Best Cameras for Blogging & Vlogging

I’ve had my experience and fair share of creating content. And as both a blogger & vlogger, I know you don’t need the most professional camera in the world but you definitely need a reliable camera that shoots high-quality photo & videos. Here’s my guide on the best cameras for blogging & vlogging!

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What’s the best camera for Vlogging & Blogging?

The best camera for you is going to depend on your style of shooting, your budget and possibly, your niche. As someone one whose been vlogging & blogging for 3 years, , I’ve found that the best camera has all these 5 features:

1. Compact, light and easy to carry – perfect to use on-the-go
2. User-friendly & easy to use – so it’s easy to whip your camera out and shoot or do run & gun shooting
3. Has quick & continuous autofocus –  to make sure that wherever you are in the frame, you’re always in focus
4. Shoots well in low-lighting conditions – you won’t always be in the best lighting conditions as sometimes you’ll be shooting indoors or at night or both
5. Articulating screens for vlogging & selfies – the monitor tilts 180° degrees so you can see yourself in the frame and in focus

There are so many amazing cameras out there but every camera on this list fits within these standards of what I think makes a great camera for content creation.

*I may collect a share of sales from links on this page. I’m very picky about the products & resources I promote. And I would only recommend the ones that are highly-rated or ones that I have had the best experience with. Prices are also as accurate as the time this post was published. Read my Affiliate Disclaimer here.

1. For the beginner or hobbyist blogger & vlogger – Canon G7x Mark II 

For anyone starting their blog or Youtube channel, this is a great camera to start with.

Pros

• High ISO range – shoots well in lowlighting conditions
• Shoots RAW photos – Get the highest quality photos that are perfect to edit
• Shoots 1080p at 24/60 fps – so you can shoot slow-motion if you wanted too
• 31 points of autofocus and face detection – Fast & sharp autofocus and if you’re in the frame, you’ll know you’re always in focus
• Canon color science – Canon is known for their “Canon” look where the skin tones look real great and the photos & videos that come out of it look great without editing it

Cons

•  Doesn’t shoot 4k – which isn’t totally necessary if you’re a beginner or hobbyist. If that’s not important to you or you don’t have a fast enough computer to edit 4k, that’s fine. But as we do keep progressing technology, you may want to have that capability down the line. I don’t shoot 4k mostly because my laptop isn’t powerful enough to edit 4k videos and it takes so much space in my hard drives
• Doesn’t have a microphone jack to connect to an external microphone (also not totally necessary)
• Not great for cinematic work – which wouldn’t matter if you’re a beginner or hobbyist just getting started

If you just started content creating and you’re not sure which camera to use or just want a reliable camera that shoots high-quality photo & video, go for this camera.

Get it on amazon for $599

2. For the blogger & vlogger who wants creative control & power packed into a compact camera- Sony RX100 VII

The Sony RX camera series is known for having so much power packed into its small body.

Pros

• 357 points of autofocus & real-time eye autofocus – making it focus in 0.02 seconds and no matter how far or close you move towards the lens, there won’t be a delay always being in focus
• Works great if you shoot a lot of fast-moving objects – like sports photography or anything like that
• Shoots 4k video and has a long zoom length of 24-200mm – great for cinematic content
• Active image stabilization – to reduce photo blur and if you’re vlogging, you can totally shoot handheld and it’ll turn out fine
• Shoots vertical video – so if you shoot video content for Instagram, TikTok or anything like that, this will save you time from flipping the video when you edit
• Has a microphone jack to connect to an external microphone

Cons

• Can overheat if you’re shooting 4k continuously for more than 15 minutes
• Short battery life – because it is a powerful camera, it takes up a lot of battery so you may have to carry multiple batteries when out shooting
• Body has a slippery feel and not ergonomic – I recommend using this with a neck or hand strap to feel more secure in your hands
• One of the priciest compact cameras out there – but it’s a powerhouse in a tiny package and it’s going to cost a lot to put something that powerful into a small box

Get it on amazon for $1298

3. For the blogger & vlogger who’s on a budget – Panasonic lumix DC-zs70s

Hopefully, this camera is within your budget. Usually, I would call a camera that’s less than $300 a budget camera. But it was hard for me to find a camera with a flip screen that’s less than $300. At this point, if you have a new smartphone, you may as well use that for shooting photo & video since most smartphones have great cameras. Don’t get a camera that’s less than $300. But if you can stretch your budget a little bit more to $348 (plus shipping & tax), than this is the camera for you.

