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[Updated] Ultimate Picks for Affordable Video SBS Grabbers
Ultimate Picks for Affordable Video SBS Grabbers
If you’ve tried to add subtitles to videos on YouTube before, you may have noticed it’s a bit of a pain. Usually, you have to copy the translation and paste it into your clips, which is time-consuming and requires an advanced level of skill.
Therefore, to help you understand YouTube videos and take notes from their content, we’ve brought a complete review of the best YouTube subtitle extractors that will automatically get the required SRT file in no time. In addition, we’ll also provide a bonus tip to edit your subtitles using Filmora.
So, let’s get into the details of each of these tools one by one.
- Wondershare UniConverter
- DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader
- 4K Video Downloader
- ByClick Downloader
10 Free YouTube Subtitle Extractors & Downloaders
We’ve rounded up a list of 10 YouTube subtitle extractors and downloader services to simplify your life and enable you to get the SRT files.
These tools are simple to use and can help you save a lot of time and effort. However, keep in mind that with these software programs, you can only download videos with subtitles automatically generated by YouTube.
Note: if you want to create subtitles, you can also use the Speech to text function.
Online Free Youtube Subtitle Extractor
You can use one of the following subtitle extractor tools if you only need the SRT file:
1. DownSub
DownSub is an online tool that can help you extract subtitles for your favorite YouTube movies or shows. The tool is entirely free and easy to use. Simply paste the link to the video you want to get subtitles for, click download, and DownSub will do the rest.
Some of the key features of DownSub are as follows:
- Download subtitles from YouTube in multiple languages
- Supports multiple formats, including SRT, TXT, and VTT
- Extracts directly from YouTube, Viki, VIU, and more
2. Checksub
Checksub is a handy tool for extracting subtitles for your YouTube video. To use the tool, create your account on the website, drag and drop your file or upload the URL, and wait for Checksub to extract the SRT file.
Here are some of the cool features of the Checksub tool:
- Adds subtitles and translates or dubs your videos
- Ability to edit subtitles
- Supports over 190 languages
- Adds automatic voiceover in a foreign language
3. EasySub
EasySub is another simple and fast-to-use tool that can help you extract YouTube subtitles in no time without installing any software or extensions. Moreover, it supports multiple file formats, such as VTT, SRT, ass, and TXT.
The following are some key features of EasySub:
- Free to use
- Simple and easy to use
- Automatic transcription
- Uses an advanced AI algorithm
- Multi-language support
4. SaveSubs
SaveSubs is a browser-based Youtube subtitles downloader that does not require its users to install any software or touch any code. Just paste the YouTube video link with subtitles, click “Download,” and you can download the file instantly on your device.
Below are a few key features of the SaveSubs tool:
- Download subtitles in multiple formats, such as VTT, SRT, and TXT
- Clear and simple UI
- Supports editable subtitles
- Comes with a social sharing feature
5. YouSubtitles
With its massive subtitle database, YouSubtitles stands out from other online tools. This tool has an easy-to-use UI and can help you get your required file effortlessly. Furthermore, you can even select the translated version of the file after the download.
Here’s why YouSubtitles is one of the best YouTube subtitles extractor online:
- Free to use
- Huge subtitle database
- Supports multiple formats and languages
6. DVDVideoSoft
Another trusted source for YouTube subtitle extraction is DVDVideoSoft. With this tool, you can quickly get the required SRT file by providing the URL of the content. Moreover, you can also use it to download music and videos from Youtube.
Some key features of DVDVideoSoft are as follows:
- Can set the language, interval, and timestamp for the subtitles
- Supports YouTube to MP3 converter and YouTube downloader
- Free to use
- Perfect for downloading subtitles from a particular segment of a video
Youtube Subtitle Downloader Software
Youtube’s automatic subtitles are sometimes inaccurate while using an online tool. Therefore, we recommend you use dedicated software to make adjustments to the content. Some of these programs are as follows:
1. Wondershare UniConverter
Wondershare UniConverter is an easy-to-use software for Windows and Mac that can help you create, add, and generate subtitles for your favorite Youtube videos in just a few clicks.
Price:
- Quarter: $29.99
- Annual: $39.99
- 2-year: $55.99
- Perpetual (one-time): $79.99
Key Features:
Here are some of the things UniConverter can do:
- Auto-generates subtitles from videos in over 100 languages
- Supports multiple video and audio formats
- Customizable subtitle styles
- Comes with a visual subtitle timeline for real-time preview
- Converts TXT to SRT format
- Ability to download the YouTube video on your device
2. DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader
Another customizable and powerful software for downloading YouTube SRT is the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Downloader. With this tool, you can get subtitles in multiple languages for any video on YouTube with closed captions.
