DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Check out these 20 filmmaking gear items you can buy for under $20

Aug 17, 2021 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

For filmmaking and photography there are a lot of expensive pieces of kit out there that we either need to do our jobs or will make our lives easier and save us time in our workflow. But there are also a lot of very inexpensive items out there, too, which can make our quality of life much easier when shooting and working. There are also a bunch of cheap alternatives to expensive gear, too, if you get a little creative.

In this video, Caleb Pike at DSLR Video Shooter walks us through 20 of his favourite filmmaking accessories that each cost less than $20. It includes a variety of tools covering lighting, grip, power and various other aspects. Some of these are things that Caleb’s been using in his workflow for over a decade and still prove useful.

A lot of Caleb’s suggestions are things I have in my own gear bag, too. One thing that’s particularly handy are the USB camera battery chargers, that’ll let you top up from a standard power bank when you’re out filming in the middle of nowhere.

  1. Andoer RGB LED Light
  2. Andycine Monitor Friction Mount
  3. Camera Cube Bag
  4. Desk Light Stand
  5. Magic Friction arm
  6. SmallRig Nano Clamp
  7. Short Light Stand
  8. Mini Ball Head
  9. Projector LED Light
  10. Lens Cups
  11. Microphone Stand
  12. Light Ceiling/Wall Mounts
  13. Domke Wrap
  14. Rapid Baby Adapter
  15. Power Squid
  16. Lamp for Accent Lighting
  17. White Markers
  18. USB Battery Chargers
  19. Monoprice Ultra Slimi HDMI Cable
  20. Angled HDMI Cable

If I were to add anything to Caleb’s list, I’d suggest grabbing a big long roll of 3/4″ wide hook & loop tape. These are fantastic for keeping your cables organised and to stop them all tangling up with each other in your bags when out shooting on location. There’s nothing worse than coming home and having to untangle a couple of dozen cables from each other!

What items under $20 would you suggest that photographers or filmmakers add to their arsenal?

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Check out 100 filmmaking tips and tricks in under 10 minutes Five household items you can instantly transform into photography or filmmaking tools These are some items you can use for filmmaking that you may already have at home 15 items for travel filmmaking you didn’t even know you needed

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Caleb Pike, DSLR Video Shooter, gear, Shopping

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« This simple DIY rig is a cheap alternative to a probe lens
Adobe Max 2021 registration is now open and is a completely free event once again »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • SpaceX shares unique view of Earth in latest video
  • Get ready to photograph two total solar eclipses this year
  • How I started (and succeeded) photographing space from my backyard
  • Insta360’s new teaser says they’re entering the gimbal market
  • Users report blurry photos from Samsung Galaxy S23/S23+ cameras

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy