My YouTube Gear & Studio Setup
TABLE OF CONTENTS
YouTube Studio Gear 2021 ($$$ Professional Level)
Main Camera - Sony A7S III
Main Lens - Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master
Secondary Lens - Sony 16-35 f/2.8 G Master
Second Camera - Sony A7III
Shotgun Microphone - Sennheiser MKH 416
Podcast Microphone - Shure SM7B
Audio Recorder - Mixpre-6 ii
Monitor & Recorder - Atomos Ninja V
ND Filter - PolarPro 82mm 2-5 stop variable ND Filter
Key Light - Aputure 120D Mk ii w/ Light dome ii
Kicker - Yungnuo YN360iii
Practical - Aputure MC RGB
Tripod - Manfrotto BeFree
Light Stand - Avenger C Stand
Second Light Stand - Manfrotto Air Cushioned Stand
Microphone Stand - König & Meyer
YouTube Studio Gear 2019 ($$ Intermediate Level)
Main Camera - Sony A7III
Main Lens - Sony 16-35 f/2.8 G Master
Microphone - Rode Videomic Pro+
Audio Recorder - Zoom H5
Key Light - 2 Aputure Amaran HR672W w/ umbrella diffusers
Tripod - Manfrotto BeFree
YouTube Studio Gear 2015 ($ Beginner Level)
Main Camera - Canon 600D
Main Lens - Sigma 18-55mm f/1.8
Microphone - Rode Videomic
Audio Recorder - Zoom H4n
Key Light - Neewer Softbox Lighting Kit
Tripod - Amazon Basics Tripod
YouTube Studio Gear 2021 ($$$ Professional Video Production)
This is the gear I currently use to create my YouTube videos as of 2021. This isn’t something I bought all at once, but items that I’ve slowly acquired and mastered over my time on YouTube. If you’re looking to upgrade some kit into the professional realm, I’d highly recommend going one at a time from this list and taking the time to learn the ins and outs of each piece of gear. You’d be surprised how much there is to learn about how to use and even set up a professional light for instance! The difference between consumer level gear and professional is quite stark if you know what you’re doing. Everything in this list was specifically chosen because it is for the most part, pretty much the best-in-class. If you’re not quite at the professional level of video production, the other tiers are a great place to start cause this gets pricey! But for those making a living from video, the items below get my highest praise and recommendation.
Main Camera - Sony A7S iii
The best mirrorless video camera on the market. Low light king. Autofocus champion. 10 bit colour. 422 chroma subsampling. Flip out screen. 15 stops dynamic range. The king. Shoot in S-Log3 or don’t shoot at all ;P I was waiting for the a7s iii to come out for literally 2 years. I read every rumour I could get my hands on daily. And somehow, the Sony a7s iii lives up to all the hype. Its eye-autofocus system is flawless and can keep your eye in focus even in the lowest of lights. Its dual ISO system allows the cleanest of footage even in the lowest of lighting conditions. The difference between 10 bit and 8 bit colour is the biggest upgrade the camera offers in my opinion, but all in all, this camera will allow you to make the best quality videos seen on YouTube. The LUTs I have for sale on this site were crafted using this bad boy and the S-Log3 Saviour LUT is my go to for vlogs.
Main Lens - Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master
My go-to lens for videos. One of the best lenses ever. Great focal length and unbeatable aperture. I often shoot at f/2.0 cause f/1.4 just is far too creamy for human eyes. Bokehlicious. There are competitors to this lens by Sigma and other lens manufacturers, but sony nailed it with this one providing such a sharp edge to edge shot and the lightest lens in my kitbag. Also great for astrophotography 💫🪐⭐️
Secondary Lens - Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master
If you can only pick up one lens, this would be the one. Ultra wide lens for tighter spaces with enough zoom to punch in for nice shots. Used a lot in collabs and nearly exclusively when I'm filming vlogs out of the house. 16-35 is the best range for vlogs! When you’re out and about filming somebody, the compression on 35mm with the fast aperture of f/2.8 looks so good. And then when you turn the camera onto yourself, you can really see everything around you!
Second Camera - Sony A7 iii
My go-to photography camera. Quite large resolution, full-frame mirrorless with great video capabilities too. Best value full frame camera on the market by far. Only downside is lack of flip screen. But for a b-cam, it does great 8 bit video. To get the most out of this camera, be sure to shoot in HLG3 and colour match the footage to your A cam after applying a colour space transform LUT for maximum dynamic range.
Key Light - Aputure 120d mkii
My key light. The difference between using a light like this and any cheaper lighting system is night and day, pun intended. Aputure are unrivalled in the professional lighting space for good reason. This is the light you need to get if you want to take lighting your videos more seriously. And the best part about buying Aputure Lights is they all work so well together with their other gear! 5500K and a very strong output. This is one of those bits of gear that when you set up really makes you feel like you’ve leveled up.
