We are living in strange times: Vloggers are replacing bloggers, Youtube is replacing the TV. Youtube has 2.3 billion users from all over the world and these people watch over one billion hours of videos everyday. Imagine the number of hours of content that have to be created to feed these billions of video hungry users! Fortunately, the threshold to start laoding videos to Youtube is low, all you need is a camera with video recording capabilities (Yes, there are cameras that don't record video, hard to believe it right?).
In Camera Decision, our main focus has always been stills first, video second. Even our rating algorithm gives more weight to stills related features and qualities, but we are planning to change this. We will create more video related content and make it easier to rate and compare cameras according to their video features.
Building a kit for videography is generally more complicated than building a photography kit. In addition to camera and lenses, you have to start searching for other equipment such as microphones, continuous lights, sliders, gimbals, external recorders, new software, etc. Considering the number of options in each equipment area, the number of total combinations are infinite. Videography enthusiasts and professionals already have an idea and experience about what they want and need, so coming up with a kit combination is not so challenging. On the other hand, for beginners who are the target audience of this post, starting to build a kit from scratch can be a daunting process.
One relatively easy option for beginners is to start with a content creation/ videography / vlogging camera kits that manufacturers have designed. These kits are generally inexpensive and presents no compatibility issues. By this way, the beginners would be less concerned about the equipment and focus more on the creation of the content. Below we have 2 camera kits for beginner youtubers and vloggers that we think are the best options.
Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit
Canon's popular M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit consists of M50 Mark II mirrorless camera with 15-45mm lens, Stereo microphone and a tripod grip. M50 Mark II with its 24M APS-C sensor is already a very popular stills camera among Camera Decision readers. The 15-45mm kit lens that is included is a capable lens that will satisfy most of your needs as a beginner vloggers and you always have to option to couple the camera with different Canon EF-M mount lenses in the future. Its fully articulated LCD screen, Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Eye Detection AF focusing system in a compact sized package makes it an excellent video camera. You can record your videos at 4K 24p or 120p HD quality. 120p recording feature enables to create 5x slow motion videos (when run at 24p).
The included shotgun type Stereo Microphone DM-E100 assures much higher voice recording quality compared to standard built-in microphone of M50 Mark II. With M50 MK 2, you can livestream or upload your videos directly to Youtube. Included tripod grip acts as a grip to shoot selfie type videos and doubles as a remote to your camera when handheld. On a flat surface, it turns into a tripod to stabilize the camera.
Recommended Lenses: Canon EF-M 55-200mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM and Canon EF-M 22mm f2 STM
Alternate Canon Model: If you want to keep things more simple and even more compact, also check Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II Digital Camera, Video Creator Kit.
Canon M50 II Key Specs
- Announcement Date: 2020-10-14
- 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
- ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 51200)
- Canon EF-M Mount
- 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
- 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
- 10.0fps continuous shooting
- 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
- Built-in Wireless
- 387g. 116 x 88 x 59 mm
- Replaced Canon EOS M50 Compare
- Read the Review
- Check Price at: Amazon, B&H Photo
Sony ZV-1 Camera for Content Creators and Vloggers with Vlogger Accessory Kit
Sony ZV-1 Camera with Vlogger Accessory Kit is another sought-after camera kit for vloggers. Sony ZV-1 with its 20.1MP stacked back illuminated 1" Exmor RS CMOS sensor and 24-70mm1 F1.8-2.8 ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* lens is designed specifically with vloggers in mind and is an advanced photography and videography tool in a very compact package. ZV-1 has a similar body with Sony's highly popular RX100 series advanced 1" compact cameras. The main differences are the lack of electronic viewfinder and the inclusion of a fully articulated LCD screen which is much more suitable for vlogging compared to tilting screens of recent RX100 cameras.
Keeping vloggers in mind, Sony added very useful features such as product showcase mode which is excellent for product reviews and Background Defocus function which blurs the background with a single click of a button. The AF is lighting fast and eye-tracking is one of the best in the industry which are very critical for video recordings. Built-in 3-stops ND filter comes very handy under strong light.
Similar to Canon M50 Mark II Kit, Sony ZV-1 Camera with Vlogger Accessory Kit includes a microphone, a grip that doubles as a remote and can also be used as a tripod, and also a SD card to start recording immediately!
Alternate Sony Model: Although it is not sold as a videography kit, the recently introduced Sony ZV-E10 is a ZV-1 on steroids. It is an interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C sensor and similar clogging friendly features found on ZV-1.
Sony ZV-1 Key Specs
- Announcement Date: 2020-05-27
- 20MP - 1″ BSI-CMOS Sensor
- ISO 125 - 12800 ( expands to 80 - 25600)
- 24-70 mm F1.8–2.8 Zoom Lens
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
- 24.0fps continuous shooting
- 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
- 960fps High-Speed Video
- Built-in Wireless
- 294g. 105 x 60 x 44 mm
- Read the Review
- Check Price at: Amazon, B&H Photo