Gear

Over the years, from trial and error, researching, watching other YouTubers recommend certain cameras and lenses, below is my equipment that I use to film YouTube videos in my spare time whilst having a 9-5 job as a Software Engineer.

Why Sony?

• There are plenty of YouTubers who share settings and how to use certain settings. You can have the best camera, but without documentation and tutorials, you won’t be able to get the best out of the camera.
• Common batter across models
• Cashback on cameras and lenses
• Great auto-focus, and app capabilities

Cameras

All the cameras listed below I have chosen because:

• They all record in 4K and have slo-motion recording (for buttery smooth dramatic effects)
• All offer some form of in camera stabilisation - this is important when shooting free hand.
• All the cameras share the same form of battery, so you just need one battery type (Sony NP-FZ100) for all cameras.
• They all have touch screen functionality and touch to focus.
• All do not have a recording limit before they shut down.

Sony ZV-E1 - Primary / A-Roll / B-Roll

What I use it for: This is my go to camera for all things video, shooting talking head shots (A-roll) and any B-roll footage.

Whats good about it: This camera produces great video quality (paired with the right lenses and video settings), and its pretty compact as well. Good active stabilisation when holding the camera, has AI auto focus, and slo-mo up to 120fps at 4K and 240fps at Full HD.

Worth knowing: No optical viewfinder and this camera can over-heat. If you are recording for say over 1hr+ and in hot temperatures - I’ve experienced this myself, it will give a warning and shut down. But checkout the accessories section where one can resolve this.

Sony A6700 - Secondary / B-Roll

What I use it for: For those times when I need a second camera angle whilst filming a talking head shot, I sometimes use this for B-roll, and I primarily use this for taking images for YouTube thumbnails.

Whats good about it: A great all-round camera for taking videos and stills. If I was starting out with YouTube again, and just needed a single camera that did it all that wasn’t too expensive, but also not a budget option. This would be it. Also I take this travelling with me if the destination is very picturesque.

Sony ZV-E10 ii - Overhead / B-Roll

What I use it for: For overhead shots, whether its during A-roll or B-roll filming.

Whats good about it: A very affordable hybrid camera that does great video and stills that is small and compact. I also take this with me on my travels if I want an even smaller compact camera compared to my A6700.

Worth knowing: If you are on the look out for a very affordable camera that shoots 4K, can be used for YouTube, social media and for travel photography and videography, and an interchangable lens - this is definitely it.

iPhone 16 Pro

What I use it for: For those times I don’t have any of the Sony cameras with me, I will reach for the iPhone.

Whats good about it: Its the camera thats always in your pocket!

Lenses

Sigma 24-70mm DG DN Art

What I use it for: To pair my Sony ZV-E1, I use this for A-roll and B-roll. with this fixed aperture of F2.8 gives really clear and crisp images, and plenty of bokeh.

Whats good about it: Having a zoom lens that covers a nice range without having to switch lenses constantly is a plus. I had my eye on the Sony FE-70mm F2.8 G Lens, but that was rather expensive, and the Sigma was slightly cheaper.

Worth knowing: This lens is rather on the heavy side. I purchased this before the Sigma 24-70mm DG DN II Art lens came out, which is lighter. But the range of 24-70mm for a full-frame is perfect for starters.

Sony FE 24-50mm f2.8 G Lens

What I use it for: I now use this primarily for A-roll as the quality of the G lens - there is something about it. Also its significantly lighter than my Sigma 24-70mm

Whats good about it: This is a much a lighter lens than my Sigma 24-70. Turns out this is great for shooting A-roll and something about the G lenses from Sony give such a great quality to the video image.

Worth knowing: It’s a short range, only 24-50mm, but its portable. If you are starting out, I would still recommend the Sigma 24-70 because of its wider range albeit its weight.

Sony E 16-55mm f2.8 G Lens

What I use it for: This is one of my favourite all round lenses for APS-C. I use this with my Sony A6700

Whats good about it: A zoom lens with enough range for wide and telephoto shots at a fixed aperture of F2.8. Oh and its a G Lens :)

Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC DN

What I use it for: I use this with my Sony ZVE-10 ii for overhead shots.

Whats good about it: This is a very affordable lens with a decent focal range for wide and short telephoto shots. Not only do I use this for YouTube, but also for travel because a) its light b) if I lose it or it gets stolen in my travels I won’t cry so much.

Worth knowing: If you are starting out as a beginner on YouTube, I would definitely recommend this lens. It has enough focal range and at F2.8 enough bokeh and overall its a great bit of lens giving you fantastic image quality.

Sigma 10-18mm

What I use it for: For any really wide shows that I need. For instance, for my MacBook Pro and Air video, I hade four MacBooks lined up in a table, and this wide angle managed to get the shot for the YouTube thumbnail.

Whats good about it: Very small compact wide angle zoom lens.

Audio

After trying a few microphones

DJI Mic 2

What I use it for: To record audio for talking head shots.

