Best Vlogging Camera in 2023

Vlogging, also known as video blogging, is a fun and entertaining way to share your perspective, ideas, stories, and experiences. From travel adventures to everyday routine, personal vlogging has taken the world by storm. Not only that, but it is also currently one of the most popular techniques to market a product or a service as well. Studies show that 87% of marketers prefer videos over all other types of marketing content.

The best part about vlogging is the simplicity of it. To get started, all you need is a good camera along with the passion for any subject that you want to convey and you are good to go!

Of course, you would want your experiences to be shared in the best possible quality for users to appreciate them and become loyal followers. Here, the quality of the microphone plays a significant part as well. Learn more about the best microphone for vlogging here.

First of all, outline your requirements and the kind of vlogging you wish to do. Whether you want to document on-the-go, possibly travel vlogging, and need a camera specializing in image stabilization, or perhaps you’re more interested in doing indoor shoots and are more concerned with image quality. 

Whatever you need, be it a mirrorless camera or a DSLR, this guide will help you pick the best camera to capture your ideas, just as experienced vloggers do.

Things to Consider When Purchasing a Vlogging Camera

When you’re considering the purchase of a camera for your vlogging journey, you may be tempted by brand names or abundant features or even prices. But, it’s not as easy as that. You need to make sure your camera fulfills your requirements. The following are a few of the most important aspects to consider when buying a vlogging camera.

1. What Are The Different Types of Camera You Can Choose From

From the above reviews, you probably have a good idea that there are different kinds of cameras suited for various purposes like:

• Mirrorless: Mirrorless cameras are ideal for all types of vlogging as they serve as an all-rounder image. These cameras have a large sensor but do not have a physical mirror that can be moved. The image is processed through the camera sensors instead of the mirror, which makes it superior in quality to a DSLR, but these are also more expensive.

• Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR): These are the most famous cameras and the most widely used. These are incredibly versatile and can capture rich images as well as shoot crisp videos. It’s very unlikely that you’ll ever end up with poor-quality shots with a DSLR, but, at the same time, most DSLRs are heavy and quite bulky, so not exactly ideal for vlogging while on the go.
• Action: Action cameras are compact, easy-to-carry, lightweight, and small in size to carry them easily anywhere and anytime. These are true to their name as they are made for shooting videos while on the go. These are best for those vloggers that wish to capture videos while traveling or during some excursion or fast-paced activity, but might not be the best choice for those wishing to photograph or do in-door shooting or low light filmmaking.
• Micro Four Thirds: These cameras are a hybrid of DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, taking in the best points of both the cameras. Micro Four Thirds cameras do not have a mirror, and their sensors are also quite small but have interchangeable lenses. These are easy to carry, compact, come with an array of lenses, and their versatile nature has made them the most popular choice for vlogging.

2. How To Check The Camera’s Resolution?

With megapixels, it is assumed that the greater the number, the better the resolution of your images. You’ll notice that in many instances, a 16MP camera performs better than a 21MP camera. This is because light sensors of the camera and size of the lens determine the quality too. Any camera having megapixels above 10MP for 4K resolution should result in a clear and crisp video.

3. How Much Of A Difference Does The Sensor Size Make?

The sensor is the part of the camera, which is sensitive to light and captures images and shoots videos depending on the amount of light entering the sensor. Generally, the bigger the sensor, the clearer your video will be.

Cameras come with different sensor sizes such as 1 inch, micro 4/3, APS-C, full-frame, and medium format. The medium format being the best but mostly full-frame is considered the best for vlogging, and this sensor size is also the one built inside most cameras.

4. What is a Field of View?

The field of view is how much the camera can capture in its frame. This is for when you’re shooting different landscapes and objects. A narrow field of view is excellent for closeups, perhaps when you wish to record only yourself, and a wide-angle field of view is ideal for when you want to shoot as wide as possible, like when traveling or action/adventure vlogging.

5. Why is a Microphone Port Important in a Camera?

It’s a given that during vlogging, you’ll want to talk or speak on certain instances to explain your experiences and surroundings better as well as to connect with the audience. For this, you need a camera with a built-in microphone that delivers clear audio to accompany your videos. 

If for any reason, you’re not satisfied with the quality of the built-in microphone, you’ll want to purchase a camera that comes with a microphone port so you can connect an external mic to it.