Price: Free
Key Features:
Here are some key features of the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader:
- Supports TXT and SRT file formats
- Available for Windows
- Ability to extract subtitles from certain intervals
- Available as a browser-based tool
3. 4K Video Downloader
With the 4K Video Downloader user-friendly GUI, you can download videos from YouTube, Facebook, and many other video sites in high definition. It is also possible to extract YouTube video subtitles in over 50 languages.
Price: Free
Key Features:
Below are the key features of the 4K Video Downloader software:
- Download the video in 4K
- Supports over 50 languages for YouTube subtitles extraction
- Can download an entire playlist
4. ByClick Downloader
ByClick Downloader is another great option to quickly download YouTube videos with subtitles in any format you want. Not only that, you can convert files into MP3, MP4, FLV, AVI, WMV,3GP, WAV, and WEBM formats with just a few clicks!
Price: Free
Key Features:
Key features of the ByClick Downloader are as follows:
- Downloads videos from over 50 different sources
- Excellent user interface
- Quickly downloads YouTube subtitles.
- Supports multiple formats
Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora
Since most of the above tools only extract or download the YouTube subtitles and do not offer editing features, we recommend using Wondershare Filmora , where you can quickly apply changes to your SRT file.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Filmora is a powerful video editing software that lets you create and edit clips like a pro. With its easy-to-use UI and wide range of features, you can also create and edit subtitles for your YouTube video using different parameters, animations, text styles, templates, and colors.
Here’s how you can add and edit subtitles on your videos using Filmora:
Step 1 Open the Filmora software on your laptop or desktop and click the “Create New Project” option in the main interface. Select the “Click here to import media” option and upload your YouTube video. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file.
Step 2 Drag the YouTube video, drop it in the timeline, and click the “Play” icon. Listen to the voiceover on your video footage and press the “M” key to add a marker. Next, click “Titles” from the toolbar and open the “Subtitles” tab from the left menu. Double-click the subtitle to download and preview it.
Step 3 Drag the downloaded subtitle template and drop it in the timeline. Now, adjust it in your video along with the marker point. Double-click the subtitle template in the timeline and type the text from the video voiceover.
You can also add color or template and adjust the text space to make them more visible on your video clip.
Step 4 Click the “Advanced” option, delete the preset text, and set the one you’ve just typed. Next, head to the “Animation” tab to apply any animation effect and click “OK.” Finally, repeat the steps to add subtitles to the whole video.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve provided a detailed review of the ten best YouTube subtitle extractors and downloaders to help you automatically extract SRT files without much effort.
We’ve also recommended the Filmora software for quickly downloading and editing YouTube subtitles to make them more engaging and clear using various templates, styles, and animations.
Hopefully, you’ve found this article helpful and can now get the SRT files for your favorite YouTube video in a matter of minutes.
- Wondershare UniConverter
- DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader
- 4K Video Downloader
- ByClick Downloader
- Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora
10 Free YouTube Subtitle Extractors & Downloaders
We’ve rounded up a list of 10 YouTube subtitle extractors and downloader services to simplify your life and enable you to get the SRT files.
These tools are simple to use and can help you save a lot of time and effort. However, keep in mind that with these software programs, you can only download videos with subtitles automatically generated by YouTube.
Note: if you want to create subtitles, you can also use the Speech to text function.
Online Free Youtube Subtitle Extractor
You can use one of the following subtitle extractor tools if you only need the SRT file:
1. DownSub
DownSub is an online tool that can help you extract subtitles for your favorite YouTube movies or shows. The tool is entirely free and easy to use. Simply paste the link to the video you want to get subtitles for, click download, and DownSub will do the rest.
Some of the key features of DownSub are as follows:
- Download subtitles from YouTube in multiple languages
- Supports multiple formats, including SRT, TXT, and VTT
- Extracts directly from YouTube, Viki, VIU, and more
2. Checksub
Checksub is a handy tool for extracting subtitles for your YouTube video. To use the tool, create your account on the website, drag and drop your file or upload the URL, and wait for Checksub to extract the SRT file.
Here are some of the cool features of the Checksub tool:
- Adds subtitles and translates or dubs your videos
- Ability to edit subtitles
- Supports over 190 languages
- Adds automatic voiceover in a foreign language
3. EasySub
EasySub is another simple and fast-to-use tool that can help you extract YouTube subtitles in no time without installing any software or extensions. Moreover, it supports multiple file formats, such as VTT, SRT, ass, and TXT.
The following are some key features of EasySub:
- Free to use
- Simple and easy to use
- Automatic transcription
- Uses an advanced AI algorithm
- Multi-language support
4. SaveSubs
SaveSubs is a browser-based Youtube subtitles downloader that does not require its users to install any software or touch any code. Just paste the YouTube video link with subtitles, click “Download,” and you can download the file instantly on your device.
