GeezerVison

DJI’s latest phone gimbal, the Osmo Mobile 6, uses a clever folding system and magnetic phone clamp to pack down to a pocketable size. Add to that a solid battery life, impressive performance and a neat built-in extending selfie stick. The Osmo Mobile 6 updates the design with a new ergonomic handle, an updated clamp to hold larger phones, even when in a case, and a built-in status panel to check battery level and the gimbal mode it’s in. There’s also a side wheel for zooming in and out and switching from automatic to manual focus control. The stabilizer is a great choice for mobile creatives wanting to shoot better-looking video without carrying a big camera setup with them.

Whether you’re looking to do a quick how-to from your computer, want to stream yourself while you game or anything in between, the simplest option for your vlog is a compact camera that doesn’t need to move from your computer. Yes, we’re speaking about the noble webcam. True, you won’t be able to move around too much, but this vlog camera is pretty much a plug-and-play experience because you don’t need an encoder. 

Our top pick for vlogging is the $125 Logitech StreamCam because it is purpose-built for streaming at up to 1080p at 60fps. And this cheap vlogging camera is designed to be mounted horizontally or vertically. 

It’s worth noting that because of the increased demand for webcams, many camera-makers including Canon, Nikon, GoPro, Sony, Panasonic and others have made it possible to use some of their camera models as a webcam without additional equipment. Check out our list of best webcams for more options.

From its small waterproof design to its incredible image stabilization to its excellent video quality, the Hero 11 Black is one of the most versatile GoPro cameras you can get for creating YouTube vlog gold. For its latest model, GoPro used an 8:7, 1/1.9-inch sensor. While the size increase improves quality some, it’s more about how GoPro is using the full sensor for 27-megapixel photos and 5.3K-resolution video with an 8:7 aspect ratio. With a high-resolution 8:7 aspect ratio, one clip can be edited to 16:9, 4:3 or 1:1, or vertical video at 7:8, 3:4 or 9:16. That means whatever your social media platform of choice is — YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok — the single clip can be edited to meet your needs. What’s even better is GoPro’s Quik app makes the whole process painless. 

Sony turned its RX100 enthusiast compact into a good camera for vlogging with faster autofocus and a quick way to defocus backgrounds. It gives you a big image sensor and a bright lens for better video quality even when you’re working with low light. This Sony camera has a flip-out LCD screen so you can see yourself when you’re shooting. It has a handgrip and mics better suited for selfies. And the Sony ZV 1 has a clean HDMI output, too, so you don’t have camera settings and info in your video if you output to an external recorder, encoder or display.

This Panasonic Lumix GH5 mirrorless digital camera might be shaped like a traditional SLR camera, but the GH5 was built for video. You’ll find all the features you need in a camera for vlogging, and then some, regardless of your experience level, and it’s all wrapped up in a splash-, dust- and freezeproof body. 

Panasonic released its update, the GH6, earlier this year. It, too, is aimed at video shooters, offering a greater range of resolutions and quality settings compared to the GH5. However, it comes with a steep $2,200 price. The GH5 should continue to meet the needs of many and with a lower $1,298 price, you’ll have room in your budget to get a lens or two also.

Mevo Start lets you create the look of a multicamera shoot with a single small camera. It lets you stream 1080p video live to every major platform instantly with the Mevo app for up to 6 hours without an external power source. It can also simultaneously record high-quality 1080p video to a microSD card in the camera. 

Livestreaming can be done by connecting both a mobile device and the camera to the same Wi-Fi network, or you can directly connect by Wi-Fi to the camera and use your phone’s LTE mobile broadband signal to stream. Or, you can use a power-over-Ethernet adapter to power the camera and stream with a wired connection. The Mevo Start also has NDI HX built into the camera that’ll work on your network with either a wired or wireless connection. 

The mobile app is the true star of the show here, though, as it lets you use its high-resolution sensor to create multiple tight and wide shots, and switch between them with a tap on the screen. Or, you can have the software automatically track people and switch between shots.

The compact Lume Cube Panel Mini gives you a bright boost when you don’t have enough light but still fits in a pocket. It puts out a lot of light that’s adjustable in 5% increments and the color is adjustable too, from 3200K to 5600K in 100K increments — all done with a small toggle wheel on the side. It charges via its USB-C port and can run for up to 14 hours (just not at 100%) and it can be plugged in and run that way as well. 

It comes with a diffuser to help soften its light and the compact, lightweight design and a cold shoe mount so you can just slide it on your camera and start shooting. It also has standard tripod mounts on the bottom and side. 

The VC kit, which stands for video conferencing, comes with a small suction cup mount that you can easily stick to your phone, tablet or display for brightening your face or subject without having to reposition the light every time you move your camera.

An external microphone is a must for high-quality vlogging. When it comes to mobile or on-camera mics, I lean toward Rode’s microphones, such as the SmartLav Plus and the VideoMicro (shown here, mounted on a DSLR). 

Whether it’s the long-standing favorite Yeti or its new $99 Ember XLR mic, Blue continues to make some of the best studio and livestreaming mics for the money.

If you want to livestream from most cameras, you’ll need a hardware encoder like the Magewell. It allows you to connect HDMI and USB audio and video sources and stream from them to YouTube, Twitch or Facebook over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It has an HDMI output, too, so you can monitor your stream.

A software encoder will let you stream your PC games and webcam video to YouTube and Twitch. However, console players will need a capture card like the HD60 S. Connect this to your Nintendo Switch, PlayStation or Xbox and then to a PC or Mac and a display, and it will capture your gameplay and set you up for streaming. The included software will help you mix in webcam video as well.

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