FocusPulling.com

In 2023, PGYTECH may have made the ultimate camera backpack with the OneMo 2. In 2025, PGYTECH released the latest iteration of their EDC series, the OneGo 2. Continuing with their track record of quality and comprehensive response to user feedback, I may dare say that this may be an[other] ultimate backpack for the not-so-ultimate days. For full disclosure, I’m a guest writer who has worked with Paul on several occasions in the past year.

Full confession: this “blog” (is that a word anymore?) has been practically abandoned for a really long time, after years of forging new ground in this sector of independent filmmaker technology when there were less — and usually much more credible — sources of information. Now, it’s a traffic jam of clickbait and corporate influence from amateurs and lonely dudes. But every once in a while, something comes into my kit that inspires me (oddly, it’s been a while).

The quest for the ultimate camera bag is epic and feels endless, but PGYTECH recently distinguished itself from the usual choices of Peak Design, Manfrotto and more:  its quickly evolving OneMo line of backpacks has lately climaxed with the OneMo 2, especially its 35-liter version that can practically haul an entire mobile production studio from your back. Here’s a picture of mine with no less than four cameras, a full video tripod, and room for a few more lenses and accessories inside.

I’ve got a long history with motorized gimbals, dating back to the earliest prototypes with mere 2-axis stabilization, onward to the first 3-axis pistol-grip Filmpower Nebula 4000, then the stronger CAME-Single, Zhiyun’s downslung Weebill LAB, and even a miniature one that I customized to fly a virtual reality camera. Until last year, I had settled into the DJI brand with their modest and portable Ronin-SC, but when it broke down, I upgraded to their RS 3.

Aputure 200x S Bi-Color Light Technical Specs Performance Value for Money Click to buy at Amazon It’s hard to keep up with the portable continuous light industry, launching brighter outputs, lower price points, more versatility, and in the case of Aputure’s new Amaran 200x S, better color accuracy (and slightly higher output at the indoor color temperature) compared to their preceding budget workhorse 200x (without the S).

I became a fan of Sokani lights after their X60 line, starting with their improved X60 V2 in a single daylight color temperature, to their X60 RGB full-color-spectrum light. Now with the X100, they’ve come full-circle with a bi-color model that adds more improvements, casting even stronger lumens. I’m comparing this X100 with my Aputure 100x, another 100-watt, bi-color LED light with a Bowens mount too, costing almost $100 more.

Zoom has almost singularly started a revolution in audio recording for productions, especially at concerts and events when you don’t have time to worry about audio levels because you’ve got enough to worry about in the camera department. When I bought the Zoom F6, their 32-bit float six-channel audio recorder, everything changed.

The new Aputure MT Pro feels like the final maturity of a niche product idea that has evolved over the past few years from crude starts, to this clear finish. After a long history of inefficient and flickering fluorescent tubes, LED tubes next arrived in various sizes and capabilities, such as the Westcott Ice Light and its many cheaper knock-offs, but they have never pulled it all together into a portable, solid, reliable, high-performance and cost-effective product offering like this.

Just a quick blog post here, inviting you to take a pair of online workshops that I’m teaching this week and next. Spots are limited and registration is a modest expense (given to a non-profit organization) that can save you lots more in your career as a filmmaker.