YouTube equipment for beginners

Whether you’re starting a YouTube channel, weighing the pros and cons of TikTok vs. YouTube, or watching the MrBeast YouTube Channel for new ideas, there’s no doubt about it: everyone wants to and has the potential to, carve out their slice of the creator economy. The question is, what YouTube equipment do you need to get started?

Naturally, with the creator economy booming, there has also been massive growth and competition in the availability of equipment for YouTube videos – you may have seen this mentioned in places like the Peter McKinnon YouTube Channel. When you’re just starting out, figuring out which YouTuber accessories you need and which you don’t can be quite an overwhelming process. But fear not: we’re here today to help distill things and make them all clearer. Below, we’re providing you with the ultimate essential YouTube equipment checklist. With this list of YouTube channel equipment, you’re ready to get started on your journey in the creator economy:

• A camera
• A microphone
• A tripod
• A lighting kit
• Creative assets
• Editing software

Cameras

A camera is the most prominent piece of equipment you’ll need to start creating your YouTube content. However, nowadays, a lot of professional creators rely on their smartphones to record and don’t use a camera at all.

A phone with a good camera is a great option, especially for beginners. However, if you’re looking to use a standalone camera, we have some recommendations below, from budget-friendly to high-end.

Budget

Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II: This camera is popular among vloggers for its compact size, excellent image quality, and affordability.

Mid-range

Sony Alpha A6400: This camera offers incredible autofocus, 4K video quality, and a flip-up screen, offering a fair balance between price and features.

High-end

Canon EOS R5: This camera is a pricier choice, but it offers professional-grade 8K video, exceptional autofocus, and image stabilization. It’s ideal for those looking to invest in top-notch quality.

Bonus

Insta360 X3: This 360-degree action camera is impressive. With the ability to film yourself in your environment, change angles and camera frames (all in the post), and add an external mic, this is an interesting option for those looking for YouTube video equipment. It can also be used as a traditional action cam, making it versatile and perfect for sports and adventure videos.

Microphones 

If you’re googling “equipment for YouTube channel,” any complete channel equipment checklist prioritizes a good microphone. A good microphone will reduce background noise, improve vocal clarity, and improve the overall viewer experience.

The formula is straightforward: if you want to be successful on YouTube, you need great audio. So, what are the best vlogging mics? Here are our suggestions for the best YouTube microphones for every budget:

Budget

The Blue Snowball Ice microphone provides excellent value for beginners. It offers clear audio quality suitable for voiceovers and podcasts, and its plug-and-play design makes it incredibly user-friendly for those new to content creation.

Mid-range

The Rode NT-USB  is a versatile, mid-range option that offers studio-quality recording. It’s ideal for YouTubers who require higher audio fidelity for vocals or instruments, and it comes with a pop shield to minimize plosive sounds.

High-end

The Shure SM7B is a professional-grade microphone that delivers smooth, flat, wide-range frequency response appropriate for music and speech. Favored by podcasters and recording artists, its air suspension shock isolation and pop filter eliminate mechanical noise and breathiness, making it a top choice for those who want the best audio quality for their videos.

Tripods

Tripods are essential for creating stable and professional-looking YouTube videos. There are many types, so you’ll need to decide which is the best tripod for your needs. The main types include traditional tripods, ideal for stationary shots; gorilla pods, which offer flexibility and can be wrapped around objects for unique angles; and handheld gimbals, which stabilize video while moving, perfect for vlogs and dynamic shots. Each type serves different filming conditions and styles, improving video quality by providing stability, reducing camera shake, and allowing precise framing.

Lighting

Your YouTube lighting setup really matters. It can be a little daunting to understand at first, but knowing the different types of lights you need and what each can achieve can totally transform your videos. We’ll briefly explain three different types you’ll find useful.

Ideally, you’ll need a key light and a shadow light if you’re filming any talking-head videos (interviews, narration in front of the camera, tech reviews, etc.). These are your “main lights.” You’ll want to choose a big, bright LED panel that can be mounted on a tripod, comes with a softbox or umbrella to diffuse the light, and makes it easy enough to change the temperature and brightness.

LED light boxes

Expect to see one of these in any vlog lighting setup. Small LED light boxes such as the Aputure MC are perfect because they’re small, powerful, and lightweight. On models like the Aputure MC, you can even change the color and color temperature. They can either be mounted on your camera to provide additional lighting or placed in the background to add some depth and light to your scene.

Ring lights

If you vlog frequently, film on your smartphone for TikTok, or work in the beauty industry, ring lights are a necessary purchase. They produce a nice, even light that brings out the subject’s eyes.

Creative assets

Although not a physical piece of YouTube equipment, creative assets are used by all the best YouTube filmmaking channels to produce high-quality, professional videos on the platform:

Royalty-free music

Using music in videos can be tricky. Adding a random song to your video could result in a copyright strike, which could lead to your channel being deleted altogether.

On the other hand, royalty-free music from Artlist will put those worries to bed and let you focus on making the best content you can. Check out Artlist’s curated library of music.

Sound effects

Sound is essential to your video, and using sound effects is a powerful way to amplify the effect of your audio. As with music, SFX should also be licensed, so head over to Artlist to check out the extensive catalog of royalty-free SFX.

Stock video

Using stock video is a great way to save money and diversify your visuals. After all, many of us don’t have the time or resources to capture every shot for our YouTube videos. On Artlist, you can find royalty-free stock footage shot by the industry’s top cinematographers, unlimited downloads, and a license covering every type of video.

Templates

Creating YouTube intros, motion graphics, or animations can be a painful, time-intensive process. Save yourself that anguish by browsing the thousands of video templates available for use right now on Artlist. Their millions of assets will help you take your videos to a whole new level.

Editing software

Without good editing software, it’s difficult to make a high-quality video. Editing is where your story gets stitched together – where the magic really happens and where your film comes to life. So, it’s important to pick the right editing software for you. Here are a few of our top recommendations.

iMovie

iMovie is amazing. It’s among the best budget video editing software out there because, well, it’s free! It’s a simplified, easy-to-use video editing tool targeted at non-technical consumers and YouTube creators. This is the best bet for anyone who owns a Mac (that’s the one requirement) and needs a fast, simple way to edit and format videos for YouTube.

FCPX

Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) is Apple’s more professional, grown-up editing software. Again, it will lock you into using Apple hardware, but it’s hard to argue with how good this program is. There may be a steep learning curve for beginners, but once you get the hang of it, you won’t go back.

Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is the alternative to Final Cut Pro X. It fits well into the ecosystem of other Adobe software, such as After Effects and Illustrator, and is used by professionals throughout the creator economy. It’s expensive and has a steep learning curve like FCPX, but you’ll have everything you need. Plus, they just made some pretty impressive updates and released a great new beta version.

Wrapping up

That’s our essential YouTube equipment checklist for beginners. If you’ve been Googling “equipment needed for YouTube channel” to figure it all out, we hope this helps you out. It can certainly be tempting to buy everything you see recommended by your favorite YouTubers.

Sometimes, we can get distracted by theoretical concerns, such as YouTube’s new layout, but all that truly matters is having the bare basics and creating some great content.

Grabbing these particular YouTuber accessories and the software and creative assets we mentioned will ensure you have everything ready to start your YouTube journey.