How Beginners Can Choose the Right YouTube Camera (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: There are hundreds of cameras you could buy to start a YouTube channel. And as a camera nerd myself, trust me, that decision gets complicated real quick. Most people will tell you to use the camera you already own, but what's the fun in that when you've got money burning a hole in your pocket? I've been making YouTube videos for almost a decade, so I'll walk you through my beginner picks from affordable pocket cameras all the way to the mirrorless cameras that I use to make my own YouTube videos and help you figure out which one makes the most sense for you and what you wanna create. Okay, I know I just joked about it, but your smartphone really is a great place to start. You already own it, you know how to use it, hopefully, and it's probably within arm's reach right now. Now, for a beginner, that convenience matters a ton. With a dedicated camera, you're learning a new piece of gear while also figuring out what to say and how to feel comfortable on camera. Your phone handles a lot of the technical stuff automatically, so you can open the camera app and start recording. You can also record, edit, and upload an entire video from that same device, which is something you can't do with any dedicated camera on this list. And as you make more videos, you'll figure out what you actually need from a camera before spending more money on a dedicated one. That's why the smartphone you already own would be my first pick for any type of beginner, but if you're ready for a separate camera that's still easy to use, this is where I'd start. Now, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is and has been my budget pick for years now. It has a one inch image sensor, shoots 4K video with slow motion at up to 120 frames per second, and has a built-in three-axis gimbal for smooth handheld footage. You also get autofocus, a rotating touchscreen, and subject tracking that turns the camera. Woo, now I'm in selfie mode. And that helps you actually keep yourself in frame. That's especially useful if you're recording by yourself and want some freedom to move around. Not to mention that audio is really seamless with these pocket cameras, especially with DJI. If you use a DJI wireless lav mic, you can automatically connect to it so you have clean audio even if you're far away from the camera. Now for YouTube, I think it's a great fit for vlogs, travel videos, behind the scenes, and creators who want one small camera they can use for both talking to the camera and capturing B-roll. Everything that you need fits in your pocket and you can start filming without buying a separate lens or stabilizer. It also works great as a webcam. So if you plan to use Riverside to record your content, this can easily connect to it over USB-C. Now the main limitation is the fixed wide lens. It works well for filming yourself and your surroundings, but you do have less flexibility when you want a tighter shot of something farther away. But that's where these next generation of cameras can fill that gap. Now the Insta360 Luna Ultra and the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro share the best overall pick among all these cameras in my opinion, but they're also more expensive than the Pocket 3. Both combine a one inch main camera with a separate telephoto camera to get close-up shots. You have a built-in gimbal for stabilization and you have subject tracking. That gives you more variety in your framing while keeping the convenience of a pocket camera. And with the Luna Ultra, you also have a detachable touchscreen so that you can monitor yourself and control the camera from a distance. This also works as a wireless microphone so you can talk to the camera and monitor yourself. Both cameras also record in a true log color profile. That's where we start to get a little bit more advanced. So since this is a beginner outline guide tutorial thingy, I'll save that for another video. Now for YouTube, these suit creators who want an easy camera to film themselves with, plus more flexibility for B-roll, vlogging, talking heads or travel. I would choose either the Luna Ultra or the Pocket 4 Pro for someone who wants a capable portable camera that they can use regularly without building a larger camera setup. Also for the person that just wants something that's plug and play without a steep learning curve. Now taking things up a notch, mirrorless cameras give you interchangeable lenses and more control over the look of your videos. Now with the right lens, you can get stronger background blur and more flexibility in different lighting conditions. But these also cost more once you include a lens, accessories, SD cards, and there's way more of a learning curve compared to these other cameras. But this really comes down to how much you wanna invest in the video quality of your channel. So I consider these if you're interested in developing your camera skills alongside your YouTube channel. Now there's a lot of great mirrorless cameras and honestly several of them could be the right choice for you. So here's what I'd pay attention to when comparing them. First is autofocus. Especially if you're filming yourself, you want a camera that can reliably track your face and keep you sharp