What Kind of Camera do YouTubers Use for Vlogging

I picked fifteen vloggers with subscriber levels ranging from the tens of thousands to over 20 million. They were Ryan Higa, Casey Neistat, iJustine, Jason Vong, Jerry Rig Everything, Think Media, JC Caylen, Aspyn Ovard, Nick Nimmin, Potato Jet, Armando Ferreira, Dottotech, Pat Flynn, Peter Gregg, and Justin Reeves.

It turns out some creators use multiple cameras for vlogging. Perhaps a larger full-frame camera in their studio and a compact or action camera when out-and-about.

What I do feel was missing from the list of cameras used by YouTubers, because I know some creators do use them, are camcorders, smartphones, and webcams. For instance, the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 is a webcam used by many YouTubers, and of course, countless creators use iPhones.

Having said that, let’s look at this list of cameras used for vlogging by fifteen YouTubers.

What kind of camera do YouTubers use for vlogging

Camera	Flip screen	Sensor size	Max resolution	Mic/Headphone socket	Camera type	Used by
Canon 80D	Yes	APS-C	1080p	Yes/Yes	DSLR	JC Caylen, Aspyn Ovard, Nick Nimmin
Canon M50	Yes	APS-C	4K	Yes/No	Mirrorless	Think Media, dottotech
Canon EOS R	Yes	Full frame	4K	Yes/Yes	Mirrorless	Potato Jet, Armando Ferreira, Justin Reeves
GoPro Hero 7 Black	No	1-inch	4K	Yes/No	Action camera	Casey Neistat, iJustine, Pat Flynn
Logitech BRIO	No	NA	4K	No/No	Webcam	dottotech
Panasonic Lumix GH5	Yes	Micro Four Thirds	4K	Yes/Yes	Mirrorless	Casey Neistat, Jerryrigeverything
Sony A6400	Yes	APS-C	4K	Yes/No	Mirrorless	Think Media, Armando Ferreira, Jason Vong
Sony A7iii	No	Full frame	4K	Yes/Yes	Mirrorless	iJustine, Peter Gregg
Sony CyberShot RX100 V	Yes	1-inch	4K	No/No	Point-and-shoot	Casey Neistat

So, what kind of vlog camera do YouTubers use?

You can see, there is no single camera that all vloggers settle on. In fact, some vloggers have several cameras. That’s probably because there’s no single camera that is perfect in every situation. So, there is no single correct camera for vlogging.

That’s a key point to consider as you plan your YouTube channel. Get the right tool for the job or the best one within your budget.

If you’ll have a home studio perhaps look at larger full-frame cameras. But for software tutorials or quick videos at your desk, look at getting a webcam. However, for travel vlogs or when vlogging from conventions, a compact camera in your pocket saves weight and space.

I’ve written a review for each of the cameras shown above, which you can see later in this article, but first here are my top picks from the list.

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Reviews of all the vlogger cameras

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Canon 80D Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Good image quality	No 4K
Dual Pixel AF	Heavy
Fully articulating screen
External mic socket
Headphone socket

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Canon M50 Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Compact and light	4K is cropped
Excellent vari-angle touchscreen	4K uses contrast AF
Dual Pixel AF and face/eye AF tracking	4K only at 24fps
Access to Canon EF lenses with an adapter	No in-body stabilization
WIFI remote control from a smartphone
Can load Technicolor Cinestyle profile

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Canon EOS R Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
A fully functioning touch screen	A little pricey
Articulated screen	4K crop factor of 1.74
Comes with c-log	120fps only available in 720p
Great customization	No in-body stabilization
Good low light performance	Heavier to hold
Weather sealed
Dual-Pixel AF in HD & 4K
10bit external recording

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

GoPro Hero 7 Black

Pros	Cons
Easy user interface	Live streaming limited to 720p
Hyper Smooth, almost gimbal-like	The audio could still be better
Offers timed clips

Last update on 2024-10-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Logitech Brio

Pros	Cons
Relatively inexpensive	Must be linked to a PC
Shoot up to 4K video	Limited image control
Can monitor yourself on your PC
Little or no setup time prior to a video shoot

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Panasonic GH5 Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Solid stabilization (IBIS + lens)	Large
Can record 4:2:2/10bit at 4K 30p	Still expensive
Good touch screen
External mic socket
Headphone socket
No record time limit

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Sony A6400 Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Small form factor	An on camera mic can hide the screen
Good 4K	No IBIS
No 29’59” record limit

Last update on 2024-03-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Sony A7 III Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Eye-detect AF	The screen does not flip-up
Full frame 4K	Touch screen only for focus
IBIS
External mic socket
Headphone socket
Dual card slots

Last update on 2024-08-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Sony CyberShot RX100 V

Pros	Cons
Pocket sized camera	No external mic socket
Plenty of features	Fiddly to use
Superb Zeiss lens
Fast AF
Flip-up screen
Full HD at 120fps
Can record to external recorder

A cheaper vlogging camera for beginners

Asking what type of camera YouTubers use to vlog is a good starting point when choosing a vlogging camera for beginners. But many of those cameras are expensive. Even worse, some have interchangeable lenses that can cost more than the camera body. Yikes! How does anyone ever get started vlogging?

Don’t worry. It’s your ability to tell a story that is more important than the vlogging equipment you use. Owning the most expensive camera won’t guarantee success. You need to understand how to tell your story and how your camera can help you do that.

If you’ve got the money, sure, go ahead and get whatever camera you want. But if you’re on a budget, what can you do? Well, how about choosing a webcam or camcorder for vlogging?

You may also like: How to use a webcam for YouTube Videos

Camcorder vs Camera for vlogging

I know a camcorder doesn’t look as cool as using a DSLR or Mirrorless camera but forget about what camera do YouTubers vlog. The right camcorder can give you a lot of features for a lot less money. But one piece of advice is to ignore the ridiculously cheap unknown brands that claim to be for vlogging. Their inferior quality will not impress anyone.

What will impress viewers is the Panasonic Full HD Camcorder HC-V770. Read on and you’ll realize it’s much more than a domestic camcorder that you pack for vacations.

As well as iA mode (intelligent Auto mode) you can access manual mode for full creative control. You can set the shutter speed, White Balance, and brightness (iris/gain). Focus can be adjusted with the thumbwheel control that’s beside the lens. However, by staying in iA mode the camcorder will use face detection tracking with autofocus, which works very well indeed as you move within the scene.   

You will also be able to shoot handheld shots that don’t look shaky because the V770 has 5-axis hybrid optical image stabilization. It’s a combination of optical and digital IS that would be a highly effective vlogging camera stabilizer.

The 3-inch flip-out touch screen gives you access to the camcorder’s menu, but it can also be turned through 180 degrees to point forwards. Now that’s an obvious feature for vloggers. Another giveaway that this camcorder is intended for creators and not for ordinary consumers is that it has both an external mic input and a headphone socket. You don’t get that on some of the cameras on my list

You also get a clean HDMI output and wifi connectivity. Use your smartphone to see what the camcorder sees and control the camcorder remotely. Even better, your smartphone can act as a sub-camera that will appear as a picture-in-picture on the camcorder. That would be an extremely useful feature if you want to show the subject of whatever you’re vlogging about but also want to appear in a box at the bottom of the frame.

Lastly, the V770 can shoot full HD 1080 30 and 60p and comes with a 20x optical zoom.

Last update on 2024-05-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Panasonic Full HD HC-V770 Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Solid face tracking AF	It looks like a camcorder (doh)
Manual controls
Mic and headphone sockets
3-inch reversible touch screen
Great value for money
5-Axis hybrid IS

Choosing your best camera for YouTube vlogging

Do you really need to spend thousands of dollars to start vlogging?

