5 Essential Gadgets for Vlogging

If you’re into vlogging, you know that it isn’t an easy task at all. Delivering text entries on a regular basis is hard enough on its own, let alone delivering video ones.

Although it’s not easy, it can be fun and more efficient with a few gadgets that would definitely enable you to savor the best part of being a video blogger.

And despite the fact that we’re going to recommend a few good vlogging gear, you can check more of them at Gadget Decision or Trusted Reviews.

The Essential Vlogging Starter Kit

1. Camera

For capturing your video blogs, you’re going to need a trusty camera.

This doesn’t mean that it has to cost you an arm and a leg, you can even use a smartphone camera, as they’ve become increasingly more high-quality and produce good enough videos that will work for your vlog.

But of course, the higher the quality of the video, the more engaged your audience will be with you.

There are so many types of cameras out there including compact camcorders, entry-level DSLR cameras like the Nikon D3300, GoPros like the GoPro Hero 9, and mirrorless cameras.

So making that decision goes back to the style of your videos: if you’re indoors or outdoors, and sometimes the budget you’re willing to spend.

2. Support

You’re going to need support for your camera so that you can talk, walk, or go on about your activities without having to worry about fixing its position.

If you’re shooting indoors, choosing a tripod would be a good idea and an easy task.

You can go for the Manfrotto 055 Aluminium Tripod, which is great for stationary shooting.

There’s also the Magnus VT-4000, or the mini tripod: the Oben TT-100.

A very popular option is the GorillaPod made by Joby, as it has flexible legs that you can bend to get the best position for your camera.

If you’re going to shoot outdoors, use the GorillaPod tripod, or if you’re using a smartphone to shoot, you can use a selfie stick.

Good options include the Mpow selfie stick and the Fugetek FT-568 Professional Selfie Stick.

You can also go for a smartphone camera rig like the BeastGrip Pro or Zhiyun Smooth 3 Handheld Gimbal, both of which allow you to shoot your videos with the best stability and at the most optimum angles.

3. Lighting

Although you can use your room’s lighting or sunlight that comes in at the right angle, to keep a consistent lighting that is more professional, it’s better to obtain some sort of lighting system.

The RotoLight Neo 2 is a pretty good LED light that you can mount on your camera and which adds the perfect illumination to your video, even if you’re shooting in daylight.

You can also get some cheap ring lights that surround your camera and produce great lighting such as the Lime Studio 18” Ring Light AGG1774 and the Neewer Camera Photo Studio 18” outer 14” inner.

A green screen is sometimes a preferred choice for vloggers if they don’t want to put their room on display, want to add an artificial background later on, or for someone who’s looking for a more professional vibe.

You might need a separate lighting that is specific for the green screen to get a clean chroma key.

4. Microphone

Microphones are one of the most important aspects of vlogging, and they can make or break your video.

Choosing a microphone might actually be a little trickier than choosing the camera itself.

You can go for a shotgun, lavalier, or a USB microphone.

The choice depends on the nature of your vlogs.

A shotgun microphone is a great option if you’re going to be a few feet away from your camera.

It basically picks up sounds from the direction you point it and drops sounds from the sides or the rear so it virtually eliminates noise distractions.

Good shotgun microphones would be the mounted Rode VideoMic Pro or the Rode DeadCat Go Windshield.

Make sure your camera has a 3.5 mm mic input before you opt for these though.

A wireless lavalier microphone would be a great option if you’re going to include a lot of moving around in your vlogs.

The Sennheiser EW 112-P G3 is a favorable choice as it comes with a receiver that you can mount on the camera.

Although some vloggers steer away from the clip-on mics that don’t produce the same “casual” effect on the audience.

If you’re not going far away from your desk or if you’re doing voice-over work, then a USB microphone is your optimum choice.

It’s simple, you just record audio directly into your computer. Blue makes some of the best USB microphones, and one of the most popular choices is the Yeti model.

You might make use of an audio-recording software on your computer though, like GarageBand for Mac users and Audacity.

These programs let you record, manipulate, and export your audio recordings for the final editing process.

5. Editing Software

This is the final step to your vlog-recording process.

After you’ve prepared the video and audio, you need to fix them up and add liveliness to your video.

You can use the regular free editors like the Windows Movie Maker for Windows or iMovie for Mac.

But if you opt for a premium editor, you’re going to get the best results in an easier way. Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas Pro are great options.

However, they have a learning curve, so if you haven’t had experience with NLE (Non-linear Editing) programs, you might want to start with something a little simpler like the Adobe Premiere Elements or Apple iMovie if you’re just going to be cropping your content.

Bottom line

With experience including trial and error, you’re going to learn what equipment suits your type of vlogging the best.

The aforementioned suggestions are all basic things you’ll certainly need when you’re recording a video blog, and they are the gadgets and devices that help you produce the best video, audio, and overall content.