CAPTURING A CINEMATIC WORLD
Keep up with all the latest from DeathByVlog, right here! Watch our weekly YouTube videos, read our awesome travel articles, and view the latest Instagram posts; all in one spot.
Watch Our VideosA little about us…
Simply put, we are a couple who one day decided to start filming our daily lives and fun adventures. Which actually lead to us falling in love with making videos to share with our awesome followers.
Ryan is a website designer by trade, tech junkie by heart, and filmmaker by persistence. Stacia is a life long creative, dance choreographer, and online marketer with a drive to explore the world and keep finding new adventures.
Dig beyond the surface and learn more about us through the videos on our YouTube Channel.
Subscribe on YouTubeFREE DOWNLOADS
Want to take your photo and video editing to the next level? Look no further! I’ve created some awesome custom plugins, effects, presets, and transitions for both Final Cut Pro X and Lightroom and want to share them with you for free.
What started as a small hobby has turned into something far greater. Something I’m now super passionate about. Although I love creating weekly vlogs, I feel ready to create and share more beautifully displayed, cinematic projects with you. This new series will showcase the essence of new cities and countries across the world. Expect shortened, high quality content that will be bursting with beautiful cinematics and editing. I am ready to share a whole new side of DBV, and hope you come along for the ride.
Stay tuned…
THE TRAVEL BLOG
We are currently traveling all over South East Asia for a year. We hope you will follow along with us as we visit some amazing places together! And of course we are going to film it all so be sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel to see all the exciting adventures 🙂
LATEST PHOTOS
Cannot call API for app 380204239234502 on behalf of user 10220179079899986
Follow On Instagram
MY CAMERA GEAR
Quite often I get asked, “Ryan, what camera gear do you use to make your videos?”. Here is the equipment you’ll find in my camera bag almost all the time. Click on the Read More buttons to learn why I chose each and how I use them.
“SEE YA!”
Sony A7iii
The newest addition to my arsenal and the camera I shoot all my b-roll with. I’ve been holding out for Sony to release the A7Siii, but it has taken them a long time to get that updated version into production. While patiently waiting for that update to come, Sony released the latest version of their A7. I gotta say, this is by far one of the best “all-around” cameras you can buy right now. In fact, I would say this should get camera of the year. 24MP for super crispy images, shoots amazing quality video at 120FPS, and has one of the best Auto Focus features Sony has released in their consumer grade cameras. If you are looking for a camera that does it all, this is my top choice for you!
$1,998
Buy Now
Sony A7Sii
My first ever Sony full frame camera and it has been amazing! I made the switch to Sony and purchased this camera just a little over a year ago, to use during our Puerto Rico vacation. Being my first “real” professional camera, I definitely had a lot of learning to do. This camera has served me well over throughout the year and I’ve made some awesome cinematic videos with it. It was actually my first camera that allowed me to shoot at 120FPS for those super smooth slow motion shots. It’s not the best for photos as the sensor is only 12MP, but it still did the job well. One thing this camera is known for is it’s amazing low light performance. It’s one of the best on the market for that exact reason. If you are looking for a great camera for shooting video and need good lowlight performance, this is your pick. Be aware that Sony will be releasing the new version of this camera soon (A7Siii).
$2,398
Buy Now
Sony A5100
Hands down, the BEST vlogging camera on the market. I have tried many different cameras to vlog with over the last two years. I started with the Canon 70D which was much too big and bulky. I wanted something smaller and more lightweight that was easier to carry around. I then purchased the Canon G7X because it offered a much smaller size and better low light performance. This camera served me well for awhile and loved its compact size as it fit right in my pocket. BUT, it lacked one very important thing….no wide angle focal length (24mm). It was really hard to get everything in the frame when shooting. You had to hold your hand hand our really far if you didn’t want a super close shot of your face lol. Then I moved to this camera; the Sony A5100. Still had the flip up display for easy vlogging, larger sensor than the other two, and best of all….swappable lenses! This was game changer for me because I could now use a much wider focal (10-18mm) length and have everything fit in the frame easily. All this, while still maintaining a very small form factor. If you are in the need a good blogging camera I highly suggest this one. It’s my all time favorite camera!
$448
Buy Now
Sony 70-200 G
This is, by far, my go-to lens! If you see some dope b-roll shots and wonder what I captured it with, I’ll most likely say this lens. The Sony &0-200 G is my all time favorite lens for so many reasons. One, it’s quality is SOOOO good. The bokeh and compression at the long end is superb and the backgrounds just melt away. It’s also very light considering its size. I have no problem carrying this around all day, either strapped to my backpack with a clip, or tucked away in my backpack. Another great thing about this lens is that is has an internal zoom and it’s also very easy to manually rack focus shots (although that does require some practice to get right). This is definitely an expensive lens, coming in at round $1500USD, but I can’t say enough good things about it. If I had to choose one lens only, this would be the clear winner!
