I’d just watched a YouTube review that he did with Doug Kaye, a professional photographer who uses a top-level system. I asked Gordon Laing, of CameraLabs fame, for advice. Third, you can’t see yourself talking, unless you get one with a hinged screen that flips up or swivels around to face the front. Second, not many have microphone sockets, so you may have to record sound separately. First, they’re relatively – and sometimes absolutely – expensive. Moving upĭigital cameras generally produce better-looking results, and from a photographic point of view, they are more versatile than smartphones. On YouTube, vertical videos are an abomination. The smartphone should be mounted on a small tripod, such as the Everesta Flexible Octopus (£11.99), for stability. Most smartphones can do the job, too, especially if you can add an external microphone. The Logitech C525 (£30.79 or £44.99) would also work well, though it only does 720p video. There are cheaper alternatives, such as the Papalook PA452 (£19.99). The Logitech C920 HD Pro is popular with YouTubers, and reasonably priced at £57.98. When buying a webcam, look for Full HD resolution – one that shoots 1080p video. If it’s the sound that’s the problem, try an external microphone such as the BM-800 (£17.99) or Blue Microphones’ Snowball iCE (£48.98). If it doesn’t produce good results even in decent lighting (some of them don’t), you can buy an external USB webcam. Any laptop with a built-in HD webcam – one that shoots 720p video – should be good enough to start with. Rather than buying a new camera, get your son to experiment with devices that you already own. Most video editing programs, including Windows Movie Maker, can do this. You can also use a camera, make a separate digital recording, and combine the sound and visuals later. Alternatives include gaming headsets and some earbuds, if you don’t mind wearing them. However, even a cheap lapel mic like the Boya BY-M1 (£14.99) will produce better results than a built-in mic, partly because it’s much closer to your mouth. Serious YouTubers often work hard to capture good quality sound, and high-end microphones like the Rode NT1-A and Heil PR40 are often conspicuous. (Batteries are usually not included: buy rechargeables.) They’re cheap – they start at around £20 to £30 – and work well, but there are several alternatives. Neewer makes a range of dimmable, battery-powered LED light arrays that you can fit into a camera hot-shoe or mount on a tripod. (Keep paper well away from incandescent bulbs: they get hot.) If the result looks harsh, put some greaseproof paper or tissue paper in front to soften the light. Putting a desk lamp above and behind the camera is better than nothing. If you’re a beginner, the best free option is a well-lit, white-walled room, but try to declutter the background. They also struggle with high-contrast lighting, though experts can use manual controls to exploit that. They struggle in low light conditions, often producing images that look grainy due to digital “noise”. Digital cameras produce good results when there’s plenty of light: your sunny holiday snaps probably look great. They also make sure that their subject – especially if it’s just one person speaking to camera – is well lit. They start by mounting the smartphone or camera on a tripod, because a stable image looks better than one created with an unsteady handheld camera. Good YouTubers pay attention to things like image stability, lighting, picture composition and sound quality. In fact, professional video makers can produce good videos with indifferent kit, while beginners can produce mediocre results even with the best equipment. However, poor videos can’t always be blamed on poor equipment. Watch a few and you’ll notice that the quality ranges from execrable to professional. The fact that so many people have the equipment must be partly responsible for the huge number of videos uploaded to YouTube – 300 hours-worth per minute.
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