Benjamin Carter

When I started shooting handheld video with a mirrorless camera three years ago, I learned fast that the right top handle makes or breaks a long shoot day. The best top handles for camera rigs are not just grip points. They are the control center of your rig, holding monitors, microphones, lights, and follow focus … Read more

A lens support system is a bracket or cradle that mounts to 15mm or 19mm rods to carry the weight of heavy cinema lenses, preventing strain on the lens mount and keeping your flange distance locked. If you have ever felt your BMPCC mount shift under a heavy zoom or watched a long lens droop … Read more

If you shoot video with a Fujifilm camera, you already know the body alone is not enough. A solid camera cage turns your mirrorless body into a proper filmmaking rig with room for monitors, microphones, lights, top handles, and follow focus units. After spending six weeks swapping cages on an X-H2S, an X-M5, and an … Read more

I have spent more hours than I want to admit juggling cameras on gimbals, and I can tell you this: a solid camera rig is what separates a shaky, arm-cramping shoot from a buttery-smooth, all-day session. The best camera rigs for gimbal work do not just hold your camera. They balance it, they distribute weight … Read more

If you have ever watched a director lose a perfect take because a Sony NP-F died at the worst moment, you already understand why the best V-Mount batteries for filmmakers sit at the top of every cinema camera operator’s kit list. A reliable V-mount battery (sometimes called a V-lock battery) is the difference between a … Read more

When you’re on a film set miles from the nearest wall outlet, a portable power station isn’t a luxury – it’s the difference between getting the shot and rolling generators that ruin your audio. After spending years on documentary sets in remote locations, our team has learned the hard way that a quiet, reliable power … Read more

Finding the best camera batteries for Sony cameras is something I learned the hard way. On a wedding shoot last year, my A7 IV died after 90 minutes because I trusted a no-name NP-FZ100 I’d grabbed for $20 the night before. The footage was gone, the client was gracious, and I was out $2,500. That … Read more

I learned the hard way that one battery is never enough. On a wedding shoot last summer, my R5 died at the vows because I trusted a single LP-E6NH to last a six-hour day. Since then, I have run every spare I can get my hands on through the wringer, from Canon’s own LP-E6P to … Read more

If you have ever lost a 30 minute sunset take because a single OEM battery died mid shot, you already know why filmmakers obsess over third-party camera batteries. The math is brutal: a Canon LP-E6NH costs roughly five times what a third-party LP-E6 costs, and a Sony NP-FZ100 runs even higher. For documentary shooters, travel … Read more

I have lost count of how many times a dead battery killed a perfect shot. Last year, on a rooftop in Lisbon at golden hour, my Sony FX3 died ten seconds before the light hit the way I wanted. I had a V-mount on the rig, but the monitor, the wireless video transmitter, and the … Read more