If you are just starting, or even if you’ve been vlogging for a while and you’re looking to grow your channel, you’ll need a proper vlogging camera.
Vlogging has become extremely popular, even celebrities have started personal vlogs. Because who doesn’t like to go viral and grow their fanbase? But, whether you are looking to record 1 video per week or 4-5 videos per week, the facts stay the same, you will need decent equipment and a proper work ethic.
The beauty is, you don’t really need the most expensive equipment. In many cases, even your phone camera can do the job. If you are just starting in the world of blogging, we have some tips for you.
Vlogging Tips for Getting Started
Whether you upload on channels like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat, you have to set goals for yourself from the beginning.
Know What You Want
To grow your channel, you need to know what you want. Maybe you want to build a community around a topic you really enjoy talking about and want other similar-minded people to join you. Maybe you want to overcome camera shyness or promote your business. Or maybe you want to improve your video editing skills or make money with your channel through sponsorships. Whatever the reason is, set a few goals, whether short-term, or long-term, and start from there.
Choose a Niche
The best way to enjoy blogging is to make sure your passion and your niches overlap. You need to find a niche that you are passionate about, but also that is big enough to attract new subscribers in a competitive environment. A channel with different niches and topics can often confuse subscribers and it’s harder to grow a dedicated following.
Plan Content in Advance
A well-thought content strategy is important for growing your channel. Planning your content in advance can keep you organized, consistent, and give you more time to figure out how to properly interact with your audience. Create a calendar for your content to keep track of your ideas and start scheduling your posts.
Know Your Fan Base
It’s important to figure out who your audience is and what they like and dislike. Where are they from, how old are they, what type of content they enjoy the most? These are some of the questions you must know the answers to before you invest in a vlogging camera.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key. To grow your base of subscribers, you need to upload videos on a regular basis. Be consistent not only with uploading new content but with the quality of the content too.
Best Vlogging Camera for Beginners
There are a lot of cameras on the market, so the perfect vlogging camera is going to depend on what kind of content you are going to film.
There are a few aspects you need to consider before purchasing a camera, so let’s dive into them.
Weight
There are super-light cameras on the market, as well as some heavier ones. If you are doing travel vlogs or vlogs that require holding your camera in your hands, choosing a light camera is the way to go. Smartphone vlogging is quite popular among beginners, as long as you have a quality camera.
Size
Depending on whether you shoot in a studio, the comfort of your room, or take the camera outdoors, the size of the camera is important as well. If you are filming outdoors, you need a compact and light camera that is comfortable to hold with one hand.
Film Quality
Travel, wildlife, or food blogs, whatever your niche is, the film quality on your camera must be optimal. Capturing powerful videos of animals, your friends, or a close up of your new recipe will require a camera with a 4K shooting ability, as well as a powerful zoom lens.
Features
Most cameras are equipped with basic accessories and features. If you want to improve your vlogging, you need to make sure you have the proper equipment. Choose a camera that features easy-to-use controls and auto modes. Some additional features and accessories like a tripod, memory card, spare battery, or built-in Wi-Fi are recommended as well.
Conclusion
I am confident you’ll find these blogging tips useful, and you can apply them and become a successful blogger. Constant progress and finding new ways to improve your videos are key to success.
Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself and improve your vlogs in terms of quality. The audience that is watching your videos want to see unique, quality, and engaging content. Regardless of what platform you start creating vlogs, never compromise on quality. Updating your vlogging camera, your microphone, or your editing software will result in more followers.
For anyone that like photography a tripod is a great help, no matter if they like to photograph landscapes, portraits, or any photographic genre.
The array and variety of them is awesome, and practically interested can find tripods that satisfy most of the needs of the interested persons. Designs and prices are so diverse that persons will have to take a considerable amount of time to notice what the characteristic of the individual items are.
To understand the different features of these articles is useful to have a look at its different parts. That was the source of the inspiration that resulted in the writing of this article. So let’s have a little deeper sight to which are the tripod parts that compound these items.
