Resources
Video Equipment
There are a multitude of tools ghost hunters use to aid their investigations. Some tools are repurposed, pre-existing items that operate on known scientific principles and detect naturally occurring phenomena, while other tools are tailor-made for ghost hunting and operate on the numerous theories about paranormal phenomena. Investigators use this equipment in two ways: To help debunk activity when possible, and to provide additional context for our experiences during investigations. Select each of the three categories below to see what we use.
Click on thumbnails to view larger images.
Ghost Hunting Equipment | Filming Equipment | Misc. Gear
Main Camera — Our main filming camera is a Canon EOS M50 D-SLR.
It wasn't selected for any reason other than we already had it as a "nice camera" purchase from before our ghost hunting
days, but it shoots really nice, high-quality video. Being a D-SLR camera, it's not exactly the best form factor for
shooting video over a long duration, so we've outfitted it with and accessory cage
to be able to mount all sorts of filming hardware to it. Not only is it sporting a Diety shotgun mic
and a pair of Ulanzi LED light pods,
the cage is also rigged with a universal camera grip
for comfortable filming and a SmallRig 50w external battery
for extended filming power (along with its matching V-mount plate).
The only downside to this particular camera as a filming camera is that it can only film in 30-minute increments,
so we have to be vigilant about our recording time. But other than that, it's a fantastic filming rig.
IR Video Camera — The other major downside to the Canon M50 is that it doesn't have an IR filming capability
for filming in total darkness, so we needed a camera to fill that gap. All the name brand video cameras are pretty expensive, and I'm
sure they are worth every penny, but not having much experience (or money to pay for) a dedicated video camera meant we'd start off with
one of those off-brand video cameras on Amazon. It's so off-brand, in fact, that the store page for it doesn't even exist anymore, so I
can't link it here. But search for a digital video camera with IR filming capability, and you're in the ballpark. We've outfitted ours
with a Comica shotgun mic,
a pair of IR LED light pods,
and a triple shoe mount
to tie it all together. Additionally, it's sporting a Ulanzi tripod grip
for a comfortable filming grip and added hands-free utility.
Police Body Cameras — You read that right. In our continuing journey to gather an adequate and cost-effective
filming setup, our guides at the Old South Pittsburg Hospital recommended we pick up some
police body cams to use as hands-free,
stationary filming cameras. You can find them for quite a reasonable price — ours were around the $75 price point. The models we have
will film for 12 hours continuously (at lower resolutions), and also have an automatic IR capability. Being body cams, though, they don't
really have any built-in options for regular camera accessories. So to position ours where we want, a tripod with a smartphone mount
does the trick.