Video Blogging Equipment Recommendations

With the massive increase in Social Media websites in recent years, we have seen a boom in the amount of Video Blogging that happens. We here at PiXAPRO have taken notice of this, and have created a range of different products tailored for this particular field. In this blog, we take a look at the different types of equipment required for high quality Video Blogging and offer some recommendations that would work perfectly.

Lighting

For Video Blogging, you need to make sure you are looking your best to create a high-quality end product. Sometimes natural lighting outdoors will work fine but isn’t always a reliable source of light as you may get uneven coverage or dark spots, so you may find that additional lighting will help to improve the overall look of your recording.

When it comes to video blogging, you will need to have continuous lighting as flash will not properly light you and your surrounding during a video. Whilst there are fluorescent lighting options available, we would always recommend LED lighting instead. LED lighting is usually more durable and hard-wearing, as these would come with an LED Chip whereas fluorescent lighting units feature a glass bulb which can be more prone to damage. LED Light also in general gives you a more accurate white lighting, for more consistent results overall. LED Lighting units also are usually more compact, such as Ringlights and Panels, compared to the larger fluorescent lighting units that feature softboxes and umbrellas. Finally, LED’s also produce a very small amount of heat compared to the fluorescent lighting options, this helps to prevent any unwanted overheating.

Each specific video blogging situation is different and requires different lighting. If it is single subject in a small space, a single lighting unit would be sufficient to properly lighting the shoot. If it is multiple people or in a larger space, multiple lighting units would be ideal to make sure the space has ample light coverage to reduce any unwanted shadows.

With these things in mind, we have a selection of lighting options available that would be ideal for any situation:

Reporter Ring Light Kit (Suitable DSLR camera)-Battery included

This Ring Light kit is an ideal set-up for live video blogging including Make-up/Beauty or tutorial videos when using a tablet, smartphone, mirrorless camera or even DSLR. RICO240B MKII offers a 55W soft and gentle light source, with the ability to be dimmed between 100% to 10% to suit any environment. It features Bi-Colour lighting, allowing you to adjust this between Tungsten and Daylight balanced to match the light colour of your shooting environment and accurately captures the colours in the subject being shot. Due to the round shape of the Ringlight, this helps to create interesting ring-shaped catchlight in the subject’s eyes, which is popular in video blogging media.

RICO240B MKII 46cm (18") LED Bi-Colour Ringlight

The RICO240B MKII Ringlight features diffusion to produce a soft, homogenous ring of light. Whilst this Ringlight can be powered using mains, it also offers the feature for battery power with the included NP-F Series Battery, allowing it to be used on location. Also included with the Ringlight is a shoe-mountable smartphone bracket, allowing you to mount a Smartphone for easy recording options. The included light stand offers an adjustable height of between 87cm and 220cm for multiple lighting angle, and can be folded down to approximately 58cm which is perfect for storage and transportation.

Multiple Units:  Essential Video Blogger LED Lighting Kit

The PiXAPRO Essential Video Blogger kit has been put together to meet the needs of Video Bloggers and YouTubers everywhere. The kit consists of 1x RICO240 LED Ringlight, which can be used as the main light, and 2x PiXAPRO GLOWPAD350 LED Light pads, which can either be used to illuminate the background, or used as rim lights to separate your subject from the background for a more high-end look. This kit is also quite compact and portable, and can be set-up in minutes.

Both the RICO240 Ringlight and GLOWPAD350S Units accurately represent the colours in the subject and the recording space. Both units are also Daylight Balanced lights that will faithfully reproduce the colours in comparison to natural sunlight. The LED Design of both lights means that they are Flicker-Free to allow you to record at virtually any framerate or shutter-angle without issue, and means they can be dimmable from 100% down to 10% to suit any lighting requirements. Whilst they both offer diffused lighting, the GLOWPAD350 units have the diffusion built in and the RICO240 has diffusion panels that can be attached to the light, meaning that the light being produced with be soft and fall gently onto the subject. The included light stands feature and adjustable height range of between 79cm and 240cm, and feature an air cushioned dampening system to prevent any sudden drops that could cause damage to yourself or the equipment during use.

We also have a Bi-Colour version of this particular kit available here.

To view our selection of LED Lighting, please click the image below.

