Author: Lin Fei Source: IT Times
Nowadays, the imaging capabilities of mobile phones can meet the basic requirements of shooting vlogs, but when creators are looking for higher quality and professional work, the camera has become an advanced tool to achieve this goal.
At present, the camera is still significantly better than the mobile phone camera in terms of image stabilization performance, image detail capture, and color performance. However, creators need to understand that in exchange for an improved creative experience and the quality of the final product, the investment required is at least the same as that of a mid-range smartphone.
The following are recommended cameras that are good at vlogging.
Insta360 Go 3:能随手拍的入门款
The Insta360 Go 3 is an extremely small, lightweight thumb camera that can be worn on the body or magnetically attached to surfaces without being held, making it ideal for first-person shots in everyday and well-lit outdoor activities. Go 3 supports Insta360's FlowState stabilization technology, which can ensure stable images during dynamic shooting such as walking, running, and cycling through both hardware and software. Just tap Go 3 to start shooting instantly, capture the moment quickly, and you can control it with voice commands. When using Free-Scale Recording mode, Go 3 supports 360° horizontal correction, which keeps the horizon level in the frame no matter how the camera is flipped.
When combined with the Go 3 camera, the expansion pod not only plays a role in improving battery life, but also allows users to view and monitor shots in real time and adjust camera settings by flipping the touchscreen, which is essential for accurately adjusting composition, checking image quality, and previewing shots in real time. When the pod can be detached from the camera and wirelessly connected to the Go 3 via Bluetooth, users can also remotely preview the images captured by the Go 3 in real time using the touchscreen on the pod, and adjust settings for precise framing and composition control.
Insta360 offers a variety of magnetic attachments for the Go 3, allowing you to attach the camera to a hat, chest, or any metal surface to allow you to shoot from a variety of angles.
Disadvantages: short battery life, does not support fast charging, long video file export time, and unsatisfactory video quality in low-light mode.
DJI Osmo Pocket 3: The entry model with guaranteed quality
As soon as the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera was released last year, it quickly gained popularity among vlog creators. The Pocket 3 features a 1-inch outsole sensor for portable imaging, 4K/120fps HD slow-motion shooting, and all-pixel ultra-fast focusing.
As a gimbal camera, the Pocket 3 inherits DJI's advanced 3-axis gimbal mechanical stabilization technology, which enables smooth image presentation even when the camera is shaking. The gimbal steering speed supports multi-gear adjustment, the "default gear" is more convenient for shooting, and the new "fast gear" can cope with shooting in sports scenes, vividly restoring the sense of reality. The ActiveTrack 6.0 feature has a variety of built-in tracking modes, including the ability to choose between the subject and pre-framed follow, so that the focus is always locked on the subject, making it easy to follow dynamically.
The Pocket 3 is also well received with a 2-inch rotatable OLED touchscreen, which not only allows you to quickly turn on and off the device directly after rotating, but also has a more intuitive touch operation experience compared to the 1.08-inch touchscreen of its predecessor. In terms of night shooting, the Pocket 3 has also been specially optimized for image quality, which can still ensure clear images and accurate colors in low-light scenes. Pocket 3's optimized skin tone performance and Smart Beauty 2.0 feature allow vloggers to look more natural and pleasing when taking selfies or recording others. The Pocket 3 also offers a 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit HLG recording modes for creators to make post-production adjustments.
The Pocket 3 features a triple array microphone design that effectively suppresses wind noise for omnidirectional stereo recording, and supports the USB Audio protocol for quick transfer to other external microphones and monitoring headphones, or directly connected to DJI's new 2 Mic 2 transmitters for clearer recording.
Disadvantages: When shooting at a high intensity, the body is prone to heating, which may affect the comfort of long-term handheld shooting outdoors, there are fewer physical buttons, and the touch interaction may have a slow response.
