Professional Reef Photography and Video Gear
Hi everyone! I’m creating this professional reef photography gear page after shooting some footage at the Tidal Gardens BBQ. I met a number of super talented reef keepers who were interested in photography and video and had some questions about the setup I was using. I figured it would be easier to create one page than to send messages to each person.
I’ll continue to update this page with sample footage and images as I begin to edit the content, but wanted to share with you the gear I was using.
Probably the most unique item I was using was the Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens for Canon EF. This super unique lens comes in Canon EF (regular and Cine-Mod), Nikon F and Pentax K, Sony E, and ARRI PL (Cine-Mod) mounts so you have a lot of options.
Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens
Here are links to the various mounts, I used the Canon EF mount with a Sigma MC-11 adapter for Sony:Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 2X Macro Probe Lens with Canon EF Mount
Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens for Canon EF (Cine-Mod Version)
Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens for Sony E
Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens for Nikon F
Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens for Pentax K
Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Lens for ARRI PL (Cine-Mod Version)
My Cameras
I have a lot of cameras because I review gear, but here are a few options at various price points. The Canon bodies are the easiest to use in my opinion. The Sony and Fuji bodies offer superior image quality, frame rates and low-light performance:Sony A7iii (my Sony a7iii review)
Sony a6400 (my Sony a6400 review)
Canon M50 (my Canon M50 review)
Canon 5D Mark IV
Fuji X-T3 (my Fuji X-T3 review)
Canon SL3 (my Canon SL3 review)
Canon SL2 (my Canon SL2 review)
My Slider
I use a lot of camera sliders, but here is the super portable one you saw me with. It’s not the most stable slider, but it is the smallest and lightest one I have.The one I used:
Rhino Camera Gear ROV PRO Everyday 8″ Motorized Slider
Longer one for more range:
Rhino Camera Gear ROV PRO Traveler 16″ Motorized Slider
Tripod
You need a stable tripod when working with camera movement. The reef adds flow and any kind of camera shake can ruin your footage.My favorite slider:
Sachtler Flowtech 75 MS Carbon Fiber Tripod
A more affordable solution:
Manfrotto 546B Pro Video Tripod
There are some other accessories and adapters that really help put this thing together, so if you have any questions, please shoot me a DM on Instagram or Twitter.
I would appreciate you sharing this page where possible.
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