Filming Made Easy: Selecting the Right Audio Devices

YouTube Video Shooting Equipment List: What You Need to Start Recording Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Shooting a video has never been easier because there are so many different cameras you can use to capture the footage for your YouTube video. In the past, professional video equipment has been expensive and difficult to operate, but all of this has changed with the invention of digital cameras.

On the other hand, buying the most expensive microphones, lighting equipment or cameras doesn’t guarantee that your videos will be a major success once you post them on YouTube. Instead, you should look for the equipment that is best suited for the type of videos you want to create. Let’s explore the equipment that is necessary for running a successful YouTube channel.

What Equipment Will You Need to Start Your New YouTube Channel?

The process of creating a video can be divided into three different stages, the pre-production, production, and post-production. Each stage has its own tools, without which completing a video would be impossible. In this article, we will be covering the equipment that will make the production stage of the process much smoother, and it will also help you to go through post-production much faster.

Equipment 1: Camera

You can’t shoot a video without a camera, but which camera you’re going to use depends on the type of the video you want to produce. Sometimes the camera that offers the most shooting options is not the best choice, and different factors like size or the weight of the camera can be much more important than the sheer quality of the footage.

1. Cellphone Cameras

If you own a smartphone , you already have a camera you can use to create a YouTube video. Mobile phone cameras are easy to operate and they are perfect for shooting videos while you are on the go. However, most phones are incredibly light and holding the device in your hand while shooting may produce camera shakes that ruin the video. You’ll also need a third-party app in order to control all of the camera settings manually.

You can also make YouTube videos with just your phone , check this video for more details.

2. Action Cameras

If you are a fan of outdoor activities and you want to shoot your YouTube videos while you’re having an adventure action cam may be your best choice. The GoPro and all similar types of cameras are small, lightweight, and they can produce videos in high resolution. Most of these cameras come with mounts and accessories that enable you to shoot perfectly stable footage while you are climbing, running or walking.

We have composed some useful tips and trick of buying and using action camera, in cast that you want to buy an action camera for shooting videos, do check out this ultimate action camera guide .

3. Camcorders

YouTubers that often shoot videos on different locations, can hardly go wrong if they decide to capture their videos with a camcorder. The best models on the market enable you to shoot 4K videos, even in less than perfect light conditions and you can also adjust the camera settings manually. Camcorders are a great choice if you want to make sure that your footage always looks great, regardless of the location on which you recorded it.

If you want to buy a camcorder to shoot your YouTube vlog video, please do check this list of best 4k camcorders that you can buy.

4. Mirrorless Cameras

Besides offering superb image quality, mirrorless cameras also let you change lenses so you get the best shot in every scene you want to include in your video. These types of cameras are a popular choice for vlogging or capturing footage for all types of YouTube videos because they feature professional video recording options while remaining relatively lightweight and easy to carry around. However, the best mirrorless cameras on the market can be quite expensive, and you must be prepared to invest money in lenses and other equipment.

If you want to buy a mirrorless camera to shoot your YouTube vlog video, please do check this list of best 4k mirrorless cameras.

5. DSLR Cameras

Seasoned professionals, as well as the newcomers to the world of video production, can benefit from using a DSLR camera for shooting the content for their YouTube channel. These types of cameras allow you to change lenses, pull focus manually, shoot at different frame rates or capture the footage in 4K and Full HD quality. What’s more, you can use a DSLR camera even in challenging light conditions, because most models support ISO sensitivity values that enable the camera to produce remarkable image quality even when the amount of light in a shot is far from perfect.

With a DSLR camera, you can also use it a webcam for recording your face and your desktop screen at the same time, check how to use a DSLR camera as a webcam .

Equipment 2: Microphones

Moving images are less effective without sound, which is the reason why you should pay close attention to this aspect of the video making process. All cameras have built-in microphones, but the audio quality they produce is often not good enough to actually use it in a YouTube video. That’s why recording sound with an external microphone is a common practice among the most successful YouTubers.

