What gear does Paul Rogers recommend for content creators on a budget?

Hi, I’m Paul Rogers from That Creative CEO. Love this question.

For creators on a budget, here’s what I usually recommend as a smart starter kit (or upgrade path):

• Camera: A used Sony a6400 / a6600, or even your smartphone + a cheap Ulanzi or SmallRig rig
• Lens: Sigma 16mm f/1.4 (for crop sensors) – insane value for talking heads and YouTube
• Audio:
  • Super budget: Boya BY-M1 lav
  • Mid: Deity D4 Duo or Rode VideoMicro on-camera
• Support:
  • Tripod: Ulanzi or K&F Concept budget tripod
  • Lighting: One affordable LED panel or softbox (Neewer, Godox, or Amaran 60x with a softbox)
• Storage: Fast SD card (V30 or better) and an external SSD (Samsung T7 or SanDisk Extreme) for editing

If you tell me your budget range, I can lay out a specific shopping list for you?