Here's all the hardware I use for filming my YouTube videos. Check out my Creator Essentials page for software recommendations.
If you are 100% serious about taking YouTube seriously, I'd recommend checking out Ali Abdaal's Part-Time YouTuber Academy. It's extremely pricey BUT the course basically saves you 2-3 years of trial and error.
tl;dr
If you're just starting out, here's the short version:
- Set a realistic budget. You don't need everything on this page on day one. I started with a Rode mic and a single light, then upgraded piece by piece as the channel grew. Buy the minimum to start, then reinvest revenue into better gear.
- Spend that budget on Audio > Lighting > Lens > Camera, in that order. This feels counterintuitive because the camera is the most exciting purchase, but it matters least. Viewers will sit through mediocre video if the audio is clean, but they'll click away instantly if it sounds bad. Good lighting makes any camera look professional. And a sharp lens on a budget camera body outperforms a bad lens on an expensive one.
- Pick a video editing app and stick with it. Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro are the two main options. Start with free plugins (Ryan Nangle shares great ones on his YouTube channel) before spending money on paid ones. You'll figure out what you actually need after your first 10-20 videos.
Audio
Remember: people are willing to sit through bad video, but never poor audio.
Lighting
The difference between good and poor lighting is literally night and day.
- Aputure Light Storm LS C120d II - A great beginner key light. Pair this with the Aputure Light Dome II. The dome matters more than the light itself since you want to diffuse the light as much as possible (the larger the dome the better), so you can go for a cheaper light like those from Godox.
- Aputure LS 300x - I've since upgraded to this bi-color light from Aputure so I can control the light temperature (I use 5600K across all my lights).
- Aputure AL-MC - I use these as my fill lights. I actually have 4 of these since I got the travel kit. Download the Sidus Link app to control them from your phone and change the colors to suit your needs.
- Elgato Key Light Air - Since the Aputure lights are too hard to carry when I travel, I use the Elgato Key Light Air on the road. Only 3 pieces so I can stuff it into my luggage pretty easily.
Lens
A good lens will make up for a "bad" camera body.
I'm not a lens expert so I basically relied on advice from Think Media, Ali Abdaal, and Peter McKinnon. That said, I think my choices have been pretty good:
- Sigma 16mm f/1.4 - BEST STARTER LENS EVER. This lasted me for 6 whole months when I first started out. The price-to-reward ratio for this lens is INSANE (see one of my earlier videos for an example).
- Sony E-mount FE 24mm F1.4 GM - Got this for myself as a birthday present but to be extremely honest the difference between this and the Sigma was minimal #noregretsthough (see this video for an example).
Camera & Peripherals
Sony cameras are apparently better for video, and Canon for stills.
- Sony A7III - Not much to say here. Got this and hoping it will last me for at least a few years.
- Atomos Ninja V - I didn't think I needed this until I got it. Apart from being able to see myself when I film, the codec that the Atomos outputs makes editing the footage super fast and smooth.
- Manfrotto Befree Advanced Tripod - I have this set up at home and don't touch it, so the height and position are usually fixed without me having to adjust before every shoot.
- Peak Design Travel Tripod - My "secondary" tripod that I use to shoot my thumbnails with (adjusting height, angle, etc.) and I bring this with me when I travel since it's so sturdy.
- Ulanzi Desk Stand - Great for desk setups. Extremely simple to set up and very sturdy. Sturdiness is important because you don't want the camera to wobble.
- Synology 6 Bay NAS DiskStation DS1621+ - I use a Synology NAS as my backup solution. A bit of a learning curve so I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a full-time creator.