Pros

• Shoots 4k video –  which I’m surprised by because this is a budget camera
• 30x zoom (equivalent 24-720mm lens) – so if you’re shooting far away, you can definitely get a close enough shot of it
• Image stabilization – to reduce photo blur & video shake
• Shoots RAW photos – Get the highest quality photos that are perfect to edit

Cons

• Limited creative control & aperture range– you can’t shoot anything cinematic
• Limited aperture range – if you’re going for that crisp face against a blurry background, this is not the camera for you. This also means it doesn’t work particularly well in low-light situations
• Slow autofocus – if you’re in the frame and you’re moving too fast, the autofocus may not be able to catch up but if you’re sitting there and not moving around so much, you’ll be fine
• Doesn’t have a microphone jack to connect to an external microphone

Get it on amazon for $347.99

4. For the photography enthusiast blogger & vlogger who travels – Panasonic GX850

Pros

• Perfect if you want something small but still want the ability to change your lenses
• Shoots 4k video
• Records great audio – you’ll be fine without using an external microphone

Cons

• 5-minute shooting limit in 4k or it’ll overheat –  This is common for many cameras because shooting 4k uses up a lot of power so you’ll have to cool this camera down after 5 minutes of continuous shooting
• Doesn’t have a microphone jack to connect to an external microphone which is fine if you’re looking for a compact mirrorless (and the camera records great audio on its own)

Get it on amazon for $547.99 with a kit lens

5. For the outdoor adventurer blogger & vlogger – GoPro Hero 8 Black

Pros

• It’s soooo tiny – This camera can fit anywhere
• Has a very wide lens – if you’re shooting yourself, it would be hard not to be in the frame plus you’ll be in focus
• Shoots 4k video
• Hypersmooth 2.0 stabilization – Very smooth stabilization even if you’re running down a hill
• Perfect to use in rugged conditions or anywhere you can’t bring a normal camera to – like if you’re underwater or skiing down a mountain
• Comes with plenty of accessories – depending on how you want to take photos or video, you can find accessories for that
• Have a microphone input to connect to an external microphone – but you need to build a setup for that which you can find here

Cons

• Tiny camera sensor – details in your backgrounds won’t be as sharp
• Can’t zoom & no tilt screen – it’s a sports & adventure camera, there’s really no need for the purpose it was made for
• Not the option to shoot everyday life – but if being outdoorsy and adventurous is your everyday life then get this camera instead

Get it on amazon for $349

For the Blogger & vlogger who wants the most creative control and shoot beautiful, cinematic vlogs – Panasonic LUMIX gh5

Pros

• Shoot professional photo & video – Perfect if you shoot more cinematic vlogs or want that professional look
• Shoots 4k video at 60fps
• Has body image stabilization – you can shoot handheld and your photos will be sharp and even if you don’t use a lens that has image stabilization, it will still stabilize your photos and videos because it’s built into the camera
• Great battery life –  you can shoot all day and still have power at the end of the day
• Has a hot shoe & a microphone input to connect an external microphone
• Splash/freezeproof design –  you can shoot in the rain or snow and your camera will be fine

Cons

• Autofocus works but isn’t the best compared to its Sony & Canon counterparts

Get it on amazon for $1397.99

Which camera would I choose?

I’m the photography enthusiast who travels so my choice would be the Panasonic GX850. This is because I already own a Panasonic mirrorless camera which means I already own a few Panasonic lenses. I love, love, love the lenses I have and I want to continue using them.

I would also choose the GoPro Hero 8 because I do like outdoor & adventure. I would use that to shoot in places I can’t bring a regular camera or whenever I want to keep my travel gear very light and don’t want to bring too much attention to myself (especially when I travel solo).

Create a YouTube Intro & Outro with Canva

If you’re a vlogger/YouTuber, you’re probably seen these intro clips and outro clips vloggers add to the beginning and end of their videos. Not only is it a great way to create a strong YouTube brand, but it also gives your viewers an opportunity to spend more time watching your videos and subscribe to your channel (two things the YouTube algorithm looks at to suggest your videos to even more viewers).

I use Canva for a lot of my graphic design needs from Pinterest pins to Facebook posts. And with many creators making the move towards video content, Canva just added YouTube intro & outro makers. Which is awesome because I also use Canva to create my YouTube thumbnails, so now I can use it to create my intro & outro too.

So if you haven’t created your intro & outro yet, you can get started with Canva’s intro tutorial here and their outro tutorial here.

Thanks to Canva for letting me know about this resource so that I could share it with you guys!

Conclusion

I hope you liked the video! Let me know if it was useful. It was fun researching these cameras because I actually am in the market to buy one! And hopefully, I can create a future video on the equipment I use for blogging & vlogging. But anyway, here’s a recap:

1. Canon PowerShot G7x Mark II – if you’re a beginner or hobbyist blogger & vlogger
2. Sony RX100 VII – if you want creative control and power packed into a small camera
3. Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS70S – if you’re on a budget
4. Panasonic GX850 – if you’re a photo-enthusiast who travels
5. GoPro Hero 8 Black – if you create content around adventure
6. Panasonic Lumix GH5 – if you want plenty of creative control and shoot beautiful, cinematic vlogs

Thank you so much for reading! I have free Lightroom presets and an email guide on how to start a successful blog free for you as a resource. Click here to access my presets. And click here for my email guide.

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