Of course not.

These days you can get an excellent quality image out of the better webcams. Even so, successful vloggers are making enough money from YouTube to be able to afford to buy top-quality gear. They may even be professional photographers, so they’ll have professional-grade cameras and lenses before starting their YouTube channel. It isn’t surprising that their videos look great.

As I’ve already mentioned, even today’s consumer cameras offer superb performance. In the hands of professionals, they can produce outstanding results. So, what camera do you get? Ignore the cheap ones since that gear is unlikely to do you any favors.

Look for features that you will realistically use, there is no point in buying a camera that’s packed full of features you’ll never use. For example, if you are only going to record talking head videos with your camera on a tripod do you really 5-axis in-body image stabilization and the ability to record full HD at 120fps? Of course not.

Pick the right camera for the job, that way you will get the best value for money.

So, what should you look for in your vlogging camera?

Resolution and frame rates

You want to shoot in at least full HD 1080p. Many vloggers are choosing to record in 4K but it isn’t really necessary. Since most people watch YouTube videos on their smartphones the benefit of 4K will be lost.

If you want 4K because you want the flexibility to use a single camera but punch into a tighter shot to simulate a two-camera shoot that’s a legitimate reason to shoot in 4K. But understand there is a hidden cost to 4K. The files are much bigger than 1080p files, so you’ll need higher capacity SD cards and a PC with a larger hard disk, a faster processor, a beefier graphics card, and more RAM. None of that is going to come cheap.

Ordinary HD is 720p, full HD is 1080p and 4K is Ultra HD or 2,160p. Therefore, a 4K frame is four times the area of full HD. Although 720p is passable I would urge you to shoot in 1080p or 4K.

The frame rate is the number of frames per second. If you want your videos to have a more cinematic look then look for a camera that can shoot 24fps. However, most YouTubes will shoot 25fps (if you are in a country that uses the PAL broadcast system) or 30fps (NTSC broadcast countries, like North America). In recent years 60fps has also become available and is meant to make motion look smoother.

It doesn’t matter which of those frame rates you choose because YouTube will sort out the playback. So, a video recorded by a British vlogger at 25fps will look fine when played back in America, and vice versa.

If you want to use slow-motion effects. you can shoot at 60fps but playback at 30fps. That way you’ll get motion at half speed. If you need even slower motion, choose a camera that can do higher frame rates. For example, even my iPhone SE can manage 1080p at 120fps and 720p at 240fps when using the FiLMiC Pro camera app.

Camera low light performance

The low light performance of your camera is important if you are going to shoot in a home studio where your lighting is low and moody, or if you are filming outdoors early or late.

You could brighten the image by bumping up the ISO or gain, but that may also increase the video noise in the image, that’s the random color dots that shimmer and dance around, especially in the shadows. 

Just because the camera can be set to a high ISO doesn’t mean the image is going to look good. The more light your lens can potentially let into the camera the better.

For low-light situations, you need a fast lens to gather more light. A fast lens is one with an f-number of f/2.8 or less. Note that as the f-number goes down the actual size of the aperture goes up.

The downside to fast lenses is that they get heavier and more expensive as the f/ number goes down. Also, the smaller the f/ number (the larger the aperture) the shallower the depth of field. You might want a blurry background in some cases, but a fast lens also means you will find it difficult to keep everything in sharp focus.

If possible, favor camera lenses that have lower f-numbers.

Another way of getting improved low light performance is to consider the sensor size inside the camera. Generally, the larger the sensor the better. However, the bigger the sensor the more expensive the camera is likely to be. So, a camera with a 1/3-inch lens will probably be much cheaper than a full-frame mirrorless camera.

To summarize…

Large Aperture + Large Sensor = Good low light performance

Camera audio input

Generally, the internal microphones on cameras will not record the best sound. Ideally, you should use an external mic that is close to your subject.

