic out-of-box image, pricey
Camera	Arri	Alexa LF	Price, Focus is tougher
Camera	Arri	Alexa Mini LF	This'll be popular since it's basically shrinking an Alexa while growing its sensor, but not worth the $50k+ for most non-professionals. It's even Netflix-approved.	$50,000
Lighting	Arri	SC60-C
Cine Lens	ARRI Signature Primes	Signature Primes	Full frame, Cine Lens,
Lighting	Arri SkyPanel S60-C		A pricey, well-built industry standard; 40lbs
Software	Artlist.io	Artlist.io	$199/yr music subscription service	199/yr
Lighting	Astera	NYX	Edison-style bulb, 14W E26 (like Aputure MC7), but at $130 seems way overpriced
Lighting	Astera	AX1	Tube LED with zones (similar to Digital Sputnik), 20-hr battery, phone control, easy to use,
Cine Lens	Atlas Anamorphic		Overly colorful flares and horizontal lines. Decent though considering they are in production and 'value' anamorphics. Only $8-$9k each.
Cine Lens	Atlas Orion	Orion	Anamorphic, Cine Lens,
Accessory	Atomos	AtomX Sync	This thing, paired with a Zoom F2, gets you wireless bluetooth timecode sync! No need to buy an Ultrasync Blue.
Software	Audiio		Lifetime music subscription for $199?
Shotgun	Audio Technica	AT8987
Lav/Phone	Audio Technica	ATR3350
Studio	Audio Technica	AT2035
Accessory	Autonomous	SmartDesk 2	Very cheap sit/stand desk Gerard Undone recommends but is supposedly the cheapest both in price and quality.
Microphone	Azden	SMX 15	Superior to Rode Video mic pro, inferior to Deity D3
Pre-amp	Beachtek	DSLR Pro	Old DXA-SLR PRO and new DXA-MICRO PRO differences: Size - the MICRO PRO is about half the size and weight (mounts above or below camera). The MICRO PRO has one XLR input with phantom power and two mono plus one stereo TRS inputs with plug-in power so you can use virtually any microphones with it. Preamps are very different: The MICRO PRO has between 3–6 times more gain so you can dramatically reduce the noisy camera gain to give you a much cleaner signal.
Pre-amp	Beachtek	DXA-MicroPro	Solid pre-amps, great choice for a few extra bucks, only one XLR input
Pre-amp	Beachtek	Micro Pro Plus	Like Micro Pro but adds a removable cheese plate to mount accessories and has a built-in LiPo battery for up to ten hours of run time.
Support (Gimbal)	Beholder DS-1	Beholder DS-1
Support (Gimbal)	Beholder MS-1	Beholder MS-1
Support (Tripod)	Benro	A2883FS4	Very compact size of for maximum portability (legs fold back over center column)
Support (Tripod)	Benro	S8
Camera	Blackmagic	Pocket Cinema Camera 6k G2	Updated to be more like the 'pro' model (same sensor, EVF support) but no ND's. This is just making their lineup confusing. But they are finally using the gyro in tandem with Resolve's stabilization. But is it available in Fusion?	$1,995	2022
Camera	Blackmagic	Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6k	Poor low light, big and heavy-ish (5lbs) too big for Ronin M, no proxy mode, poor internal color, color inconsistent with luma change.
Camera	Blackmagic	Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro
Camera	Blackmagic	Pocket Cinema Camera 4k	No EVF, Poor AF,
Camera	Blackmagic	Pocket Cinema Camera 6k	Great codec, menues, picture quality, metadata input, No EVF, Poor AF, New Camera, Poor Battery
Camera	Blackmagic	Micro Studio Camera 4K G2
USB	Blue	Snowball
Lighting	Boling	*P1	$150 launch. Small, RGB LED, Bright, Mountable, Bi-Color, High CRI/TLCI, Color effects (police car, TV, fire), just under Aputure F7 output, 3AmpHr internal battery 2.5 hrs at 100% power is incredible; 1480Lux@.5M; - at low levels color can't be fine-tuned	$150
Software	Cadrage	Cadrage	App (like Artemis) that acts as director's viewfinder
TxRx	CAME TV	CAME TV Crystal 800	HDMI only, WiFi output to few devices
Support (Gimbal)	CAME TV Action	CAME TV Action
Support (Gimbal)	CAME TV Single	CAME TV Single	Encoded motors! fast setup, joystick included, 1/4 20 monitor mount nice, larger space allows for up/down tilt. For $28 you get a wireless remote!
Lighting	CameTV	Boltzen 55W Fresnel
Lighting	CameTV	Boltzen Andromeda	Tube-style with built-in battery, barn doors and mounting points, a bit pricey but worth it for RGB
Lens	Canon	16-35mm f2.8	Full frame
Camera	Canon	1DX Mk III	Internal 10 bit 4:2:2, 4k with no crop though 60fps does crop, 5k internal raw video but 128GB=5 minutes record time, electronic but no IBIS stabilization, no articulating screen, but finally better Canon pre-amps!, low light is good at 12,800 ISO both noise and AF, no raw on HDMI out, This camera would have been awesome several years ago, now we're all wondering why it's not an RF mirrorless version.
