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[New] Premium 7 Cameras Boosting Vlogging Creativity & Viewership
Premium 7 Cameras Boosting Vlogging Creativity & Viewership
Best 7 DSLR Vlogging Cameras
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
DSLR cameras are great for vloggers who are serious about filmmaking. But with so many DSLR cameras to choose from, it can be difficult to make a decision on one. We have come up with a list of seven of the best DSLR vlogging cameras to help you with your search.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A VLOGGING CAMERA
1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)
2. Good continual autofocus while recording video
3. Good focus priority through face recognition
4. Touch to focus
5. Good low-light performance
6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket
7. optical image stabilization
8. good battery life
Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.
THE 7 BEST DSLR CAMERAS FOR VLOGGING
| Camera | Release Date | Sensor Size | Flip Screen | Mic Port | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CanonEOS6D Mark II |  |
June2017 | Full frame(35.9 x 24 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
| CanonEOS RebelSL2 |  |
June2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $ |
| CanonEOS RebelT7i |  |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS77D |  |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| NikonD5600 |  |
November2016 | APS-C(23.5 x 15.6 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS5D Mark IV |  |
August2017 | Full frame(36 x 24 mm) | No | Yes | $$$ |
| CanonEOS80D |  |
February2016 | APS-C(22.5 x 15 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
|
Best daily DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The camera you use to record your daily vlogs doesn’t have to be the best camera on the market. It just has to offer enough options to make the process of making a vlog as smooth as it can possibly be. The T7i is not the most powerful DSLR camera out there, but its 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 7 image processor are more than enough to meet the needs of most daily vloggers. You can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps and use this camera to create HDR and time-lapse movies. You can set the T7i’s ISO up as high as 51200, which is pretty good. The T7i’s dual pixel CMOS AF system makes sure that the camera focuses quickly and it helps you avoid creating video clips that are out focus. There’s also a built-in Wi-FI with an NFC feature that enables you to share your videos with a smartphone device you connect to the camera. PROS - Long battery life - Remarkable image quality at high ISO values CONS - Can’t record 4K videos - Viewfinder is tiny |
|---|---|
|
Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 was released just a year ago and it wins our 2018 vote for the best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging. The SL2 packs a lot of features in a compact camera body. The camera only weighs 1 lb, which is considered light among most DSLR cameras. Many vloggers may enjoy the fact that they can hold up this light camera in front of themselves with more ease. Like a lot of entry-level DSLR cameras, the SL2 comes with an APS-C crop sensor. With ISO capabilities that can reach up to 51200, you’ll be able to film up to full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, even under low light conditions. All recent Canon cameras perform very well when it comes to autofocus and the SL2 is no exception. It does, however, have fewer points of focus. The SL2 comes with a 9-point AF system. The SL2 also has a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack. PROS - Microphone jack - Wi-Fi connectivity CONS - No 4K video support - Optical image stabilizer could be better |
|
Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon EOS 80D is the successor of the 70D which was at one time considered by many YouTubers the ultimate DSLR camera for vlogging. The 80D is a larger camera than the SL2, weighing 1.61 lbs. In its larger build, this camera additionally (compared to the SL2) packs a 45-point AF system, longer battery life, a headphone port, and it is environmentally sealed so you can shoot in tough conditions. This camera’s great performance in autofocusing makes it a great mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging. PROS - Feature-rich - Continuous AF feature performs beautifully while recording high-res videos CONS - Just one SD card slot - PC sync connection features could be better |
|
Best professional DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 6D Mark II There’s a lot of DSLR cameras that come with a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack, but the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is actually the only one in the market that comes equipped with both of those, plus a full-frame sensor. It is its full-frame sensor that really sets this camera apart from the other vlogging DLSR cameras. Because of its full-frame sensor, this camera performs much better in low light conditions. With this larger sensor, you’ll also be able to capture footage that looks more cinematic with high-quality bokeh (more blur to your out-of-focus areas). The 6D Mark II also has great battery life compared to all the reviewed cameras above. Unfortunately, this camera does not shoot in 4K. PROS - ISO sensitivity goes up to 102400 - Amazing touchscreen controls CONS - No 4K video recording option - No USB 3.0 |
Want to compare even more cameras? Check out…
12 Best Vlogging Cameras
Top 11 Cheap Vlogging Cameras
8 Best Mirrorless Cameras For Vlogging
12 Best Vlogging Cameras With A Flip Screen
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
DSLR cameras are great for vloggers who are serious about filmmaking. But with so many DSLR cameras to choose from, it can be difficult to make a decision on one. We have come up with a list of seven of the best DSLR vlogging cameras to help you with your search.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A VLOGGING CAMERA
1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)
2. Good continual autofocus while recording video
3. Good focus priority through face recognition
4. Touch to focus
5. Good low-light performance
6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket
7. optical image stabilization
8. good battery life
Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.