In most cases, vloggers use either a short shotgun mic mounted on top of the camera or a small lavalier mic clipped on to their clothes or even attached beneath a layer of clothing. It will save you time if you can record the sound from the external onto the video, but that requires the camera to have a mic input socket.

Even better would be to also have a headphone socket. This will allow you to monitor the audio that is being recorded or at least check it at the start of recording.

Although having a mic in and a headphone-out socket is ideal, it’s not always necessary if you’re just starting out and have a limited budget. For instance, you could record your audio using a lav mic that’s plugged into a smartphone. You would then synchronize your video and audio on your PC or Mac.

Camera image stabilization

No one likes shaky videos, so stabilization is important. If you are going to use a tripod you won’t need any camera or lens stabilization because the tripod will be holding the camera firmly in place. But if you are holding the camera while moving about some stabilization will improve your footage.

There are three types of stabilization you will come across.

• In-body-image-stabilization (IBIS). This is where the camera sensor moves to compensate for the movement of the camera.
• Lens stabilization. The stabilization takes place in the lens.
• Digital or electronic stabilization. The camera’s processor is used to try and smooth out the camera motion.

Cameras like the GH5 combine IBIS and lens stabilization to produce solidly stabilized shots. Whereas the Canon EOS R uses lens stabilization plus digital stabilization on the camera.

Finally, you could also mount your camera on a gimbal for epic shots. But that ads cost and weight.

Record time limit

You probably aren’t going to record long videos, but perhaps your type of videos will involve setting up your camera and letting it roll for an extended time. If that’s the case, you should know that most DSLR and mirrorless cameras have a record limit of 30mins for video files. If you need to record for longer than half an hour in one stretch, you can choose the Sony A6400, Panasonic GH5, or a camcorder.

Autofocus

Look for a camera that has fast autofocus with good face or eye-tracking. When vlogging you want to be able to set the focus on yourself and then forget it. Nor do you want an autofocus system that continually hunts for the focus point.

If you have a choice between Contrast based autofocus and Phase Detection autofocus, choose Phase Detection. Canon’s Dual Pixel autofocus is widely held as one of the best.

Camera size, weight, and build quality

The smaller and lighter your camera the easier it will be to have it at hand whenever you want to shoot.

However, larger cameras such as the Sony A7iii, Canon EOS R, or Panasonic GH5 will probably produce a more beautiful shot. The downside is that you’ll need arm muscles of steel if you’re recording longer shots.

Another consideration is the build quality and weather sealing. If you will be doing a lot of hiking, scrambling over rugged terrain, and filming in damp conditions, you will want a camera that’s built to match those conditions. A canon SL2’s plastic body will be fine set up in your studio but a Panasonic GH5 will take those outdoor conditions in its stride.

Flip out selfie & touchscreen

If you want to frame yourself properly, you’ll need a flip-out selfie screen. Although many YouTubers don’t bother with one and just point the lens at themselves, a selfie screen does give you more control of what appears in the video. There are workarounds but having a flip-out selfie screen built-in is far better.

A proper touch screen is something that you will appreciate. Being able to control camera settings and focus by just tapping the screen will make your life a lot quicker and easier.

WiFi/Bluetooth/NFC connectivity

Connecting your camera to a smartphone might present some advantages. You can easily transfer images to your smartphone for sharing on social media. But you can also use your smartphone as an external monitor and remote control. That second point may be an advantage if the camera doesn’t have a selfie screen.

Learning Curve and Requirements

This isn’t a feature to look out for, it’s more about what features you require and your skill level.

There is little point in paying extra for features you will never use. Likewise, if there’s so much packed into the camera that it becomes complicated to use then the complexity will impact negatively on your workflow.

If you have never used a DSLR or Mirrorless camera you will find it much more complicated than a camcorder or your smartphone. If you really want to buy one, make sure you’re prepared to learn how to use it.