while you're recording. Now a screen that flips around is a nice added bonus feature so that you can see yourself. I would prioritize this if you plan on filming yourself, but there's also some really great phone apps that you can use to monitor yourself too. So it's not a deal breaker. Now for video quality, I'd look for a good 4K video recording, which won't be hard because most new cameras nowadays do that. You don't need to chase the highest resolution available. In fact, I think that would be to your downfall. And at this point, most cameras were recording up to 30 frames per second. But if you wanna do slow motion, you'll need a camera that records in 60 FPS or higher. Now sensor size is another thing to think about. You'll commonly see APS-C and full frame cameras. Full frame can offer advantages in low light and make it easier to get that blurry background depending on the lens that you're using. APS-C cameras and lenses are often smaller and they're more affordable. But don't underestimate them just because the sensor is smaller. They're absolutely capable of producing great YouTube videos. In fact, the camera I'm filming with right now is an APS-C sensor. I would definitely not stretch your budget just to get a full frame camera because it's overhyped on the internet. And there's also the lenses. This is a big one because there's a lot to choose from and they make a big difference. The lenses have just as much to do with the look of your videos as the camera does. Now before buying a camera body, make sure that there's lenses available that fit your budget and the kind of content you wanna make. Like if you need a wide lens or a zoom lens or a portrait lens, make sure you're picking that. Make sure to include that cost when you're comparing the cameras. Basically, I'd put my money towards the features I'll use regularly. More advanced settings can give you room to grow but they also come with more to learn. But with that being said, there are a few cameras that I would take a look at first. The Sony ZV-E10 and the ZV-E10 Mark II and the Canon EOS R50V would all be on my short list for first time mirrorless YouTube cameras. They give you a wide variety of affordable, interchangeable lenses, autofocus, and screens that face forward with more advanced video capabilities available as you move up. Now if photography is also a big part of what you wanna do, I'd also consider the Fujifilm X-E5 or if you have some extra budget, the X-T5. Fujifilm colors are legendary for looking really good straight out of camera, which is great if you don't plan to do any color grading in post-production. But Fujifilm cameras are also fantastic for video. Personally, I use the Sony FX30 and a Sony a7IV for my own YouTube videos. I also have a Blackmagic Pixis 6K Cinema camera but that's really not in this category so we'll leave that one alone. The FX30 is the one I'd lean towards if video is your main focus and the Sony a7IV or a7V is definitely worth considering if you want to invest in both video and photography. It's a fantastic hybrid camera. Now both of those are much more expensive options compared to these other cameras and I've chosen these around the work that I do. I am a video professional so this world is very much where I live. A beginner can absolutely make great looking YouTube videos with one of the more affordable cameras we've talked about, even with just your current smartphone. And another category that I didn't really wanna take a look at in this video is used camera options where you could save a ton of money. But a video about that would be a very long one. For most beginners, I'd start with your phone or the Osmo Pocket 3. The Luna Ultra and the Pocket 4 Pro are my overall picks for kind of like the in-between beginner. And if you have more to spend, mirrorless cameras are a great investment and give you options for more control and lenses to grow into. But let's not forget about your lighting. My videos would be nothing without the lighting that I put into them. Now, if you want a full tutorial on that, I'll link a video that I did a while back right up here for you to check out. But at the end of the day, you can make great YouTube videos with any of these. And the right choice comes down to your budget, how much gear you wanna invest in, how much you wanna learn and how much you wanna carry. And once you've picked your camera, you still need a way to put your videos together. And that's where Riverside comes in. You can record directly in Riverside or upload footage from any of these cameras, then edit your video and turn the best parts into shorter clips. So as you're figuring out your gear, you've also got a place to start building your workflow. So if you wanna record and edit your next video with Riverside, you can use the link in the description to get started. And if you wanna learn more about recording, editing and creating better content with Riverside, I'll link a few more videos for you to watch right up here and in the description down below. Be sure to like this video, subscribe for more content just like this. And if you're stuck between two cameras, tell me which one and what you're planning to film in the comments. I'll be happy to help you pick. Thank you so much for watching and we can't wait to see what you create.