Jason Frankle is a commercial videographer, content creator and educator living in Los Angeles, California. A member of the Alpha Collective, Frankle first became interested in photography while attending college in San Diego where he would travel between classes and the coastline to capture the incredible sunsets. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles to work full time in marketing. “I enjoy spending my free time helping clients create engaging short-form video advertisements on social media and creating camera tutorials and behind-the-scenes videography content across my social media channels,” he says. You can find his engaging content on Instagram @worldpins and @jasonfvideo, and on TikTok @worldpins. We caught up with him to learn more about the gear he uses for photo and video content creation…keep reading as he explains what’s in his bag.

Commercial videographer, content creator and Alpha Collective member Jason Frankle gives us an inside look at the gear he uses for creating engaging content for social media.

Cameras

Sony Alpha 7R IV: The Alpha 7R IV is a powerhouse of a camera and has been in my camera kit for many years now. I love the incredibly high resolution images that this camera is capable of producing which are great for making large prints. I have always shot on Sony cameras starting with the Alpha 6000 and I finally landed on the Alpha 7R IV. The 61 megapixel sensor has been really useful in my product photography where I can capture every detail and have the ability to crop in later on with plenty of resolution to spare. I also like how I can shoot at up to 10 frames per second with full autofocus and capture 4K video. It is great to have a dual memory card slot so I can always have a backup in case one of the sd cards fails. The battery life has lasted me through many long shooting days and this camera will stay in my camera kit for many years to come.

Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R IV. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/80-sec., f/22, ISO 125

Sony Xperia 1 IV: My favorite recent addition to my kit has to be the new Sony Xperia 1 IV phone. This phone has blown me away with its 4K OLED screen, 120Hz refresh rate, 4K, 120 fps video recording mode, and amazing photo and video quality (among many other features). I enjoy using the 85-125mm variable telephoto zoom lens and being able to record in 4K, 120 fps across all of the cameras. I am often by the ocean in the evenings so it is great to have a phone that is capable of capturing professional slow motion video wherever I am. I like having the ability to set 30 second long exposures in the Camera Pro app and make all of the manual adjustments I would normally make when shooting on my Sony Alpha camera. The Xperia also has a micro sd card tray so I can quickly transfer photos and videos to my computer for editing.

Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Xperia 1 IV. 30-sec., f/1.7, ISO 64

Sony RX0: The Sony RX0 is a pocket sized camera that captures really impressive photos and is fully waterproof. I like bringing this camera with me to the beaches of Los Angeles to photograph in the waves without having to worry about water affecting it. Despite its size, the RX0 has a 1” sensor and can capture 4k video. It can also create 15 megapixel images and capture in RAW which makes it great for editing on the computer. I always try to have this camera with me so I can capture great photos wherever I am.

Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony RX0. 1/125-sec., f/4, ISO 250

Lenses

Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master: This is my go-to lens for the majority of my video and photo projects. It is great to be able to shoot at f/2.8 and capture amazing bokeh in either the foreground or background of the scene. The 16-35mm focal length works well for capturing landscape images and astrophotography because of how much light it can pass through to the camera sensor. This means that I am able to set a lower ISO amount on my camera and get lower noise in the final image. I will often pair this lens with a variable ND filter to have better control over the shutter speed of my video projects. Combined with the Alpha 7R IV, I can use APS-C crop mode to zoom past 35mm and still have plenty of image resolution to work with. I have always been impressed by how sharp this lens is and I will continue to use it for many years to come.

Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R IV. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/160-sec., f/2.8, ISO 400

Sony 100-400mm f/4.5–5.6 G Master: The Sony 100-400mm telephoto lens is my favorite lens for capturing unique compositions by zooming up close to subjects. I have used this lens to capture everything from wildlife photography to deep space astrophotography. I like having the optical steady shot built into the lens so I can keep my images as sharp as possible when zooming far into the distance. The focusing on this lens is fast which makes it perfect for capturing birds in flight with great autofocus accuracy. I will often mount this lens to a star tracker when I am capturing celestial objects like the Andromeda Galaxy, the Moon or the Sun.

Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R IV. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/160-sec., f/5.6, ISO 125

Accessories

Sony 2X Teleconverter: I combine the Sony 2x Teleconverter with my 100-400mm Sony lens to get 800mm of zoom for capturing closeups of animals, the moon and the sun. This teleconverter has been a great addition to my gear and I will often use it when I need to capture close ups of animals or the Moon and Sun. I like how compact this teleconverter is which makes it easy to bring it anywhere with me in my gear bag.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise-Canceling Headphones: The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are amazing when it comes to traveling. I always bring these headphones with me on airplanes to avoid having to sit through noisy flights. I also combine these headphones with the Xperia 1 IV to listen to high quality audio through Sony’s LDAC bluetooth codec. 

Sony TOUGH-G series Memory Cards (x2): I bring two memory cards with me on photoshoots to make sure that I always have a backup. The Sony Tough series memory cards are great because they are durable and I can depend on them to work in almost any environment. They also have fast read and write speeds so they can keep up with my Alpha 7R IV when I am shooting in burst mode.

Sony Fabric Camera Bag: I always make sure to keep my lenses and camera protected by keeping it in a fabric camera bag. This helps to prevent accidental scratches when traveling and keeps the lenses clean. 

Sony Alpha Universe Notebook: Notebooks are great for planning photoshoots and I always make sure to have one handy in my gear bag. I will often use a notebook to put together a shot list that I can quickly look at while on location.

Sky-Watcher Star Tracker Pro: I use this star tracker for capturing long exposure images of the night sky without having to worry about the sky blurring when exposing for longer than 30 seconds. The Sky Watcher is designed to mount onto an existing tripod and it can be adjusted to different tracking speeds including solar, lunar, .5x, 2x, 6x, and 12x. It also has a lens inside that is used for aligning with the star Polaris. I have used this star tracker to capture astro photos on my Sony 16-35mm GM lens as well as Andromeda Galaxy on my Sony 100-400mm GM lens.

Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R IV. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master.

Tripods: I always make sure to bring a sturdy tripod with me when capturing astro photos. I also bring a second tripod that I use for mounting my phone to capture long exposures and timelapses.

Circular ND Filter: Circular ND filters are great for reducing the light that reaches the camera and control shutter speed in bright lighting conditions. I use this on my Sony 16-35 mm G Master lens when filming to create better looking video.

Headlamp: A good headlamp is a must when photographing in the dark. I make sure to bring one that has both white and red lights. The red light helps to preserve your night vision when shooting astro. 

Packable Columbia Jacket: I always bring multiple clothing layers with me on night photoshoots in case the weather takes a turn for the worse. I like the Columbia packable rain jacket because it zips into its own pocket for easy transportation in my gear bag.

Rocket Air Dust Blaster: There are few things worse than camera sensor dust so I always have an air dust blaster with me on my photo shoots. I will often use this to clear the camera sensor when switching from my wide angle to my telephoto zoom lens.

Remote Shutter: A remote shutter is key for taking long exposures while shooting astro so I always make sure I have one in my bag. Remote shutters are especially useful when using a star tracker because you can program it to capture hundreds of images without having to make any manual adjustments to the camera.

Mindshift PhotoCross Sling Bag: Sling bags are great for quickly accessing the camera and lenses. They also have compartments that can be adjusted for different cameras and lenses. 

Macbook Pro: I use my Macbook Pro to edit all of my videos and photos captured with my Sony camera. I also edit on Final Cut Pro so I enjoy using the fast and efficient M1 processor to quickly export 4k footage.

Beanie: It can often get cold on night shoots so I always make sure to bring a beanie with me.

Sunblock: I will often pack sunblock with me to protect my skin when out on a photoshoot.

Lens Cleaning Cloth: Lens cleaning cloths are great for getting rid of any smudges on the camera lenses. They also help to make sure that all of the images remain as sharp as possible.

See more of Jason Frankle work on Instagram @worldpins and @jasonfvideo, and on TikTok @worldpins.