The location at which you’re shooting the video will help you determine which microphone you should use for that project. If you are recording your YouTube video in the exterior an omnidirectional microphone is your best choice because it will eliminate the wind noise. Furthermore, as their name suggests these microphones can pick up sounds from all directions so people in your videos don’t have to speak directly into the microphone.

Shotgun or unidirectional mics are frequently used in studio conditions when you want to eliminate all other sounds except the narrator’s voice. Gamers, tutorial makers and all other YouTube content creators that rely heavily on narration in their videos use shotgun mics because they produce great audio quality. Even though it is easy to overlook the importance of sound for the overall quality of the video you’re working on, a video with great audio quality may actually help you attract more followers on YouTube.

Check: best microphones for YouTube vloggers.

Equipment 3: Video Stabilization Equipment

Holding a camera in your hand while shooting a video is often not the best idea, because even breathing may cause the camera to move and produce camera shakes. That’s where tripods , steadicams, gimbals , rigs and other video stabilization equipment comes in. As a matter of fact, you should only shoot handheld videos when you want to achieve this effect, while all another camera movement should be avoided without the use of appropriate equipment.

Shaky videos are not very pleasant to watch and they can reduce your chances of attracting more followers on YouTube. The video stabilization equipment offers a great solution, and you can get a professional tripod or gimbal at a very reasonable price. However, which video stabilization equipment you are going to use depends on the camera you have and the type of shot you want to get.

Check our list of best camera stabilizer for YouTubers in 2018 .

Equipment 4: Lighting Equipment

Instead of struggling with natural light sources and having to deal with shadows, you can simply use the lighting equipment to equalize the light values in a shot. Of course, whether or not you will use artificial light in your video depends on a number of factors, including the location and the visual style you’re trying to achieve.

Whether you will use an on-camera LED light, ring light or softbox video lights is yet another creative decision you will have to make during the process of shooting your YouTube video. The great majority of video lighting equipment produces the best results in controlled, studio-like conditions, so before you go ahead and buy an on-camera light or a softbox make sure that you know how the equipment will perform on the interior and exterior locations.

Conclusion

Producing YouTube videos on a constant basis requires you to have the right equipment for the job. You don’t have to shoot your videos with the most expensive camera out there or have the best microphone on the market in order to create a great YouTube video, but having the equipment capable of delivering a professional level of video and audio quality won’t hurt your chances of becoming a successful YouTuber.

We’d love to hear all about the gear you’re using to capture your videos, so leave a comment and let us know.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Get the Facts About YouTube Keyword Research

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With more than 1 billion hours of video watched every day, YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. That means you should optimize your videos for YouTube, so they rank well on Google and show up in YouTube searches.

YouTube keywords are the words you include in your video title, description, and anywhere that will help YouTube’s algorithm know what your video is about and what it entails. Keep reading to learn more about YouTube keyword research.

Why Do We Need to Research YouTube Keywords?

Researching YouTube keywords is essential to your success. Here are three reasons why you might want to consider YouTube keyword research.

Helps You Know What Your Audience Is Searching for

Keyword research allows you to understand what people search for when they are on YouTube. In turn, this helps you know what your potential customers are seeking. You’ll then include these terms on your content to increase the chances of your audience finding you on YouTube.

It Helps You Rank Higher

You can use YouTube videos to promote brand awareness and market your product. Having high-ranking videos is a cost-effective way to push your target audience through the sales funnel.

When creating YouTube videos, you need to ensure you are reaching your target audience. And that is why researching keywords is crucial.

Once you have performed YouTube keyword research and determined the most suitable keywords for your topic, you can now use them to create target content for your audience. In turn, this will help you increase the number of subscribers on your YouTube channel. Your chances of your video showing up on YouTube will increase, which will bring traffic to your business.

