The Equipment You Need To Make Great Video Content For The Web

First, let’s have a look at the most important piece of equipment to start vlogging: the camera. For most, the camera on your phone can be a great place to start. Especially if you’ve got a newer smartphone, such as an iPhone or a Samsung, the camera will deliver a good video quality right off the bat. This way, you don’t need any extra investment to start and you can get a feel for finding your voice and get your first followers without investing a lot of money.

Using a beginner’s camera has its drawbacks, of course. Soon enough, you’ll run into limitations when it comes to shooting high quality and in special circumstances. A camera phone is a great place to start, but no place to linger.

Invest in a DSLR Camera

As soon as you can, invest in a DSLR camera. These are the golden standard for vloggers and other professionals who work with video on a daily basis. Most of the equipment we’ll be discussing below is made to work with DSLR cameras. They will upgrade the quality of your videos instantly, and give them a professional feel from the get-go. The moment you get a DSLR camera, your vlogging career has officially begun.

The most popular choices for a first DSLR camera are the Canon Rebel T3i or the Nikon D3200. The internet is full of fans of either Canon or Nikon, but the Canon offers a flip-out screen that helps you shoot better videos when you’re facing the camera.

If you’re just starting out, don’t worry about investing in a high-end camera right away. The most important part of your videos will be the content, and your smartphone delivers a video quality that gets your message across. Before you invest in a camera, there are all sorts of tricks you can do that will improve the quality of your videos and give them a polished, professional look, without splurging to buy a brand-new camera.

A tripod is basically a stand for your camera. Using a tripod makes sure that all your video material is consistent and doesn’t move; a clear giveaway of an amateur vlogger. Steady images are more pleasant to watch and quickly give your videos a more professional feel.

There are essentially three different kinds of tripods. First is the classic tripod. This big piece of equipment will easily place your camera at eye level and is used by all sorts of professionals, ranging from news reporters to full-time vloggers. Second is the mini tripod, which is essentially a smaller version of the classical tripod. This mini tripod is placed on another object to get a steady image. Finally, there is the flexible tripod. These have bendable legs and can be hung or wrapped around an object to give you a wide variety of options.

What kind of tripod you need, depends on the type of videos you’re planning to record and the vlog you plan to do. If you’re mostly sitting at your desk, a mini tripod will give you a consistent background and placement. You can even mark the specific spots on the desk where the legs of the tripod stand, so you have a consistent image every time you start recording.

You can find a good mini tripod for under $50. The most popular tripod for vloggers is the Gorilla Tripod. This nifty gadget comes with fully bendable legs that you can wrap around objects, or can be made steady on any uneven surface.

For vloggers who spend a lot of time outside and can justify a larger tripod, Manfrotto can help you out. They make a very robust tripod that will last you decades and is used by professionals all over the world.

For beginners, the sound quality of your video could be more important than your video quality. Sounds odd? Maybe, but consider this: your smartphone delivers a video quality that allows everyone to see what you’re doing, but if nobody can hear what you have to say, they’ll still stop watching.

Once you’re ready to level up your sound quality, you could invest in a shotgun microphone. Many of these microphones can be clipped to your camera as an accessory and plugged into the 3.5mm audio jack. The favorite shotgun microphone among serious professionals is the Rode VideoMic Pro+, which costs around $300.

The difference between the default microphone on your camera and a shotgun camera is that the latter will focus on what’s directly in front of it while ignoring all other sounds. The result is a more focused audio quality that makes what you’re saying crystal clear. Studio microphone is another option for your desk. For example, the Blue Yeti microphone, which looks like an old-timey sports reporter’s microphone. This microphone is less versatile than the shotgun microphone, but a great option when you’re recording your videos indoors. This is the microphone that I use for shooting indoors.

Alternatively, there is a wide range of lavalier microphones available. These are microphones that you clip on your clothes anywhere near your mouth like shown in the video above. Especially when you’re outside, this will both improve your sound quality and keep your hands free. Those microphones will last you for all the beginning stages of your vlog. If you don’t like the microphone showing, there are several techniques to hide a lavalier microphone and still benefit from the improved sound quality.

The same way crisp audio gives a remarkably professional impression, lighting can convey a professional video quality in an instant. If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t quite copy other vloggers’ great video quality, lighting is probably the answer.