The Best Vlogging Cameras To Work With in 2020

Below is the list of the best vlogging cameras to kickstart your video blogging journey:

1. Panasonic Lumix GH5

This is one of the best cameras available and is the preferred choice of many vloggers. It’s easy to use and understand, won’t take you hours to read the manual and days to understand the specs, it’s versatile, and supports dual memory cards.

This is the mirrorless camera you need if you’re serious about vlogging. With it, you can make videos in 4K quality, with smooth 2x slow-motion transitions. It also comes with an in-body sensor-based image stabilization, which is perfect for creating videos while moving. 

With its 20.3-megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor, you get high-quality imagery while traveling across the most uneven and rocky paths. 

The camera is, however, a bit on the big side, so you might struggle a bit while carrying it. On the bright side, it has a magnesium alloy body, and its rotating screen collapses back into its body, so it stays protected.

Pros

• Excellent range of compatible lenses
• Rich image quality
• Professional video specifications

Cons

• Bulky and not easy to carry
• Low light images are slightly grainy
• Autofocus isn’t the best, considering the hefty price

2. Sony Alpha A6400

If you’re concerned about the grainy image quality of Panasonic Lumix GH5, this Sony Alpha camera is the one you should consider. Loved far and wide by vloggers, Sony Alpha brings tough competition to other cameras with its lightweight body, interchangeable lenses, superb 4K quality, and also supports S-log3 and S-log2.

This is the go-to camera for vloggers who like to talk and walk simultaneously while making videos; the camera is one of the best for low-light shoots, has terrific autofocus, and has a flip-up 16:9 touchscreen. This is the ideal companion for those interested in making travel vlogs.

 Pros

• Excellent autofocus
• Quality of low-light images is excellent
• Comes with plenty of video features

Cons

• In-body image stabilization isn’t present
• No touchscreen
• Hassle to understand and going through the settings menu can be frustrating

3. Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus is a brand known to create top-of-the-range, and superior-quality cameras, and Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is no exception. This is the camera every vlogger dreams of having. With its on-point autofocus, your videos will be crisp, clear, and delivered in 4K quality with an image-stabilization feature that would put other cameras to shame.

And, not just this, this camera has a lightweight build, several useful features, and it also delivers continuous tracking because of its on-chip phase detection autofocus. You can shoot full HD videos at up to 120fps along with the option of capturing 4K at 24fps, which makes this camera stand out from the rest. 

Unfortunately, it is on the expensive side, but when you view the vivid colors, and flawless results of your videos, every penny spent on this camera will seem worth it.

Pros

• Excellent image stabilization
• Impressive phase detect Autofocus
• Excellent video specifications

Cons

• No headphone jack
• Expensive

4. Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III

Taking advantage of the growing vlogging industry, Canon has upped its game by introducing the Canon Powershot G7 X Mark III, the new and improved camera in its G7x’s range. 

This camera was built with vlogging in mind and hosts an array of features that any vlogger will find useful such as, full-frame 4K videos without any part being cropped, Live Stream directly to YouTube, so for all those interested in doing live Q&A or documenting live streams, possibly gaming tutorials, etc., this feature may be a gamechanger for you as well as having a USB charging port, so you never have to worry about your camera running out of battery during video making. 

This camera also has a microphone socket, so all those wary of taking interviews or worried about their voices being unclear, during recordings, this feature eliminates these problems. 

With its crisp autofocus feature, you can shoot vertical videos so your Instagram and Facebook stories can look attractive and professionally-made. All-in-all, this is an affordable option, packed with abundant features that both novice and experienced vloggers will appreciate.

Pros

• Mic input
• 4K videos without any cropping
• Livestream to YouTube

Cons

• Lack of a viewfinder
• Autofocus isn’t the best

5. Sony Alpha A7 III

One thing you can expect from Sony is quality. Their Sony Alpha A7 III is the epitome of high-quality, with its sleek build, gorgeous appearance, and multiple useful features. This is one of the best vlogging cameras in the market.

This camera comes with built-in image stabilization, so you’ll never have to worry about stopping or walking too carefully, so your video quality isn’t distorted. With its real-time autofocus and rich HDR video quality, all of your vlogs will turn up clear and in bright colors. With its different lenses, you can shoot almost any kind of vlog with this camera.

Pros

• Compatible lenses for different shooting styles and imagery
• Top tier video quality

Cons

• Complicated menu settings
• Expensive

6. DJI Osmo Pocket

DJI Osmo Pocket is the most pocket-friendly camera on this list. But the ‘pocket’ in its name is for how compact and easy-to-carry this camera is. This is an excellent camera for vlogging beginners and packs in many features, especially when considering its price.