Lens	Canon	28mm f1.8	Full frame
Camera	Canon	5D3
Camera	Canon	C200	ND, DualPixel AF, EVF, Battery Life, Audio Inputs, Proxies, Mediocre LCD, No Sensor Stabilization
Camera	Canon	C500mkII	`+ At $16k it's a more reasonably-priced C700, 6k, Built-in ND, Dual Pixel AF, + decent choice, great touch screen AF and smaller body than FX9 - EF mount; no RF	$16,000
Camera	Canon	C700 Full Frame	Pricey, Full frame at high frame rates to external recorder
Lens	Canon	CN7 17-120mm T2.9	$20k+ lens amongst the few that represents one of the few options for fast 'affordable' S35 lens with a decent zoom range. But it's big and heavy.	20000+
Camera	Canon	R5	+Articulating LCD +IBIS (8-stops to boot and works well in video mode) +120fps in 4k, no sensor crop, AF works too +"Good" codecs (raw not so much but decent h.265 options). A first for a Canon "DSLR" 🙂 + Looks like you can shoot "simultaneous movie recording (4K DCI) as 10-bit MP4 - Don't care about 8k - Overheating issues (back to Sony's early days) - I'm tired of "announcements" instead of cameras, and this one had a long and disgusting baiting period - The raw recording is simply impractical. Makes 0 sense. Expensive cards and ridiculous data rates. Just go Magic Lantern. - Poor battery life - No dual gain sensor - Only does raw recording in 8k where it's less-than-useful - "EF-S cropping not supported"-shucks, what lens would I use with this? - The R6 is looking to be the superior alternative. That said, I'd consider this camera for its 4k All-I log and Sony doesn't best it within a month 🙂
Camera	Canon	R6	+ Canon's most interesting thing in a decade. 20MP sensor is right where I want it for low-light but high-enough-resolution-for-stills compromise. + Well-performing IBIS. + 5K sensor for 4k video (I'd not mind a nice 2.5K but I suppose I can live with this) + 4k 60fps and HD 120fps (that'll do) + Canon log at 10-bit (this is the one we've been waiting for) + SD UHS-II + Articulating touch LCD + $2400 launch price. Now that's a good deal. Unless Sony comes out with matching/superior specs (e.g. built-in variable ND) then this is tough to top. I prefer lower resolution for video (even 4k is often too high). I don't love the cost of new card formats like CFExpress nor can I imagine how painful 8K video edits would be. And for no noticeable benefit. SD cards work with my built-in SD card reader (one less accessory), I may (fingers crossed) even get a proxy mode with the R6. Nope. 10-bit log is the sweet spot in terms of quality and usability. - Codecs aren't what I'd hoped for, despite 10-bit video appeal. No All-I option. Will 10-bit 4:2:2 long-GOP even edit decently? 120p data rates are low. - Overheating? - Battery life not looking good - Micro HDMI is fragile and they seem to have sufficient space - No dual SD recording or proxy mode - I'm nervous for rolling shutter - No dual gain sensor -When adapting EF lenses the lens stabilization doesn't work in tandem with sensor; they both work, but independently 🙁
Camera	Canon	T7i	Uses Digic7 so no Magic Lantern (the only thing redeeming Canon in the modern era), 1080p video, 24MP APS-C sensor, Dual pixel AF (45 point), 3" fully articulating LCD with touch. It's decent for stills/video use, but has weak video features in comparison with alternative options. $600
Camera	Canon	C70	I actually really like that Canon made this camera. - No EVF. Whyever not? + Built-in ND +Built-in Audio +WiFi app is great +Dual Pixel +Stabilization claims to be good? +DGO dual gain sensor +Excellent enhanced PDAF	$5,500
Lens	Canon	20mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Canon	24mm f2.8	Full frame
Cine Lens	Canon Sumire	Sumire	Full frame, Cine Lens, mount swappable EF/PL,
TxRx	Cinegears	Cinegears 2-in-1 2000M	Insanely long range
TxRx	Cinegears	Cinegears Ghost Eye 600M	10 bit 4:2:2 transmission
Software	CineGizmo	CineControl, CineTakes for ARRI	Metadata, camera control, rating, director's notes, all from an app.
Pre-amp	Comica	CVM-AX3	Fully featured, good performer, but a bit large.
Cine Lens	Cooke Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus	Anamorphic/i FF+	Full frame, Cine Lens, The image circle of the Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus lenses will cover a full 24 x 36 still size sensor (image diagonal of 43.27 mm), with a 1.8x squeeze.
	Cooke S4's		Painterly bokeh; Soft (pleasantly) on faces.
Cine Lens	Cooke S7/i	S7/i	Full frame, Cine Lens,
Accessory	Core	SWX Nano-C98	Canon battery with D-tap and USB out!
Super Cardiod Condenser with interference tube (shotgun)	Deity	S Mic 2	Very popular for the price; Deity's flagship mic. Accentuates mid-lows a bit much.
Super Cardiod Condenser with interference tube (shotgun)	Deity	S Mic 2s ("short" shotgun)	Shorter version of the S Mic 2. +$319 is great value for the kit - Accentuates mid-lows a bit much.	$319
Shotgun	Deity	V-Mic D3 Pro	RODE ousted this one with their newer NTG Awesome set of features and quality for on-camera mic. Deity D3 Pro is one of the best all-purpose microphones. It has a TTRS plug for phone or camera use (with adapter) Sounds awesome (for $200) and seems to work fine with Wireless GO (no squeal)Internal (50hrs) battery Super Cardioid (no interference tube so not a shotgun) +Charges USB C +Stepless gain knob
TxRx	Deity	*BP-TRX	A real Swiss-army knife. It's small and a transceiver (can both transmit and receive single channel of audio) but it's also an accurate timecode box, USB-C audio interface, and a recorder. BUT you can't transmit and record at the same time UNLESS you buy outside the USA 🙁 (Zaxcom patent?) + It can transmit to up to 4 Rx units in STEREO + Camera Hop mode can output timecode to the camera along with audio -No 32-bit recording	$250
TxRx	Deity	Connect	Excellent range, great UI, 2.4GHz but smart, mixable output, great value, link Rx together to receive up to 4 Tx, set Tx from Rx, powers 60–70 ohm headphones, $650 US, Better than RODE Link or than Sennheiser	$650
Lighting	Digital Sputnik	Voyager	Cool zoned RGB LED but pricey.
