Feeling vexed by the sheer number of vlogging cameras competing for your attention? Here’s how to pick the right one for you.
Vlogging has become a simple way to chronicle your life, work, or hobby, whether you’re doing it for fun or with aspirations of online stardom. Influencer culture has made vlogging a viable business venture for many, but the art form has actually been around for decades. It’s never too late to get started, though, so in this guide we’re going to show you how to choose the best vlogging camera for you. At its most basic level, vlogging consists of talking to a camera, and you can probably get started with tech you’ve already got – a phone that’s connected to the internet. To level up your setup, though, a dedicated camera like a premium compact, mirrorless or DSLR, can help you improve your video quality, improve sound clarity and give you control over manual video settings. To realize your vlogging vision, there’s a good chance you’ll want more than just a fancy camera in your filmmaker’s arsenal. If you’ve got a camera that takes interchangeable lenses, you’ll want a few different focal lengths to create variation in style and framing – no one wants monotonous-looking video, after all. Lights are also a must to help your personality shine through, and microphones, tripods, and editing tools all add that extra polish to your finished product. Before you pick a vlogging camera and these accessories, you should firm up key aspects of your vlogging goal, so you can buy the right kit the first time around. To start with, we’ll be going over choosing what to vlog and where to publish, but if you just want advice on which kind of vlogging camera to buy, jump to the ‘Types of vlogging camera’ section using the links on the left. Whether you want to capture footage of yourself vlogging everyday as you navigate real-life – mooching around the house, taking city breaks or trips with friends – or going to gigs and festivals, knowing what you want to vlog will help you figure out what kind of setup you need. For someone who’s out and about without a camera bag to hand, lightweight solutions will be the best kit to start with. An action camera like the GoPro Hero 10 Black or a premium smartphone like the iPhone 13 Pro could be a great start – though you’ll probably want an external audio recorder or a microphone to make sure your voice is heard. If your vlog will be more focused on image quality and aesthetics and based indoors – makeup or fashion, for example – then a room or space with controlled lighting and a dedicated camera, like the mirrorless options below, will be ideal. Other things to consider are: will you be editing your footage or posting one-take vlogs online? How long will your vlogs be? Do you want to have different styles of vlog videos or just one – for example, interviews with other people, group vlogs, or just you? The more people you want in frame, the wider the camera field of view should be. Once you’ve firmed up some of your vlogging specifics, you can decide where your vlogs will live. Usually, people assume vloggers live exclusively on YouTube, but the internet is vast, and YouTube is one of many destinations for your videos. Where you plan on posting your videos will dictate a few things about your content – how long it’ll be, whether or not it needs to be live-streamed, and the aspect ratio it needs to be output in (in other words, will it be a square or rectangular video). If you’re a gaming vlogger, then a live-streaming setup will be the obvious option so you’re Twitch-ready. One of the best options for that right now is the Panasonic Lumix GH5 II (above). Instagrammers, meanwhile, should start with a smartphone with a view to boosting quality by upgrading to a dedicated camera, while YouTubers should pick their kit based on the type of footage they’re planning to shoot, along with their budget and editing strategy. Once you know what you’ll be posting and where it will live, your camera buying decision will largely be swayed by what you want your footage to look like.