Sony ZV-1 M2: more demanding advanced class
As an upgraded version of Sony's first compact camera designed specifically for vlogging, the ZV-1 M2 has been updated and iterated in terms of hardware and software, further enhancing the vlogging function. The ZV-1 M2 is equipped with a 1-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor, capable of recording 4K ultra-high-definition video, and is equipped with a 18~50mm F1.8~4 large-aperture zoom lens, which can capture larger scenes in selfies and sharp images in low-light environments, especially for shooting in streets and indoor scenes. The 180-degree horizontal and 270-degree vertical flip touchscreen makes it very convenient for users to take selfies with it.
The ZV-1 M2 features features such as real-time eye focus, face-priority exposure, and the addition of automatic people and animals recognition, which makes focus tracking more accurate and ensures that the subject is always in the best possible position in front of the camera. The skin beautification function provides a more natural skin tone modification effect for the characters without affecting the overall image quality. In addition, the "Cinematic Style" color preset function is introduced, which allows users to directly select different tones and styles when shooting, and easily complete cinematic video clips without post-processing, greatly improving the artistic expression of Vlogs.
In addition to the in-body image stabilization performance, the ZV-1 M2 also achieves digital image stabilization by sacrificing a part of the field of view, and through the built-in image stabilization algorithms, such as SteadyShot electronic image stabilization and gyroscope assist system, it can reduce the shaking of handheld shooting to a certain extent, and improve the stability of the video.
The ZV-1M2 is available in black and white, and there is also a multi-function shooting grip for Bluetooth Vlog in the same color.
Cons: Overheating is possible when recording 4K video for long periods of time, noise control at high ISO is a little inadequate compared to cameras with larger sensors, and detail preservation in low-light conditions could be improved.
Sony ZV-E1: A quasi-professional who can shoot short dramas
The ZV-E1 is Sony's world's smallest and lightest full-frame interchangeable-lens Vlog camera, weighing only about 483 grams (including batteries), supporting 4K/60fps video shooting, with a professional tripod, rabbit cage, stabilizer, external microphone, and even capable of short-range quasi-professional shooting.
The ZV-E1 features a full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with 12.1 million effective pixels, paired with the new BIONZ XR image processor, to achieve a wide dynamic range of 15+ stops, ensuring excellent image quality performance in different lighting conditions. Combined with an excellent autofocus system, especially for fast and accurate recognition of the human eye and face tracking, the subject remains sharp in dynamic shots.
In particular, the ZV-E1's built-in 5-axis stabilization unit combined with the optimized gyroscope sensor can achieve 5 levels of stabilization, making it easy to get clear and stable images even when shooting handheld with an E-mount lens that does not have stabilization.
The flip-out multi-angle LCD screen makes it easy to view the framing and supports new touch controls, while the camera's control button layout and grip are optimized to better meet the needs of vlog shooting.
ZV-E1 adds a convenient cinematic Vlog setting, by selecting 5 Looks and 4 Moods to shoot cinematic Vlog videos, you can create a picture effect with a sense of cinematic story with one click.
The AI-based video auto-composition feature provides a new shooting experience, perfect for recording interviews, music performances, food cooking, and more. The AI Auto Framing feature automatically crops the frame while shooting, keeping the subject in a prominent position.
In addition, the ZV-E1 has a built-in smart 3-capsule variable-directional microphone that picks up clear audio in windy and noisy outdoor environments, while the equipped windshield can significantly reduce wind noise when shooting in windy outdoor environments. Users can choose automatic, forward, backward, and omnidirectional to change the pickup direction according to the shooting scene.
ZV-E1 provides professional video creators with the freedom to create in post-production, such as supporting All-Intra format, 10-bit 4:2:2 video recording, S-Log3 S-Gamut3.Cine and S-Gamut3 recording, using presets or importing LUTs, etc. Coupled with Sony's extensive E-mount lens group, users can freely mix and match lenses according to their creative needs to achieve a wider variety of shooting effects.
Disadvantages: As a quasi-professional-grade device, there are fewer physical shortcut buttons, there are no multiple card slots, there will be overheating problems when shooting videos for a long time, and the photo performance is not as good as that of a low-priced SLR camera.