We sometimes get asked what camera gear we use on Florence so this is a list of our current equipment. We spend ages selecting our gear as it has to last a long time and balance cost vs performance as we don’t have a huge budget. We can only justify upgrading when the old cameras succumb to the marine environment we live and operate in.
Action Cameras:
Insta 360 ONE X2
We have been pleasantly surprised by this camera, coupled with the 3m extendible pole we are using it more and more both on and off the boat. The software that comes with the camera edits out the stick meaning we can get drone like shots when sailing without the risk of launching and recovering a drone from the bouncing boat. This is enabling us to capture more of action when sailing (especially in rough weather), and also other situations for example rough 4×4 driving. We were actually given this camera and there is an affiliate link below where we get a little if you chose to purchase one.
https://www.insta360.com/sal/one_x2?insrc=INRQ83I
Go-Pros
We have 3 of these, 1x 7 and 2x 8s. They are brilliant but not as robust as we would like, the reason we have 3 is only the latest one still works reliably, the other two have various problems and have proved not to be as waterproof as advertised. We give these cameras a tough life, normally there is one on a stick in our hands everywhere we go to complement the main camera, and onboard they are clipped on in various locations when sailing. The sound is usable in calm conditions, but as soon as there is any kind of wind we just have to delete the sound and put in music or water sound we have pre-recorded with our better microphones.
Main Camera
Cannon EOS M6 MkII
Our main camera. Bought primarily for filming but also a great photo camera, meaning we don’t have to carry two which is a real plus when out climbing hills. We use this in conjunction with 2 lenses (below). This camera is a real step up for us, it was expensive (for us) but the quality of image we can obtain with it is a big step up. We are improving how we use it all the time, we rarely put it in the simple ‘intelligent auto’ mode and instead set it up manually in most situations for a better result.
Sigma 16mm prime lens
We use this lens for everything onboard or in low-light. It has a great wide angle for getting everything in shot in a small space like Florence, and manages surprisingly well when filming at night when sailing.
18-150 Zoom Lens
The lens we use out and about off the boat, when we want to have a range easily to hand.
ND Filters
We use a cheap variable ND filter with each lens.
Microphones
Rode video pro plus
This has been our only shotgun microphone since Australia. We use it for everything from filming to voice overs. It transformed our videos and made the editing easier as the sound was so much better. Expensive but worth it and we would recommend it with the dead cat (although it is big cumbersome and draws attention when out and about)
Rode Wireless Go II
These wireless microphones are very recent to us (bought in South Africa) and we are still learning, they allow us to shield the mic from wind noise on board much better than the shotgun mic above. We like them more and more as we learn to use them, they are also much less obtrusive than the big shotgun mic when filming ashore.
Drone
We have a Mavic Air 1, this was very kindly bought for us by one of our Patrons and it transformed our videos, we now would not be without a drone. We are very careful and cautious when and where we fly it and that is why we still have our original drone after nearly 3 years. When this one eventually dies (or we crash it) we will not hesitate to buy another DJI drone to replace it. Very much worth the money they cost.
Sailing Yacht Florence 