Investing Money in Content Gear: Ian Duncan’s Tips on What You Really Need

Written by Cyrus Kioko

It’s enough to post, practice, and start building your audience.

But at some point, you’ll want to jump from “okay” to content that really pops, and that usually means upgrading your gear.

There’s a major temptation to splash out on flashy gadgets you don’t really need—perhaps because they’re trending or your favorite creator is using them.

We caught up with Ian Duncan, a seasoned content creator who’s been there and done that. Here’s what he had to say about what you need to level up your content game:

Ian knows what he is talking about! Check out his video game here: Upgrading Your Content Kit

👉 Download the MESH app Google Playstore. Ni 2MB!

Timing is ni kila kitu. So naturally, tulikua curious kujua what Ian thinks is the right time to start investing in serious equipment. Here’s what he had to say:

Are you just starting out in content creation? No need to break the bank. Lynne shares how she started small and upgraded as she went.

Tunaelewa budgets ukua tight sometimes. To make sure you’re prioritizing the most important stuff, we asked Ian to enlighten us on which upgrades to tackle first.

Here’s his ranking:

Start off with a microphone. When you’re starting out, you’re probably using a lapel mic like this one (shows a lapel mic) or maybe even a wireless one.

Consider upgrading to the Hollyland Lark M2, which is what I’m using currently (shows his mic).

It sounds really great. It has noise cancelling, the battery life is really good, and most of the time you don’t have to worry about battery life—it can even go up to a month!

And if you’re somebody who shoots outside, it has a range of 300 meters, which is really good.

It ranges from Ksh. 17000 to 22000, depending on whether you’re getting the camera combo or just the USB-C or Lightning combo.

Another alternative in that price range is the DGI MIC MINI.

Number 2 is lighting. It’s time to do away with that ring light and get a softbox. Ideally, you should get one with about 150W output. You can get one for around Ksh 4500 in shops like Trendy Ventures.

The difference between the light from a ring light and a soft box is like day and night. You might actually realise the issue is not your camera quality–maybe it’s just that you didn’t have enough lighting.

Then, number three, your tripod. If you’ve bought tripods ranging between Ksh 800 to Ksh 3000, you might often realise that they break a lot. You need to start looking for heavy-duty tripods.

Heavy-duty tripods are way stronger. They can handle more weight and have good balance. And they generally don’t break.

I would advise you to go to the shop and check out the tripods physically because there are good generic heavy-duty tripods ranging between KSh 5000 to KSh 10000.

However, there’s one I can recommend for around 11500 called the KNF CONCEPT, to be specific, the K234A7+FH-03 Professional Video Tripod with Fluid Head and Monopod)

It’s really high quality, portable, and multipurpose.

Then number 4, your editing machine. If you’re editing from your phone, I would now advise you to consider editing from a laptop.

For editing, I will always recommend the MacBook, especially the MacBook Air (M12020), which right now you can get for around Ksh 80000.

You will not have any issues when video editing. I know people who have used that MacBook ever since 2020 until now, and it is still holding up.

If you are on a tighter budget, I would recommend you get a Windows laptop with at least these specs:

Processor (CPU):

● AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 (5000 series or newer)

● Intel Core i7 (10th generation or newer)

● Intel Core i5 (11th generation or newer)

Memory (RAM):

● 16GB RAM

Storage:

● SSD (Solid State Drive), not a Hard Drive

You can go for any brand of your choice with those specs. These will range between 40000 to 50000. If it goes sana, you may be 55k.

Once you’re used to editing from your laptop, consider getting a monitor. It will make you more productive.

Then, now, your camera. If you’re looking to get another phone for content creation, I would recommend an iPhone.

And especially right now in 2025, at least get something from an iPhone 13.

iPhones are generally good at video, and you don’t have to adjust a lot of things—you can just shoot on the go.

And you see, if you get the MacBook and an iPhone, it will be very easy to transfer files from your iPhone to the MacBook through AirDrop—it works in seconds.

If you’re looking to get your first camera, I would highly recommend the Sony ZV E10. You can get one for around 85000, with at least a 16 to 50mm lens.

The good thing about it is that you can always upgrade your lens. The quality is really good: it can actually shoot S-LOG-3 at 10-bit.

Finally, I’ll talk about software. You should now consider getting pro versions of the specific apps you’re using.

For example, if you’re using CapCut, I would recommend you get the CapCut subscription. You can just buy it for the whole year—It’s cheaper that way than monthly.

This will unlock more features, such as autogenerated captions. If you usually use Canva for design, you will get more editing tools and better templates.

Or you can just look at any other software that you’re using and then see if it is worth upgrading to the pro version (i.e., if it is going to upgrade your content or make your productivity even better).

That’s it for today. Hopefully, you’re able to elevate your content!

Upgrading Your Content Kit