Lighting	Digital Sputnik
TxRx	DJI	DJI Transmission	6km low latency transmitter/receiver with built-in 7" 1500 nit screen with built-in recording (supports timecoded proxies). Didn't see anamorphic desqueeze. Sony "mirror mode" allows menu control when camera is inaccessible. 68ms latency is average.	$2,499	2022
Support (Gimbal)	DJI	Ronin S	Best bet for reliability, support, and features
Support (Gimbal)	DJI	Ronin RSC 2	- It's heavier than the original (2.65lbs vs 2.43 lbs) and no carbon fiber 🙁 More compact and foldable (7"x7" footprint) + Built-in OLED for settings and active track control + Supports 6.6lbs vs 4.85 lbs of original +- New 14 hr battery but you'll have to buy new batteries	$499
Support (Gimbal)	DJI	Ronin RS 2	"RavenEye" Image Tx optional accessory to mobile devices using Ronin app with 60ms latency (Hollyland Mars 400s Pro is 80ms or .08s for comparison). (1080 30fps up to 600'). But RavenEye only uses internal battery for 4hrs of charge and won't accept external power while running. It also only transmits to ONE device at a time unlike many alternatives on the market. TOF (IR) dual sensors for AF with manual lenses $849 USD at launch ($999 w/case Focus motor, Tx, but no TOF system?) +2.86 lbs with 10-lb payload +3 USB-C connectors for multiple devices +12 hour battery with 15-minute quick charge (for +2 hours) +Dual handle available	$849
Support (Gimbal)	DJI	Ronin SC	40% lighter than Ronin S, smaller Ronin S. 11 hour battery life. +Has USB C port in arm for powering accessories - Maximum 4lb payload isn't realistically met with some setups because you can't pull the camera far enough back without it hitting the arm.	$300
Microphone	DPA	4017b	+Fantastic Sound -High Price 🙂
Shotgun	DPA	DPA 4017-B	Curtis recommends this one highly so it's on the list. I've never used it. Too rich for my blood.
Support (Tripod)	E-image	EK60AAM
Support (Slider)	Edelkrone
Lighting	Falcon Eyes BL-30TD		Aputure 300D Alternative but bi-color
TxRx	Feidu	FM50	RODE Wireless go competition for ~$100, comes with low quality lav, +replaceable battery	$120
Camera	Fujifilm	*XT-30	XT-30 is cheaper than XT-3at $700, still no IBIS,4k 30fps, 10-bit external only, 10 minute limit, APS-C, great AF, great color, good lens choices
Camera	Fujifilm	*XT-4	Articulating lcd APS-C 4K60240fps though not great IQ 10bit HEVC 400mbps IBIS (better than Sony, worse than Olympus) headphone out requires USB-C adapter
Camera	Fujifilm	XT-2	At $900 it's a great value. Rather comparable to the XT-3, no BSI sensor, 1.18x crop in 4k video, no 10-bit, faster processing means much better AF on XT-3, HEVC recording on XT-3, rolling shutter better on XT-3, does shoot F-log, 1080 120fps,
Camera	Fujifilm	XT-3	APS-C, $1500 launch, no IBIS, 4k 60fps, 10-bit h.265, F-log, 4:2:2 over HDMI, dual SD slots, great EVF
Lens	Fujinon	MK	MK series are great, s35 lenses, parfocal, and as fast as you can get (T2.9) without getting big and pricey. Much cheaper than Cabrio series.
Lens	Fujinon	Premista 28-100mm t2.9	46mm image circle (full frame) but pro-priced. If you really want a full frame fast zoom lens here you go
FV150	Godox		This is the most excited I've been about a light in awhile. It's a combo photo flash and continuous LED for video unit. Instead of a flash tube it basically 'overcharges' the COB LED 400% or two stops brighter than it is in video mode. That said, it feels very first generation and I think the next wave of these will be worth buying. It just doesn't do either the photo or video job great and that reduces its value to me. - Does NOT freeze motion well; its minimum duration sucks 🙁 Modeling light while shooting photos though there's a bit of a pause after each shot so you're in the dark a bit. How loud is fan? It's not quite there with remote and flash Tx controlling everything so you have to pull it down and mess with knobs on the back still. A v2 of this will be awesome. - No TTL - Power equivalent to AD200 at 1/16 or around 1/4 power of a regular old speedlight. That's just not quite enough for me, even for indoor studio use. + None of the HSS disadvantages because no reduction in output +You have a killer modeling lamp built in + Comes with remote and phone app +Comes with umbrella holder. + We're getting close with LED in color to a real flash!
FV200	Godox		About what you'd expect. A brighter version of FV150. Fan noise seems comparable?
VL300	Godox		Great value and quality! Finally! The first Godox lights kinda sucked but I would actually use this for video now and at $750 it's closer to where Aputure started with their lights, just that this is similar to current Aputure quality. @1M 11,300 Lux	$750
Lighting	Godox	LC 500	Compare to YongNuo and Andromeda?
Lighting	Godox	SL 200	Compare to Aputure 300D and Falcon Eyes BL-30TD; loud for video
Lighting	Godox	SL 150W Mark II	Fan noise fixed! Same brightness, color accuracy etc.