THE 7 BEST DSLR CAMERAS FOR VLOGGING
| Camera | Release Date | Sensor Size | Flip Screen | Mic Port | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CanonEOS6D Mark II | |
June2017 | Full frame(35.9 x 24 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
| CanonEOS RebelSL2 | |
June2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $ |
| CanonEOS RebelT7i | |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS77D | |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| NikonD5600 | |
November2016 | APS-C(23.5 x 15.6 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS5D Mark IV | |
August2017 | Full frame(36 x 24 mm) | No | Yes | $$$ |
| CanonEOS80D | |
February2016 | APS-C(22.5 x 15 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
|
Best daily DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The camera you use to record your daily vlogs doesn’t have to be the best camera on the market. It just has to offer enough options to make the process of making a vlog as smooth as it can possibly be. The T7i is not the most powerful DSLR camera out there, but its 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 7 image processor are more than enough to meet the needs of most daily vloggers. You can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps and use this camera to create HDR and time-lapse movies. You can set the T7i’s ISO up as high as 51200, which is pretty good. The T7i’s dual pixel CMOS AF system makes sure that the camera focuses quickly and it helps you avoid creating video clips that are out focus. There’s also a built-in Wi-FI with an NFC feature that enables you to share your videos with a smartphone device you connect to the camera. PROS - Long battery life - Remarkable image quality at high ISO values CONS - Can’t record 4K videos - Viewfinder is tiny |
|---|---|
|
Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 was released just a year ago and it wins our 2018 vote for the best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging. The SL2 packs a lot of features in a compact camera body. The camera only weighs 1 lb, which is considered light among most DSLR cameras. Many vloggers may enjoy the fact that they can hold up this light camera in front of themselves with more ease. Like a lot of entry-level DSLR cameras, the SL2 comes with an APS-C crop sensor. With ISO capabilities that can reach up to 51200, you’ll be able to film up to full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, even under low light conditions. All recent Canon cameras perform very well when it comes to autofocus and the SL2 is no exception. It does, however, have fewer points of focus. The SL2 comes with a 9-point AF system. The SL2 also has a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack. PROS - Microphone jack - Wi-Fi connectivity CONS - No 4K video support - Optical image stabilizer could be better |
|
Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon EOS 80D is the successor of the 70D which was at one time considered by many YouTubers the ultimate DSLR camera for vlogging. The 80D is a larger camera than the SL2, weighing 1.61 lbs. In its larger build, this camera additionally (compared to the SL2) packs a 45-point AF system, longer battery life, a headphone port, and it is environmentally sealed so you can shoot in tough conditions. This camera’s great performance in autofocusing makes it a great mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging. PROS - Feature-rich - Continuous AF feature performs beautifully while recording high-res videos CONS - Just one SD card slot - PC sync connection features could be better |
|
Best professional DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 6D Mark II There’s a lot of DSLR cameras that come with a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack, but the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is actually the only one in the market that comes equipped with both of those, plus a full-frame sensor. It is its full-frame sensor that really sets this camera apart from the other vlogging DLSR cameras. Because of its full-frame sensor, this camera performs much better in low light conditions. With this larger sensor, you’ll also be able to capture footage that looks more cinematic with high-quality bokeh (more blur to your out-of-focus areas). The 6D Mark II also has great battery life compared to all the reviewed cameras above. Unfortunately, this camera does not shoot in 4K. PROS - ISO sensitivity goes up to 102400 - Amazing touchscreen controls CONS - No 4K video recording option - No USB 3.0 |
Want to compare even more cameras? Check out…
12 Best Vlogging Cameras
Top 11 Cheap Vlogging Cameras
8 Best Mirrorless Cameras For Vlogging
12 Best Vlogging Cameras With A Flip Screen
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
DSLR cameras are great for vloggers who are serious about filmmaking. But with so many DSLR cameras to choose from, it can be difficult to make a decision on one. We have come up with a list of seven of the best DSLR vlogging cameras to help you with your search.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A VLOGGING CAMERA
1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)
2. Good continual autofocus while recording video
3. Good focus priority through face recognition
4. Touch to focus
5. Good low-light performance
6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket
7. optical image stabilization
8. good battery life
Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.