Gimbal

Whilst recording on the move and on different locations, you need to make sure that your camera or smartphone device is secure and capturing exactly what it is you want. And whilst simply holding the camera or smartphone in your hand is an option, the use of a Gimbal Stabiliser is ideal as they have been designed specifically to make sure that your video is recorded smoothly and accurately. Gimbals help to reduce any unwanted shaking and movement that may be caused by simply holding the camera or smartphone in your hand, with many featuring their own built-in stabilization system for steady record. Many gimbals have been designed to be simple to use with intuitive controls and comfortable for extended periods of use. They also sometimes come with a range of different features to add unique styles and designs to your video blogging.

Here is a recommendation of a great Gimbal for Video Blogging

Mini-MX Compact Stabiliser

The MOZA Mini-MX is a compact and portable battery powered Smartphone Gimbal Stabiliser, designed to be user-friendly and simple to easily stabilize cinematic footage whilst moving. Simple controls displayed on the handle to give multiple options for recording such as portrait/landscape adjustment and an ergonomic design to allow complete comfort for the user. Can be hand-held or attached to a range of Stands/Tripods using the built-in ¼” Mount, expanding your shooting styles and options, and has a compact spiral fold design when not in use for easy storage and transportation.

This Gimbal can be used in conjunction with the MOZA Genie Smartphone app to offer a range of different features and styles that will help to make your video blogging stand out. Magic Mode offers a range of creative shooting templates to help add flair and style, Constant Focus to make sure the subject is always the main point of the shooting area, Smart Gesture Control allows you to use pre-set hand signals to start or stop recording to make shooting quicker and a selection of different editing options and tools to instantly create and share your work from your camera or smartphone. The MOZA MX, when used in conjunction with the Genie app, also allows you to capture slow motion and time lapses, to create beautiful cinematic shots for your video blogging.

To view our entire MOZA Gimbal Range, please click the image below.

Mini-MX Compact Stabiliser

Microphones

Making sure that the video being captured is incredibly important, you also need to make sure that the audio you are capturing is professional and clean. And whilst using the built-in microphone in your camera or smartphone is an option, using a microphone helps to make this possible as these have been designed to professionally capture audio without issue. Using a microphone will help to capture the audio better, but many microphones are larger and unsightly, which may distract a viewer during the video blog. Using a compact microphone device, such as a lavaliere or clip-on microphone, helps to reduce the noticeability of the equipment without sacrificing the end result.

Here is a recommended microphone that would be ideal for Video Blogging

BoomX-D 2.4G Wireless Microphone Transmitter & Receiver

Comica BoomX-D offers a complete ultra-compact solution for recording audio that can be mounted directly to your smartphone device. This wireless digital microphone system includes one microphones and one receiver. This system is great for those looking for a compact recording solution, ideal for mobile journalists, videographers, and vloggers. The BoomX-D Series is wireless and uses the 2.4GHz bandwidth to be used globally and to ensure stability with automatic adaptive frequency changing technology to avoid interference. Each Transmitter features both and internal microphone on the unit itself, as well as an external microphone to allow you to choose the perfect audio recording for your requirements.

Both the Transmitter and Receiver feature a TFT LCD display to clearly show all the current specifications and settings that are set to your microphone system for easy and simple use. It features switchable output modes (mono and stereo) to allow you to record either single or multiple audios at one time. The BoomX-D is designed to record incredible details and deliver a high-quality sound with a higher sample rate of 48KHz and a 16-Bit depth to increase audio fidelity. The transmitter and receiver are capable of communicating in a working range of up to 50m to ensure you receive smooth and clear audio without interruptions and drops in quality. The Multi-functional belt clip that comes included as you to attach this to your trousers/belt to keep out of sight during use for a portable and compact system. There are two versions of this particular system available, with the UC1 version designed to be used with Android Smartphones and the MI1 version designed to be used with Apple Smartphones, offering a range of compatibility options for your video blogging.

To view our entire COMICA Microphone range, please click the image below.

Conclusion

Video blogging is very much a part of society these days, with platforms such as YouTube seeing a massive increase in this media. So, making sure you are creating the best possible media is vital to help you stand out, and with the information and recommendations above, this should help you achieve this.