Lens	Hasselblad Vario-Tes E ZA	16–70mm F4 f4
Lighting	Hive	Superhornet 575c
TxRx	Hollyland	Cosmo C1	`+ Built-in USB-C plugs Rx into computer for a 1080p 60 signal to be recognized as a webcam and streamed +1000' range 5GHz frequency-hopping "HEVO" Timecode? 4 systems can work at once +40ms latency is excellent (should be imperceptible) -Loopout is SDI-only -Only works with ONE Tx to Rx!	$900	2021
TxRx	Hollyland	Hollyland Mars 300	Good budget system ($400) with similar latency (100ms) to Nyrius; has loop out on TX	$400
TxRx	Hollyland	*Hollyland Mars 300 Pro	.08 Seconds latency (similar to non-pro, but hybrid camera's latency is the bigger issue), 300' range, 136 grams (sans battery), HDMI loopout and dual output on receiver. Comes in Standard $449 (built-in internal antenna), Enhanced $469 (better build quality and external antenna and Transmitter only $199 (for phones/tablets); Sony NPF battery or USB-C power inputs - Does NOT accept 4k input - 2.4GHz only - No audio transmission	$450
TxRx	Hollyland	Hollyland Mars 400S	400' range, SDI and HDMI inputs, better OLED screen, .1 second latency
TxRx	Hollyland	Hollyland Cosmo 2000	2000' pro solution (Teradek competition) 5GHz
TxRx	Hollyland	Hollyland Cosmo 600	$1700 (though I've seen it as low as $1.1k which is an awesome deal), Why is it pro? SDI input, uncompressed transmission, signal encryption, timecode transfer. 5GHz -1080 input only	$1,700
TxRx	Hollyland	Mars X	$179 launch, AccSoon CineEye competition, an HDMI-only Tx which transmits to mobile devices only.	$179
Support (Tripod)	iFootage	Gazelle TA6	Fenn likes the bowl because it allows for small leveling adjustments without adjusting leg height. He also loves center columns for height adjustment without messing with legs. The Benro Aero tripods and the iFootage Gazelle provide both.
Support (Slider)	iFootage	Shark Mini
TxRx	Inkee	BenBox	INKEE Benbox is a $109 5.8GHz WiFi Video Tx for 3 mobile devicews	$109
Lighting	Intellytech	Fast Frame Scrim & Diffuser	($350) This 6.5'x5' diffusion+grid is particularly easy to assemble and take down since you leave the diffusion and egg crate on	$350
Lighting	Intellytech	MEGA-LiteCloth	3'x4.5' foldable LED mat for under $2k, makes for a simple large-but-portable light source
Lens	Irix	15mm f2.4	Full frame, Affordable and awesome, just not quite as good as the Laowa 15mm f2
Camera	Kinefinity	Mavo LF	A great picture but at this price point I want a brand with a reliable track record. There are now other cameras near this price point that offer superior usability and reliability.
Cine Lens	Kowa anamorphic		Compression skew distortion is strong. Like the small size and weight but image has some issues.
Lens	Laowa	12mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Laowa	15mm f2	Full frame
Cine Lens	Laowa OOOM 25–100mm T2.9		Look out Angenieux 🙂 This is only $5k. With rear anamorphic adapter for $6.5k! Just over Aps-C coverage. 1.33x
Field Recorder	Lectrosonics		They're a big name but come with a big price. Not really up the alley of this site.
Lighting	Ledgo	LG-G260
Cine Lens	Leica Thalia	Thalia	Full frame, Cine Lens, $250k for the set but Fenn would really like to try these
Software	Lesspain	Kyno	Checksum, frame.io support, popular movie codec support, metadata support, but works like bridge where metadata is in hidden sidecar files and has no database
Lighting	Lume Cube	Panel	Cell-phone sized bi-color LED panel. 400Lux@1M; CRI 96+
Lighting	Lupo	Dayled 2000
Lighting	Lupo	Superpanel Dual Color 60	70k lux at a meter (like an Arri M18 with 1200watt bulb) ! or 45k lux on battery power, draws 45 watts, $1790 is reasonable price for that type of output,
Lighting	Lupo	Superpanel Full Color 60
Lighting	Luxli	Taiko
Cine Lens	Meike FF		Fullframe coverage for <$1k each sounds interesting. Compare Rokinons, DZOFilm Vespids, SLR Magic APO MicroPrime, Sigma
Support (Tripod)	Miller	CiNX	Awesome revamping of fluid head design for heavier cameras. Miller has always excelled at making light-weight tripods that perform well with heavier loads. These are professionally-priced as well however.
Lighting	Nanlite	Forza 300
Lighting	Nanlite	Forza 500	One of the better options for high output COB lights available.
Lighting	Nanlite	Forza 60
Support (Gimbal)	Nebula 4000 Lite	Nebula 4000 Lite
Support (Gimbal)	Nebula 4200 3-axis	Nebula 4200 3-axis
Support (Gimbal)	Nebula 4200 5-axis	Nebula 4200 5-axis
Support (Gimbal)	Nebula 4200 Lite	Nebula 4200 Lite
Camera	Nikon	Z6
TxRx	Nyrius	Nyrius Aries Pro	Best bang for buck consumer system; no SMA antenna
Microphone	Oktava	MK-012 or MC012	I love these litle mics and have for many years. Handling noise is an issue. Gut the electronics for even better performance. My voice works so well with this mic. It's got great lower-end response.
Lav/Phone	Oscar Tech		I love these little lav mics. Affordable and great sounding for a lav.
Lens	Panasonic	10-25mm f1.7	Great performance, prime quality, MFT, pricey
Lens	Panasonic	100-300mm f5.6	MFT
Camera	Panasonic	G7	No IBIS, bigger (DSLR sized), has drive mode dial and focus switch, articulating LCD, mic input, no log but does have Cinelike D and V, great touch screen, no 4k internal and simultaneous HDMI ($500)
Camera	Panasonic	GH4	MFT 'small sensor', poor video AF and low light, great stabilization, great internal codecs and external 10-bit recording, comfortable to use, a very solid choice for a hybrid video/photo camera
Camera	Panasonic	GH5	MFT 'small sensor', 5-axis IBIS with lens+in body stabilization, full width 4k video, internal 10 bit, internal LUT preview, vectorscope, waveform, auto ISO in Manual mode, full-size HDMI,
Camera	Panasonic	GX85	Fantastic budget option ($400), IBIS, high IQ, great touch screen, no log, no mic input, only 90º screen articulation, no cine profiles
Camera	Panasonic	G85	Bigger than G85 adds mic jack, updated IBIS and flash, also adds "cine" profiles but NO log	$900
Camera	Panasonic	GX9	Small camera but pretty big 4k video crop
Camera	Panasonic	LX100	Excellent all-in-one compact, fantastic lens, 4k, No remote shutter control port, no headphone jack, no mic jack, no V-Log, no touch screen, no articulating screen, $600
Camera	Panasonic	S1	$2500, IBIS, L-mount, paid upgrade for 10 bit and log, mediocre AF
Camera	Panasonic	S1H	Unprecedented video quality in a mirrorless ILC camera for $4000. 6k, full frame, great bit rates, 10-bit, log, 60p, IBIS, articulating screen, great EVF, L-mount
Camera	Panasonic	ZS100	10x (25-250mm) LEICA 2.8–5.9, 4k HD (no log), timelapse
Camera	Panasonic	ZS200	Incredible 15x zoom for a 1" sensor (24mm–360mm). 5 axis stabilization is sensor or just lens though? No log. No phase detect AF. No ND.