Whats good about it: Battery life is pretty good, easy to use, and reasonably affordable. I didn’t even bother purchasing the DJI Mic 2 with the charging case. I saved a bit of $$$ and just bought the single mic that comes with the 1 transmitter and 1 receiver.

Worth knowing: This DJI Mic is rather versatile, as it can work with cameras and iPhones as it comes with included adapters.

DJI Mic Hots-shoe adapter

What I use it for: I use this with to attach the DJI mic receiver to the camera.

Whats good about it: One less cable to attach the receiver to the camera

DJI Mic Lavalier

What I use it for: I use this along with the DJI Mic 2.

Whats good about it: It hides the DJI Mic 2 from being mounted on your top and a little more discreet.

RØDE Lavalier II Mic

What I use it for: I use this along side the DJI Mic 2 to pick up better audio rather than having the DJI Mic clipped onto a t-shirt/top.

Whats good about it: I didn’t believe how a different lav can make a difference and this does. This is significantly more expensive than the DJI Mic Lavalier, but it does product better audio quality.

Lighting

Amaran COB 60x S series

What I use it for: This light is great to light talking head shots as well as B-roll shots when natural lighting is not at its best.

Whats good about it: It’s very bright, has colour temperature, has a mount on the side for a V-mount battery and all in a compact form factor. When you are recording at home in a spare bedroom, no one wants a large light that takes up so much space..

SMALLRIG Parabolic Softbox LA-D65 65cm

What I use it for: This is what I use as a softbox paired with the Amaran COB 60x

Whats good about it: As softboxes go, this doesn’t take up too much space when open, and can collapse and re-open relatively easily, all whilst giving a nice soft light.

Amaran Pano 120c

What I use it for: I have been using this light more regularly now for lighting A-Roll and B-Roll.

Whats good about it: This light is also very bright, but also more compact that its a flat LED panel and the light soft box that comes with it takes up even less space. It’s not as bright and the light diffusion is not as wide compared to the Amaran COB 60x and the SMALLRIG Parabolic Softbox, but as a whole, very compact.

Accessories

Tripod - K&F Concept KF-TM2534T

What I use it for: For any A-Roll and B-Roll shots.

Whats good about it: Its has a good height, and the top section can fold down horizontally for top down shots.

Falcam Clips, Cage, Eco-system

What I use it for: The Falcam clips I use for everything to clip anything to tripods and mounts. I have bought cages for my Sony ZV-E1 and Sony A6700

Whats good about it: The make attaching cameras and any accessories to anything with just a simple clip.

Worth knowing: The Falcam cage for the Sony ZV-E1, notice I only have the bottom half of the cage and not the full cage. This is because the full cage is known to block the hot shoe area part that it blocks attaching the DJI mic hot shoe adapter.

Batteries

What I use it for: Spare batteries for the Sony cameras.

Whats good about it: They have a usb-c port for charging!

SMALLRIG V Mount Battery

What I use it for: These are useful for either powering my lights, or more recently I use to power the Sony cameras when I am recording A-Roll footage, so I don’t have to worry about the battery running out whilst recording.

Whats good about it: They come in different sized capacities, can charge via USB-C and gives plenty of juice for when recoding long sessions.

Ulanzi Cooling Fan

What I use it for: This little kit - I have both the old and new versions, help cool the Sony ZV-E1 and prevent it from overheating.

Whats good about it: The simply attach to the back of the camera without any need to sticky tape, just a spring clip. It does the job and isn’t the fan isn’t that loud that interferes with the audio recording.

Bluetooth Remotes

What I use it for: To start and stop recording for each of my Sony cameras.

Whats good about it: When filming A-Roll, you don’t need to reach for the camera, hit record and sit back down.

Worth knowing: The official Sony remotes are very expensive for what they are. The SMALLRIG ones are much cheaper, but they tend to lose their connection from time to time.

SD Cards

What I use it for: I used these to record video and stills

Whats good about it: The Sandisk cards have been pretty good to me so far. But the Sony Tough cards are of another level of quality, robust and can handle harsh conditions.

What I use it for:

Whats good about it:

Worth knowing:

Elgato Boom Arm II Monitor iPad mini Elgato Teleprompter

Elgato telescope stand

What I use it for:

Why I chose it:

Why I like it:

Worth knowing:

Retired Gear

Below is a list of cameras and gear that I used early on in my YouTube journey.

Sony RX100 V

This was the first pocket camera that I used to film YouTube videos. Great pocketable camera with a fixed lens and good range. Only downside - when you can only record 10 mins of footage in 4K.

Sony A6600

This the next camera I upgraded to from the Sony RX100 V because of the that 4k record limit, and inter-changeable lenses. Great hyrbid camera which I used for some time to record YouTube videos.

Sony ZV-E10 i

I purchased this as a secondary B-cam, also inter-changeable lenses.

Shure MV7

Logitech Blue Sona