Getting into Video Blogging

Some projects, in my opinion, deserve a wider reach, and video content is unrivaled compared to text in this regard.

(Un)healthy perfectionism doesn't allow me to just grab a regular smartphone and start broadcasting in live mode. I've been watching YouTube for years, following the growth in content quality, and I strive to create content that's as high-quality as my resources and abilities allow from the start.

Let's go through the components of video content production in order.

Camera

For a text blog, a phone with a quality camera is sufficient - almost every budget smartphone has one nowadays. And if you have a DSLR/mirrorless camera - even a 20-year-old device will still produce quality images.

With video, the story is radically different. 4K resolution at 60fps is becoming ubiquitous - and few devices can handle this at an acceptable level.

There aren't many options globally - smartphone, action camera, or mirrorless camera (devices like camcorders seem to have remained in the past or in narrow niches like cinema).

Smartphone

I have a Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with an excellent camera. I actually bought it for its zoom capabilities - I was on safari in Kenya, and with 2x optical zoom, it was quite disappointing trying to view distant objects. So I chose a smartphone based on zoom - at the time of purchase, it was one of the top devices. It claims 50x magnification, 5x optical, the rest being crop and digital zoom. Just for illustration, here's a photo of the moon at almost maximum zoom:

Actually, I now have only 2 requirements for a smartphone - quality audio recording (2 microphones for recording) and zoom. Xiaomi meets these parameters with one of the best price-to-feature ratios.

But you can't record everything with just a smartphone - you might need it during filming, you might get calls or notifications. It's also large and awkward to mount on a tripod and control (which is already a hint at my choice).

But it does support 4k60, has autofocus, and generally produces nice images with the right settings.

Mirrorless Camera

Here's the short version - a new mirrorless camera capable of 4k60 will cost around 200k rubles. Even used, I couldn't find anything suitable for under 100k, and I don't want to spend that much on a device that will need replacing soon. And while the 4k60 problem might seem contrived - most people watch at lower resolutions, and many cameras support 4K. But here's the dilemma - you choose either 4K or 60fps - you can't transform one into the other (well, you can, but it's not honest).

So this category is empty for me at the moment. If I hit a quality ceiling and see it makes sense - I'll look into something.

Action Camera

I had a Chinese camera - Eken with claimed 4k60, I tried to record snowboarding with it. In reality - the 4K was awful, with blurred grains probably 10x10 pixels in size, and almost zero stabilization.

So I decided to go with something proven - the options were GoPro and Insta360. Both are quite similar, but GoPro won on price.

I got the GoPro Hero 13, despite it being only slightly different from previous versions - in version 13 they broke battery compatibility by releasing it in a new form factor, so I went straight for it.

I've managed to shoot a bit in different modes and underwater - overall everything's good. It heats up like crazy, eats through the battery in an hour even on timelapses, and shuts down from overheating.

Also, something non-obvious - action cameras don't have focus. It's determined by the lens and is set from the box for ~20 centimeters to infinity - everything's in focus. There's no moving optics for focusing inside (which makes sense given its purpose). Hence, it's impossible to record macro or close-up shots out of the box. I ordered a macro lens to solve this problem. Currently, I have to shoot everything from at least 20 centimeters away, otherwise it's out of focus.

It shoots 4k60, costs, hmm, reasonable money for its characteristics (yes, even new) - the difference with cameras for my purposes is 4-5 times.

And in the photo, you can see lots of accessories - mounts, mini tripods, cases, selfie sticks, and all that - some were bought additionally, some I already had (praise standardization).

Light

Insufficient lighting is the first cause of poor video quality. While photos can still be taken with longer exposure, video is very limited in this regard, especially at 60fps.

Therefore, good lighting is the first thing you need to get.

Softboxes

In plural, you need 2. What you need from a light source for filming:

• diffused light;
• if possible, lighting intensity adjustment;
• mobility.

All of this applies to softboxes - these are, pardon the pun - boxes with ~4 regular E27 socket bulbs inside, with a reflective surface inside, white fabric outside that makes the light diffused. All this is mounted on a 2m maximum height tripod (to fall loudly on the floor). And it's good to have the ability to turn on individual bulbs to control lighting intensity - I have 2 groups of 2 bulbs each.

Light Panel / Stick

I have both, needed for backlighting - illuminating the subject from behind for beautiful light play. You can also illuminate something locally, and they're quite portable, can even be used instead of a flashlight.

I haven't quite figured out how to set all this up for shooting yet, but here are 2 photos - the first with regular artificial lighting (3 fixtures with bright LED bulbs):

The photo with softboxes has softer shadows. The ceiling light's brightness is generally enough for such a shot since the table is right under it, but it's a bit dark in the corner. And again, we're talking about photos here.

Sound

I haven't gotten to sound recording yet, but I already have a microphone holder, a BOYA BY-MC100UC microphone (with type-c for phone), and acoustic panels - I put acoustic foam on the walls.

I'm slowly looking into lavalier mics, but first I need to do some tests.

You can actually see the timelapse of the installation process at the end of the post. 2 hours, I cut out the completely static frames during editing. And somewhere in the middle, both softboxes, the tripod with the camera and laser level decided to lie down, though it barely showed up on camera. And here's how it all looked from the side in the middle of the process:

There are also several other devices that I teased in the Telegram channel. They're also needed for filming, but more for expanding its capabilities rather than just for the process itself.