THE 7 BEST DSLR CAMERAS FOR VLOGGING
| Camera | Release Date | Sensor Size | Flip Screen | Mic Port | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CanonEOS6D Mark II | |
June2017 | Full frame(35.9 x 24 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
| CanonEOS RebelSL2 | |
June2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $ |
| CanonEOS RebelT7i | |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS77D | |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| NikonD5600 | |
November2016 | APS-C(23.5 x 15.6 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS5D Mark IV | |
August2017 | Full frame(36 x 24 mm) | No | Yes | $$$ |
| CanonEOS80D | |
February2016 | APS-C(22.5 x 15 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
|
Best daily DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The camera you use to record your daily vlogs doesn’t have to be the best camera on the market. It just has to offer enough options to make the process of making a vlog as smooth as it can possibly be. The T7i is not the most powerful DSLR camera out there, but its 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 7 image processor are more than enough to meet the needs of most daily vloggers. You can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps and use this camera to create HDR and time-lapse movies. You can set the T7i’s ISO up as high as 51200, which is pretty good. The T7i’s dual pixel CMOS AF system makes sure that the camera focuses quickly and it helps you avoid creating video clips that are out focus. There’s also a built-in Wi-FI with an NFC feature that enables you to share your videos with a smartphone device you connect to the camera. PROS - Long battery life - Remarkable image quality at high ISO values CONS - Can’t record 4K videos - Viewfinder is tiny |
|---|---|
|
Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 was released just a year ago and it wins our 2018 vote for the best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging. The SL2 packs a lot of features in a compact camera body. The camera only weighs 1 lb, which is considered light among most DSLR cameras. Many vloggers may enjoy the fact that they can hold up this light camera in front of themselves with more ease. Like a lot of entry-level DSLR cameras, the SL2 comes with an APS-C crop sensor. With ISO capabilities that can reach up to 51200, you’ll be able to film up to full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, even under low light conditions. All recent Canon cameras perform very well when it comes to autofocus and the SL2 is no exception. It does, however, have fewer points of focus. The SL2 comes with a 9-point AF system. The SL2 also has a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack. PROS - Microphone jack - Wi-Fi connectivity CONS - No 4K video support - Optical image stabilizer could be better |
|
Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon EOS 80D is the successor of the 70D which was at one time considered by many YouTubers the ultimate DSLR camera for vlogging. The 80D is a larger camera than the SL2, weighing 1.61 lbs. In its larger build, this camera additionally (compared to the SL2) packs a 45-point AF system, longer battery life, a headphone port, and it is environmentally sealed so you can shoot in tough conditions. This camera’s great performance in autofocusing makes it a great mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging. PROS - Feature-rich - Continuous AF feature performs beautifully while recording high-res videos CONS - Just one SD card slot - PC sync connection features could be better |
|
Best professional DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 6D Mark II There’s a lot of DSLR cameras that come with a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack, but the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is actually the only one in the market that comes equipped with both of those, plus a full-frame sensor. It is its full-frame sensor that really sets this camera apart from the other vlogging DLSR cameras. Because of its full-frame sensor, this camera performs much better in low light conditions. With this larger sensor, you’ll also be able to capture footage that looks more cinematic with high-quality bokeh (more blur to your out-of-focus areas). The 6D Mark II also has great battery life compared to all the reviewed cameras above. Unfortunately, this camera does not shoot in 4K. PROS - ISO sensitivity goes up to 102400 - Amazing touchscreen controls CONS - No 4K video recording option - No USB 3.0 |
Want to compare even more cameras? Check out…
12 Best Vlogging Cameras
Top 11 Cheap Vlogging Cameras
8 Best Mirrorless Cameras For Vlogging
12 Best Vlogging Cameras With A Flip Screen
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
DSLR cameras are great for vloggers who are serious about filmmaking. But with so many DSLR cameras to choose from, it can be difficult to make a decision on one. We have come up with a list of seven of the best DSLR vlogging cameras to help you with your search.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A VLOGGING CAMERA
1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)
2. Good continual autofocus while recording video
3. Good focus priority through face recognition
4. Touch to focus
5. Good low-light performance
6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket
7. optical image stabilization
8. good battery life
Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.
