In the world of online content creation, technical quality matters, but only to a degree. As long as you have good lighting and audio and you have a camera with decent autofocus, you’re already doing better than 90% of creators. That being said, pushing the boundaries of your production value can help differentiate your content from others in your niche.
I’ve been on YouTube for seven years now, and I’ve had plenty of time to optimize my setup. When choosing equipment for both YouTube videos and Instagram reels, my goal is to eliminate friction from my workflow while providing the best possible production value to the end viewer. Throughout this blog, you will find affiliate links to products I’ve recommended. If you click my custom link to make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Win!
The Camera
The Canon R5 has been the workhorse behind my YouTube channel and Instagram reels since spring of 2022. I admit, this camera is overkill for social media, but it’s proven to be an absolute weapon for video content creation. The Canon R5 packs some eye-watering video specs in a body that is as easy to operate as an iPhone. The thing that separates Canon cameras from all others is ease of use - something that is critical for a one man operation like mine. The capacitive touch screen fully articulates, so not only can I see myself while recording, but I can control every function of the camera from the screen without having to reach around for dials and buttons.
Key Specs and Features
• Full frame 45 megapixel sensor
• 8K RAW
• 4K up to 120fps
• In-body image stabilization (IBIS)
• Dual Pixel AF II
• Dual card slots (one SD, one CF Express)
The Canon R5 was a serious investment, but the image quality and overall ease of use were worth it to me. If you can’t stomach the cost of an R5, I’d strongly recommend the original Canon EOS R which is the camera I used for three years prior to upgrading.
The lenses
Every YouTube video I make is shot almost entirely on the Canon RF 24-105 f/4. At 24mm it’s wide enough for interior shots and I can get my whole car in frame inside my garage. Zoomed in to 105mm, I’m able to show detailed closeups, whether it’s showing how to disconnect a wiring harness, or showing subtle textures and details of products I’m reviewing. This lens also has Image Stabilization which works together with the R5’s in-body sensor stabilization for buttery smooth handheld shooting.
My Instagram reels are shot exclusively on the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8. I occasionally use this lens for B-roll on YouTube as well. Not only does this lens let in more light than my trusty 24-105mm, but it allows for shallower depth of field for those beautiful out-of-focus backgrounds (dare I say cinematic?). Compared to the 24-105mm, this lens is significantly smaller, lighter and cheaper. The light weight and compact form factor, combined with superb autofocus performance make this lens ideal for gimbal work. For real world examples of this lens in use, check out my Instagram @justinbuice and tap the reels tab.
Microphone
Audio is fundamental to a viewer’s perception of video quality. To some extent, we can forgive bad lighting or the occasional autofocus shift, but there is nothing worse than watching a video with poor audio quality. I’ve been using the RØDE VideoMic NTG for the past year or so and it’s an excellent mic for the price. It automatically powers on when the camera is turned on and it’s built-in rechargeable battery is rated for 30 hours of recording. There is a gain control dial on the back of the mic as well as buttons for high-pass filter, high-frequency boost, and a safety channel. I typically have this mic on a boom pole that is just out of frame, connected to the camera with a 10’ audio cable.
Gimbal
I’ve actually owned the Zhiyun Crane Plus for years, but only started using it recently for my Instagram reels. As far as gimbals go, this one is fairly basic, but that’s not a bad thing. Even though it is meant for smaller cameras, it has no problem with my R5 + 50mm combo. Though there’s not much in the way of settings on this gimbal, it does have several modes to choose from. I tend to keep it in “Pan Following Mode” where the camera follows your left and right panning movements while the tilt and roll axis’ are locked. Even though a gimbal is one extra piece of equipment to carry, set up and keep batteries charged for, there are some shots that simply aren’t possible without it.
Odds & ends
My secret weapon for filming cars is this K&F Concepts variable ND + circular polarizer filter. It' is essentially two filters in one. The ND filter controls the amount of light passing through the lens. This is crucial for filming outdoors at large apertures like f/1.8 (as everyone says, like sunglasses for the lens). The polarizer filter allows you to control the reflections on the body of the car and the windshield. A nice feature of this filter is the physical stop for the ND that prevents you from going beyond the max. On some cheaper variable ND’s you can turn it past the max ND setting and end up with an X pattern that ruins your footage.
Pro tip, rather than buying expensive filters for each of your lenses, buy one for your largest lens and use a step up ring to adapt it onto smaller lenses. In my case, I bought a 77mm filter for my 24-105mm and a ring that adapts it onto my 50mm with a smaller 43mm filter thread. Not only does this save money, but in the case of my 50mm, they don’t make this model of filter in the smaller size. If you’re not sure which size filter thread you need, look for the number printed on the front of the lens near the glass with the “⌀” symbol next to it.
The Canon R5 has some serious specs and requires a CF Express type B card to enable some of it’s most demanding video formats. You can use a regular SD card in the camera’s second slot, but without a CF Express card, options like 8k and 4k 120 will be greyed out. These cards are not cheap, but when you’re spending this much money to get a camera body with these specs, it only makes sense to buy a card that unlocks it’s full potential. I use a SanDisk card reader to quickly transfer files to my M1 Mac Mini.
The Canon R5 is power hungry, especially when recording 4k video. I typically go through one and a half batteries to get through a YouTube video. I would recommend buying a minimum of two batteries for serious video shooting.
Software
An item that’s not “in my bag” but is still an essential tool is my editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro. I’ve been a Premiere Pro user for 10 years, even before I was on YouTube. Premiere is powerful, industry standard video editing software. When people tell me they are starting out and they ask what software I’d recommend, my answer is always the same - start with Premiere. It’s easy enough to use that even a novice can be up and running with the help of a few YouTube tutorials, but also has powerful tools that you can grow into as you develop and expand your editing skills.
People think that because they are new, that they should start with entry level software. The problem is (and speaking from experience here), once you reach the limitations of basic software, you’ll have to learn an entirely new program when you’re ready to go to the next level. If you start in Premiere, everything you learn will be relevant throughout your video editing career.
The everyday carry
There are certain situations where I want to take better photos than what my phone is capable of, but don’t necessarily want to lug my heavy and expensive Canon R5 around. Enter the Fujifilm X-T20. This camera is a few years old at this point (I picked this one up used on ebay for $450) but still produces beautiful images. It features retro styling with dedicated dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation. I enjoy this camera for the tactile shooting experience just as much as I do the lovely colors it produces. For those who might not be familiar, Fujifilm cameras have something called “Film Simulations” which are presets that are baked in to the JPeg files. The simulations are meant to replicate retro film stocks and can be tweaked to your heart’s desire.
I own a single lens for my X-T20, the 23mm f/2. This lens is tiny and is well suited for the X-T20’s small body. It features a physical aperture ring and the smoothest focus ring I have ever used on any lens, including much more expensive Canon L lenses I have owned. On this crop sensor body, the 23mm gives a 35mm field of view (multiple 23mm x the sensor’s crop of ∼1.5). To me, this is the perfect focal length for environmental shots of cars. Again check out my Instagram @justinbuice for examples using this camera and lens combo.