Foundational Steps for YouTube Enthusiasts

How to Create a YouTube Account

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

People create YouTube accounts for a lot of different reasons. Some YouTubers just love making videos and created their channels so they would have somewhere to post their work. Others have strong opinions they need a platform to share. There are a lot of people on YouTube whose main interest is in a separate website or other social media page, but they use their YouTube channels to help generate traffic. If you are considering starting your own YouTube channel then you should take a second to consider why you want to, since this will have an impact on what kind of videos you make. Your reasons for wanting to make a YouTube account do not have to be very elaborate. Maybe you just think it will be fun. Good news; it will be!

Once you know for sure that you want to create a YouTube account, and also know why you want to do it, you have already started building your channel. There are still a few important things to consider, though. This article will walk you through signing up for a YouTube account, and give you some tips about starting your channel.

Creating Your YouTube Account in 6 Steps

1. Go to YouTube.com and look at the top right corner of your screen. There will either be a blue Sign In button, or an icon representing you. YouTube accounts and Google accounts are the same, so if you are signed into your Gmail account you are already signed into YouTube as well.

2. If you see a Sign In button, click it. If you see your icon click on that, and in the window that pops up select Add Account. Either way, you will be taken into a sign in screen. Under where it asks for your email address it will say Create Account. Click on Create Account.

3. In the sign up page you will need to put in your name, email address, and mobile phone number as well as some other personal information. Do not enter your current Gmail address. Enter an alternate email you have created for your vlog, or click on I would like a new Gmail address. This will change your page slightly so that the email field becomes Choose a Username.

You will probably need to try a few different usernames before you find one that is not taken.

4. You will have to put in both a first and last name when you create your account, but you can change it to one name later.

5. Your password will need to be at least 8 characters long. Try to use a combination of letters or numbers, and make sure it is not something easily guessable (i.e spouses name).

6. After you finish the form click Next Step and, in the next screen, Continue to YouTube.

Tips on Starting a YouTube Channel

1. Choose a Topic you Love

When choosing a topic for your YouTube channel make sure you pick something you are passionate about. If you already have an interest or hobby which you are always researching and are extremely up-to-date on then that should probably be the theme of your vlog. If you plan to have a channel where people go to learn anything then you will need to be an authority on that topic. Whatever you make videos about it will need to be something you can realistically see yourself putting a lot of time into. If you cannot think of more than a couple ideas for videos on your topic then that is a sign that you need to choose something else to focus on.

You should check to see how much demand there is for videos on your topic. This can be done by googling your topic to see what else is out there. If not many people have addressed your topic yet it probably means that it is not something a lot of people want to know about. However, it could also mean that the people who do want to watch videos like yours have been starved for content. Your channel will flop if you do not love what you are making videos about, so do not choose something just because you think it will be popular. Follow your passion.

2. Check out the Competition

You should look for other vlogs with similar topics to yours not only to gauge how much demand there is for your videos, but to check out the competition. If there are a lot of YouTube channels dedicated to the same topic you want to vlog about then this should not discourage you from going after the same viewers. People who are excited about a topic frequently watch more than one vlog about it. It might not even be correct to think of other vloggers within your genre as ‘the competition’ since you are ultimately part of the same community. You will need to watch these people’s videos as part of keeping yourself informed and will likely become a fan – maybe even a collaborator some day – of theirs.

The main reason you want to look into YouTube channels like yours is because you do not want to be creating content that is overdone and boring. You are tackling the same topic as other people, and may even make some videos on the exact same subjects as others already have. There needs to be something unique about your videos that makes them stand out from what already exists. By looking at what other people are already doing you will be able to come up with ideas for what you can do differently.

3. Choose a Great Name

Picking a great name for your YouTube account can take a lot of effort. Chances are you will not want to use your own name, at least not in full. Although your real name can work for if you are a lifestyle vlogger in most cases you will have a more specific topic that will need to be addressed in your channel’s name. Try out your name or a nickname for yourself in combination with different words associated with the topic of your vlog. Aim to create a name that is catchy and easy to remember.

Chances are a few of your first couple picks will be unavailable. YouTube is a popular site and a lot of the best names are taken. The last thing you should ever do while naming your YouTube channel is add numbers or letters to the end of a name you like because it is taken. Names with numbers at the end are hard for viewers to remember and find again. Choosing a weak name with a trail of numbers or letters after it will make it very hard for your channel to grow. Brainstorm a long list of potential names that are actually good and keep on trying them out until you find one that’s available.