Tripod Heads
In some sense tripod heads are similar to other component of a camera, and for example different models show individual features that satisfy alternative needs. Many people buy a tripod, and then understand that wants to modify or directly replace the head of it, either because they want to upgrade the existent one, or simply they don’t like a particular characteristic. For this reason it is advisable that the buyer consider the details that for her or him , are important when using a tripod.
Center Column
The way in that the center column is set up is, or allowing to slide to manage the tripod height, or fixed to the main structure of it.
Also there are center columns especially designed to mount the camera even lower of the level of the chassis to facilitate the execution of macro shots or ground level pictures. The way in that many columns are kept in a fixed position is by using a friction collar that is applied for the lapse of time necessary to shot the photo or the scene of the movie.
Crank
The crank is a part that some tripods come with, and their purpose is to manipulate a lever in order to raise and lower the center column of the tripod. These kinds of parts are normally used on heavier tripods because they need some support to handle the column due to their excessive weight.
Upper Legs
Tripods legs come with upper and lower portions. The upper side of the legs is added where the legs are able to pivot outward and inward, and normally come with options that allow choosing different pivot angles.
The upper part of the leg is locked at the upper extreme of it to the head of the tripod itself. These upper legs are present in every single leg of the tripod, and can be handle independently. Depending on the model of tripod this upper parts of the legs can be also handle simultaneously, given the users the option to decide the mode that they can use according to the situation.
Handle
The Tripod has joints that allow the handle to pan, rotate and tilt the camera, helping the user to manipulate the machine without jostling the camera. There are many kinds of tripod handles, and it is important looking for the right model for our preferences and camera.
If you research the chance of buying these kind of kits, you are going to learn hat the value of these bundles normally is quite evident. You are going to find that the cost of the kits is much lower than buying each product individually, especially if you are thinking to start your own Youtube channel which requires a more complete set of accessories to begin the task. Regardless of this fact, we thought that would be useful to review some products that we think are affordable and good quality for new YouTubers.
Before Buying it
When you take a look to the variety of items in each type of accessories, without a doubt you will be overwhelmed by the amount of items available. Because this fact we thought that for people interested in buying the necessary products to start a YouTube channel would be useful to access a compilation of items that will fulfill their expectations about these kinds of kits.
What Do You Need in your YouTube Starter Kit?
Next we put together a short list of the necessary items to begin with your YouTube project.
The VIXIA HF R80 camcorder is an affordable and lightweight camcorder that allows you to record up to 6 hours, which is great for people that is starting to put together a nice YouTube starter kit.
Beyond that this camera provides the flexibility of an extensive optical zoom that is is very handy for people who like to record videos about travel or outdoors subjects.
The item also comes with the versatile slow and fast recording that gives you an easy way to expand your abilities when producing your videos.
Good Value Microphone
Rode Microphone
Made in Australia the Video Mic GO is light weight and compact. Beyond that, this item produces a directional, clear, and crisp audio with simplicity of use as one of its main features. Other of its our favorites characteristics is the ability to focus in the sounds that are relevant for the task at hand, filtering the undesirable noises of the surroundings.
The construction material is thermoplastic which is used to form a single piece of hardware that helps the long life of the unit.
The settings are designed in a way that facilitates its operation without distracting the user of the most important aspects of their videoing activity.
Diverse Lighting for a YouTube Starter Kit
Raleno Lightning
This piece of equipment is compounded by: Two E27 5500K 85W 110V CFL bulbs; two 20” x 28” softbox windows; 2 x 27” – 80” height-adjustable light stand; 1 x portable tote from Oxford cloth. The sellers also shows a free 365 days service counter and lifetime customer support, and normally reply in less than 24 hours.
Technologic features like the dual soft light, the embossed stone on the silver which helps to diffuse the bulb light and the high quality soft 5070 Nylon cloth for smooth light flow makes this unit especially worthy.
Talking about the output provided by its bulbs, this is alike 800W of a regular electric bulb, and make the item usable for the outstanding amount of 8000 hours.