Below are a few key features of the SaveSubs tool:
- Download subtitles in multiple formats, such as VTT, SRT, and TXT
- Clear and simple UI
- Supports editable subtitles
- Comes with a social sharing feature
5. YouSubtitles
With its massive subtitle database, YouSubtitles stands out from other online tools. This tool has an easy-to-use UI and can help you get your required file effortlessly. Furthermore, you can even select the translated version of the file after the download.
Here’s why YouSubtitles is one of the best YouTube subtitles extractor online:
- Free to use
- Huge subtitle database
- Supports multiple formats and languages
6. DVDVideoSoft
Another trusted source for YouTube subtitle extraction is DVDVideoSoft. With this tool, you can quickly get the required SRT file by providing the URL of the content. Moreover, you can also use it to download music and videos from Youtube.
Some key features of DVDVideoSoft are as follows:
- Can set the language, interval, and timestamp for the subtitles
- Supports YouTube to MP3 converter and YouTube downloader
- Free to use
- Perfect for downloading subtitles from a particular segment of a video
Youtube Subtitle Downloader Software
Youtube’s automatic subtitles are sometimes inaccurate while using an online tool. Therefore, we recommend you use dedicated software to make adjustments to the content. Some of these programs are as follows:
1. Wondershare UniConverter
Wondershare UniConverter is an easy-to-use software for Windows and Mac that can help you create, add, and generate subtitles for your favorite Youtube videos in just a few clicks.
Price:
- Quarter: $29.99
- Annual: $39.99
- 2-year: $55.99
- Perpetual (one-time): $79.99
Key Features:
Here are some of the things UniConverter can do:
- Auto-generates subtitles from videos in over 100 languages
- Supports multiple video and audio formats
- Customizable subtitle styles
- Comes with a visual subtitle timeline for real-time preview
- Converts TXT to SRT format
- Ability to download the YouTube video on your device
2. DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader
Another customizable and powerful software for downloading YouTube SRT is the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Downloader. With this tool, you can get subtitles in multiple languages for any video on YouTube with closed captions.
Price: Free
Key Features:
Here are some key features of the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader:
- Supports TXT and SRT file formats
- Available for Windows
- Ability to extract subtitles from certain intervals
- Available as a browser-based tool
3. 4K Video Downloader
With the 4K Video Downloader user-friendly GUI, you can download videos from YouTube, Facebook, and many other video sites in high definition. It is also possible to extract YouTube video subtitles in over 50 languages.
Price: Free
Key Features:
Below are the key features of the 4K Video Downloader software:
- Download the video in 4K
- Supports over 50 languages for YouTube subtitles extraction
- Can download an entire playlist
4. ByClick Downloader
ByClick Downloader is another great option to quickly download YouTube videos with subtitles in any format you want. Not only that, you can convert files into MP3, MP4, FLV, AVI, WMV,3GP, WAV, and WEBM formats with just a few clicks!
Price: Free
Key Features:
Key features of the ByClick Downloader are as follows:
- Downloads videos from over 50 different sources
- Excellent user interface
- Quickly downloads YouTube subtitles.
- Supports multiple formats
Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora
Since most of the above tools only extract or download the YouTube subtitles and do not offer editing features, we recommend using Wondershare Filmora , where you can quickly apply changes to your SRT file.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Filmora is a powerful video editing software that lets you create and edit clips like a pro. With its easy-to-use UI and wide range of features, you can also create and edit subtitles for your YouTube video using different parameters, animations, text styles, templates, and colors.
Here’s how you can add and edit subtitles on your videos using Filmora:
Step 1 Open the Filmora software on your laptop or desktop and click the “Create New Project” option in the main interface. Select the “Click here to import media” option and upload your YouTube video. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file.
Step 2 Drag the YouTube video, drop it in the timeline, and click the “Play” icon. Listen to the voiceover on your video footage and press the “M” key to add a marker. Next, click “Titles” from the toolbar and open the “Subtitles” tab from the left menu. Double-click the subtitle to download and preview it.
Step 3 Drag the downloaded subtitle template and drop it in the timeline. Now, adjust it in your video along with the marker point. Double-click the subtitle template in the timeline and type the text from the video voiceover.
You can also add color or template and adjust the text space to make them more visible on your video clip.
Step 4 Click the “Advanced” option, delete the preset text, and set the one you’ve just typed. Next, head to the “Animation” tab to apply any animation effect and click “OK.” Finally, repeat the steps to add subtitles to the whole video.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve provided a detailed review of the ten best YouTube subtitle extractors and downloaders to help you automatically extract SRT files without much effort.
We’ve also recommended the Filmora software for quickly downloading and editing YouTube subtitles to make them more engaging and clear using various templates, styles, and animations.
Hopefully, you’ve found this article helpful and can now get the SRT files for your favorite YouTube video in a matter of minutes.
Your Ultimate YouTube Video Gear: Top-Rated Cameras and Lenses
A Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
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- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