For more information on naming your YouTube channel read our post ‘How To Pick a Name for Your YouTube Channel’.

4. Make a Schedule

Maintaining a YouTube channel is a big time commitment. You need to post videos regularly or people will forget about you, and videos can take a long time to make. When you are first starting your vlog you should make yourself a schedule for when you want to upload videos. Having a schedule will help you budget your time and ensure that your vlog never gets in the way of the rest of your life.

Having a posting schedule will also help you grow your channel. Viewers like it when they know when to expect new content from vloggers they like. They are more likely to subscribe and tune in for every post if they are given a chance to anticipate when your new entry is coming.

5. Take Inventory

Think about what equipment you have that you can use for your YouTube channel. The only thing you absolutely cannot get by without is a decent camera, but there are other types of equipment that it is a good idea to have too. Lights, a tripod, an external microphone – these are all things that a lot of YouTubers find they need in order to produce great videos. If you do not have these things, or money you are prepared to invest in them, then you will need to find ways around them until your situation changes. For more information check out our post ‘The Best YouTube Equipment: What You Need to Start Your Channel’.

Read More to Get : Best Video Websites Like YouTube >>

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

People create YouTube accounts for a lot of different reasons. Some YouTubers just love making videos and created their channels so they would have somewhere to post their work. Others have strong opinions they need a platform to share. There are a lot of people on YouTube whose main interest is in a separate website or other social media page, but they use their YouTube channels to help generate traffic. If you are considering starting your own YouTube channel then you should take a second to consider why you want to, since this will have an impact on what kind of videos you make. Your reasons for wanting to make a YouTube account do not have to be very elaborate. Maybe you just think it will be fun. Good news; it will be!

Once you know for sure that you want to create a YouTube account, and also know why you want to do it, you have already started building your channel. There are still a few important things to consider, though. This article will walk you through signing up for a YouTube account, and give you some tips about starting your channel.

Creating Your YouTube Account in 6 Steps

1. Go to YouTube.com and look at the top right corner of your screen. There will either be a blue Sign In button, or an icon representing you. YouTube accounts and Google accounts are the same, so if you are signed into your Gmail account you are already signed into YouTube as well.

2. If you see a Sign In button, click it. If you see your icon click on that, and in the window that pops up select Add Account. Either way, you will be taken into a sign in screen. Under where it asks for your email address it will say Create Account. Click on Create Account.

3. In the sign up page you will need to put in your name, email address, and mobile phone number as well as some other personal information. Do not enter your current Gmail address. Enter an alternate email you have created for your vlog, or click on I would like a new Gmail address. This will change your page slightly so that the email field becomes Choose a Username.

You will probably need to try a few different usernames before you find one that is not taken.

4. You will have to put in both a first and last name when you create your account, but you can change it to one name later.

5. Your password will need to be at least 8 characters long. Try to use a combination of letters or numbers, and make sure it is not something easily guessable (i.e spouses name).

6. After you finish the form click Next Step and, in the next screen, Continue to YouTube.

Tips on Starting a YouTube Channel

1. Choose a Topic you Love

When choosing a topic for your YouTube channel make sure you pick something you are passionate about. If you already have an interest or hobby which you are always researching and are extremely up-to-date on then that should probably be the theme of your vlog. If you plan to have a channel where people go to learn anything then you will need to be an authority on that topic. Whatever you make videos about it will need to be something you can realistically see yourself putting a lot of time into. If you cannot think of more than a couple ideas for videos on your topic then that is a sign that you need to choose something else to focus on.

You should check to see how much demand there is for videos on your topic. This can be done by googling your topic to see what else is out there. If not many people have addressed your topic yet it probably means that it is not something a lot of people want to know about. However, it could also mean that the people who do want to watch videos like yours have been starved for content. Your channel will flop if you do not love what you are making videos about, so do not choose something just because you think it will be popular. Follow your passion.

2. Check out the Competition

You should look for other vlogs with similar topics to yours not only to gauge how much demand there is for your videos, but to check out the competition. If there are a lot of YouTube channels dedicated to the same topic you want to vlog about then this should not discourage you from going after the same viewers. People who are excited about a topic frequently watch more than one vlog about it. It might not even be correct to think of other vloggers within your genre as ‘the competition’ since you are ultimately part of the same community. You will need to watch these people’s videos as part of keeping yourself informed and will likely become a fan – maybe even a collaborator some day – of theirs.

