Here's all the hardware I use for filming my Youtube videos. Check out my Creator Essentials page for software recommendations.
tl;dr
- Set a realistic budget
- Spend that budget on Audio > Lighting > Lens > Camera (in that order, more on why below)
- Purchase a popular video editing software like Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro then use FREE plugins like those from Ryan Nangle to start off with before moving onto paid ones (options down below)
š Audio
Remember: people are willing to sit through bad video, but never poor audio
š” Lighting
The difference between good and poor lighting is literally night and day
- Aputure Light Storm LS C120d II - A great beginner key light. Pair this with the Aputure Light Dome II. The dome matters more than the light itself since you want to diffuse the light as much as possible (the larger the dome the better) so you can go for a cheaper light like those from Godox
- Aputure LS 300x - I've since upgraded to this bi-color light from Aputure just so I can control the light temperature (I use 5600K across all my lights)
- Aputure AL-MC - I use these bad boys as my fill lights. I actually have 4 of these since I got the travel kit. Download the Sidus Link app to control them from your phone and change the colors to suit your needs!
- Elgato Key Light Air - Since the Aputure lights are too hard to carry around with me when I travel, I use the Elgato Key Light Air for when I'm on the road. It only has 3 pieces so I can stuff it into my luggage pretty easily
š Lens
A good lens will make up for a "bad" camera body
I'm not a lens expert so I basically relied on advice from Think Media, Ali Abdaal, and Peter McKinnon. That being said, I think my choices have been pretty good:
- Sigma 16mm f/1.4 - BEST STARTER LENS EVER. This lasted me for 6 whole months when I first started out! The price-to-reward ratio for this lens is INSANE (see one of my earlier videos for an example)
- Sony E-mount FE 24mm F1.4 GM - Got this for myself as a birthday present but to be extremely honest with you the difference between this and the Sigma was minimal #noregretsthough (see this video for an example)
šø Camera & Peripherals
Sony cameras are apparently better for video, and Canon for stills
- Sony A7III - Not much to say here. Got this and hoping it will last me for at least a few years
- Atomos Ninja V - I didn't think I needed this until... I got it. Apart from being able to see myself when I film, the codec that the Atomos outputs makes editing the footage super fast and smooth
- Manfrotto Befree Advanced Tripod - I have this setup at home and don't touch it, so the height and position are usually fixed without me having to adjust before every shoot
- Peak Design Travel Tripod - My "secondary" tripod that I use to shoot my thumbnails with (adjusting height, angle, etc) and I bring this with me when I travel since it's so sturdy
- Ulanzi Desk Stand - Great for desk setups. Extremely simple to setup and very very sturdy. Sturdiness is important because you don't want the camera to wobble
- Samsung T7 Portable SSD - I am an extremely careful person so I backup all my final videos. I have two 2TB drives so it will probably take me at least 1-2 years to fill it all up
- Synology 6 bay NAS DiskStation DS1621+ - I also recently bought a Synology NAS as a secondary backup option. A bit of a learning curve to be honest so I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a full-time creator
- DJI OM 4 Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer - This is a must-have if you want to film stable shots on-the-go. I use this mainly for my vlogs (i.e. NOT the talking head videos). The setup is so easy (the magnetic mount is AMAZING) and the features are more than enough for my needs
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