Tripod
AmazonBasics Lightweight Tripod With Bag
This nice 50 inches tripod will help you to record professional grade pictures with the help of its adjustable height feature which makes easy to acquire great stability and achieve the desired angle for your perfect shot.
The great deal about the AmazonBasics Lightweight Camera Mount Tripod is that can be use by amateurs or professional photographers equally, and also the ability to adapt to a huge amounts of camcorders, video and photo cameras.
The tripod’s three-way head allows top notch versatility and allows the easy change of the orientation of the camera to apply different approaches when shooting the recordings.
The unit also comes with a quick-release mounting plate to remove the machine from the tripod, avoiding the annoying slow transitions between shots and quick mobility.
SD card and Batteries for your YouTube Starter Kit Camera
SanDisk SD Card and Nikon Battery
The last couple of hardware that are indispensable in these sorts of bundles are the SD card and the battery which are some kind of obvious items to get, but we also think that a good choice could mark a difference in the result of the duration of the videos that are intended to be shot. There is little doubt that Nikon and SanDisk are companies that give you confidence and variety of alternatives products to satisfy your needs.
Video editing software
There are several software editors in the market but our opinion is that the most convenient for YouTube channels starters kits are MOVAVi and VSDC. The firs is a prestigious firm that has been working on these types of programs for a while, and the second is a great program for beginners, especially thought for persons that are not yet familiarized with these softwares.
Next we have choose some kits that can be useful for people that are looking for these kinds of kits:
Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF-S 18-55mm Image Stabilization II Lens, Sandisk 32GB SDHC Memory Cards, Accessory Bundle
This kit is a great example of the value that you get with these types of bundles. The items together are not expensive, if you consider the number of accessories that you acquire. With this kit you are going to get all what you need to start your YouTube adventure.
The camera that comes with it is reasonably light, and the quality of the photos is Canon standard, which means a lot.
Also for your peace of mind all the items that you see in the photos on Amazon are included in the package. The Vivitar lenses are of good level and the tripod, if well secured, achieves its goal.
All in all, if we consider the price of the package, it is a great unit to start in these kinds of disciplines. Generally the bundle is also good value for people that want to buy this camera, and is able to add a few bucks to get a nice amounts of add-ons.
Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS(Black)with 12x Optical Zoom and Built-In Wi-Fi with Deluxe Starter Kit Including 32GB SDHC
For starters, let’s say that the highlight of this bundle is the compactness, which with the Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS as a main item and the tabletop tripod make possible to carry it with a very little hassle. YouTubers use to go all over the place and for them this YouTube starter kit is singularly useful. Besides the camera have an affordable price and a simple usage, without to be complicated to handle especially for starters in the YouTube channels world.
As usual in these types of packages, the biggest lure is the Camera, and in this case we think that for beginners this product represents really good value, considering that with a little investment you get a lot of extras.
Movo Smartphone Video Rig Kit V7 with Grip Rig, Stereo Microphone, LED Light and Wireless Remote – YouTube, TIK Tok, Vlogging Equipment for iPhone/Android Smartphone Video Kit
This smartphone Video Kit is a good alternative for people that that don’t really need a camera. Beyond to be quite cost effective, the equipment will help to instantly enhance their smartphone videos. The bundle is useful for persons that are starting a YouTube channel, creating a documentary or just recording their vacations.
The light weight and small size is great for people that travel around often, and the hard case that is included is specifically for them.
Also the set up is simple and fast, helping to avoid missing the perfect moment to capture the best shot.
The PR-1 smartphone rig add stability and versatile mounting options for the different accessories, and the LED light is a great help when you face low light conditions. The VXR50 Pro Stereo microphone with its stereo sound is also a highlight of the set.
YouTube Starter Kit Wrap Up
As we have seen the alternatives of these kinds of kits are numerous and can be found in many internet retailers. The price is greatly influenced by the quality of the camera, so the strategy that we advice is to choose a camera and then look for the kit in which is included and choose the best value package.
Highlights Of the Canon VIXIA HF G40 Full HD Camcorder
Advanced HD CMOS Pro Image Sensor with Improved Low-light Performance
3.5-inch OLED Viewscreen
Intelligent Optical Image Stabilization System
20x High Definition Optical Zoom
Built-in Wi-Fi® Technology with FTP Transfer Capability.