Professional photography lighting kits are widely available and will cost you at least $90. These bigger kits are perfect for home studios and indoor recording but can be quite a hassle to set up and carry around. For a demonstration of the difference between using a light kit and not, check out this video:

​An even cheaper alternative could be to use existing lights you have at home and making sure you’re using the three-point set up that professionals use to improve their lighting. This will improve your videos compared to not considering lighting at all, but doesn’t replace the more professional sets. A video explaining more about the three-point setup and how to get great lighting without breaking the bank can be found here.

Stabilizers

For those of you who plan to take a lot of videos outside of their house, a camera stick and/or stabilizer can be a great investment. You can get a high-end selfie stick for less than $17, such as the Fugetek FT-568, which can hold either your smartphone or your DSLR camera. This is the perfect piece of equipment for someone who spends a lot of time on camera and outside.

For ‘outside’ creators who plan to spend less time on camera and more time behind it, a stabilizer will instantly upgrade your video quality to professional standards. Normally, when you move with a camera in your hand, the video isn’t smooth. You can tell when someone takes a step, swings the camera a little faster than you anticipated, or takes some tries to get the angle right.

A stabilizer ensures a smooth watching experience for your videos. When you use a stabilizer while walking and filming, this piece of equipment will steady the shot for you, taking out all the rough edges you’d otherwise see in the video. This allows you to take professional-looking shots and give your viewers a smooth experience that will wow them.

Types of Stabilizer

The entry-level stabilizer is a pistol grip. This accessory for your DSLR camera helps you stabilize your footage by giving you a better grip but still allows for a natural movement because the camera is right there with your hand. The pistol grip helps you get a better grip but doesn’t actively stabilize your camera.

A next step up is a stabilizing gimbal, which keeps your camera focused when you move. This will greatly enhance how smooth your moving videos look and give you an instant professional feel. This video review does a great job showing you the difference between using a gimbal and not using a stabilizer. The gimbal being used is the Zhiyun Z1 Smooth C, which is a basic gimbal made to work with smartphones.

For a bigger camera, you’ll need a bigger stabilizer. The Zhiyun that made a great basic gimbal for smartphones also has a model for DSLR cameras; the Crane 2. Other brands offer gimbal stabilizers for DSLR cameras, too, but there isn’t such a thing as a basic model. All these stabilizers will cost at least $350. Most stabilizers are a lot bigger than the smartphone models, but the Zhiyun Crane we mentioned is a more compact model.

As a final product to consider among the stabilizers, is a desktop camera skater dolly. This rollerblade for cameras will allow you to create smoothly moving videos in an indoor setting and is available for under $30.

Teleprompter

You may have heard of teleprompters from the political world, but many vloggers also use a teleprompter as part of their vlogging equipment. If being an articulate and smooth talker is important for your videos, a teleprompter might help you do just that.

If you have an Android phone, you can start off by using the Selvi app. This free app will install a teleprompter right on your phone. For a slightly more professional option that will work on your DSLR camera, smartphone or tablet, have a look at the Glide Gear TMP100. This is an entry-level model that works with a variety of cameras and doesn’t break the bank. Although it is still a substantial investment, using a teleprompter will make shooting videos much faster and more professional.

If you’re looking for a teleprompter that goes beyond just using an app or doesn’t require $200 in cash, you can build your own for about $10. This video gives Note how the specifics of the teleprompter depend on your camera. After you’ve built the teleprompter, you can use a free app, such as the Selvi app for Android, or the dv Prompter app for iOS devices to scroll the text on your glass screen.

Make sure you invest in the video equipment that fits your own needs. Not all the equipment is needed for every kind of creator; so investing in a professional studio lighting kit when you do all your dirt bike videos in the woods is a straight waste of money, and nobody needs a drone to do a killer lipstick tutorial.

At the same time, it has never been cheaper and easier to get a professional look at your videos on a budget. The DIY teleprompter we mentioned doesn’t cost you more than the average craft, and by using the three-point lighting principles, you can start using the lights you’ve got around the house in the best way possible.

As your content library grows, so will your toolkit, and it’s fun to save up for your next upgrade. But as you stand at the beginning of your journey, never let your questions about equipment get in the way of delivering great content.