THE BEST CAMERAS FOR VLOGGERS / VLOGGING 2017

WHAT IS VLOGGING?

Vlogging is something that’s really taken over the internet over the last few years with websites such as Youtube receiving thousands of uploads a day of people sharing their lives and reviewing products via vlogs.

For those who aren’t quite up to speed with the lingo, a ‘vlog’ is a blog but instead of words on a page, it’s a video of a person speaking to camera. A ‘vlogger’ is someone who produces vlogs and there are quite a few vloggers who use smartphones to record their pieces to camera but, the quality isn’t always great and some vloggers suffer with what’s called ‘vertical video syndrome’, a name given to footage that’s captured in portrait orientation instead of the more user-friendly landscape view.

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A CAMERA FOR VLOGGING

To capture better quality vlogs, it’s better to invest in a dedicated vlogging camera as the footage captured will be improved, for various reasons, and you will have more choices when it comes to lens options and important features such as sensor size. Don’t think your camera has to be a video camera either because as this list will show, there are plenty of compact cameras on the market that are now capable of capturing good quality video.

We’ve tried to select cameras with built-in Wi-Fi as this makes it quicker and easier to get content from the camera to your smartphone, or other smart devices, so you can share it online quickly. You can also use smartphones as remote controls so you can adjust the camera without having to move out of frame.

Other points worth considering when purchasing a camera for vlogging is what size space you’ll be recording your videos in as if you don’t have much room, a wide-angle lens will help. As mentioned, for higher quality recording, look for a camera with 4K video recording as well as a microphone socket so you can upgrade the microphone or use an off-camera mic.

If you travel while recording, image stabilisation will help make your videos look more professional or you could consider purchasing a tripod for added support. If you’re going to be shooting videos in low-light, the larger the sensor in the camera and the brighter the lens, the better the camera will perform without you having to use higher ISOs which can spoil footage.

HOW TO NAVIGATE OUR ARTICLE

We’ve split the list into sections which should make it easier for you to find a camera that suits you. The first few cameras are all about size, portability and price while further down the list we have action / VR cameras that are perfect for vloggers. Towards the end of the list are the more serious compact cameras that are still portable but have a more premium price due to their features and we also have a few cameras that can capture 4k video – the highest quality video possible so your vlogs have a professional finish. Do also check out the full reviews of each camera mentioned to find out what options are available for each individual model.

COMPACT CAMERAS FOR VLOGGERS ON A BUDGET

These cameras are portable thanks to their size, feature selfie-screens so you can check your framing etc. with ease and they won’t break the bank if you’re on a budget. They also feature useful functions such as Wi-Fi, image stabilisation and wide-angle lenses.

CANON POWERSHOT SX610 HS

The Canon PowerShot SX610 HS fits well in the hand and has good grips on the front and rear for when you’re shooting video hand-held. Built in Wi-Fi and NFC make it easy to transfer footage captured as well as control the camera from your smartphone and on the rear of the camera is a 3inch screen with a good resolution of 922K dots but it doesn’t tilt so it’s only useful when you’re capturing footage of products or other people. A massive plus point of the SX610 HS is that it records full HD video with mono sound and optical zoom is available while recording. Image stabilisation does a good job of keeping the image steady however, a tripod could be useful when using a lot of optical zoom outdoors, particularly on windy days. Battery life is impressive and you’ll also find a 20Mp BSI CMOS sensor built-in.

At the time of writing, the PowerShot is available for around £147/$220 which, when you consider it captures HD video and has plenty of useful built-in features, is rather good value for money.

The Panasonic Lumix SZ10 is a good-sized compact that features a selfie-screen that tilts, a useful wide-angle lens, 16Mp CCD sensor and a slightly rubberised grip that improves handling when shooting footage of products.

Built-in Wi-Fi lets you remotely control the camera as well as transfer images to your smart device but video is only captured at 720p with mono sound, which is a little limiting. However, for the price, it’s a good option for those who are on a tight budget as results are reasonable and 12x optical zoom is available. Battery life is pretty average for a compact camera but a spare battery is recommended.

At the time of writing, the Lumix SZ10 is available for around £108/$212 which is a bit of a bargain.