With this, you can record videos on-the-go in 4K/30fps quality with a fantastic gimbal stabilization feature. This feature makes this camera stand out from its competitors. Rather than digital stabilization specification, Osmo Pocket comes with a physical gimbal that keeps the whole camera steady instead of a built-in feature that keeps the video steady.

Besides this, Osmo Pocket is weatherproof, so you won’t have to worry about rain, dust, or snow harming the camera. The downside is that while this camera is excellent for making videos, that’s all you can do with it, it can’t be used to take pictures. 

Pros

• 4K videos at 30fps
• Physical stabilization feature
• Affordable than most cameras

Cons

• The screen doesn’t rotate

7. Canon EOS M50

This is an affordable option for any budding vlogger; stellar build, high-quality videos, and plenty of useful features, the perfect camera if you’re starting your vlogging journey or are looking for a pocket-friendly option. This camera comes with a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor, and this was also the first mirrorless camera that could shoot 4K videos at 24fps.

Besides that, Canon EOS M50 is compact, easy-to-use, versatile, and a vari-angle touch screen along with a microphone input. The downside is that it can only shoot full-frame videos in 1080p, if you’re shooting in any quality above this, like 4K, the video will be cropped. 

Even with this, this camera is an excellent option to consider, especially if you’re just getting into the world of vlogging or are looking for a more affordable option.

Pros

• Superb dual pixel autofocus
• Vari-angle touchscreen
• Affordable

Cons

• Videos will be cropped while shooting in 4K

8. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85MK

The Lumix DMC-G85MK is the perfect camera for intermediate vloggers. It doesn’t come with too complicated features or hard-to-understand menu settings but also shoots videos that are no short of professional. This comes with a 16 MP Micro Four Thirds lens that can easily shoot 4K videos up to 30fps. 

If you wish to go higher, say 60fps, you’ll need to shoot in 1080p. Even in that quality, your videos will turn out attractive, non-grainy, and with pleasing results. Along with these stellar features, this camera also comes with a 5-axis dual image stabilization, which will result in your videos always being clear, even if you tread across the roughest paths and move about as much as you want while filming. 

Add this to its 49 point autofocus system, and you have yourself a beast of a camera, perfect for all kinds of video blogging. Did we mention this camera is also weatherproof? 

Pros

• Has a post focus mode, which lets you manually select a new focus point after you’ve taken a photo
• Dual image stabilization
• Weatherproof
• Affordable

Cons

• The lens is only 16 Megapixels
• Small in size, which might make it frustrating to use for some people

9. GoPro Hero 8 Black

GoPro Hero cameras are known to be the cameras of choice for adventurers and travel vloggers alike. The company has added much-needed changes and improvements in this flagship model, the GoPro Hero 8 Black. 

With this, your videos will always be crisp and clear with none of the annoying blurriness and a new-added microphone that makes recording, while talking, a breeze, this is especially useful for when you want to capture the sounds of nature and all kinds of movements and sounds while traveling.

This isn’t the best camera if you’re looking for a multitude of features or wish to record all kinds of videos. As mentioned before, this camera is targeted towards adventurers, so if you’re looking for a vlogging camera to bring along. At the same time, hiking, doing any kind of sports, or outdoor activity will be your best option.

Pros

• Improved microphone
• Excellent built-in stabilization
• Strong body
• Time-lapse modes

Cons

• Not the best low light performance
• Most expensive GoPro camera

Conclusion

Vlogging has become easier than ever thanks to the cameras, which companies, each year, roll out with new specifications and improved features than their predecessors. 

If we had to pick the best vlogging camera from our list, for intermediate-level and beginner-level vloggers, we highly recommend investing in Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85MK. It’s affordable, easy to use, and comes packed with features that deliver professional-quality videos. It also has stellar reviews from users and there’s very little to dislike about it. 

However, if you’re on the lookout for a professional camera, then for experienced vloggers, we recommend Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III. It’s every vlogger’s dream camera, with top notch video specifications, the best autofocus system, and image stabilization features that will make sure your videos are never blurry or unclear.

The best way to finalize the kind of camera that you need is to list your budget, requirements, and features and specs you need and then go from there. Do not go in blindly, without knowing your needs or you could end up with a purchase you regret. 

If you’re new to vlogging, here is a great guide to understanding how video marketing works. To sum it up, it’s better to start with an affordable camera that doesn’t have hundreds of features and lenses and move up to something more expensive and advanced as you get more experienced.