Three recommended camera options, ordered from top choice downward. Interviews require two identical cameras. (The Barnabas Foundation may have filming equipment we could borrow for this project.)
| Camera | New | Used | Rent / Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sony FX6 (with Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS) — best solo-operator documentary camera; full-frame, built-in ND, superb low-light, lightweight cinema body | ~$5,000–$6,000 | ~$3,800–$4,800 | ~$600–$1,200 |
| ↪ Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens | $1,300 | ~$700 | $248 |
| Combined — Sony FX6 + lens | ~$6,300–$7,300 | ~$4,500–$5,500 | ~$848–$1,448 |
| ×2 — two cameras + lenses | ~$12,600–$14,600 | ~$9,000–$11,000 | ~$1,696–$2,896 |
| Buy 1 + rent 1 --buying one kit and renting the other | ~$7,148–$8,748 | ~$5,348–$6,948 | — |
| 2. Canon EOS C80 (with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM) — hybrid cinema/mirrorless body, excellent autofocus, great Canon color, strong run-and-gun performance | ~$3,000–$3,500 | ~$2,200–$2,800 | ~$300–$600 |
| ↪ Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens | $1,299 | ~$700–$1,050 | $183 |
| Combined — Canon EOS C80 + lens | ~$4,299–$4,799 | ~$2,900–$3,850 | ~$483–$783 |
| ×2 — two cameras + lenses | ~$8,598–$9,598 | ~$5,800–$7,700 | ~$966–$1,566 |
| Buy 1 + rent 1 --buying one kit and renting the other | ~$4,782–$5,582 | ~$3,383–$4,633 | — |
| 3. Sony a7S III (with Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS) — the body priced into the kit below; legendary low-light performance, 4K 120p, compact body, great autofocus; perfect B-cam or travel doc camera | $2,850–$4,000 | $2,200–$3,000 | $486–$2,700 |
| ↪ Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens | $1,300 | ~$700 | $248 |
| Combined — Sony a7S III + lens | $4,150–$5,300 | $2,900–$3,700 | $734–$2,948 |
| ×2 — two cameras + lenses | $8,300–$10,600 | $5,800–$7,400 | $1,468–$5,896 |
| Buy 1 + rent 1 --buying one kit and renting the other | $4,884–$8,248 | $3,634–$6,648 | — |
Everything else needed to run a two-camera interview kit — new, used, and monthly rental pricing.
| Item | New | Used | Rent / Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tripod (x2) — Manfrotto 502HD/475B fluid head | ~$440 ea → $880 | ~$220 ea → $440 | $226 ea → $452 |
| Shotgun Mic — Sennheiser MKH 416 | ~$999 | ~$650 | $230 |
| Wireless Mic backup — DJI Mic 3, 2-person compact kit (Nathan owns a DJI Mic 3 setup already) | ~$219–259 ($0) | ~$195 ($0) | ~$105 |
| Monitors (x2) — Atomos Ninja V | $650 ea → $1,300 | ~$375 ea → $750 | $342 |
| SD Cards — 4× 128GB V90 | ~$400 | not recommended used | included |
| Spare Batteries | ~$350 | not recommended used | ~$50 |
| Total | ≈$3,929 | ≈$1,840 | ≈$1,215/mo |
Used saves roughly 34% (~$5,000) versus buying new.
Renting for one month runs about 25% of the new-purchase price and roughly 38% of the used price for a single shoot, but crosses over to "should've just bought" territory after a few months.
Airfare estimates for a one, or two-person crew filming in Uganda and possibly South Sudan for several weeks. Lodging and food are rough per-week, per-person estimates.
| Item | Est. Cost |
|---|---|
| Flight: US → Gulu, Uganda (round trip) 1 traveler | ~$1,650 |
| Flight: US → Gulu, Uganda (round trip) (x2) 2 travelers | ~$1,650 ea → ~$3,300 |
| Trip from Gulu - Juba round trip 1 or 2 travelers | ~$650 |
| Uganda & South Sudan Visas ~$50 Uganda + ~$100–160 South Sudan, per person, single-entry | ~$150–210 ea |
| Lodging & Food ~$350/week per person, 2 people, 2–4 week trip | ~$350/wk ea → ~$1,400–2,800 |
| Total | ≈$5,500–6,960 |
The US → Gulu route has no direct flights — pricing assumes an international leg to Entebbe plus a short domestic connector to Gulu. Airfare is highly seasonal and should be re-checked closer to booking.
My video studio includes a full audio studio as well. The audio equipment is dated, but it doesn't need upgrading — speakers, mics, preamps, mixers, and instruments don't need updating the same way computers do.
My editing computer and monitor setup, on the other hand, does need upgrading to handle serious 4K projects. The setup I currently own is over five years old and struggles with heavier projects.
For this documentary, if it comes down to deciding whether to purchase or rent cameras — which would affect the remaining budget for an upgraded editing setup — I'd propose we rent the cameras and purchase a new editing computer, since I work on the computer for many hours a day.
If it turns out we don't have the budget to buy any equipment, I could edit the whole documentary on my current setup. It would be slower and more difficult all around, but it could be done. (I recently invested several thousand dollars in a mobile editing setup so I can still work when I'm not in the studio. This new mobile setup is still not up to the task of editing the documentary.)
So, with all that said, my recommended core edit-bay hardware for proper editing, color grading, and export is a mid- to top-tier GPU desktop, paired with one hardware-calibrated professional monitor for accurate color work.
| Item | Est. Cost |
|---|---|
| Desktop PC — top-tier GPU (Nvidia RTX 5090 class) build for editing/color grading & export | ~$3,999–4,800 |
| Professional Monitor — ASUS ProArt PA32UCDM 4K OLED, hardware-calibrated for color grading | ~$1,699–1,899 |
| Total | ≈$5,700–6,700 |
Modest, achievable steps for getting the finished documentary in front of an audience.
Projected Totals — Equipment + Post-Production + Travel
Combines the Equipment, Post-Production, and Travel sections above, for a single 2–4 week shoot. Marketing & Distribution has no direct cost.