THE 7 BEST DSLR CAMERAS FOR VLOGGING
| Camera | Release Date | Sensor Size | Flip Screen | Mic Port | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CanonEOS6D Mark II | |
June2017 | Full frame(35.9 x 24 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
| CanonEOS RebelSL2 | |
June2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $ |
| CanonEOS RebelT7i | |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS77D | |
February2017 | APS-C(22.3 x 14.9 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| NikonD5600 | |
November2016 | APS-C(23.5 x 15.6 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $- |
| CanonEOS5D Mark IV | |
August2017 | Full frame(36 x 24 mm) | No | Yes | $$$ |
| CanonEOS80D | |
February2016 | APS-C(22.5 x 15 mm) | Fully Articulated | Yes | $$ |
|
Best daily DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The camera you use to record your daily vlogs doesn’t have to be the best camera on the market. It just has to offer enough options to make the process of making a vlog as smooth as it can possibly be. The T7i is not the most powerful DSLR camera out there, but its 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 7 image processor are more than enough to meet the needs of most daily vloggers. You can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps and use this camera to create HDR and time-lapse movies. You can set the T7i’s ISO up as high as 51200, which is pretty good. The T7i’s dual pixel CMOS AF system makes sure that the camera focuses quickly and it helps you avoid creating video clips that are out focus. There’s also a built-in Wi-FI with an NFC feature that enables you to share your videos with a smartphone device you connect to the camera. PROS - Long battery life - Remarkable image quality at high ISO values CONS - Can’t record 4K videos - Viewfinder is tiny |
|---|---|
|
Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 was released just a year ago and it wins our 2018 vote for the best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging. The SL2 packs a lot of features in a compact camera body. The camera only weighs 1 lb, which is considered light among most DSLR cameras. Many vloggers may enjoy the fact that they can hold up this light camera in front of themselves with more ease. Like a lot of entry-level DSLR cameras, the SL2 comes with an APS-C crop sensor. With ISO capabilities that can reach up to 51200, you’ll be able to film up to full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, even under low light conditions. All recent Canon cameras perform very well when it comes to autofocus and the SL2 is no exception. It does, however, have fewer points of focus. The SL2 comes with a 9-point AF system. The SL2 also has a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack. PROS - Microphone jack - Wi-Fi connectivity CONS - No 4K video support - Optical image stabilizer could be better |
|
Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon EOS 80D is the successor of the 70D which was at one time considered by many YouTubers the ultimate DSLR camera for vlogging. The 80D is a larger camera than the SL2, weighing 1.61 lbs. In its larger build, this camera additionally (compared to the SL2) packs a 45-point AF system, longer battery life, a headphone port, and it is environmentally sealed so you can shoot in tough conditions. This camera’s great performance in autofocusing makes it a great mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging. PROS - Feature-rich - Continuous AF feature performs beautifully while recording high-res videos CONS - Just one SD card slot - PC sync connection features could be better |
|
Best professional DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 6D Mark II There’s a lot of DSLR cameras that come with a fully-articulated screen and a microphone jack, but the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is actually the only one in the market that comes equipped with both of those, plus a full-frame sensor. It is its full-frame sensor that really sets this camera apart from the other vlogging DLSR cameras. Because of its full-frame sensor, this camera performs much better in low light conditions. With this larger sensor, you’ll also be able to capture footage that looks more cinematic with high-quality bokeh (more blur to your out-of-focus areas). The 6D Mark II also has great battery life compared to all the reviewed cameras above. Unfortunately, this camera does not shoot in 4K. PROS - ISO sensitivity goes up to 102400 - Amazing touchscreen controls CONS - No 4K video recording option - No USB 3.0 |
Want to compare even more cameras? Check out…
12 Best Vlogging Cameras
Top 11 Cheap Vlogging Cameras
8 Best Mirrorless Cameras For Vlogging
12 Best Vlogging Cameras With A Flip Screen
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
The Role of Lighting in Professional YouTube Content Creation
How To Light Your YouTube Video
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
When it comes to sensitivity to light, no consumer-level camera sensor comes close in performance to the human eye. Many newbies to videography, though, don’t think about this when they use their camera indoors and discover that their recorded footage appears too dark.
