A good tripod is far more important than you think. In fact, you should probably consider spending about one-fourth of your total camera budget on a tripod. Although it may seem hard to believe that a $500 tripod is that much better than a $50 tripod, the difference is immediately noticeable to a professional videographer. We learn more about the importance of a tripod later. For now, just put it on your shopping list.
Lights
When we're talking about video, we're talking about light. When you're shopping for a camera, you'll probably see all kinds of facts and figures about various models' performance under lowlight conditions. Don't believe them for a second. Manufacturers make all sorts of wild claims about low-light performance. The truth is that cameras don't work well in low-light conditions. The cheaper the camera is, the worse the performance.
Luckily, lighting kits are available for precisely this reason. Using a lighting kit gives you control over the light, which in turn gives you control over the quality of your video image. A decent lighting kit runs about $800 and comes in a snazzy flight case so you can lug it with you wherever you need it (see Figure 1).
If you're on a really tight budget, you don't have to shell out for professional lighting. Shop lights purchased from your local hardware store can be used, though they don't have anywhere near the control that professional lights do. Typically, they produce a fairly harsh, unforgiving light but with creative use of diffusion and positioning, you can get lots out of a very small investment.
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