The main reason you want to look into YouTube channels like yours is because you do not want to be creating content that is overdone and boring. You are tackling the same topic as other people, and may even make some videos on the exact same subjects as others already have. There needs to be something unique about your videos that makes them stand out from what already exists. By looking at what other people are already doing you will be able to come up with ideas for what you can do differently.

3. Choose a Great Name

Picking a great name for your YouTube account can take a lot of effort. Chances are you will not want to use your own name, at least not in full. Although your real name can work for if you are a lifestyle vlogger in most cases you will have a more specific topic that will need to be addressed in your channel’s name. Try out your name or a nickname for yourself in combination with different words associated with the topic of your vlog. Aim to create a name that is catchy and easy to remember.

Chances are a few of your first couple picks will be unavailable. YouTube is a popular site and a lot of the best names are taken. The last thing you should ever do while naming your YouTube channel is add numbers or letters to the end of a name you like because it is taken. Names with numbers at the end are hard for viewers to remember and find again. Choosing a weak name with a trail of numbers or letters after it will make it very hard for your channel to grow. Brainstorm a long list of potential names that are actually good and keep on trying them out until you find one that’s available.

For more information on naming your YouTube channel read our post ‘How To Pick a Name for Your YouTube Channel’.

4. Make a Schedule

Maintaining a YouTube channel is a big time commitment. You need to post videos regularly or people will forget about you, and videos can take a long time to make. When you are first starting your vlog you should make yourself a schedule for when you want to upload videos. Having a schedule will help you budget your time and ensure that your vlog never gets in the way of the rest of your life.

Having a posting schedule will also help you grow your channel. Viewers like it when they know when to expect new content from vloggers they like. They are more likely to subscribe and tune in for every post if they are given a chance to anticipate when your new entry is coming.

5. Take Inventory

Think about what equipment you have that you can use for your YouTube channel. The only thing you absolutely cannot get by without is a decent camera, but there are other types of equipment that it is a good idea to have too. Lights, a tripod, an external microphone – these are all things that a lot of YouTubers find they need in order to produce great videos. If you do not have these things, or money you are prepared to invest in them, then you will need to find ways around them until your situation changes. For more information check out our post ‘The Best YouTube Equipment: What You Need to Start Your Channel’.

Read More to Get : Best Video Websites Like YouTube >>

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

People create YouTube accounts for a lot of different reasons. Some YouTubers just love making videos and created their channels so they would have somewhere to post their work. Others have strong opinions they need a platform to share. There are a lot of people on YouTube whose main interest is in a separate website or other social media page, but they use their YouTube channels to help generate traffic. If you are considering starting your own YouTube channel then you should take a second to consider why you want to, since this will have an impact on what kind of videos you make. Your reasons for wanting to make a YouTube account do not have to be very elaborate. Maybe you just think it will be fun. Good news; it will be!

Once you know for sure that you want to create a YouTube account, and also know why you want to do it, you have already started building your channel. There are still a few important things to consider, though. This article will walk you through signing up for a YouTube account, and give you some tips about starting your channel.

Creating Your YouTube Account in 6 Steps

1. Go to YouTube.com and look at the top right corner of your screen. There will either be a blue Sign In button, or an icon representing you. YouTube accounts and Google accounts are the same, so if you are signed into your Gmail account you are already signed into YouTube as well.

2. If you see a Sign In button, click it. If you see your icon click on that, and in the window that pops up select Add Account. Either way, you will be taken into a sign in screen. Under where it asks for your email address it will say Create Account. Click on Create Account.

3. In the sign up page you will need to put in your name, email address, and mobile phone number as well as some other personal information. Do not enter your current Gmail address. Enter an alternate email you have created for your vlog, or click on I would like a new Gmail address. This will change your page slightly so that the email field becomes Choose a Username.

You will probably need to try a few different usernames before you find one that is not taken.

4. You will have to put in both a first and last name when you create your account, but you can change it to one name later.

5. Your password will need to be at least 8 characters long. Try to use a combination of letters or numbers, and make sure it is not something easily guessable (i.e spouses name).

6. After you finish the form click Next Step and, in the next screen, Continue to YouTube.

Tips on Starting a YouTube Channel

1. Choose a Topic you Love

When choosing a topic for your YouTube channel make sure you pick something you are passionate about. If you already have an interest or hobby which you are always researching and are extremely up-to-date on then that should probably be the theme of your vlog. If you plan to have a channel where people go to learn anything then you will need to be an authority on that topic. Whatever you make videos about it will need to be something you can realistically see yourself putting a lot of time into. If you cannot think of more than a couple ideas for videos on your topic then that is a sign that you need to choose something else to focus on.