Dual SD Card Slots
Highlight priority mode
VIXIA HF G40 Full HD Camcorder Specs.
Sensor: 2136 x 1362 pixels
Resolution: 1.23 million dots
Display size: 3.5 in.
Pros
Responsive touchscreen
Excellent low light performance
Efficient dynamic range
Great image stabilizer
Remarkable image quality
Cons
Deserves better AF
WiFi is difficult to setup
Verdict
One thing that we liked a lot when we built the Canon VIXIA HF G40 Full HD Camcorder review is that the camera comes with an awesome 20x zoom for this kinds of VIXIA Camcorders, and even though it is still not at the level of other camcorders made by Canon, it is at a great level.
The AF is also good, but not as quick as the HF R800. We think that the AF shouldn’t be the main reason to purchase the HF G40.
Other aspect that we consider positive is that the size, without been excessively big, is substantial enough to get a good handle of the camera.
In low light the performance is remarkable for its price range, and you won’t find many camcorders that gives you this low light images quality for this price. Besides that, the camera displays also extraordinary outcome regarding scenes that are recorded in low contrast situations, showing a softness that makes look the images really attractive after the editing process.
All in all, we think that without been an extraordinary camcorder like the Canon VIXIA HF R800 , the item still represents good value.
Video-Unboxing the Canon VIXIA HF G40
Camera Connectivity
The VIXIA HF G4o comes with a Built-in, dual-band (5 GHz/2.4 GHz) Wi-Fi technology that allows sharing HD videos using several methods. You can connect with wireless hotspots, compatible networks, and iOS smartphones using the free Canon Movie Uploader application. It is also possible to share videos using the internet with the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY# that is an online photo storage service that allows uploading to social networking sites, and finally transferring files to selected FTP servers if you need it.
The camera also is able to be used wirelessly to watch videos stored on the camera’s memory cards, and use your computer or smartphone to browse remotely videos that had been recorded earlier with a remote browse function that not requires a special application.
This WiFi feature also makes possible to manage remotely the camera’s controls like; zoom in different speeds, recording start/stop, focus modes, and exposure functions.
Canon VIXIA HF G40 Memory Cards Speeds
Manual Controls
Although the manual controls are very good, it is needed to adjust them in the touch screen every time that you do a recording. This feature called custom key and dial, make possible to use functions like the one that adjust the aperture and the shutter speed, the manual exposure that makes that when the manual control is chosen the dial is able to adjust speed, aperture, gain and shutter speed or exposure lock that can be set on or off.
The camera also comes with controls that help to improve the composition, like for example level the marker feature, which enhance the right camcorder level for a more exact framing or the grid marker that gives you a reference grid for the viewfinder. You can choose between gray or white according to the background color of your shot for better viewing contrast.
The manual controls of the Canon VIXIA HF G40 allows to setup the Gain in a range from 0 dB to 24 dB with 1 dB increments, and beyond that, the auto Gain Control Limit permits us to input the maximum gain limit for the sensitivity of the image sensor. The result of this , is that noise and brightness can be setup to achieve a proper balance.
Canon VIXIA HF G40 Full HD Camcorder Zoom
This Canon VIXIA camcorder displays a original 20x HD Video Lens with a 35mm equivalent of 26.8–576mm with a minimum object distance of just 23.6 inches. It reduces flare with the addition of a sophisticated filter which also avoids other annoying effects that distort the delivery of neat images.
Also the 8 blade Circular Aperture reduces a starburst distortion that is often seen in some camcorders which lack of circular apertures.
For people that are gifted with a professional touch, the manual focus ring is perfect to achieve accurate control and extra flexibility using the manual focus to set the zoom. Beyond that the power zoom can be applied in constant or variable settings that allow; Fast from 1.9 to 60 seconds, normal from 2.5 to 180 seconds, and Slow from 4.0–285 seconds modes. In addition to that the constant mode displays 16 stages.
