Guide to Vlogging

Vlogging: Our Guide for Beginners

With 2.3 bullion users worldwide every month on YouTube alone, it’s no surprise that it’s now the second most popular social media platform (Oberlo Statistics). Over the years, not only has vlogging quickly become a hobby for millions of people, a lucky few are now able to make a living through filming their life and sharing it to their online community of fans.

With this in mind, if you’re hoping to kickstart a career in vlogging, it’s important to remember that the competition is incredibly high. This is why it’s vital to properly research your niche and invest in good quality and reliable vlogging equipment if you’re looking to impress.

Here at Castle Cameras, we have used our knowledge and experience to create a useful vlogging guide to help beginners get to grips with vlogging.

What is a vlog?

A vlog (also short for ‘Video Blog’ or ‘Video Log’) is a type of content which is often or most of the time in video format. A vlog can be about a wide variety of topics; from health and lifestyle to travelling, fitness and even cars.

Why vlogging is so popular

Over the past few years, vlogging has become an incredibly popular activity, with some YouTubers raking in millions of views per video. Not only can watching vlogs provide viewers an insight into someone else's life, it’s also an excellent opportunity for vloggers to build community with their subscribers.

Although even the best of us might not reach that level of YouTube success, there is still plenty of business opportunity if you’re hoping to vlog professionally in the future. Here are the 4 ways that you could make a living from vlogging:

Sponsorships

Many vloggers are now earning money through building relationships with brands and collaborating with them. A sponsored or paid video is a video that someone has been paid to promote, which is focused on a brand’s product or service in return for money or a product.

Although numbers certainly aren’t everything, having an engaged following and getting a considerable number of views per video will certainly attract brands to potentially collaborate with you.

Selling Merchandise

If you regularly watch YouTube videos, you’ve probably noticed a number of vloggers introducing their own merchandise to sell to their subscribers. Depending on your niche, there are variety of products or services that you could sell to an audience.

For example, if you’re regularly vlogging about painting or post painting tutorials, you could sell your very own branded paint collection or art supplies to an audience that are likely to be interested.

Affiliate Links

An affiliate link can either be a link to a certain product or service which is usually either put in the video itself or in the description box of the video. If a viewer clicks on the link and buys something from the brand’s website, then you will receive a percentage of this (depending on the agreement with the brand).

What do I need to start vlogging?

Now that you’ve decided you want to start vlogging, the next step will be to choose the best equipment to be able to do this. As a beginner, it isn’t essential to have every piece of expensive equipment that your favourite YouTuber uses. Instead, we’ve compiled a list of the most essential vlogging equipment that you will need to get started:

Camera

Of course, the best place to start would be to invest in a good quality vlogging camera. If you’re new to vlogging, there’s no need to splash out on expensive cameras or equipment out of your budget to start off with. In fact, there are plenty of excellent quality and affordable vlogging cameras to choose from here at Castle Cameras.

Tripod

Is the camera you use for vlogging quite heavy to carry? Then it might be a good idea to invest in a sturdy tripod to keep your camera stable whilst filming and to avoid any shaking that might put off your viewers from watching the rest of your video.

The super-compact travel size Hahnel Triad C5 Tripod would be an excellent tripod to start out with. Not only is it affordable, but it also features a twist-lock leg system and fully adjustable legs that can lock at 3 different angles.

Microphone

If you’re hoping to stand out from competitors, then investing in the very best audio equipment will take your vlogs to the next level. Although most vlogging cameras have built-in microphones, they tend to be lower quality in comparison to using external microphones. Having an external microphone will improve the audio quality of your videos and provide more control over the audio.

The Hama Smart Lavalier Microphone is an affordable lapel mic, which will easily clip onto your collar. It is specifically designed for reporters, vloggers and influencers and has wind protection for better-quality outdoor recordings.

With the Sony ECM-CG60 Shotgun Microphone, you’ll be able to pick up the sound you aim for easily. This super cardioid monaural microphone is compact, unintrusive, and includes a microphone holder that absorbs operating noise.

Lighting

It can sometimes be tricky deciding on the perfect lighting that will suit you – especially when there’s a budget involved. If money is a concern, our advice would be to use natural lighting or ‘ambient lighting’. Whether this is window lighting or a light in the ceiling, you can achieve bright and even lighting for your videos with this technique.