Lighting	Pilotfly	*AtomCube Rx1	Bluetooth mesh, 2500K–8500K, Effects, Color-accurate, good output. Serious contender to Boling P1 or Aputure MC.
Support (Gimbal)	Pilotfly H1	Pilotfly H1
Support (Gimbal)	Pilotfly H1+	Pilotfly H1+
Support (Gimbal)	Pilotfly H2	Pilotfly H2
Accessory	PolarPro	Peter McKinnon Variable ND	+Philip Bloom is impressed by performance (sharpness) with telephoto lenses
Lighting	Profound/Blind Spot	Crack Light	Excellent CRI/TLCI; waterproof, South Korean manf. "Profound" distributing through "Blind Spot" company.
Lighting	Quasar	Q-LED T8	No mounting options, requires AC, no RGB, dimmer sold separately
Lighting	Quasar	RGB
TxRx	R2Teck	R2Teck DVLM 100	HDMI only, WiFi output
Lighting	Rayzr 7	300 Daylight
Camera	Red	Helium 8k Epic	DSMC2 body with internal WiFi means "FoolControl" focus and camera control and lighter weight. Still need a module just to power the camera and expensive accessories with long wait times to get a Raven or Scarlet (and camera has crazy-long boot-up times). Low light is finally here with Helium sensor. Windowed resolutions for lower res rather than scaling seems unfortunate but you can get ProRes 2k proxy and Fusion scales well.
Camera	Red	Helium 8k S35	S35 sensor
Camera	Red	Monstro 8k VV	Vista Vision (close to full frame) sensor
Camera	Red	Ranger with Gemini 5K S35 Sensor	Rental-only item that adds the most needed features to the standard brain
Slider	Rhino	Arc II	I need to buy one of these and try it personally. I've never found a slider I really loved and others say this did it for them.
Microphone (supercardiod) Shotgun	RODE	*VideoMic NTG	+Good Sound and great features. I frequently recommend this as a starter mic because it's just so handy. +Adapts to recording source (camera TRS, mobile TRRS etc.) +USB mic option (built-in A>D) and you can then plug headphones into mic itself and monitor +Safety track to reduced gain on Right channel (doesn't work with single channel TRRS to a phone obviously) + Included shock mount +Allows gain from Mic to Line to Headphone level right within camera (will have to compare with external and camera pre-amps) +Has physical power button so works with Atomos recorders that don't trigger the Deity to turn on +$249 good value +RF interference seems well controlled for a RODE mic (and aluminum body) - lacks the option of balanced output for longer cable runs without interference (Deity D3 pro does have this)
Wireless	Rode	*Wireless Go	Incredible at $200. Performs best in line-of-sight scenarios, doesn't work with all external mics (excessive squeal due to what, RF? Plug-in Power? who knows?) but very easy to set up. Cuts out around 200’ but MUST be line of site (talent can turn and have their body between mic and receiver)
Lav/Phone	Rode	iXy	For beginners, I'd suggest just spending $80 on a Zoom H1 and practice keeping it close to the sound source.
Shotgun	Rode	NTG2
Shotgun	Rode	NTG3	I tend to say if you're going to spend the extra money over an NTG5 then just get a Sennheiser 416
Rode	Rode	NTG5	+If you have the $1k just get the 416 and move on with life. It's a consistent winner. If not, check out the NTG5. +Great value, shorter/lighter than NTG3 and $500 is good for a true RF-bias mic (works in humid conditions though if you need it) +Better self-noise performance than the budget mics. + Comes with a shock mount -$500 doesn't get you double the sound of the VideoMic NTG and you lose convenience -Very natural response - Requires phantom power. A mic without self power options may sound superior but is practically limiting -I'm concerned about sample variation with this microphone. The tests I've heard do not sound consistent and I've had many more problems with RODE than with Sennheiser.
Lav/Phone	Rode	SmartLav+
Microphone	Rode | MOVO | Comica	Rode Video Micro; Comica VM10II	A decent, small, camera-top microphone for ENG-style shooting. Great for the price.
Cine Lens	Rokinon XEEN	XEEN	Cine Lens, Best deal, strong coma in 24mm, bigger and heavier than need to be, not color consistent
Support (Tripod)	Sachtler	Ace	Very poor quality
Lens	Samsung	16-50mm S f2–2.8
Lens	Samsung	30mm Pancake
Lens	Samsung	45mm 1.8
Lens	Samsung	50-200
Lens	Samsung	85mm f1.4	NX mount depricated
Camera	Samsung	NX1	Amazing first-gen camera. Sad they nixed it. USB3, NFC,WiFi, BT, h.265, No log, no ND, Lenses are biggest deal, no Aputure DEC compatibility, no Sigma Art lenses, no true Log profile, no electronic Canon adapters even. Edelkrone shutter release cable? Look at the firmware updates.
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	135mm f2	Full frame
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	14mm f2.4	Full frame
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	14mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	14mm f2.8	Full frame, AF!
