I've been known to do the occasional video...

While I strive to provide near-daily still-photo content on Regular Guy Guns’social channels, I also love to do video segments whenever possible…

There’s something about video these days

I started out life as it were as a still photographer. Party pics and some low-grade journalism, back before ‘journalist’ became a controversial job title. Also, some nifty landscape photos. It wasn’t til I got back into firearms that I became interested in video. Couple that with the fact that most modern DSLRs can kick out amazing 1080p and 4K video, and I couldn’t resist it.

What I use

It’s really basic actually.

• Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR. Yes, the Mark II. It’s nearly 9 years old and still does a great job.
• Canon 50mm f1.2 L lens - crazy shallow depth-of-field
• Canon 16-35mm f2.8 lens
• Various stabilizers and bits of kit rented from
• Final Cut Pro X and various plugins for editing.

You might notice I don’t have a lot of inventory in-house. Simply put because spending a hideous amount of money on a lens isn’t really wise unless you use that lens all the time. With the advent of rental houses like Lens Rentals, you can have just about anything on your doorstep overnight.

I’m hideously behind the times, and my editing skills need work, but I hope the videos are enjoyable for you all.

Where I want to go

This is where you guys come in. For some reason, a lot of “camera guys” also happen to be “gun guys”. However, for political reasons, most photographers and videographers tend not to talk about the gun side of things.

Anyway, I’m looking to upgrade budget-wise soon. I’m demoing some new ideas over the next few months via the simple expedient of renting gear. But I’m always open to suggestions.

Gravitating towards:

• Sony A7S or A7S II. 4K output though the A7S requires extra gear to kick out 4K.
• Adapters to tide me over until I can buy native Sony glass.
• GoPro Hero 5 (whatever version) for “on the rail” shots.

Sony’s the new kid in town in the DSLR video world, but the A7S seems to have developed a cult following. It’s lightweight, and the sensor can practically see in the dark with ISO 409600 generating acceptable video output. For my audience who might not be familiar with camera equipment, the “ISO” rating is how sensitive a camera is to light. Think of cranking up the ISO as like turning up an amplifier on a stereo. You “see” more detail, but there’s a noise cost. Sony’s “amp” can be cranked up to a stupid level and still “play” really well.

The whole idea is to have a lightweight, high-performance kit to produce more video content like you see above in more diverse situations.

Style-wise, think like Colion Noir but with a little more dynamic action. I’m not opposed to being a foot away from the operator (in a safe direction of course)if needed.

Discuss!