What I Use to Blog & Film YouTube Videos

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A frequent question I get is what camera I use to blog and film YouTube videos, so I thought it would be helpful to create this post detailing all of the blogging & YouTube equipment I use to create content. Below is everything I use and how I use it. Now, just a note that you don’t need all of this to start blogging. I recommend starting with what you already have, say an iPhone, and investing in better equipment as you grow. However, I love photography and as you know, I’m all about high-quality everything, so these are the things I decided to invest in to get the quality of content that I wanted to achieve. I will be updating this page as I add to my collection, so be sure to bookmark and refer to it if you have any questions about what I’m currently using. Here is the best Blogging & YouTube Equipment for Beginners.

My Blogging & YouTube Equipment

To film sit-down videos for YouTube and shoot photos for my blog, I use the Canon EOS Rebel T5i EF-S 18-55 IS STM Kit. When I first got this camera, I used the kit lens for a few years but later upgraded to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens for closeup beauty product photography. It’s a fixed lens that creates a beautifully blurred background, so it’s perfect for getting crisp product shots (example shots here). Often referred to as the “nifty fifty” for its lower price tag, it’s a really affordable option for the level of quality you get. I recently upgraded to the Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM Lens for Canon and I am obsessed. It’s what I’ve been shooting all of my content (videos and photos) with lately and the quality of this lens is unreal. The images and video quality are so sharp and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase (example shots here).

For beginners, I would recommend any camera in the Canon Rebel series as they take good quality photos and videos and are priced reasonably compared to the intermediate and pro-level cameras which can start at $2K and go much higher. Once you learn how to use the camera and all of the different features/settings, then I’d recommend upgrading your lens to something sharper.

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Writing tools

For writing posts and editing videos, I use my Macbook Pro. It’s reliable and easy to use with all of the software blogging and vlogging requires (see the software I use below). If I need to do a little blogging on the go or if I need a second screen, I love using my iPad Pro which is really lightweight but just as powerful as a laptop. I love using it to draft blog posts, brainstorming blog posts, and researching and sourcing content inspiration. If you are thinking of buying an iPad Pro, I highly recommend investing in a keyboard as well as it really makes the experience more blogger-friendly.

Editing software for images & videos

I use a few different programs to edit and although I don’t think you need all of these, I do want to quickly share them in case you’d like to look into some user-friendly, professional-level options. I dabble in Photoshop and am still learning it but I can do light editing to brighten my images and remove any unwanted elements. I have the Adobe Photography plan so I get Photoshop and Lightroom for $10/month. Now, I LOVE me some Lightroom. It took me a minute to get into it but after playing around in there, I’ve found my groove and it’s what I use to edit all of my images. I love that I can start editing on my laptop and pick up where I left off on my iPad or iPhone. I also love that you can create and buy presets to make editing quicker and easier.

If I want to give my images a little more oomph, I’ll use the VSCO app to match my Instagram aesthetic but I haven’t been using this as much as I used to since I fell in love with Lightroom.

For Instagram videos, I use InShot to edit and add music and text. It’s quick and easy and perfect for IGTV. For YouTube videos, I edit with Final Cut Pro, which took me some practice but I’ve gotten the hang of it. It can be intimidating at first but after a few YouTube tutorials, I’ve found it to be a great program to edit high-quality, stylized videos.

Blogging & YouTube Equipment for Hands-free shooting

I saw this Neewer Tripod on a lightning sale on Amazon and it was exactly what I needed. After buying my new lens, I noticed how heavy it made my camera and the Manfrotto wasn’t heavy-duty enough. This one, however, is perfect and it’s super versatile. There’s a hook to hold weight bags to make it more stable and you can even remove the middle rod to make it a monopod.

The Manfrotto Compact Tripod was my first one and it has been a trusty stabilizer for shooting blog images and videos. It’s really lightweight so it’s perfect to move around your shooting area to capture different angles or projects. I recently purchased a heavy-duty tripod, so this has turned into my phone tripod for filming videos for IG.

Speaking of creating videos, if you’re going to create IGTVs or even vlog on your phone, I highly suggest this iPhone Tripod Attachment. I was searching for an iPhone Tripod that allowed me to shoot videos vertically and horizontally and I found this one on Amazon. It has been a game-changer for shooting GRWM and skincare routine stories. It’s so easy to use and I can just pop it on any of my tripods and start shooting.

I shoot 90% of my photos myself but for the other 10% that I need to be in the shots, I have the help of my boyfriend. When he’s not available, I’ve started to use a Remote and it has been a big help! If you need to shoot photos of yourself, I highly recommend getting a remote and turning on the self-timer on your phone. This leaves no excuses for not staying consistent with your content.

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Blogging & YouTube Equipment Extras

There are a lot of little extras that I use to make shooting easy and convenient. I like to work smarter and not harder, so I choose to invest in equipment that helps things run seamlessly. First up are 2 Lexar Professional 633X 64GB SDXC UHS-I Cards. The more you shoot, the more memory you’ll need, especially if you’re mainly shooting videos. Having two 64GB cards is good for the amount I shoot but if you need more space, there are memory cards that hold more.

For so long I hadn’t been able to shoot portrait (vertical) images/videos while using a tripod because neither had the capability to turn sideways. After researching some options to get vertical shots without having to purchase a new tripod, I got this L Bracket Plate that allows me to attach the camera to it on its side and then attach them both to the tripod. I’ve only used this a couple of times as this is a recent purchase but I wanted to include this in case anyone is looking for a solution to shoot portrait shots on a tripod.

I purchased the Manfrotto Mini Tripod when I was really into vlogging my daily life (hoping to get back into this soon) and needed something portable to help stabilize my vlogging camera (Canon G7X). This little guy is perfect for that, which is probably why every vlogger owns it. It’s really simple as it just opens and closes and there’s a button that allows you to adjust the angle of it.

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I love shooting in natural light but can always depend on the weather or my schedule to cooperate, so for rainy days or when I can’t shoot in the daytime, I use this ring light. I recently got this one after a little accident with my old one and I like this one much better. Unlike my old one, this one came with its own stand, I can control the brightness of it and it came with different filters so that I have different lighting options. It also came with a cute little case that would be so helpful if I ever need to shoot in different locations.

For YouTube, I recently picked up a really inexpensive mic to improve the audio in my videos. I decided to go with a Lavalier Mic that you attach to your shirt because it allows me to speak at a normal pitch no matter how far away the camera is. I just plug the mic into my phone and record the audio using the Voice Memo app. I then import the file into Final Cut Pro and sync it with the audio from the video clip. It may sound complicated but with a few tricks I do to mark the start and the stop points on camera, it’s really not. The quality of the sound is really good for the price of the mic and I don’t have to worry about if the camera is picking up other audio from my surroundings.

I know that was a lot but I’ve found these tools so valuable to helping me create my best content. If you’re looking to make an investment into your blogging & YouTube equipment, I would recommend focusing on a quality camera and lens first, then adding extra equipment based on your needs. Let me know if you have any questions about anything listed above in the comments and I’ll try to answer as best as I can.