$1,498
Buy Now
Sony 24-240
When I’m in need of a backup lens this is usually my choice. This is the lens that is paired with my Sony A7Sii as a secondary camera for B-roll shots (mostly being used by Stacia). It’s also the main lens I shoot all my sit-down videos with. It’s not the best lens, but it’s far from a bad lens. I’d say this sits in the middle somewhere. It’s still pretty sharp, has some nice bokeh on the wider end, but it’s downside is that it’s not a contact aperture. Which makes it hard to shoot in low light conditions. But, pairing it with the A7Sii, the king of lowlight, it fairs pretty well. One upside to the lens is that it has a very wide focal range, from 24mm (which is pretty wide) all the way to 240mm. This gives you the best of both worlds in one lens. However, the downside is that it’s HEAVY! This is not a lease you would want to be carrying around all day as a backup in your bag. Trust me, this thing adds some weight. But, if you are looking for a lens that can do it all, this may be one to consider.
$998
Buy Now
Sony 90mm Macro
Ever wonder how I get those super-duper closeup shots? This is the lens that I use. The Sony 90mm Macro is one of my favorite lenses for this sort of shot. It offers a 1:1 ratio of magnification which shows things at full size. It also has a very close focus distance which allows you to get really close to your subject for some epic close up shots. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about watch the intro to this video of mine. The shot with the ant was taken with this lens, and oooohhh it’s so nice! Click Here. This is also a great lens for portrait photography as it has a really nice focal length of 90mm and offers a 2.8 aperture to really blur out your background and focus more on the subject in the foreground. I don’t use this lens much at all, but when the time comes that I want to get a macro shot, I’m always SO happy I have it in my bag. The lens is a bit expensive for only using here and there, but I’m still very pleased with the quality it produces.
$1,098
Buy Now
Sony 10-18mm Wide Angle
Probably the most popular question is what lens I use for vlogging. And this is the one.I wasn’t happy with the lens options for point and shoot vlog cameras as most of them only offered a 24mm focal length on the wide end. That is ok, but not good enough for me. You have to hold the camera out so far and even then you aren’t getting a lot of the background in your shot. I wanted something wider, something sharper. So I opted for the Sony Super Wide angle 10-18mm. This is an APSC cropped sensor lens which is equivalent to 16-35mm FF. It allows me to get everything in frame even zoomed all the way in at 18mm. it’s super sharp, a constant F4 aperture and also allows me to show my scenery in a much wider frame. If you see a shot that’s wide in my videos, most likely it came from this lens.
$848
Buy Now
Sony 55mm Prime
Want to know how I get those crispy images with super blurry backgrounds, this is that lens. The Sony 55mm 1.8. It’s a prime lens which means it doesn’t zoom and only shoots at that one focal length. Making it super sharp all the time. It also has a very low aperture of 1.8 so you some amazing bokeh and it’s great in low light situations. I mainly use this lens for portrait photography as that’s what it’s intended for. One of my favorite go to lenses for those types of shots!
$998
Buy Now
DJI Mavic Pro
I’m always asked which drone I suggest for logging and travel. I have owned a few and the DJI Mavic Pro is by far my favorite and first choice. DJI is the leader in drone technology and is the number one choice by professionals. So, I don’t mess with any other companies…DJI for the win! I use the Mavic Pro for a few reasons. One, it’s so small and super portable. I can toss it in the small compartment of my camera bag or small messenger bag and take it virtually anywhere. It folds up so nice and it’s really fast to get up in the air. The Phantom 4 wasn’t as easy and definitely not as inconspicuous. If you are in the market for a drone, this is my top suggestion!
$999
Buy Now
Insta360 One
I was in the market for a 360 camera for quite some time. But, never really wanted to drop the money on one because I didn’t think I would use it much. Then Insta360 contacted me and wanted to be a sponsor the YouTube channel. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper. After some use I got familiar with the camera and I must say, it’s pretty damn cool! It captures full 360 degree videos, photos and has some amazing features too. Worried about stabilization? Have no fear with it’s built in Flow State™ technology which gives you butter smooth videos. You can also use their Free Capture™ technology which allows you to choose which parts of the video you want to put in your edits and also control the angle of view. I was skeptical at first, but I’m very surprised how awesome this little camera is. Another great thing about this camera is the price. Comparable cameras like the GoPro Fusion go for $699, but the Insta630 One is priced at a cool $299. If you are looking for a great 360 camera with plenty of feature and great video quality, this is my top suggestion!