Today, video blogging, also known as vlogging, has become very popular with content shared by vloggers ranging from make-up tutorials to food or travel vlogs. The boom in vlogging has been made possible by quality cameras that have helped lots of people create their channels on YouTube, letting them share their hobby with the world.
Nevertheless, when it comes to picking the best vlogging camera, you will need to be a lot more involved than when you are looking for a camera for taking photographs for fun as there are a lot more factors that you need to take into account. If you are shooting a basic headshot video, you can easily use the inbuilt camera that’s on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
But, if you want to attract a larger audience and for the world to take notice of your vlogs, you will need to put in a lot more effort and get more accessories for the job. But what makes for a good video blogging camera? If you are a vlogger that’s keen on sharing the content of your life experiences, then you need to invest in a small and portable camera.
You can get some quality DSLR cameras that are relatively lightweight and that don’t need you constantly changing lenses as those need a lot more space. For action vloggers, there are quality action cameras that can be a great addition to your arsenal of gears. That said, below are some of the best cameras for video blogging that you can find in the market today. Take a look.
1. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Camera
Intro
The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II camera is lighter and smaller than most DSLR camera bodies even when it doesn’t have a lens attached to it.
Pros
- Light and small than most DSLR camera bodies even when it doesn’t have a lens fitted
- It comes from Canon’s up-market PowerShot range series
- The camera has a fast zoom lens of f/1.8-2.8 and effective, powerful range of 24-100mm
- Has a 1-inch sensor that is quite large for a compact camera
- It has a 3-inch tilting LCD touchscreen that’s easy to flip up and frame yourself when talking directly to the camera
- An effective 5-axis image stabilization that provides high-quality images and videos without any shake
- The image stabilization feature comes with an auto-level function that helps keeps the horizons straight
- Supports Full HD 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second
- Inbuilt Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity for easy connection to your mobile devices
- Has an expanded ISO of 25,600 with a shooting frame rate of 8 frames per second
- Boasts of excellent features such as amazing still quality making it a good vlogging camera
Cons
- It doesn’t support 4K video recording
- Doesn’t have a viewfinder
2. Fujifilm X-A5 Camera
Intro
The Fujifilm X-A5 camera is a compact and mirrorless system camera body that is slim even when it’s fitted with most lenses.
Pros
- Has a slim, compact design and a mirrorless body that lets the camera maintain its slimness even when fitted with a 15-45mm lens
- Its kit lens has a power zoom facility and a retractable design that is suitable for recording videos
- Easily put yourself in a shot thanks to the tiltable LCD screen that flips up 180 degrees
- The touchscreen LCD flip-up activates the eye detection autofocus system automatically
- Being a touchscreen helps with pointing out moving objects that you want to focus on
- Ability to shoot high-speed movies with slow-motion playback
- It has a smart selfie mode that makes it easy to record yourself in selfie mode
- Supports 4K UHD capture
- Comes with a myriad of accessories such as an AC power adapter, USB cable, shoulder strap, camera case and a card reader among others
- Bluetooth technology connectivity for easy sharing of images to your mobile devices for editing
- Boasts of the newly developed 24.2 MP APS-C sensor that outshines other models in its recognition accuracy
- Has an ISO sensitivity that can be expanded to ISO 12,800 leading to a reduced camera noise and shake when shooting fast-moving subjects and low light conditions
- Sold with a one-year limited warranty
Cons
- Doesn’t have a viewfinder
- The 4K video recording is limited at just 15 frames per second which results in detailed but shaky videos
3. GoPro HERO7 Black Camera
Intro
Vloggers whose content involve a lot of action should consider buying the GoPro HERO7 as this is a camera that has been built for that fast-paced action life. It is packed with a myriad of features and comes from one of the brands that invented action cameras.
Pros
- The best camera in the market for any action vlogger
- It boasts of a hyper-smooth video stabilization feature that is able to predict your movements and makes corrections for any camera shake to produce insanely smooth footage
- Capture time-lapse videos that are stable when moving around any scene
- The time warp features an increased speed of up to 30x which lets you turn activities that are long into moments that can be shared
- Ability to optimize your shots thanks to the applied high dynamic range, noise reduction, and local tone mapping
- The camera has a rugged body that is also waterproof making it the perfect underwater recording camera
- Ability to control your camera using the voice control feature letting you have a hands-free shooting experience
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Sometimes the camera misses the voice commands
- The touchscreen’s quality is a bit fiddle
4. Nikon D5600 DX-Format Digital SLR Camera
Intro
The Nikon D5600 DX-Format DSLR camera is both lightweight and small which makes it a good portable camera that you can take anywhere.
Pros
- It is a lightweight camera that is also small which makes it a great travel camera
- It has a retractable 18-55mm VR kit lens that has the pulse autofocus motor that is silent and offers a smooth focus transition when you are shooting movies
- Built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity for ease of sharing your footage from the camera to your mobile devices
- Comes with a fully articulated screen 3.2-inch LCD screen that looks good from whatever angle which comes in handy when recording yourself or when shooting anything from a tricky angle
- Has a maximum video resolution of 1080p at up to 60 frames per second
- It has a 24.2MP CMOS sensor
- Equipped with the EXPEED 4 image processor for quality images
- Available in four different body styles and two configurations
- Affordably priced
Cons
- The movie autofocus is relatively poor
- No 4K video recording
- It lacks the Canon phase detection autofocus that’s available through the image sensor resulting in a slow performance and poor tracking of moving objects
5. Olympus PEN E-PL9 Camera
Intro
The Olympus PEN E-PL9 camera is a stylish but effective camera. Besides the features that it comes packed with, it also comes in different colors, letting you choose the camera that suits your life best.
Pros
- This Olympus camera has a simple but stylish design
- Although it is a small camera, it has the ability to record quality 4K videos
- Maintains its compact design even when the 14-42mm kit lens is attached to it
- The kit lens features a motorized zoom that is movie-friendly
- Boasts of a 3-axis sensor-shift image stabilizer that enables stabilization regardless of the lens that’s attached to the camera for capturing stills as well as recording movies
- Easily shoot your movies with resolutions of up to 4K at 30 frames per second as well as the high-speed capture of 720p at 120 frames per second
- It has a tilting LCD screen that is designed with a 180-degree flip-over feature which makes it fun and easy to capture yourself and take selfies
- The autofocus system comes with an eye and face detection option
- Wi-Fi connectivity and inbuilt Bluetooth technology for easy and quick pairing with your mobile devices
- It has the TruePic VIII image processor for smooth and clear videos and images
- Available in four different colors – Honey Brown, Black, White, and Denim Blue
Cons
- It doesn’t have a viewfinder
- Only has a still resolution of 16MP
Final Thoughts
When it comes to picking the best video blogging camera, you need to pay attention to the little details that make the camera what it is as those little things can mean a lot to the quality of your videos. Whatever camera you decide to buy, you need to invest in one that has the ability to deliver a good video. As such, consider getting a camera that can record in both Full HD 1080p or 4K Ultra High Definition as both formats are supported by sites such as YouTube.
A camera with an inbuilt Wi-Fi feature can also be invaluable while a tilting LCD monitor screen can help you record yourself easily with no hassle. From our review above, the best cameras for video blogging come in a variety of shapes and sizes that help them outshine each other while letting you, the consumer, benefit from the myriad of features in each camera.
While some cameras may suit your vlogging needs better than others, your budget will be what determines the type of camera that you get. Ensure you make a wise decision seeing that the best way of attracting a wider audience is by shooting high-quality content.