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	16mm f2
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	20mm f1.8	Full frame
Lens	Samyang/Rokinon/Bower	24mm f1.4
Microphone (cardiod)	Sanken	CS3-e	Very popular mic for something like indoor dialog
Wireless	Saramonic	Blink 500 B2	A cheap dual channel wireless mic. 2.4 GHz | Mediocre quality sound Competes with RODE Wireless GO for $50 more - No LCD screen - Larger than RODE (sticks out the back of hot shoe) - When using two Tx it mixes the audio together 🙁 - No iPhone lightning adapter - Way worse in range tests (cuts out eat 50ft in some tests 300ft in others) Just don’t interrupt line of site (talent turns around) + Comes with 2 (see negative though) + Plugs into Android type C phones +Built-in mic	$250
Wireless	Saramonic	Blink 500 Pro	Comes as a single or dual Tx. General improvement in battery, range and durability. Similar to initial 2.4GHz offering. +If it's range is truly decent then it's better than the Wirelss GO +Two dedicated 3.5mm outputs for monitoring and camera at the same time +Truly two channel (the first summed into one channel...rather useless)	229-299
Pre-amp	Saramonic	SmartRig	Lower quality. I'd say don't go there unless your camera has really bad internal preamps
Pre-amp	Saramonic	SR-PAX1
Pre-amp	Saramonic	SR-PAX2	Great unit for price, good pre-amps, +48v, dual mono summing, detailed levels and battery display, comparable to Beachtek. 9v batteries are annoying but standard in these sort of pre-amps, no headphone volume adjustment, physically larger than the Beachtek Micro Pro
Microphone (super cardioid)	Schoeps	CMC641	Very popular mic for something like indoor dialog ($1600)
Microphone	Senal	SCI-3212	+Pretty incredible for sub $100 (better than Samson C02) +$150 for all three: omni, cardiod, and supercardioid capsules - A bit harsh on the high end
Shotgun	Sennheiser	ME66/K6	This is the 'budget 416' but it's actually suprisingly good. It's just a bit 'tinnier' than the 416 but if you get the K6 power module with the ME64 and ME66 you've got a great setup for indoors and outdoors for $500.
Shotgun	Sennheiser	MKH-416	The "Industry standard" shotgun mic but for $1k there are finally some really good alternatives if you can't afford it. In my blind testing, I fairly consistently gravitate toward this mic for some reason. It likely has to do with how the bass is acccentuated and high end articulation as well. It just feels "present" to me in a way that is very pleasing, sounding much more like a larger diaphragm condensor than most of the other options. These differences, however, are subtle, and most people will benefit from buying multiple mics and accessories for $500 rather than spending it all on the mic. That said, this mic has withstood the test of time like no other (it's from the '70's!) and it just keeps on winning. It is warm on the low end, but it's consistent despite proximity to subject. This resistance to "proximity effect" is a fairly valuable trait when it comes to something like a shotgun mic that may be placed at various distances from the subject. It's also something too few reviewers consider. They also don't test female voices enough in their demos. Sennheiser is a reliable brand. Much moreso than RODE or Deity from my experience.
Lens	Sigma	10–20mm 3.5
Lens	Sigma	14–24 f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Sigma	14mm f1.8	Full frame, Excellent lens
Lens	Sigma	16mm f1.4
Lens	Sigma	18-35 f1.8
Lens	Sigma	20mm f1.4	Full frame, Excellent lens but no filtration
Lens	Sigma	20mm f1.8
Lens	Sigma	24-35mm f2	Full frame, Big and heavy, large filter thread
Lens	Sigma	24mm f1.4	Full frame, Excellent optically BUT for star and night stuff not ideal as coma performance at f1.4 and f2 is bad. Good at f2.8 in every aspect.
Lens	Sigma	28mm f1.4	Full frame
Lens	Sigma	500–100 f1.8
Lens	Sigma	50mm f1.4	Full frame
Lens	Sigma APS E	19mm f2.8
Lens	Sigma APS E	30mm 2.8
Lens	Sigma APS E	60mm f2.8
Cine Lens	Sigma Cine	Cine	Full frame, Cine Lens, Look wonderful , Art quality sharp, but breath somewhat (Wolfcrowe says a lot, Matt Duclos says a little and mainly in 14mm). Electronic contacts for lens metadata! 14mm and 135mm at f2.0 are uncommonly fast for cine lenses.
Lens	Sirui	50mm f1.8 Anamorphic	1.33x is a mild anamorphic lens (not an adapter) Designed for S35 use, not full-frame +well made, suprisingly sharp even at f.18 (for anamorphic which is a low sharpness standard) - Only Sony E, Fuji X and MFT Mounts
Cine Lens	Sirui FF Anamorphics		T2.9; 35mm; 50mm 75mm; 100mm; 1.6x!!! 82mm filter thread (fixed) - .75m close focus is comparable
Pre-amp	Sonosax	SX-M2D2	$1k but nice! Works as audio interface, plug a phone or computer in. Highest quality pre-amps
Camera	Sony	FX30	`+Great value for 10-bit S-log 3, USB web cam, -APS-C crop sensor, mediocre rolling shutter (between A74 and A7s3), poor photo ability, low light not quite as good as full frame siblings though it is a true base ISO for once	$1,800
Camera	Sony	A7 IV	`+Full frame, 4k 60 (S35) , Articulating Screen, 33 MP, - Rolling shutter bad - HDMI out still blacks screen when showing 'info' overlay
Camera	Sony	Z-V1	+ USB power works to power camera + At around $800 you get a lot of a6600 plus a nice lens for little money + Stabilization works well - Still has that annoying 1/4" thread-covered-by-QR plate issue - Minor crop in 4k - Loses f1.8 at all but widest zoom
Camera	Sony	*A7III	Best hybrid photo/video camera of 2019 for the price, great AF, good lens options, proxy recording (though not while using face detection), full frame, S-log 2 (though only 8-bit)
Lens	Sony	16–50 f2.8
Lens	Sony	16–50 pancake f3.5-5.6
Lens	Sony	16mm Pancake f2.8
Lens	Sony	20mm Pancake 2.8
Lens	Sony	28mm f2	Full frame
Lens	Sony	35mm f1.4	Full frame, Excellent lens
Lens	Sony	35mm f1.8
Lens	Sony	50mm f1.8
Lens	Sony	55mm f1.8 ZA f1.8	Full frame
Camera	Sony	a6300	One of the first 4k cameras with full pixel readout, overheating and rolling shutter issues, terrible battery life, no headphone jack
Camera	Sony	a6400	No internal stabilization; 425 Phase- & Contrast-Detect AF Points, Intervalometer, S-log2, best LCD of a6300 and a6500 as it has a 180º selfie mode,
Camera	Sony	a6500	Touchscreen, 5-axis IBIS, only 90º LCD which is a downgrade from previous a6400, 11fps, face and eye tracking
Camera	Sony	a6600	Better battery life! Great AF, IBIS is mediocre, low light good, bad rolling shutter still, single SD slot, headphone jack. It's close to a73 in price so it can't sell all that well.