Light Dome - Aputure Light Dome ii
Massive light dome to soften the light that also comes with a mesh grid to make sure the light is only going in the direction I want it to for better light sculpting. A necessity with the 120d, 300D, or whicever Aputure light you fancy. Nothing makes you look better than super soft, daylight balanced light.
Second Light - Aputure 60d
The 60d is one of aputure's more inexpensive hob lights, but not because it's weak! I use this light with the included barn door attachment to create a nice light streak behind me in videos , but this could also be used as a key if it were the only light I had and I could diffuse it. I was originally going to use this as a hairlight, but it's more useful than that! A necessity for 3 point lighting.
Accent Lights - Aputure MC RGB
Powerful RGB accent lights that last over 2 hours at full power. Use them to splash some light behind stuff in your set! Or pack them in your backpack for a shoot. Infinitely versatile and fully controllable with the Sidus Link app.
Shotgun Microphone - Sennheiser MKH 416
Pretty much the best shotgun mic money can buy under £1000. Used for decades my the professionals for its extra clarity, you'll find you won't need to do practically any post-processing to your audio with this baby. It's just that good.
Podcast Microphone - Shure SM7B
You know what this mic sounds like without even knowing you do. Used my professionals in the radio industry for decades for its incredible sensitivity and satisfying proximity effect, this mic automatically elevates every video I use it in. The only downside is this mic can only be used when the sound source is close! Hence why I only use it at my desk. But for desk shots, twitch streams, and music recordings, this guy is unrivalled. Michael Jackson even used it!
Microphone Desk Arm - Rode PSA1
If you plan on using a sensitive cardioid microphone like the Shure SM7B, you need a mic arm that you can fully control to ensure you speak closely to the microphone. This desk arm is incredibly versatile, hassle-free, and does the job better than any other. There are cheaper variants, but this one is just the best of its class.
Audio Recorder & Interface - Sounddevices Mixpre-6 ii
If you need to record audio from multiple sources, things can get a little dicey. The Mixpre-6 ii allows 8 track recording, has 4 XLR preamps, and oh did I mention it has 32 bit float recording? 🤯 Yeah, ever have a situation where your audio clipped from a scream or you recorded too quiet and the audio was noisy in post? Not anymore! Also includes many great features for podcasting such as automix and more. Talk to any professional sound guy on film sets and he’ll sing praises for sounddevices and probably owns this baby.
Neutral Density Filter - PolarPro 2-5 Stop ND
My ND of choice for maintaining a fast aperture in videos where the shutter speed must remain constant. Keep the nice shallow depth of field even in bright light! Couldn’t get the bokeh without it.
External Monitor & Recorder - Atomos Ninja V
External monitor AND recorder for seemless editing. Very useful if your camera doesn't have a flip screen, or if you really wanna dial in your lighting using false colour. With a 2TB ssd to record to, you won’t need to empty out your footage as often as recording onto your onboard SD card and its of higher quality. The Atomos Ninja V is also one of the only ways as of 2021 to monitor your footage on a Sony A7III while keeping it’s great autofocus system as long as you record through the ninja.
Solidstate Drive - Samsung EVO 2TB
When using an external monitor like the ninja v, you need a large fast SSD to shoot the highest bitrate possible. This one does the job without breaking the bank! 2TB is a must so you can keep footage on the drive for longer. Just be sure to pick up a caddy to connect it to your computer.
Grey Card - Lastolite Grey Card
White balance and colour correction tool that folds up in a little bag! Hold it up at the beginning of every video for colour correction and use it to set your white balance :)
Buy
Kicker - Yungnuo 360 iii
This Yungnuo LED wand is an excellent kicker / fill light. The fact it can run off of Sony batteries makes it even more versatile a tool! This was recommended to me by a fellow DP as his go to fill light and I took his advice and didn’t look back. Great little guy this light.
Buy
Gimbal - Zhiyun Weebill S
Amazing gimbal for smooth steady shots on even heavy mounted cameras without breaking the bank. Featuring underslung mode, run and gun, and vortex for those sick spinning shots! I’ve shot 4 music videos with the help of this guy where I otherwise would’ve had jittery footage. Takes a bit to learn, but worth it.
Tripod - Manfrotto BeFree Carbon Fiber
If you're spending money on a good camera and good glass, you NEED to invest in a good tripod. Most cheap tripods are hollow and not stable enough for a professional setup. This Manfrotto BeFree is a great value in that it folds up very tight for travel, is carbon fiber (strong and light), and the orange accents match the sony alpha line nicely.