Video Recording
This Camcorder from Canon shows excellent AVCHD and MP4 recordings execution, being especially remarkable the 1080/60p recording which captures fast-moving objects neatly. The edges of the moving subjects are rendered with awesome details adding improved tonal gradation and realistic color. Also with a maximum bit rate of 28 Mbps for AVCHD recording, the camera is able to capture images utilizing the useful MP4 format at up to 35 Mbps as well.
The item also comes with a Native 24p Progressive Mode that can records up to 24 frames per second, for persons that like a more classic cinematographic style.
Beyond that, the dual recording can be used at the same time to record AVCHD format videos to one of the SD card, and in MP4 to the other card. The AVCHD format is thought to allow watching videos on a high definition television, and also to keep them in Blue-ray discs.
To switch from the SD card that is full to the alternative card, the HF G40 uses “In Relay Recording” to facilitate the use of the feature.
Wide DR Gamma and Highlight Priority Mode
This VIXIA Camcorder shows the Wide DR Gamma mode to record more realistic images that capture what the user is really watching. The mode works suppressing the overexposure in areas that presents excessive illumination. Also the tone degradation is almost nonexistent thanks to the wide dynamic range of 600%.
The highlight priority mode is intended to record realistic and saturated colors and to transmit gradation features as is perceived by the human eye. It also helps to avoid lack of detail in highly illuminated zones limiting mid to high brightness compression of the standard gamma mode. To ensure the optimal use of the effect, the recordings should be captured in Highlight Priority using the high brightness setting.
The camera itself shows awesome performance and is a huge improvement from my beginner camera. If it were not for the complicated menu, I would say that the camera is nearly perfect. Even though, I am far from be a professional, I expected to get a nice camera to record family episodes, and that is what I got.
Buyer 2:
I am happy with the VIXIA HF G40 because I was looking for a camcorder from Canon that were not excessively small, like the most of the new models of these kinds o cameras are nowadays. The reason why is, because I have a big hand, and I don’t feel comfortable managing a camera that is too tiny. Being that said, I cannot complain and the grip that I get when using this camera is almost perfect.
Buyer 3:
In my opinion the best of this Camcorder is great image stabilization that can be compared with the same feature of several top of the line video cameras. Also the selectable function buttons works well, and the remote control is a nice addition. The only drawback is that the WiFi is not easy to set up.
Buyer 4:
This VIXIA captures neat images, and the audio is really good. I also think that the dual memory card capability is extremely useful for people like me that like to record long videos, meaning that you will not get interrupted in the middle of a session for lack of storage in your card. Besides, the data can be transferred via the WiFi connectivity, and the necessary software to do that can be downloaded online.
Buyer 5:
If you consider that this camera comes with a 1/2″ sensor, the picture quality is more than acceptable. The low light performance is another interesting outcome when using this Camcorder, and I was positively surprised with the quality of the images. Nevertheless for some people can be kind of noisy, overall this is a good product. The conclusion is that for this amount of money the item is good value.
Q&A
Question: Does it work well with an external Mic?
Answer: The performance is good, providing that you use a good microphone. In short depends on the quality of the microphone that you use.
Question: Does the camera package include a remote control? And is it possible to use it with a tripod?
Answer: It comes with a remote control, and yes it is mountable.
Question: Can you do live steaming using a PC?
Answer: Yes it is possible with most of the desktops, and it is only needed to have the jacks and cables that you will use.
Question: Which is the angle that can shoot?
Answer: It comes with a 35mm equivalent of 26.8-576mm with a minimum object distance of 23.6 inches.
Canon VIXIA HF G40 Full HD Camcorder Review Wrap Up
Even though the VIXIA HF G40 was discontinued, it is still possible to get it on Amazon. We think that one of the reasons why Canon is not producing the camera anymore, is because its strange menu display, which is very cumbersome making annoying when recording images. Its a shame, because the machine has several high quality features that are difficult to find in Camcorders in this price range. Anyways we have many reviews of availables Camcorder cameras that suits different flavors and requirements.