It’s the Cheapest Way to Market Your Products or Services

Video marketing is expensive, and that is why you have to find every possible edge for your video marketing if you want to lower your costs and increase your ROI. For this reason, keyword research will ensure your audience finds you without spending loads of money that you could have used on services like Google Ads.

Because keyword research allows your target audience to find you, this means more opportunities for you. Most of the users will share entertaining videos.

How to Research Keywords on YouTube?

There are several ways of conducting keyword research for YouTube to find out what people are searching for and determine the content in your video. They include:

1. Using YouTube Search

Although this method doesn’t provide all available search options, it’s still good for getting an idea of the type of keyword with which you’re dealing.

You can start your research by typing the keywords into YouTube’s search bar and reviewing the displayed results. It might be helpful to check out similar videos or video playlists. If your search seems too wide, you can enter several keywords at once (separated by commas), which will help you find better results.

2. Using Google’s Keyword Planner Tool

This tool is helpful for keyword difficulty and monthly searches volume assessment. If you only want to know the number of organic visits a given keyword gets, Google Keyword Planner might be helpful. The tool allows you to create lists consisting of related keywords and provides information about CPC (cost per click) and potential traffic in general.

3. Using YouTube Suggestions

What makes YouTube unique is its ability to suggest content based on your location, subscription, and watch history. You can use this method to find keyword ideas if you have subscribed to relevant channels. Also, you can rely on YouTube suggestions to find out whether a topic is popular or not.

4. Using YouTube Analytics

YouTube has a built-in Keyword Tool that is extremely helpful for researching the best keywords to use in your video titles, descriptions, and tags. This method allows you to see video search keywords with which users are finding your content. It is possible to review top organic keywords together with the respective engagement metrics, including bounce rate and average view duration.

5. Using Third-Party YouTube Keyword Tools

Last but not least, there are several third-party tools available on the market that provide both keyword difficulty and organic traffic estimation data for YouTube keywords. Some of these tools also offer similar features, including recommendations based on your existing subscriptions. Let’s look at some of the popular YouTube tools that you can use.

vidIQ

Designed to boost YouTube views, vidIQ is an effective SEO tool. The tool recommends keywords, descriptions, and titles that will help you to get more views and subscribers.

Performing vidIQ keyword research that relates to your video is a breeze. With just a few clicks, you will know what people are searching for and create content that they want to watch.

The tool allows you to enable inline keywords to know the tags your competitors use on search results. Use them to help you generate ideas relevant to your content. vidIQ also suggests ideal keywords like YouTube.

TubeBuddy

You can also use TubeBuddy to find and evaluate a range of YouTube keywords. You can do TubeBuddy keyword research on its mobile app or browser extension. The tool also shows how often people click on the results and how often users search a keyword.

Keyword Keg

Using the YouTube suggest API, Keyword Keg shows you the terms users search most and the monthly number of searches. You’ll also see what other people are paying for CPC (cost per click). You can use this data to determine the best keywords for your YouTube videos.

Qusetion: Are keywords and Tags the Same Thing?

Answer: The main difference between tags and keywords is where you will place them. Keywords describe the content in your video to help search engines and YouTube’s algorithm find your video. Tags describe what the content in your video is about and how it’s connected.

Make Great YouTube Videos with Filmora

Having high-quality videos can make you stand out from your competitors. Filmora is a video editing software that allows you to create amazing YouTube videos. It has powerful editing tools that will enhance the quality of your videos.

You can also add over 800 cool effects and filters to your videos to make them fun to watch. With just a single click, you can add opacity and speed ramp effects as well as infinite zoom effects.

Additionally, you can adjust the dynamic range and white balance of Your YouTube videos. Furthermore, you can fine-tune the audio of your video to make it crisp and eliminate camera shake.

The best part is: Filmora is compatible with macOS X 10.12 or later and Windows 7, 8, and 10. It also supports all popular standard HD videos, audio, and image file formats.

Conclusion

Now that you know the importance of YouTube keyword research and how to perform keyword research, your target audience can find you easily.

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