Camera	Sony	A7RII	42MP, IBIS, 4k video, log, great AF, rolling shutter poor, fullframe less quality than the downscaled s35 crop mode
Camera	Sony	A7RIV	61MP, IBIS, AI-powered eye AF, rolling shutter issues
Camera	Sony	A7SII	12mp, IBIS, 100mbps XAVC-S, S-log2, everyone awaits an update
Camera	Sony	A7SIII	`-12MP sensor still is just too low for photos in 2020 - IBIS isn't quite up to competition - HEVC is oddly missing 4k30 +Menus and touch screen are much better + 10 bit interal + High grame rates + High quality in every mode: HD (oversampled not line skipped), and all frame rates + 4:2:0 10-bit HEVC edits easily 🙂 +- All-I 4k120 is the only mode that needs the pricey card + S-log 3 base ISO is now 160.
Camera	Sony	FS5	Many awesome features (electronic variable ND especially), but in real life I didn't enjoy using it, clunky menu, slow to access critical controls, etc.
Camera	Sony	FX3	Why does this exist? Just get an A7s3. For $400 more what are you really getting that competes with losing an EVF? More tally lights, active cooling fans, S-cinetone is now on both; the only real plus I see is more 1/4" mounting points for "cage-free" operation.
Camera	Sony	FX6	`+ Variable ND rules as always + Official dual native ISO at 800 and 12800 - Why buy this over the A7s3? No IBIS, fiddly touch focus, limited codecs, bigger body, no audio inputs except on top handle, weird camera restart requirements...
Camera	Sony	FX9	`+ $10k, Full frame, E-mount, Great Hybrid AF (though it needs a touch screen), - Metadata-gyro-based post stabilization (no IBIS) - IBIS, XAVC-I, XAVC-L, 16-bit raw 4K, Dual ISO, Electronic Variable ND is awesome, Venice "color science", S-cinetone
Camera	Sony	RX100 V	24–701.8–2.8 but on a 1" sensor that doesn't get you much depth. Built in ND. Phase detect AF. LCD tilts all the way up for reverse shots.
Camera	Sony	Venice	Interchangeable sensor, 6 micron pixel pitch, updated color science, support for true 4-perf anamorphic lenses (cropped sensor), standard Bayer sensor, claimed 15 stop DR, 16-bit linear to AXS-R7 recorder and X-OCN for full frame raw 6k (2Gb/sec), native ISO 500, up to 8-stops built-in ND, cons: not a high speed king (only 60fps@Super35); anamorphic 4k and full frame are both paid firware upgrades
Lens	Sony ZA	24mm f1.8	Full frame
Lens	Sony ZA	35mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Sony ZA	55mm f1.8	Full frame
Lens	Sony ZE	24mm 1.8
Field Recorder	Sound Devices	633
Field Recorder	Sound Devices	688
Field Recorder	Sound Devices	MixPre10t	See new MixPre II Series with 32-bit float recording
Field Recorder	Sound Devices	MixPre3	Don't get "M" versions for music; High quality, great analog limiters, 3rd part controller support, Android support,
Field Recorder	Sound Devices	MixPre6	See new MixPre II Series with 32-bit float recording
Microphone	Sure	Shure SM7B
Lens	Tamron	15-30mm f2.8	Full frame, Good lens, no filters
Lens	Tamron	18–200mm 3.5-6.3
Lens	Tamron	18–400
Lens	Tamron	24-70mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Tamron	28-75mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Tamron	28–75mm f2.8	Full frame
Field Recorder	Tascam	DR-10L	Like Zoom F1 but only a lav mic recorder. Supposedly the 10L is the US version without headphone out while recording but it worked for me.
Field Recorder	Tascam	DR-40X
Field Recorder	Tascam	DR05	Inferior pre-amps to Zoom but omni internal mic is nice for field recording.
Field Recorder	Tascam	DR100mkIII
Field Recorder	Tascam	DR60dmkII
Field Recorder	Tascam	DR701D	Not as great now that we have better Zoom and Sound Device alternatives
Sound	Tentacle	Track E	Like the Sync E, but it RECEIVES timecode and acts as a mini 32-bit recorder. I wish they would have made it act as a sync-outputting device as well -"The Track E will be able to be jammed from an external timecode source, but it won't be able to send out timecode. the headphone out if active while recording, BUT everywhere except the US."	$350
TxRx	Teradek	Teradek Bolt 500 LT	"Industry Standard" if you support Vitec
Accessory	Tilta	*Nucleus Nano	Incredibly value for under $200, decent motor strength (but test with cine lenses as you do get what you pay for) and just enough programmability
Accessory	Timecode Systems	UltraSync Blue	`+AtomX SYNC with Atomos Ninja V is only $150 and this gets you BT sync just like the Blue? This is awesome as it's essentially a way to sync MovieSlate to NinjaV recordings sans cable, but it would be better if more apps other than Mavis (i.e. Filmic Pro) would support the protocol. That way I could have iPhone camera in sync without cables via nothing but the BT connection. HDMI devices have a lag which throws off timecode, necessitating the "calibrate" button (2-9 frames) Ultra Sync One is the similarly-priced Timecode System's Tentacle (Tentacle E is around $290 and UltraSync1 is $299) UltraSync Blue is $179, uses BlueTooth to sync up to four devices within 33' (RF system goes 650'). There is no LTC on this system! But it does sync with MovieSlate. +Now that the Zoom F2 is out this option looks rather fun. You could jam from the BLUE: the iPhone (FilmicPro? NOPE. Mavis only.) a Zoom F2 (or other with BlueTooth module) and MovieSlate. Works with Apogee MetaRecorder app for iOS. Then you could Tentacle Jam from MovieSlate.
