Vlogging kit: everything you need to get started

Vlogging kit: everything you lot need to get started

(Image credit: Photograph by Julián Gentilezza on Unsplash)

YouTube, Twitch, and other video sharing sites offering the potential to reach huge audiences. As a consequence, an e'er-growing number of people are turning to these sites in order to start a video blog—improve known as a vlog—to share their stories, ideas, and more.

Earlier you can commencement your own rising to YouTube stardom, you lot demand to invest in the best vlogging equipment. In this guide, nosotros'll highlight all the tools and gear you demand, including cameras, microphones, and the best video editing software.

Why invest in a vlogging kit?

Before nosotros swoop into the key components of a vlogging kit, it'due south worth taking a moment to explicate why this equipment is worthwhile. Later on all, you could easily record a video with your smartphone and post it to the internet immediately.

While that's a viable low-cost solution for starting a vlog, any YouTube star will tell you that success starts with quality production. Your smartphone offers great video quality, but that lonely isn't enough. If your audio is muffled and difficult to hear, or if the frame is shaky because your friend is holding the telephone, then you're going to have a hard time getting anyone to watch your videos.

The skillful news is that it doesn't take a professional person production squad to produce a high-quality video at dwelling. In fact, you can get started with just these five pieces of gear in your vlogging kit:

Photographic camera
Microphone
Tripod
Video lighting
Video editing software

Let's take a closer look at what each of these components can do for your vlog and the top products we recommend in each category.

Vlogging kit: Photographic camera

vlogging kit: Sony A6100 — The Sony a6100 is an fantabulous pick for vlogging (Prototype credit: Sony)

While many vloggers adopt to use a smartphone when they are but starting out, investing in one of the best mirrorless cameras or best DSLR cameras will reap dividends in terms of both sound and video quality. However, when purchasing a camera for vlogging, be sure to look for ane that has both a flip-upwardly display and a microphone jack. A brandish that you can run across while standing in front of the camera will go far much easier to frame yourself in the shot, while a microphone jack volition permit you capture better audio.

Amidst mirrorless cameras, the Sony A6100 is a neat choice. It has both a display that can flip 180 degrees and a microphone port, can shoot video in 4K and a hot shoe for fitting a video low-cal. Yous can get it for effectually $850, lens included.

You could also try the Catechism EOS Rebel T8i, a surprisingly compact and affordable DSLR. It offers a large 24.3-megapixel sensor and a wide choice of entry-level lenses. Not only does it shoot 4K video, only information technology can also moving picture vertical video, great if you're posting to TikTok or another social media site that supports that orientation.

If you're looking for something truly compact, at that place's no beating the GoPro Hero9 Black, which is the best activity photographic camera around. Information technology likewise has a small front-facing screen so yous tin frame yourself in the shot, and tin shoot 5K video as well as time-lapse. Plus, in that location are a ton of GoPro accessories, including external lights, microphones, and more.

Vlogging kit: Microphone

vlogging kit: Blue Yeti X — The Blue Yeti 10 is affordable and will give y'all fantastic audio (Prototype credit: Future)

Clear, well-baked audio is just every bit important for a quality vlog every bit high-resolution video. When audio quality is corking, no ane thinks twice about it. But muffled audio or static in the background of your video tin can quickly drive viewers abroad from your channel.

That's why it'due south not enough to rely on your smartphone or photographic camera's congenital-in microphone. Instead, information technology'southward well worth investing in a dedicated external microphone to tape your message.

In that location are several dissimilar microphone designs available. If you lot typically record at a desk or in a studio, you might endeavor a standing microphone like the kind that many podcasters and radio hosts use. These are reliable and pick upwardly sound well. We recommend models similar the Blue Yeti Ten, which is fairly inexpensive and offers four different sound recording modes. That way, y'all can easily record a monologue, an interview, or a whole room'southward worth of sound depending on the situation.

Alternatively, if yous don't desire your microphone in your shot, consider a shotgun microphone. These are designed to attach to the top of your camera and pick up articulate audio from several feet away. The Blue Snowball Ice, for example, is an inexpensive solution that will clearly pick up your vocalization and little else. Be sure to check out our all-time microphones page for other options.

Tripod

No thing whether yous're using a smartphone or a DSLR to record your video, a tripod is essential. If you want your vlog to look professional, the video frame needs to be absolutely however. Shaky video is but difficult to picket.

If you plan on filming with your smartphone, there are plenty of the best iPhone tripods that piece of work equally well for phones from all manufacturers. The Joby GripTight One is an inexpensive and lightweight option. Notwithstanding, you'll need a desk or stand up to lift the telephone to eye level, since the legs of the tripod are only 6 inches tall.

You can as well opt for a more traditional tripod similar the Ravelli APTL-iii. This smartphone tripod is 53 inches alpine and comes with a pan and tilt head.

If yous have a mirrorless or DSLR camera, you'll need a heavy-duty tripod that'south able to agree the additional weight. Equally you lot might expect, these tripods tend to be significantly more expensive than options for smartphones. The Manfrotto Meaty Action tripod is a budget-friendly choice that offers 53 inches of height and comes with a versatile head attachment.

Video lighting

Y'all'd exist surprised at the degree to which adding a light or two into your production surface area can amend the look of your video. The truth is that overhead and ceiling lights bandage shadows on your face up that aren't specially flattering. By eliminating these shadows and introducing your ain highlights, y'all can control how y'all announced to your viewers and brand your vlog expect more than professional.

The easiest way to innovate lighting is to utilise lights you already have. The best desk lamps piece of work great for shining soft lite on your face or placing a backlight behind your caput. You tin besides use natural light from outside if at that place's a window virtually where y'all're shooting. For best results, situate yourself then that the window is at 10 or ii relative to your face up and move several feet back from the window.

Of course, y'all can also invest in dedicated video lights. A good place to start is to find a video light that mounts on your camera's hot shoe, like the Godox TT350s. If you want to introduce additional lights into the room where you're shooting, go along in listen that you volition likely need defended calorie-free stands to hold them in identify.

Video editing software

Unless y'all are able to shoot your entire vlog episode in a single, flawless accept, you lot're going to need to do some editing before your video is set up to post. With video editing software, you can stitch together pieces of your monologue, splice in video clips from your library or the internet, and add music and other elements to your video. Video editing is also a chance to suit the look and feel of your video past modifying the lighting or introducing filters.

There are both paid and free video editing software options bachelor. Complimentary software tends to be less powerful, but most vloggers don't need a ton of avant-garde features. Hitfilm Express, for instance, is a free tool that lets you cut scenes, add special furnishings, and more than. Plus, it offers export presets to help you upload your videos to social media sites like YouTube.

If you practise find yourself in need of tools that gratis video editors don't offering, nosotros recommend Adobe Premiere Elements. It'south easy to apply, costs less than $100, and offers an bogus intelligence engine that makes complex edits simple.

Summary

While anyone tin can start producing a vlog using but a smartphone, putting together a dedicated vlogging kit can make a huge departure in the quality of your videos. All it takes to go started is a photographic camera, a microphone, a tripod, lighting, and editing software. Better even so, yous don't have to spend a fortune to get the all-time vlogging equipment. With these slap-up tools, you can create professional person-quality videos and start building a dedicated following on YouTube.

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