YouTube Certified Expert, Tim Schmoyer from Video Creators TV teams up with the DIY Video Guy, Caleb Wojcik to bring you the essentials of shooting a quality YouTube Video with gear that transcends any budget.

Whether you’re just starting your channel and looking for inexpensive, quality suggestions, or you’ve been growing your channel for a while and are ready for a change, we have product suggestions and shooting tips that will be sure to make a huge difference in your video quality, performance, and audience’s response.

Does Gear Really Matter and Does it Make that Big of a Difference?

In the YouTube realm, it does. People will judge you, your video and your channel immediately based on sound, picture and lighting quality. Caleb points out that “we’re trained from birth to watch TV and Movies that are highly produced… Having quality gear sets you apart and viewers immediately take you more seriously”.

Is One Aspect More Important than Another? Or Are They All Equally Important?

Caleb recommends spreading your budget across these three areas:

  1. Audio
  2. Camera Lens
  3. Lighting

He states that while all three are important and compliment each other, Audio trumps lighting and camera lens when it comes to pleasing your audience. Poor quality sound can be so distracting during a video that the viewer will turn it off within the first few seconds. So when it comes to prioritizing one area, we recommend sound first, but picture and lighting are still extremely important in conveying quality to your audience.

Tips:

  • You Can Have Good Lighting Without Spending Any Money (8:00)
  • Vlogging: Invest in an audio setup that can plug right into a camera. (12:29)
  • Syncing video is only intimidating if your software can’t help you. (12:40)
  • What is a Mirrorless camera? (16:45)
  • You can start shooting in 4k for around a $1000 but as far as people viewing it in 4k… That might not be for a while.

The following links direct to B&H Photo, Video and Pro Audio a paid sponsor of Video Creators.

Under $1000 Budget:

  1. Camera Lens: Canon PowerShot (S110, S120 or S130). These can shoot in HD and help you get started. (10:10)
  2. Audio: RodeVideo Micro or Road Video Mic Pro.
    1. Sony ECM CS3 Record separately if you can, because most cameras have a very tiny microphone.
    2. You can use the Tascam DR-05or the Zoom H1 to sync your audio and video later.
  3. Lighting: Cowboy Studio orFancier Studio ($100-150).
  4. Editing Software (Apple): Final Cut Pro X
  5. Editing Software (PC): Adobe Premiere Pro CC

$1000 – $4000 budget:

  1. DSLR Cameras:
  2. XLR’s
  3. C100 or
    Mark II
  4. Lowest option for Canon 4k: XC10 – $2000 with built in lens and image stabilization.
  5. Sony 4k:
  6. Panasonic 4k:
    • GH4
    • FS7 – Larger Video Camera
  7. Lens:

If you’re interested in learning more from Caleb about production, editing, and the technical side of making videos, check out:

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This show is all about helping you grow your YouTube audience and the business that surrounds it so that you can continue to spread your message, change people’s lives, and earn the income that makes it all sustainable.

Tweet me @timschmoyer and let me know your thoughts!

Check out Caleb’s Podcast with Tim about 8 Mistakes Struggling YouTubers Make, Storytelling, The Business Side of YouTube, and much more.

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