Going Back to the Sony a6300!?

MAIN GEAR USED IN THIS VIDEO:

__

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR CREATORS:
__

DISCLAIMER
All my opinions are my own. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

#SidneyDiongzon

[SidneyDiongzon]

What is YOUR definition of storytelling???

[DrWasim]

Great message! Would just like to add that for many people, the A6300 is still an expensive camera. And an awesome one.

[SlideWreckDan]

I don't like the phrase 'gear doesn't matter'. I think it does matter, but not in the sense some people think. Gear isn't a magic pill that will make all your videos turn into Hollywood movies. Skill set and experience is an essential element.
But what happens when you're limited by gear is you limit your boundaries of what and how you can tell your stories effectively. I think this is where the creativity factor kicks in and when people are confined by boundaries, it fuels creativity instead of limiting it. It's very interesting. If you ask someone to make a short film about 'ANYTHING' they might get lost and never produce anything. But once you put in a prompt and limit what they can create, it starts to fuel the creative mind to a direction.
It's a similar story with gear. Tools help you achieve a specific task. And each tool has its strength and weakness. The PROBLEM is, people have a specific creative vision and it doesn't match their skill set AND OR what their tool can help them achieve that vision. So let's say I wanted to make a talking head video. Does it matter whether I use an a6400 or an ARRI Alexa? Probably not.
But let's say my vision is to create a stunning visual of a forest at sunrise. Unfortunately your phone won't be able to produce that 'cinematic image' and the abundance of leaves will destroy your compression data on your phone's video. Best case is to have not too extreme of dynamic range, good lighting with bigger details. So the main problem is, people aren't willing to accept the limitation of their tools and use it in a manner to best tell a story. But if you understand the restrictions and work creatively to leverage those boundaries to create an awesome video, absolutely you will tell an incredible story. Sometimes it even helps to shoot with an phone vs a mirrorless. Such as TikTok videos. Or if you create a stunning story with a phone it will amplify the effect of awe from the audience.

Tools are tools. They will help you convey a certain vision.

[dericsanchez]

Gear doesn’t matter. That’s why I’m still rocking the a6300 with only the kit lens and sigma 30. Have been looking at the a6400 just cuz it would be nice to have a front facing screen.

[MichaelTapel]

Telling a story doesn't require a specific gear it's just your creativity, the only tool essential in terms of video is any sort of stabilizer, but some even good using just their hands

[Ibrahim_usman]

I get so much value from your videos. I'm using the a6400 and kit lens been watching a ton of your videos and been learning all week.

[princetarun]

Still using a6300 with sigma 16mm 1.4 Myself my friends was like Why didn't u upgrade to a7 iii & and i was like doing hobiest & vlog Satsifed with it. Thnx u For making This Video.

[HNHMarriedLife]

This was such a great message Sidney. Totally agree how it’s so easy to fall into the arena of, “But I want that camera, lens, because so and so has it, etc.” rather then really making the best with what we have. Really resonate with you and how even Chris (Becki&Chris) says, “they are just tools.” Story > equipment. You rock brother! 🤙🏽

[christianhotter]

When I think about new gear I try to decide what would give me fewer 'lost' shots and make my workflow easier. I'm happy with my a6400 for the kind of work I do. I sold my a6500 and bought the a6400 for the unlimited record time and no overheating. This let me use the camera as a 'set and forget' to record long sessions without worrying that it may stop recording when I was not looking.
The a6600 also sounds great, but the battery life and IS are not things that would help me with the way I shoot, so the cost vs benefit was not worth it in my case.

[LucaBono.Studio]

Agree 100%

I miss my little a6300, it was my first good camera for videos!

[ufedomichaell]

Storytelling for me can come in any way with any gear used as long as I understand what you are trying to say I am cool with it. But if you step it up with your creative skills, you've got me hooked forever. Thank you Sid for Authenticity.

[zachatillo]

I've been in the creative space for 3 years now and still use my a6300 for my client projects, only thing I've upgraded were to sigma lenses. It's about the craft not the camera. Cheers!

[DillonProductions]

This mindset has been a running theme on my channel. Mostly to prove to myself that it is possible to achieve movie-like images on cheaper gear. I've had may fellow filmmaking friends of mine strongly suggest me to upgrade my Canon Rebel SL2 to an actual Cinema camera (Like the C200). But honestly, I feel like I haven't maximized the potential of my current camera (I also, don't have have the money haha). Not sure if that's a bad thing, but I love practicing with what I have, to see what's possible. With practice and experimentation, I've captured results that I'm proud of (even with Kit Lenses).

[tobyilio]

Gear definitely doesn't matter :) For the longest time ive been shooting on gear which would've been considered outdated and I still do because to me, the story and how we tell it is all that matters. A rule that my friends and I came up with is that we would never upgrade our gear until we absolutely need to or until we are able to max our skills with the stuff that we already have. Throughout my entire time in film school in LA ( 2015-2018 ) I shot with a used Nikon D610. During screenings people actually thought I was shooting my films with a cinema camera. But it was the training from my teachers and friends and the constant practice that allowed me to come up with ways to maximize the capabilities of my "outdated" camera. As of now I've been with my A6300 for the past 2 years but I don't think I'll be upgrading anytime soon because I don't feel like I maximized my use with it yet. This videos proves that and it definitely encourages me to keep pushing on :)
That being said, how in the world were you able to get really sharp footage from the slow motion? xD I've been struggling to get decent 120fps shots even with my primes. Do you do any sharpening in post?

[michaeljimenez]

Love the proof that gear doesn't matter. Also love the way you actually did this with an older camera! Thanks for the great content!

[BrianTheCameraGuy]

Great video Sidney but even better message. We get lost in gear when we should be getting lost in story. Excellent footage out of that 6300.

[SimpleSandalsMedia]

Totally agree with this.
By the way...your lighting is great.
I also love the room set-up.

[StorytellerImphal]

Started my photo video career from a6300 still using a6300.

[AlexPerri]

Man honestly, it really doesn’t matter. Sure, if you’re doing video work professionally, you might want to have a camera that’s up to certain specs but I do video marketing for clients and make all my YouTube videos with two Sony A6300 cameras and have been since I got them a year or so after it released. People are always blown away when they find out the gear I’m using but it really is about how you use the gear you have. One day I’ll upgrade, but right now I’m gonna keep using these cameras until they don’t serve my purpose anymore.

[cjfilms]

Well this makes me feel better about still owning my a6300 😂 even though I just bought the a6400 a couple months ago. My girlfriend and I actually went to Colorado Springs recently & I let her shoot photos on the a6300 & she loved it. I even used both my cameras for a fight scene so I could get two different angles.