These days it seems as if everyone has a YouTube channel. Experts all over the world are teaching people how to do home repairs, cook and even properly apply makeup from the comfort of their homes. Still, the footage has to be engaging and watchable. While we can’t help you attract and retain viewers or develop your online persona, we can make sure you look and sound your best online — and for very little money upfront.
A good starting point is to decide what kind of video recording you want to do. You don’t need to spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars on a high-end DSLR camera if you can easily get the video quality you want with your phone or a webcam with a microphone. Also, a good vlogging camera doesn’t have to cost a fortune or shoot 4K video. Most of the affordable vlogging cameras have features such as optical image stabilization, slow motion, autofocus, LCD touchscreens, low-light sensitivity, external mic input and more.
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In this roundup, I’m helping you find the best vlogging camera. I’ve kept cost in mind, so you don’t need to worry about blowing the bank with a camera that shoots 4K video. Simply put, whether you want to do simple livestreams from your laptop or more polished productions, you’re sure to find a vlogging camera for your needs and budget here.
Note that if livestreaming is a priority (which may or may not be for someone interested in YouTube vlogging), you might need additional hardware beyond a camera. I’ll include suggestions for that, as well as other accessories to consider, following the cameras’ details.
With a small handful of exceptions, every vlog camera listed here has been fully reviewed or anecdotally tested by me or other CNET editors. Those exceptions in the accessories sections are based on positive Amazon user reviews and additional word-of-mouth accolades. I’ll update this best vlogging cameras list periodically. Happy video recording and streaming!
DJI OM 4
Best default YouTube rig: Your phone and this gimbal
DJI
Luckily, people looking for a great vlogging camera don’t usually have to look far. Whether iPhone or Android, using a smartphone to shoot footage for your vlog is probably the easiest vlogging camera option for most people for recording and livestreaming. But what can make even good video bad is camera shake. A three-axis stabilizer, also known as a gimbal, will provide image stabilization to make sure everything you shoot looks nice and smooth.
DJI’s OM 4 (formerly called the Osmo Mobile) delivers on the stabilization using the same tech you’ll find on its camera drones. It has the same compact, lightweight folding design for easy travel as the prior model. It has the same controls, making one-handed use a breeze. And it still has a built-in battery for up to 15 hours of use. What’s new is how you mount your phone.
For the OM 4, DJI developed a new magnetic mount you can attach to your phone case as well as one that clamps around your phone like past models. This allows you to quickly attach and detach your phone, and it’s always perfectly balanced.
DJI’s Mimo app is packed with options, too, including its ActiveTrack 3.0 feature that lets you draw a box around your subject and it will instantly start tracking them. Basically, it’s more than just a phone stabilizer.
$129 at Amazon
Logitech StreamCam
Best PC webcam for deskside YouTubers
Logitech
Whether you’re looking to do a quick how-to from your computer, want to stream yourself while you game or anything in between, the simplest option for your vlog is a compact camera that doesn’t need to move from your computer. Yes, we’re speaking about the noble webcam. True, you won’t be able to move around too much, but this vlog camera is pretty much a plug-and-play experience because you don’t need an encoder.
With many more people working from home and relying on video conferencing in the past year, good webcams became difficult to find. Heck, even mediocre ones are tough to come by right now. Our top pick for vlogging is the $125 Logitech StreamCam because it is purpose-built for streaming at up to 1080p at 60fps. And this cheap vlogging camera is designed to be mounted horizontally or vertically.
If you want 4K streaming at 30fps in addition to full HD at 60fps, go with the Logitech Brio 4K, which has a higher price tag at $199. You could also go with Logitech’s C922x Pro, which streams at 1080p at 30fps or 720p at 60fps, has solid image quality and its built-in mics give you decent audio for $85.
It’s worth noting that because of the increased demand for webcams, many camera-makers including Canon, Nikon, GoPro, Sony, Panasonic and others have made it possible to use some of their camera models as a webcam without additional equipment. However, it’s more of an “in a pinch” solution for some of the cameras, so I wouldn’t rely on it for the best video recording quality and features.