Although a first-rate lighting set-up isn’t an essential, it will certainly improve the quality of your videos and impress your audience if you can fit this into your budget. The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit is an excellent option if you’re a content creator that’s planning on filming at home or on the go.

Editing Software

Once you have all of the footage filmed and ready, the next step will be to edit your videos if you want to achieve that professional finish many YouTubers are achieving these days.

Whether your video is too long, and you need to cut a few clips or you want to add text to your video, this final step will give your vlog the finishing touches to stand out to viewers. Adobe Premiere Pro CC is an excellent video editor that’s included for Creative Cloud users. It’s fairly easy to use for beginners and the end-results are excellent.

What type of camera do vloggers use?

Easy to use and quick to set up, effortlessly create great looking videos with the Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit. Consisting of Rotolight’s award-winning ring light and mini desktop tripod, you can easily mount your light, mic and any smartphone to capture high-quality video at home or on the go.

Or, if you would prefer to invest in a camera, we would highly recommend the Sony Vlog Camera ZV-1, which has been specifically designed for vlogging and content creation - providing professional image quality at an affordable price.

What should I look for when buying a vlogging camera?

Camera Size and Weight

When choosing a vlogging camera, it’s important to consider what you will be vlogging about – will you be travelling around the world? Or are you a lifestyle vlogger that tends to film from the comfort of your home?

If you know that you will be filming on the go, then we would recommend using a compact and lightweight camera to save you space and added weight on your shoulders. Not only is the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, Silver is an excellent option. It will easily fit into your bag, has a flip screen so you can see what you’re recording, has a mic jack to use an external mic if you wish and also comes in a Vlogger kit with a memory card and tripod.

Autofocus

Another important quality to look for in a camera for vlogging, is that it has a decent autofocus system. If you’re regularly on the go when filming, then you will need a camera that’s good at autofocusing on you whilst you’re moving.

The Fujufilm X-S10 is a perfect fit if you’re looking for a lightweight camera with professional features for both video and camera. It features a high-speed, continuous and dependable AutoFocus down to -7 EV in as little as 0.02 seconds.

Video Quality

Arguably the most important feature to look for in a vlogging camera is the level of video quality. For the best quality video resolutions, we recommend filming at least 1080p Full HD, even better is 4K.

Image Stablisation

If you’re planning on vlogging, then it’s likely that you will be walking or moving whilst filming. This is why we recommend sticking to a camera with Image Stabilisation, as this will prevent shaking and keep your filming steady on the go.

Which lens for vlogging?

Most vlogging cameras out now come with a fixed lens so you don’t need to worry about buying an additional lens. Although your camera’s lens might be good quality already, investing in a lens will definitely give your vlog a professional finish. For vlogging in particular, we recommend choosing a lens with a longer focal range as having this means you will have the freedom to film all types of footage.

Do you need a mic for vlogging?

Audio quality is incredibly important when it comes to vlogging, as even the slightest background noise or drop in sound will put off a viewer from watching your video.

Investing in an external microphone is a great idea If you want your audio to match the excellent quality of your videos. We have a variety of affordable and excellent quality microphones to choose from here at Castle Cameras.

On our website you can filter cameras to show the ones which are compatible with external microphones. If you are still not sure just give us a ring on 01202 526606.

Vlogging FAQS

Can vlogging cameras take pictures?

Yes – even with an affordable vlogging camera, you will still be able capture stunning photos and superb videos.

Can I start vlogging with my phone?

In short: yes. If you’re just starting out with vlogging, it’s understandable that you might not want to spend lots of money on new cameras and vlogging equipment and it is possible to use your phone.

If you are going to use your phone for vlogging then a tripod and selfie stick will help you to hold your phone. This one from Joby combines both a tripod and selfie stick in one.

However, if you decide that you really enjoy vlogging and it’s something that you’ll be doing regularly, then investing in good quality vlogging equipment will only improve the quality of your videos further.

Are GoPros good vlogging cameras?

Despite GoPros being well-known as action cameras, many YouTubers are now using them to film vlogs and many other types of video content. One of the main benefits of using a GoPro for vlogging is that they are compact and easily portable – perfect if you’re regularly filming travel vlogs or on the go.

The downside is that if it does have a screen it will be much smaller than on a camera or a phone so it’s harder to see what you’re filming.

Get in Touch

Still having trouble choosing the right vlogging equipment? Get in touch with a member of our team today to discuss your exact requirements to start your vlogging adventure.

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