Cine Lens	Todd AO Anamorphic		Never heard of but liking. Distracting bokeh. APS-C to FF coverage from wide to tight focal lengths.
Lens	Tokina	11-16mm f2.8
Lens	Tokina	11-20mm f2.8
Lens	Tokina	14-20mm f2
Lens	Tokina	24-70mm f2.8	Full frame
Lens	Tokina	50-135mm t2.9	V2 is a great upgrade, great value lens
Cine Lens	Tokina	Vista	Full frame (larger than Vista Vision), sharp wide open, beautiful falloff
Cine Lens	Tokina Cine	Cine	S35, Cine Lens, Very nice! No breathing.
TxRx Monitor	Vaxis	A5H	`+just a step below the Ninja V quality-wise and built-in Tx/Rx is handy - Screen brightness not really 1000 nits and blacks lift at high brightness - Range on Tx Rx isn't great and Vaxis app is quite primitive	900 kit 499 solo	2021
TxRx	Vaxis	*Atom 500	500' transmission, 1080p60, Mobile App Transmission (3–4 devices); built-in antenna, NPF batteries and USB-C power, 158 grams, they claim encryption and uncompressed transmission–at this price point? Summer 2020 for $299 which is dirt cheap. + Excellent range results ~1000' (well-beyond manufacture claims) + 5Ghz + Transmits Audio! + USB-C power - App is iOS only as of 2020 - App is limited (no LUT capability) - Can't monitor multiple camera streams at once in app	$480
Lens	Vazen	40mm T2 Anamorphic	1.8x, $3k so cheap in terms of anamorphics, MFT
Lighting	VILTROX	L116T	Cheap and large-ish source
Pre-amp	Wooden Camera	A-Box Plus	Small size at last! Light weight, Canon LP-E6 battery,
Lighting	Yongnuo	YN360	RGB Light Wand
Lighting	Yongnuo	YN360II Pro	Bicolor light wand
Lighting	Yongnuo	YN360S	Bicolor light wand
Camera	Z Cam	E2	This would have been more exciting several years ago, but now, for the price, why not just get a camera with an EVF, LCD, stabilization, etc? Variable electronic ND in the mount is nice.
Field Recorder	Zaxcom	Diva
Field Recorder	Zaxcom	Maxx
Field Recorder	Zaxcom	Nomad
Camera	ZCam	E2	Awesome features for price. ProRes raw, 10bit h265, control via ninja V, phone app. Same MFT sensor as BMPCC? 160 fps h.265 4k; ProRes 4K 60p
Lens	Zeiss	25mm f2	Full frame
Lens	Zeiss Milvus	18mm f2.8	Full frame
Cine Lens	Zeiss Supreme Primes FF	Supreme Primes FF	Full frame, Cine Lens, Zeiss Supreme Primes FF
Lens	Zeiss Touit	12mm f2.8
Lens	Zeiss Touit	32mm f1.8
Lens	Zeiss Touit	50mm f2.8
Field Recorder	Zoom	F2	- Only has BT sync? No ability to jam via LTC so it's tough with mirrorless cameras unless you use something like Movieslate as a 'trasnlator' between the BT timecode and LTC. - No headphone out while recording in US? Thanks Zax. + 32-bit means set and forget recording. Though I'd suppose you have to adjust headphone levels. +14 hours of battery life would be MUCH better than I've experienced on Tascam DR10L
Field Recorder	Zoom	F1	Size and 10-pin acessory port add great flexibility. Sadly, no phantom power (not even with capsules), RF interference prone (airplane mode); mid-range quality pre-amps; works as USB interface to PC -Only 2-channel - Can you monitor via headphone jack while recording?	$200
Field Recorder	Zoom	F4	Cheap option for TC generation which H6 lacks, Great pre-amps with low noise, look-ahead limiters are good, F-control accessory, automix, screen inferior to F8, 8AA batteries cumbersome. No app integration for metadata input like F8 has. Battery life ppor.
Field Recorder	Zoom	F6	+Dual analog A>D converter party trick means 'never clip' has come to Zoom. + Works with app using $30 bluetooth accessory (great to enter metadata on set) -Headphone out is subpar -No balanced output (only 3.5mm) -No instrument in capability for guitar
Field Recorder	Zoom	F8
Field Recorder	Zoom	F8n	Update makes headphone gain improvement,
Field Recorder	Zoom	H1	Best option for price if budget-limited. Gets you superior audio to in-camera mic for <$100 Works as a lav mic recorder for interviews too.
Field Recorder	Zoom	H1n	Updated H1 with better build quality.
Field Recorder	Zoom	H4n
Field Recorder	Zoom	H4n Pro	Has a weak pre-amp so no good with Rode NTG2
Field Recorder	Zoom	H5	Self noise improved from H4n; accessory shoe adds versatility
Field Recorder	Zoom	H6	Self noise improved from H4n, 4 built-in inputs plus accessory shoe adds major versatility
Lav/Phone	Zoom	iQ7
Lighting		YN360II Pro RGB	RGB Light Wand
Lens
Lens