See it at Logitech.
$90 at Amazon
GoPro Hero 9 Black
Best camera for vlogging wet-and-wild YouTube videos
Josh Goldman/CNET
From its small waterproof design to its incredible image stabilization to its excellent video quality, the Hero 9 Black is one of the most versatile GoPro cameras you can get for creating YouTube vlog gold. You can use the GoPro Hero Black as a studio camera, but it’s really an action camera made for video recording on the move.
Adding to the argument in its favor are the Mods designed to make the Hero 9 Black even more vlogging-friendly. The main Media Mod is a housing that adds a directional mic as well as a 3.5mm external mic jack for additional mic input, an HDMI output and two cold shoes. Display and Light Mods can then be slotted into the shoes to brighten your shots and let you see yourself when you’re in front of the camera. And if you want to livestream, you can do it through GoPro’s mobile app. I do recommend buying it from GoPro at the moment and taking advantage of the current deal that knocks the price down to $350 ($100 off) if you sign up for a year of its cloud storage service that’s included in that price.
$350 at Target
$350 at Amazon
Mevo Start
Best vlogging camera for on-location YouTube livestreaming
Ian Knighton/CNET
Mevo Start lets you create the look of a multicamera shoot with a single small camera. It lets you stream 1080p video live to every major platform instantly with the Mevo app for up to 6 hours without an external power source. It can also simultaneously record high-quality 1080p video to a microSD card in the camera.
Livestreaming can be done by connecting both a mobile device and the camera to the same Wi-Fi network, or you can directly connect by Wi-Fi to the camera and use your phone’s LTE mobile broadband signal to stream. Or, you can use a power-over-Ethernet adapter to power the camera and stream with a wired connection. The Mevo Start also has NDI HX built into the camera that’ll work on your network with either a wired or wireless connection.
The mobile app is the true star of the show here, though, as it lets you use its high-resolution sensor to create multiple tight and wide shots, and switch between them with a tap on the screen. Or, you can have the software automatically track people and switch between shots.
$399 at Best Buy
$430 at Amazon
Sony ZV-1
Point-and-shoot video camera
Lexy Savvides/CNET
Sony turned its RX100 enthusiast compact into a good camera for vlogging with faster autofocus and a quick way to defocus backgrounds. It gives you a big image sensor and a bright lens for better video quality even when you’re working with low light. This Sony camera has a flip-out LCD screen so you can see yourself when you’re shooting. It has a handgrip and mics better suited for selfies. And the Sony ZV 1 has a clean HDMI output, too, so you don’t have camera settings and info in your video if you output to an external recorder, encoder or display.
See it at Sony.
$648 at Amazon
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Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Josh Goldman/CNET
Though its cameras aren’t as pocket-friendly as they once were, the current Pocket Cinema Cameras are still compact considering all they can do. There are two models: A 4K version with an active Micro Four Thirds lens mount and a 6K model with an active EF lens mount and a Super 35mm-size sensor. I tested the 4K version, which worked well as a cam for my studio space (aka my small, well-lit home office). The MFT mount means you have a wide variety of lenses to choose from at more affordable prices than EF lenses.
There are a lot of features to like about the camera, but what I most appreciated was the touch interface that makes using the camera so much easier than your average digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Other features like a USB-C 3.1 port, HDMI out, dual card slots (CFast and SD UHS-II) and both 3.5mm and Mini XLR mic jacks give you room to expand as your needs grow.
$1,295 at B&H
$1,249 at Amazon
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5
Mirrorless camera
Lori Grunin/CNET
This Panasonic Lumix GH5 mirrorless digital camera might be shaped like a traditional SLR camera, but the GH5 was built for video. You’ll find all the features you need in a camera for vlogging, and then some, regardless of your experience level, and it’s all wrapped up in a splash-, dust- and freezeproof body.