You should check to see how much demand there is for videos on your topic. This can be done by googling your topic to see what else is out there. If not many people have addressed your topic yet it probably means that it is not something a lot of people want to know about. However, it could also mean that the people who do want to watch videos like yours have been starved for content. Your channel will flop if you do not love what you are making videos about, so do not choose something just because you think it will be popular. Follow your passion.

2. Check out the Competition

You should look for other vlogs with similar topics to yours not only to gauge how much demand there is for your videos, but to check out the competition. If there are a lot of YouTube channels dedicated to the same topic you want to vlog about then this should not discourage you from going after the same viewers. People who are excited about a topic frequently watch more than one vlog about it. It might not even be correct to think of other vloggers within your genre as ‘the competition’ since you are ultimately part of the same community. You will need to watch these people’s videos as part of keeping yourself informed and will likely become a fan – maybe even a collaborator some day – of theirs.

The main reason you want to look into YouTube channels like yours is because you do not want to be creating content that is overdone and boring. You are tackling the same topic as other people, and may even make some videos on the exact same subjects as others already have. There needs to be something unique about your videos that makes them stand out from what already exists. By looking at what other people are already doing you will be able to come up with ideas for what you can do differently.

3. Choose a Great Name

Picking a great name for your YouTube account can take a lot of effort. Chances are you will not want to use your own name, at least not in full. Although your real name can work for if you are a lifestyle vlogger in most cases you will have a more specific topic that will need to be addressed in your channel’s name. Try out your name or a nickname for yourself in combination with different words associated with the topic of your vlog. Aim to create a name that is catchy and easy to remember.

Chances are a few of your first couple picks will be unavailable. YouTube is a popular site and a lot of the best names are taken. The last thing you should ever do while naming your YouTube channel is add numbers or letters to the end of a name you like because it is taken. Names with numbers at the end are hard for viewers to remember and find again. Choosing a weak name with a trail of numbers or letters after it will make it very hard for your channel to grow. Brainstorm a long list of potential names that are actually good and keep on trying them out until you find one that’s available.

For more information on naming your YouTube channel read our post ‘How To Pick a Name for Your YouTube Channel’.

4. Make a Schedule

Maintaining a YouTube channel is a big time commitment. You need to post videos regularly or people will forget about you, and videos can take a long time to make. When you are first starting your vlog you should make yourself a schedule for when you want to upload videos. Having a schedule will help you budget your time and ensure that your vlog never gets in the way of the rest of your life.

Having a posting schedule will also help you grow your channel. Viewers like it when they know when to expect new content from vloggers they like. They are more likely to subscribe and tune in for every post if they are given a chance to anticipate when your new entry is coming.

5. Take Inventory

Think about what equipment you have that you can use for your YouTube channel. The only thing you absolutely cannot get by without is a decent camera, but there are other types of equipment that it is a good idea to have too. Lights, a tripod, an external microphone – these are all things that a lot of YouTubers find they need in order to produce great videos. If you do not have these things, or money you are prepared to invest in them, then you will need to find ways around them until your situation changes. For more information check out our post ‘The Best YouTube Equipment: What You Need to Start Your Channel’.

Read More to Get : Best Video Websites Like YouTube >>

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

People create YouTube accounts for a lot of different reasons. Some YouTubers just love making videos and created their channels so they would have somewhere to post their work. Others have strong opinions they need a platform to share. There are a lot of people on YouTube whose main interest is in a separate website or other social media page, but they use their YouTube channels to help generate traffic. If you are considering starting your own YouTube channel then you should take a second to consider why you want to, since this will have an impact on what kind of videos you make. Your reasons for wanting to make a YouTube account do not have to be very elaborate. Maybe you just think it will be fun. Good news; it will be!

Once you know for sure that you want to create a YouTube account, and also know why you want to do it, you have already started building your channel. There are still a few important things to consider, though. This article will walk you through signing up for a YouTube account, and give you some tips about starting your channel.

Creating Your YouTube Account in 6 Steps

1. Go to YouTube.com and look at the top right corner of your screen. There will either be a blue Sign In button, or an icon representing you. YouTube accounts and Google accounts are the same, so if you are signed into your Gmail account you are already signed into YouTube as well.

2. If you see a Sign In button, click it. If you see your icon click on that, and in the window that pops up select Add Account. Either way, you will be taken into a sign in screen. Under where it asks for your email address it will say Create Account. Click on Create Account.

