What's a good "sweet spot" camera + audio setup for making movies for YouTube

In My Humble Opinion
1

I plan to start making YouTube videos soon, and all I have right now is PhotoBooth on my make. That or my phone. :slight_smile:

So… what’s a good camera + audio setup to buy (new or used)? By “sweet spot” I mean the right gear for a good price–not the ultimate gearhead kit.

I plan to make videos of me talking indoors–going to do beer reviews and whatnot. So recommend lighting, or maybe a camera with a low enough f-number would work?

Thanks in advance for your wide counsel!

2

Surely someone has an opinion!

3

I’m watching the thread to see what gets recommended. I have the same question.

4

Depends on what kind of budget you had in mind, as of course the variation is enormous and everyone has a very different idea of what “the right gear for a good price” is to them. Certainly, a lack of professional equipment has never stopped anyone from uploading their videos to YouTube. But if you have some pocket change you don’t mind blowing and really want at least a semi-professional look, you’ve got lots of options.

5

Yep. What would you say are some good options?

6

For what level of budget? That was the information I was trying to solicit by saying it depends.

7

Right, mmkay. I was thinking maybe about a grand, but here’s where you can say, “For just $200 more, you can get…” See what I mean? Or maybe I can kit up at $600 and get virtually something as good as the $1,000 package.

Wisdomize me. :slight_smile:

8

I was looking at this. It seems like audio is almost completely neglected in video recorders, but it’s the one thing I really want done right.

9

I see the Zoom Q8 doesn’t get good reviews for video quality. I am wondering if anyone even makes a camera that takes good video and audio.

10

SD? HD? 4K?

Get a low-end Canon DSLR with its kit lens, and buy a cheap primary. Even the low-end ones have audio input. As a bonus you have a fairly nice DSLR for taking creative snapshots and photos.

11

HD but not 4K… does YouTube even support 4K-level video?

12

I don’t have any recommendations to make, but it’s a good idea to look at audio capability. Most amateurs don’t consider audio and their voices end up competing with all the background noise that built-in mics pick up. Wherever people are drinking beer, there’ll be a lot of loud chatter, so you’ll definitely need to isolate your voice from it with an external mic.