If its $1,298 price is more than you want to spend for a camera body (you’ll need to buy lenses, too), its predecessor, the GH4, is still an excellent option despite its age — it was released in 2014 — for around $700.
Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 hands-on.
$1,298 at Amazon
Canon EOS 80D
Digital SLR
Sarah Tew/CNET
The 80D pops up in a lot of top lists for good reason: The company’s Dual Pixel CMOS sensor gives it a fast on-sensor autofocus system; the Live View performance — which lets you see the footage you’re shooting on its screen without looking through the viewfinder — is smooth; it has headphone and mic jacks, and it supports 1080p and 60 fps. The one downside of this Canon camera is that it doesn’t have a clean HDMI output, so if you’re going to livestream, you’ll need to shut off all the display info and switch to manual focus.
Read our Canon EOS 80D review.
$999 at Amazon
Must-have accessories
Getting great video for YouTube requires a little more than the best vlogging camera and Wi-Fi connection. You’ll want good lighting and audio, too. And if you’re planning to stream, you might need a capture card or encoder to get video from your camera and up on YouTube or other video-sharing sites.
Lume Cube Panel Mini
Best mobile light
Lume Cube
The compact Lume Cube Panel Mini gives you a bright boost when you don’t have enough light but still fits in a pocket. It puts out a lot of light that’s adjustable in 5% increments and the color is adjustable too, from 3200K to 5600K in 100K increments — all done with a small toggle wheel on the side. It charges via its USB-C port and can run for up to 14 hours (just not at 100%) and it can be plugged in and run that way as well.
It comes with a diffuser to help soften its light and the compact, lightweight design and a cold shoe mount so you can just slide it on your camera and start shooting. It also has standard tripod mounts on the bottom and side.
The VC kit, which stands for video conferencing, comes with a small suction cup mount that you can easily stick to your phone, tablet or display for brightening your face or subject without having to reposition the light every time you move your camera.
See it at Lume Cube.
$60 at Lume Cube
$60 at Amazon
Rode VideoMicro
Best on-camera microphone
Rode
An external microphone is a must for high-quality vlogging. When it comes to mobile or on-camera mics, I lean toward Rode’s microphones, such as the SmartLav Plus and the VideoMicro (shown here, mounted on a DSLR).
$55 at Amazon
Blue Yeti microphone
Best studio microphone
James Martin/CNET
Whether it’s the long-standing favorite Yeti or its new $99 Ember XLR mic, Blue continues to make some of the best studio and livestreaming mics for the money.
Read our Blue Yeti USB review.
$130 at Amazon
Atomos Ninja V portable monitor and recorder
Atomos
Monitors like the Ninja V not only give you a better view of what you’re shooting, including seeing your framing when you’re working solo, but also let you continuously record to their built-in storage. The Ninja V, for example, has an internal 1TB SSD so you can record up to 150 minutes of 4K video. Along with monitoring and recording, it also supports playback so you can instantly make sure you got the shot you wanted. And it’s not just for cameras: You can also use the Ninja V for video game capture and playback at 4K resolution in HDR.
$649 at Amazon
Magewell 53010 Ultra Stream HDMI Encoder
Best hardware encoder
Epiphan
If you want to livestream from most cameras, you’ll need a hardware encoder like the Magewell. It allows you to connect HDMI and USB audio and video sources and stream from them to YouTube, Twitch or Facebook over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It has an HDMI output, too, so you can monitor your stream.
See it at Magewell.
$359 at Amazon
Elgato HD60 S
Best game-capture card
Elgato
A software encoder will let you stream your PC games and webcam video to YouTube and Twitch. However, console players will need a capture card like the HD60 S. Connect this to your Nintendo Switch, PlayStation or Xbox and then to a PC or Mac and a display, and it will capture your gameplay and set you up for streaming. The included software will help you mix in webcam video as well.
See it at Elgato.
$150 at Amazon
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