3. In the sign up page you will need to put in your name, email address, and mobile phone number as well as some other personal information. Do not enter your current Gmail address. Enter an alternate email you have created for your vlog, or click on I would like a new Gmail address. This will change your page slightly so that the email field becomes Choose a Username.

You will probably need to try a few different usernames before you find one that is not taken.

4. You will have to put in both a first and last name when you create your account, but you can change it to one name later.

5. Your password will need to be at least 8 characters long. Try to use a combination of letters or numbers, and make sure it is not something easily guessable (i.e spouses name).

6. After you finish the form click Next Step and, in the next screen, Continue to YouTube.

Tips on Starting a YouTube Channel

1. Choose a Topic you Love

When choosing a topic for your YouTube channel make sure you pick something you are passionate about. If you already have an interest or hobby which you are always researching and are extremely up-to-date on then that should probably be the theme of your vlog. If you plan to have a channel where people go to learn anything then you will need to be an authority on that topic. Whatever you make videos about it will need to be something you can realistically see yourself putting a lot of time into. If you cannot think of more than a couple ideas for videos on your topic then that is a sign that you need to choose something else to focus on.

You should check to see how much demand there is for videos on your topic. This can be done by googling your topic to see what else is out there. If not many people have addressed your topic yet it probably means that it is not something a lot of people want to know about. However, it could also mean that the people who do want to watch videos like yours have been starved for content. Your channel will flop if you do not love what you are making videos about, so do not choose something just because you think it will be popular. Follow your passion.

2. Check out the Competition

You should look for other vlogs with similar topics to yours not only to gauge how much demand there is for your videos, but to check out the competition. If there are a lot of YouTube channels dedicated to the same topic you want to vlog about then this should not discourage you from going after the same viewers. People who are excited about a topic frequently watch more than one vlog about it. It might not even be correct to think of other vloggers within your genre as ‘the competition’ since you are ultimately part of the same community. You will need to watch these people’s videos as part of keeping yourself informed and will likely become a fan – maybe even a collaborator some day – of theirs.

The main reason you want to look into YouTube channels like yours is because you do not want to be creating content that is overdone and boring. You are tackling the same topic as other people, and may even make some videos on the exact same subjects as others already have. There needs to be something unique about your videos that makes them stand out from what already exists. By looking at what other people are already doing you will be able to come up with ideas for what you can do differently.

3. Choose a Great Name

Picking a great name for your YouTube account can take a lot of effort. Chances are you will not want to use your own name, at least not in full. Although your real name can work for if you are a lifestyle vlogger in most cases you will have a more specific topic that will need to be addressed in your channel’s name. Try out your name or a nickname for yourself in combination with different words associated with the topic of your vlog. Aim to create a name that is catchy and easy to remember.

Chances are a few of your first couple picks will be unavailable. YouTube is a popular site and a lot of the best names are taken. The last thing you should ever do while naming your YouTube channel is add numbers or letters to the end of a name you like because it is taken. Names with numbers at the end are hard for viewers to remember and find again. Choosing a weak name with a trail of numbers or letters after it will make it very hard for your channel to grow. Brainstorm a long list of potential names that are actually good and keep on trying them out until you find one that’s available.

For more information on naming your YouTube channel read our post ‘How To Pick a Name for Your YouTube Channel’.

4. Make a Schedule

Maintaining a YouTube channel is a big time commitment. You need to post videos regularly or people will forget about you, and videos can take a long time to make. When you are first starting your vlog you should make yourself a schedule for when you want to upload videos. Having a schedule will help you budget your time and ensure that your vlog never gets in the way of the rest of your life.

Having a posting schedule will also help you grow your channel. Viewers like it when they know when to expect new content from vloggers they like. They are more likely to subscribe and tune in for every post if they are given a chance to anticipate when your new entry is coming.

5. Take Inventory

Think about what equipment you have that you can use for your YouTube channel. The only thing you absolutely cannot get by without is a decent camera, but there are other types of equipment that it is a good idea to have too. Lights, a tripod, an external microphone – these are all things that a lot of YouTubers find they need in order to produce great videos. If you do not have these things, or money you are prepared to invest in them, then you will need to find ways around them until your situation changes. For more information check out our post ‘The Best YouTube Equipment: What You Need to Start Your Channel’.

Read More to Get : Best Video Websites Like YouTube >>

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Perfect Shots Start With The Right Camera & Lens Selection

A Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett