What gear you actually need to start YouTube in 2019

Starting a YouTube channel can be overwhelming when you don't have much experience with the tools necessary for video creation. A simple search of "best camera for YouTube" will draw thousands of results, all suggesting different expensive investments that you need to make before you can start creating.

Here's the truth, to start making YouTube videos, the gear that you actually need is a relatively minimal kit. Assuming most people wanting to start a channel already own a smartphone, the startup costs are incredibly low.

It can be easy to get caught up in all the fancy cameras that are constantly being released and reviewed by big YouTubers. But the fact is, none of them started with such fancy gear and there are so many successful creators out there that still are not using the most expensive equipment.

So without further ado, here is what I think you actually need to start YouTube in 2019.

A Smart Phone

The one camera that you probably already have is the only camera that you need to start. iPhones and really every other modern smart phone all have incredibly good cameras. With the right creative eye, you can create professional looking footage and images on a phone.

However, just as with even some professional level cameras, you need the right circumstances and the correct technique in order to make the most of the camera. So here are my top three tips for making your iPhone produce amazing footage and how to practically use it as your main camera for Youtube.

How to use an iPhone as a vlogging camera

1.Clear some space on your phone to store the video clips

First, you're going to need to make sure you have space on you phone to store the videos you're about to create. Videos take up a lot more room than the images you're probably used to taking, so make sure that your storage isn't already chock full before you even start.

iCloud storage, in my opinion, is highway robbery. Instead of paying monthly to store all those photos from your phone on the cloud, I recommend signing up for Google Photos (all you need to do is download it and sign in with your Google account) because you can store unlimited photos and videos, plus, it will automatically sync from your phone. You can delete what you don't need anymore on your phone, and have peace of mind knowing it will still be on Google Photos (and you won't have spent a dime)

2. Use a glasses cleaning cloth to wipe off the camera to get as clear an image as possible

This tip seem fairly straight forward and obvious, but you would be shocked at the difference it makes. We're constantly carrying around our phones with us and they can get seriously gross. Make sure that the lens isn't smudged before you get started filming your video.

3. Use the back-facing camera (its always a higher quality camera than the selfie camera)

It can be harder to film yourself this way, but I would definitely recommend at least trying it, because the quality of the image will be much better from the back facing camera. Don't ask me why, I just know that Apple has not prioritized the quality of the selfie camera 🤷🏼‍♀️

Good Lighting

This is probably the most crucial part of the entire formula. Even the more average cameras will produce nice looking footage in the right lighting.

Here is my advice on hunting down the most ideal lighting: film facing out a window, ideally on a consistently overcast day. It's important that the cloud cover is consistent and not a "sun-peaking-through" kind of day, because your lighting will change throughout the video. You also want to avoid a bright and sunny day, because you will likely have harsh shadows on your face that will be distracting.

If your camera is having a hard time white-balancing (i.e. the footage looks really blue, as is usually the problem with sun light) then make sure to turn off the lights in the room you're filming in. If the camera's automatic white balance system doesn't have to work with two different colours of light, it's more likely to get it right.

That's actually it.

I know, it sounds too easy. But I honestly think it is. The barrier to entry on making YouTube videos is lower than ever. When I started creating, smart phones did not even exist yet and you had to buy a device which had only the dedicated purpose of creating videos (back then we called it a digital camera 😉) in order to start on YouTube. Plus, you needed to have a computer that had video editing software on it. Now, you probably already have a camera and computer built into one little box in your pocket.

And that's all you need.

I can't wait until you use what you have to start creating.

Now that you're ready to start making videos with your phone, you're not going to want to miss a vital step in the process. Check out my complete YouTube checklist for production and distribution. This is the exact checklist that I use for every single YouTube video to ensure that each is as successful as possible.