Equipment used in electronic news gathering

Electronic News Gathering (ENG) equipment is used to capture and transmit news footage from the field to a broadcast station or online platform. Here are some common pieces of equipment used in ENG:

  1. Camera: A high-quality camera is the heart of any ENG operation. Popular camera options include:
    • Shoulder-mounted cameras (e.g., Sony F5, Canon C300)
    • Handheld cameras (e.g., Sony FS5, Panasonic Varicam)
    • Drone-mounted cameras (e.g., DJI Inspire, Freefly Systems)
  2. Lenses: A variety of lenses are used to capture different types of footage, including:
    • Wide-angle lenses (e.g., 14mm, 24mm)
    • Standard lenses (e.g., 50mm, 85mm)
    • Telephoto lenses (e.g., 70-200mm, 100-400mm)
  3. Lighting: Proper lighting is essential for capturing high-quality footage. ENG crews often use:
    • Portable LED lights (e.g., Aputure, Litepanels)
    • Softbox lights (e.g., Profoto, Broncolor)
    • Natural light (e.g., shooting near a window or outside during the golden hour)
  4. Audio equipment: Good audio quality is crucial for ENG. Common audio equipment includes:
    • Wireless microphones (e.g., Sennheiser, Audio-Technica)
    • Lavalier microphones (e.g., Rode, Sennheiser)
    • Shotgun microphones (e.g., Rode, Sennheiser)
    • Portable audio recorders (e.g., Zoom, Tascam)
  5. Transmission equipment: ENG crews use various transmission equipment to send footage back to the newsroom or broadcast station:
    • Satellite uplinks (e.g., Ku-band, Ka-band)
    • Cellular modems (e.g., 4G, 5G)
    • Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections (for streaming or file transfer)
  6. Monitoring equipment: ENG crews use monitoring equipment to review and adjust their footage:
    • Field monitors (e.g., Sony, Atomos)
    • Camera-mounted monitors (e.g., Sony, Canon)
    • Portable audio monitors (e.g., Sony, Audio-Technica)
  7. Power and battery equipment: ENG crews need reliable power sources to keep their equipment running:
    • Batteries (e.g., V-mount, Gold-mount)
    • Power packs (e.g., Anton Bauer, V-lock)
    • Generators (e.g., gasoline-powered, solar-powered)
  8. Support equipment: ENG crews often use additional equipment to support their operations:
    • Tripods and stabilizers (e.g., Manfrotto, Davis & Sanford)
    • Jibs and cranes (e.g., Kessler, Cartoni)
    • Drones (e.g., DJI, Freefly Systems)
    • Grip equipment (e.g., clamps, flags, diffusion filters)

These are just some of the common pieces of equipment used in Electronic News Gathering. The specific equipment used can vary depending on the type of news story, the location, and the resources available to the ENG crew.