Light Stand - Avenger C Stand
I was so late to the party when it comes to C-Stands. They’re such an incredibly versatile piece of kit. Need a heavy light in an exact spot? Done. A microphone rig? You got it. How about a safe overhead shot? Absolutely. Just be sure to weigh it down with a sandbag for safety! I found some cheap sandbags on amazon and put dumbells in them. Avenger is just one brand of C stand a lot of professionals use, but any others will probably do just as well.
Buy
Second Light Stand - Manfrotto Air-Cushioned Stand
I love this stand because of how small it folds down to. It folds up flat for easy storage, but when it’s out and holding your light, it’s got a nice weight to it and makes me feel confident it can do the job. Also as it’s air-cushioned, you don’t have to worry about loosening a segment and getting your fingers pinched when it comes down on you. Nice, safe, and sturdy.
Microphone Stand - König & Meyer
I’ve been through far too many microphone stands. The cheap ones you can buy on amazon seem to be made of the thinnest sheet aluminum imaginable meaning no matter how light your microphone, it always runs the risk of tipping over and coming crashing down… or sounding like a rusty swingset. Luckily, this one here is incredibly sturdy and even when placed on the floor incorrectly with a heavy rig, won’t fall over. That said, it doesn’t have as MUCH reach as I’d love so I use a c stand if in a spot other than my bed.
YouTube Studio Gear 2019 ($$ Intermediate Level)
So you’re starting to make some money from your videos and you want to level up your gear a bit. Here is a great place to start. This here’s the gear I used in 2019 to make my videos. A significant drop in investment compared to my 2021 setup, but still very high quality results, 4k, and full frame. The best camera isn’t the most expensive nor is it the one you have, but rather it’s the one you know. Learn your kit and you’ll go far.
Main Camera - Sony A7 iii
As your sole camera, you can’t go wrong with the Sony A7III. It’s the best value full frame camera on the market still after all these years. Packed full of features and some crazy sharp 4k, this camera can shoot amazing video AND photos. Lightweight and mirrorless with an amazing autofocus system, this guy is your best bet to be taken more seriously in your video endeavours. Do learn how to maximise your dynamic range with this guy though! Be a shame to have such a powerful tool only to shoot with the auto settings and standard picture gamma. I recommend HLG3 and a BT.2020 transform LUT.
Main Lens - Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master
Ultra wide lens for tighter spaces with enough zoom to punch in for nice shots. Honestly if you could only have one lens, this is the one to get for its versatility. This should be ever vloggers first lens.
Light - Aputure Amaran HR672W
My setup used to consist of 2 of these Aputure Amaran LED panels behind diffusing umbrellas to both sides of me. This creates very even lighting at a fraction of the cost of the more advanced lights.
Softbox - Umbrellas
The nicest lighting is the softest lighting. You could always point your lights at the wall and reflect them back to you, but for the softest and strongest, get a cheap umbrella and mount it to your lightstand.
Shotgun Microphone - Rode Videomic Pro+
This is a really great microphone to keep on the hot shoe mount OR to boom above subject. It turns on automatically with the camera so no more accidentally silent shoots and many tears. I’d highly recommend it over the cheaper variant for that reason alone. Worth every penny.
Audio Recorder & Interface - Zoom H5
Zoom make a variety of great pieces of kit in the sound world and the H5 is one of them! Not only does it have 2 XLR preamps for the potential to grow your audio setup for podcasting or multi-microphone shoots, but it also has a line-in mic input for a mic like the Rode VideoPro Plus! It can be used as an audio interface and fits… well almost fits in your pants pocket. Useful to record clean audio off camera for higher quality audio to sync in post.
Buy
Tripod - Manfrotto BeFree Advanced Aluminum Tripod
If you're spending money on a good camera and good glass, you NEED to invest in a good tripod. Most cheap tripods are hollow and not stable enough for a professional setup. But this aluminum Manfrotto BeFree is a great value in that it folds up very tight for travel, and the orange accents match the sony alpha line nicely. There’s a pricier carbon fiber one which is a bit taller, but if you’re not over 6 foot and don’t wanna invest as much in a tripod then this one does just fine.
