Making good-looking footage isn't an easy or cheap endeavor. While for much work, it still makes sense to spend on the gear you need, sometimes, there's a workaround that is much, much cheaper. This video takes a look at some of the best video accessories you can get for under $50.
Coming to you from Caleb Pike over at DSLR Video Shooter are some great suggestions for video gear, whether that's lighting equipment or support gear to hold that lighting equipment. I was surprised to see an even cheaper light panel option than the LumeCube Panel GO that I've been using. $99 already isn't a lot for a light, but the VJIM VL120 RGB Video Light seems to pack in much of the same features for less than half the price at $40. Like much of the gear that Pike talks about, it's from a brand I've never heard of. On the other hand, the LumeCube Panel GO hasn't held up well over the last year, especially in the battery department, so getting a similar product that I can buy a backup of for less money than one Panel GO is an appealing prospect. It's a similar prospect to buying several Yongnuo flashes for the price of one Canon flash.
One of the other interesting products was something that seems like such a simple but ingenious concept: a USB battery pack that can charge batteries for your camera or use them to supply power to other devices. I often carry six or seven Canon LP-E6s to a shoot, and to have a handy gadget like the Ojelay multi-functional battery charging case to store those extra batteries and make them useful at the same time would be great when time or cold weather drains the battery on my phone. That said, at $35, while the case itself might be pretty interesting, I'd avoid putting those included batteries anywhere near a camera, since at this price, there's no telling what kind of corners have been cut or fire hazards created to get there (and I've always been of the mindset of spending on name-brand batteries when a camera costs thousands of dollars).
Pike shares info on tons of other useful gear from mounts, to adapters, to lenses, and beyond in the video. Check it out above, and if you have affordable video gear of your own that works well, share in the comments below.