If you want to use your camera indoors as many YouTubers do, you’ll need to have extra light. But the solution is not as simple as surrounding yourself with lamps that are all randomly placed.
Below, I’ll go into detail on how you can set up your lighting equipment to make your YouTube videos look good.
| Table of Contents Using Light You Already Have Window LightingHome Lighting Home Studio Lighting Light Control3-Point Lighting4-Point Lighting |
|---|
Part 1: Using Light You Already Have
Most beginner YouTubers light their videos with what they already have. That’s what I did to start as well. In the past, my video recording space consisted of natural sunlight coming from my window and ceiling light for times when the sunlight wasn’t strong enough.
1. Window Lighting
The best thing about window lighting is that it’s free. The worst thing about it is that it’s uncontrollable. The amount of light you get in your video can vary with all the changes in the weather.
Window lighting for me was especially difficult to work with because I live in a very rainy and cloudy city, Vancouver, Canada, where we pretty much just get three months of good sun.
Above are two freeze frames from one of Daniel’s past window-lit vlogs. Although these two frames are both from the same vlog, you can see that the image on the right looks brighter due to clearer skies at that moment. These varying amounts of light is what you will have to deal with if you choose to light your YouTube video with window lighting.
2. Home Lighting
Home lighting is another source of light that many new YouTubers use. In the past, when my window light wasn’t strong enough to light my video recording space, I would turn on the ceiling light.
Notice how the color of Daniel’s skin looks much more orange here (above) than the color of the skin in the two side-by-side window lighting examples? The side of the face also appears to look bluer. This all happened because he mixed up different color temperatures shining out of the two lights (cooler window light and warmer ceiling light).
Most home lighting is warmer in its color temperature. If you want to use your home lights without everything being orange-tinted, you’ll need to switch out your light bulbs for daytime LED light bulbs.
Ceiling lights are also typically situated in the center of a room in order to light an entire room evenly. This is not likely to be the best location for your filming video. Since the ceiling light was directly above the face in the above example, you can see harder shadows beneath his cheeks.
Part 2: Home Studio Lighting
If you rather not deal with all the window and home lighting challenges, you can set up studio lighting in your home.
1. Light Control
The first thing you’ll want to do to set up studio lighting in your home is to pick a room to film in and eliminate as much external lighting as you can. Use blinds, curtains, towels, or any thick fabric to block sunlight from shining into your room.
2. 3-Point Lighting
The most common setup for studio lighting is 3-point lighting. For this kind of lighting you’ll need three lights: a key light, a fill light, and a back light (also called a hair light).
Out of the three lights, the key light should be the brightest. When it is positioned to the left of you (as shown in the diagram above) your right side will have shadows.
To minimize the shadows on your right side, use a weaker light as a fill light. You don’t want your fill light to completely eliminate all your shadows or else your shot will look flat.
Lastly, a backlight positioned behind you can give an appealing highlight to the ends of your head and even help to separate your hair from blending into your background if both happen to be dark.
3. 4-Point Lighting
As a YouTuber, you may not only want yourself to be seen optimally with proper lighting, but you may also want your background to be seen optimally, especially if you’ve taken the time to decorate it for your audience.
What you’ll need to ensure that your background is sufficiently lit is 4-point lighting setup. The 4-point lighting setup is the same as a 3-point lighting setup, but with an additional light shining at your background.
