We get a lot of questions about the gear we use for filming. Since I’m packing to do another Scenic Bikeway shoot tomorrow I decided to lay everything out and take a picture of it all. Our primary camera is a Panasonic GH3 which is capable of both stills and videos. There are, I suppose, “better” cameras in terms of resolution, sensor size, etc., But for our purposes, the micro 4/3rds format is really the best solution. We needed a system that we could carry easily by bike. By using a small camera, everything else tends to be smaller. The lenses are smaller, the supports and other contraptions for camera movement are smaller. I’m as much of a camera nerd as the next guy and would love to shoot with a RED or Black Magic, but honestly, I don’t think those cameras would survive a days worth of shooting after bouncing around in one of our panniers. So operating on the truism that “the best camera is the one you have,” the GH3/GH2 is the best camera for our purposes.

Everything is carried by bike with a mix of panniers, Wald 137 basket, some PVC pipe and Revelate Mountain Feedbags (makes great lens holders). For the eagle-eyed, you’ll notice an Abus Bordo lock in the mix. I use it for a counter balance for the camera on the jib 🙂

Camera Bodies

GoPro Hero 3 Black
spare batteries


Olympus 9-18mm
Olympus 45mm 1.8
Olympus 14-150mm
Panasonic 25mm 1.4
(Would love to add the Panasonic 35-100 2.8 and 12-35mm 2.8 in the future)


Benro Video Tripod
Manfrotto Monopod
Varavon Slider
Nice Industries Aviator Jib
Krupo Clamp
MeFoto and Joby ball head
Manfrotto quick release bases and plates

The Videos