YouTube Studio Gear 2015 ($ Beginner Level)
So you want to get started making YouTube videos but don’t know where to start. Though the easiest, and cheapest way to get started is by filming with your webcam or your phone’s camera in natural lighting, making a little investment in a starter camera, microphone, and light, can really set you down the right path for making more consistent, great quality videos! These items below are the exact ones I used at the start of my path. However, I absolutely could not afford to buy everything in one swoop so I started with a camera (and a dream) and then one by one, upgraded each part of the puzzle when I felt I could afford it. That being said, these are all the bits of gear I slowly acquired at the beginning of my journey and I hope they serve you just as well as they served me. :)
Camera - Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D (+ other options)
Alright so for this segment I’m giving you some options! The first DSLR I ever bought was the Canon Rebel T3i EOS 600D, and it’s the perfect beginner’s camera. Nothing too complicated, works right out of the box, and it’s really inexpensive! (Especially now that it’s so old!) Most YouTubers I know started down this same route with one of Canon’s Rebel line (or UK equivalent x00D) and in fact, my friend Noah still uses the more updated version of this camera, the T8i EOS 850D. However, I would only really recommend the older T3i I used to use because it truly is a great value for a beginner’s camera for starting to make higher quality YouTube videos, but if you considered the more up to date ones, I wouldn’t really recommend the T8i as it and most of Canon’s consumer line of cameras are incredibly overpriced and feature-vacant. My advice is to start with an older camera (Canon updates the numbers every year but hardly provides any meaningful upgrade outside of the price) and when you’re making a bit more income from your YouTube hobby, check out the list above. Canon also make the 70D which I know most YouTubers stepped up to 7 years ago (and many still use to this day) and have since updated that line of cameras as well, but if you’re buying at that price, you might as well just get the Sony a6400 (or fancier a6600, cheaper a6100) for the much higher quality video, eye-autofocus, low weight mirrorless setup, and the opportunity to do more in the future with the many professional features hidden within.
So to recap: Buy a cheaper, older Canon to learn the ropes, then upgrade to one of Sony’s a6x00 line once you’re ready for a more future-proof experience.
Main Lens - Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC Art HSM
Though if you’re a true beginner and this is your first ever camera, I’d most likely just recommend you stick to the “kit lens” or the lens that comes free on a lot of camera bodies as that will keep your startup costs crazy low, at some point you’re going to want to shoot with a nice blurry background that no kit lens can really achieve. That’s where this Sigma lens comes in. No other lens in history has had the success on YouTube that this one has. Pretty much every YouTuber I’ve ever met has owned this lens as part of the kit at some point of their journey. It’s very sharp, it shoots at f/1.8 for that nice bokeh, and it’s quite wide for most YouTube applications. The difference you’ll notice when stepping up from your kit lens to a lens like this is very noticeable. Even at over 10 years old, this lens still gets a lot of praise. As a note though, sometimes Canon’s autofocus can get a little loopy with this (and many other lenses) so my best practice would be to make sure you set the focus using manual focus before filming.
Microphone - Røde Videomic Go
As the saying goes, viewers are way more likely to put up with bad video than bad sound, so having a dedicated microphone is essential! The on-board microphone built into your camera is very bad. Doesn’t matter how much money you spent on your camera, the microphones in there are just notoriously dreadful. This little microphone though is amazing for the price! You just plug it in to your camera’s audio port, stick it in the hot shoe mount on the top of your camera and voila! Great sounding audio. I would highly recommend upgrading to a microphone like this as your first piece of action over any other upgrades as good audio will have the greatest effect on the quality of your videos.
Audio Recorder - Zoom H4n or cheaper H1n
For a little bit of added security and quality, recording your audio separately to your video is a good idea. You should be fine recording your mic directly into your camera, especially as a beginner, but if you’ve got the time to add this step to your workflow, it’ll help you in the long run. This tried and true device can power up to 2 XLR microphones with phantom power and another through line in. PLUS it has its own pretty great pair of stereo microphones right on top to use as your audio if you so choose. I’ve had a Zoom H4n since college as it’s also useful for someone wanting to get into music recording on a budget, and though they have upgraded versions of this (Zoom H5n for instance), The H4n should do you fine especially at its low price. :) Even better yet, the Zoom H1 is 1/3 the price of the H4n if you don’t plan on ever having an XLR microphones for podcasts or anything in the future and still comes with its own stereo mics.
Key Light - Neewer Softbox Lighting Kit
If you know me, you know I love lighting! The easiest way to elevate how your video looks isn’t with a new lens or a new camera, but with good lighting. When you’re starting out, setting up in front of a nice south-facing window is your best bet, but for a more consistent lighting setup, a good cheap option is a pair of softboxes. These ones are great for the price and will output some nice bright light to expose your face better, but also soften the light so you look better. This is basically every YouTuber’s first softbox so know you’re in good company!
Tripod - Amazon Basics Tripod
Starting out, I balanced my camera on a nice stack of books. Sometimes the shot might’ve been a bit wonky, but it got the job done for free! Until my camera dropped too many times and I couldn’t deal with the anxiety anymore. At that point, I bought this nice cheap tripod (under £20!). Tripods are practically the last piece of gear I’d recommend upgrading as nicer ones are only really useful for more expensive rigs. This one will sturdy your shot and allow you to get different angles you couldn’t before without breaking the bank!
I hope this has all been useful to you in your journey to becoming a better YouTuber. Like I said, how well you know your gear is much more vital than how nice or new it is. Take your time, learn your craft, and I’ll see you at the top!
Evan