For more information on lighting equipment, check out my Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Filmora
Filmora is one of the best video editing software for YouTube beginners to start the YouTube channel. So, if you find the lighting isn’t perfect after recording, you can use the Auto Color Enhancement feature in Filmora to adjust the color with one-click. Or, you can change the white balance, Light, color, and HSL manually. Filmora also features some presets and LUTs templates , which allows you to apply pre-programmed effects to video for color correction faster.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
When it comes to sensitivity to light, no consumer-level camera sensor comes close in performance to the human eye. Many newbies to videography, though, don’t think about this when they use their camera indoors and discover that their recorded footage appears too dark.
If you want to use your camera indoors as many YouTubers do, you’ll need to have extra light. But the solution is not as simple as surrounding yourself with lamps that are all randomly placed.
Below, I’ll go into detail on how you can set up your lighting equipment to make your YouTube videos look good.
| Table of Contents Using Light You Already Have Window LightingHome Lighting Home Studio Lighting Light Control3-Point Lighting4-Point Lighting |
|---|
Part 1: Using Light You Already Have
Most beginner YouTubers light their videos with what they already have. That’s what I did to start as well. In the past, my video recording space consisted of natural sunlight coming from my window and ceiling light for times when the sunlight wasn’t strong enough.
1. Window Lighting
The best thing about window lighting is that it’s free. The worst thing about it is that it’s uncontrollable. The amount of light you get in your video can vary with all the changes in the weather.
Window lighting for me was especially difficult to work with because I live in a very rainy and cloudy city, Vancouver, Canada, where we pretty much just get three months of good sun.
Above are two freeze frames from one of Daniel’s past window-lit vlogs. Although these two frames are both from the same vlog, you can see that the image on the right looks brighter due to clearer skies at that moment. These varying amounts of light is what you will have to deal with if you choose to light your YouTube video with window lighting.
2. Home Lighting
Home lighting is another source of light that many new YouTubers use. In the past, when my window light wasn’t strong enough to light my video recording space, I would turn on the ceiling light.
Notice how the color of Daniel’s skin looks much more orange here (above) than the color of the skin in the two side-by-side window lighting examples? The side of the face also appears to look bluer. This all happened because he mixed up different color temperatures shining out of the two lights (cooler window light and warmer ceiling light).
Most home lighting is warmer in its color temperature. If you want to use your home lights without everything being orange-tinted, you’ll need to switch out your light bulbs for daytime LED light bulbs.
Ceiling lights are also typically situated in the center of a room in order to light an entire room evenly. This is not likely to be the best location for your filming video. Since the ceiling light was directly above the face in the above example, you can see harder shadows beneath his cheeks.
Part 2: Home Studio Lighting
If you rather not deal with all the window and home lighting challenges, you can set up studio lighting in your home.
1. Light Control
The first thing you’ll want to do to set up studio lighting in your home is to pick a room to film in and eliminate as much external lighting as you can. Use blinds, curtains, towels, or any thick fabric to block sunlight from shining into your room.
2. 3-Point Lighting
The most common setup for studio lighting is 3-point lighting. For this kind of lighting you’ll need three lights: a key light, a fill light, and a back light (also called a hair light).
Out of the three lights, the key light should be the brightest. When it is positioned to the left of you (as shown in the diagram above) your right side will have shadows.
To minimize the shadows on your right side, use a weaker light as a fill light. You don’t want your fill light to completely eliminate all your shadows or else your shot will look flat.
Lastly, a backlight positioned behind you can give an appealing highlight to the ends of your head and even help to separate your hair from blending into your background if both happen to be dark.
3. 4-Point Lighting
As a YouTuber, you may not only want yourself to be seen optimally with proper lighting, but you may also want your background to be seen optimally, especially if you’ve taken the time to decorate it for your audience.
What you’ll need to ensure that your background is sufficiently lit is 4-point lighting setup. The 4-point lighting setup is the same as a 3-point lighting setup, but with an additional light shining at your background.
For more information on lighting equipment, check out my Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Filmora
Filmora is one of the best video editing software for YouTube beginners to start the YouTube channel. So, if you find the lighting isn’t perfect after recording, you can use the Auto Color Enhancement feature in Filmora to adjust the color with one-click. Or, you can change the white balance, Light, color, and HSL manually. Filmora also features some presets and LUTs templates , which allows you to apply pre-programmed effects to video for color correction faster.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
When it comes to sensitivity to light, no consumer-level camera sensor comes close in performance to the human eye. Many newbies to videography, though, don’t think about this when they use their camera indoors and discover that their recorded footage appears too dark.
If you want to use your camera indoors as many YouTubers do, you’ll need to have extra light. But the solution is not as simple as surrounding yourself with lamps that are all randomly placed.
Below, I’ll go into detail on how you can set up your lighting equipment to make your YouTube videos look good.
| Table of Contents Using Light You Already Have Window LightingHome Lighting Home Studio Lighting Light Control3-Point Lighting4-Point Lighting |
|---|
Part 1: Using Light You Already Have
Most beginner YouTubers light their videos with what they already have. That’s what I did to start as well. In the past, my video recording space consisted of natural sunlight coming from my window and ceiling light for times when the sunlight wasn’t strong enough.
1. Window Lighting
The best thing about window lighting is that it’s free. The worst thing about it is that it’s uncontrollable. The amount of light you get in your video can vary with all the changes in the weather.
Window lighting for me was especially difficult to work with because I live in a very rainy and cloudy city, Vancouver, Canada, where we pretty much just get three months of good sun.
Above are two freeze frames from one of Daniel’s past window-lit vlogs. Although these two frames are both from the same vlog, you can see that the image on the right looks brighter due to clearer skies at that moment. These varying amounts of light is what you will have to deal with if you choose to light your YouTube video with window lighting.
2. Home Lighting
Home lighting is another source of light that many new YouTubers use. In the past, when my window light wasn’t strong enough to light my video recording space, I would turn on the ceiling light.
Notice how the color of Daniel’s skin looks much more orange here (above) than the color of the skin in the two side-by-side window lighting examples? The side of the face also appears to look bluer. This all happened because he mixed up different color temperatures shining out of the two lights (cooler window light and warmer ceiling light).
Most home lighting is warmer in its color temperature. If you want to use your home lights without everything being orange-tinted, you’ll need to switch out your light bulbs for daytime LED light bulbs.
Ceiling lights are also typically situated in the center of a room in order to light an entire room evenly. This is not likely to be the best location for your filming video. Since the ceiling light was directly above the face in the above example, you can see harder shadows beneath his cheeks.
Part 2: Home Studio Lighting
If you rather not deal with all the window and home lighting challenges, you can set up studio lighting in your home.
1. Light Control
The first thing you’ll want to do to set up studio lighting in your home is to pick a room to film in and eliminate as much external lighting as you can. Use blinds, curtains, towels, or any thick fabric to block sunlight from shining into your room.
2. 3-Point Lighting
The most common setup for studio lighting is 3-point lighting. For this kind of lighting you’ll need three lights: a key light, a fill light, and a back light (also called a hair light).
Out of the three lights, the key light should be the brightest. When it is positioned to the left of you (as shown in the diagram above) your right side will have shadows.
To minimize the shadows on your right side, use a weaker light as a fill light. You don’t want your fill light to completely eliminate all your shadows or else your shot will look flat.
Lastly, a backlight positioned behind you can give an appealing highlight to the ends of your head and even help to separate your hair from blending into your background if both happen to be dark.
3. 4-Point Lighting
As a YouTuber, you may not only want yourself to be seen optimally with proper lighting, but you may also want your background to be seen optimally, especially if you’ve taken the time to decorate it for your audience.
What you’ll need to ensure that your background is sufficiently lit is 4-point lighting setup. The 4-point lighting setup is the same as a 3-point lighting setup, but with an additional light shining at your background.
For more information on lighting equipment, check out my Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Filmora
Filmora is one of the best video editing software for YouTube beginners to start the YouTube channel. So, if you find the lighting isn’t perfect after recording, you can use the Auto Color Enhancement feature in Filmora to adjust the color with one-click. Or, you can change the white balance, Light, color, and HSL manually. Filmora also features some presets and LUTs templates , which allows you to apply pre-programmed effects to video for color correction faster.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
When it comes to sensitivity to light, no consumer-level camera sensor comes close in performance to the human eye. Many newbies to videography, though, don’t think about this when they use their camera indoors and discover that their recorded footage appears too dark.
If you want to use your camera indoors as many YouTubers do, you’ll need to have extra light. But the solution is not as simple as surrounding yourself with lamps that are all randomly placed.
Below, I’ll go into detail on how you can set up your lighting equipment to make your YouTube videos look good.
| Table of Contents Using Light You Already Have Window LightingHome Lighting Home Studio Lighting Light Control3-Point Lighting4-Point Lighting |
|---|
Part 1: Using Light You Already Have
Most beginner YouTubers light their videos with what they already have. That’s what I did to start as well. In the past, my video recording space consisted of natural sunlight coming from my window and ceiling light for times when the sunlight wasn’t strong enough.
1. Window Lighting
The best thing about window lighting is that it’s free. The worst thing about it is that it’s uncontrollable. The amount of light you get in your video can vary with all the changes in the weather.
Window lighting for me was especially difficult to work with because I live in a very rainy and cloudy city, Vancouver, Canada, where we pretty much just get three months of good sun.
Above are two freeze frames from one of Daniel’s past window-lit vlogs. Although these two frames are both from the same vlog, you can see that the image on the right looks brighter due to clearer skies at that moment. These varying amounts of light is what you will have to deal with if you choose to light your YouTube video with window lighting.
2. Home Lighting
Home lighting is another source of light that many new YouTubers use. In the past, when my window light wasn’t strong enough to light my video recording space, I would turn on the ceiling light.
Notice how the color of Daniel’s skin looks much more orange here (above) than the color of the skin in the two side-by-side window lighting examples? The side of the face also appears to look bluer. This all happened because he mixed up different color temperatures shining out of the two lights (cooler window light and warmer ceiling light).
Most home lighting is warmer in its color temperature. If you want to use your home lights without everything being orange-tinted, you’ll need to switch out your light bulbs for daytime LED light bulbs.
Ceiling lights are also typically situated in the center of a room in order to light an entire room evenly. This is not likely to be the best location for your filming video. Since the ceiling light was directly above the face in the above example, you can see harder shadows beneath his cheeks.
Part 2: Home Studio Lighting
If you rather not deal with all the window and home lighting challenges, you can set up studio lighting in your home.
1. Light Control
The first thing you’ll want to do to set up studio lighting in your home is to pick a room to film in and eliminate as much external lighting as you can. Use blinds, curtains, towels, or any thick fabric to block sunlight from shining into your room.
2. 3-Point Lighting
The most common setup for studio lighting is 3-point lighting. For this kind of lighting you’ll need three lights: a key light, a fill light, and a back light (also called a hair light).
Out of the three lights, the key light should be the brightest. When it is positioned to the left of you (as shown in the diagram above) your right side will have shadows.
To minimize the shadows on your right side, use a weaker light as a fill light. You don’t want your fill light to completely eliminate all your shadows or else your shot will look flat.
Lastly, a backlight positioned behind you can give an appealing highlight to the ends of your head and even help to separate your hair from blending into your background if both happen to be dark.
3. 4-Point Lighting
As a YouTuber, you may not only want yourself to be seen optimally with proper lighting, but you may also want your background to be seen optimally, especially if you’ve taken the time to decorate it for your audience.
What you’ll need to ensure that your background is sufficiently lit is 4-point lighting setup. The 4-point lighting setup is the same as a 3-point lighting setup, but with an additional light shining at your background.
For more information on lighting equipment, check out my Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Filmora
Filmora is one of the best video editing software for YouTube beginners to start the YouTube channel. So, if you find the lighting isn’t perfect after recording, you can use the Auto Color Enhancement feature in Filmora to adjust the color with one-click. Or, you can change the white balance, Light, color, and HSL manually. Filmora also features some presets and LUTs templates , which allows you to apply pre-programmed effects to video for color correction faster.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
- Title: [New] Premium 7 Cameras Boosting Vlogging Creativity & Viewership
- Author: Joseph
- Created at : 2024-05-31 13:45:24
- Updated at : 2024-06-01 13:45:24
- Link: https://youtube-stream.techidaily.com/new-premium-7-cameras-boosting-vlogging-creativity-and-viewership/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
