The best YouTube cameras in 2021: perfect cameras for getting your videos online
Having the best YouTube camera won’t automatically give you thousands of subscribers — but it will make creating your content so much easier. Having the right kit to hand is incredibly important for both building your channel and your following.
However, buying the best YouTube camera isn’t as simple as just buying the most expensive, advanced camera around. Instead, you want to invest in a body that makes it as easy as possible to shoot high quality footage — and then transfer it from your device and into your editing program and YouTube Studio. After all, the best content in the world is of no use to you if it’s a massive headache to produce. One of the best examples of a YouTube camera that’s simple to use is the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, which can livestream directly to YouTube. This means that you don’t even need the middle-man of a computer to get your content out to your subscribers.
1. Canon Power Shot G7 x mark
Best YouTube camera for livestreaming
Type: Compact | Sensor: 1-inch CMOS | Megapixels: 20.2MP | Lens: 24–100mm f/1.8–2.8 | Screen: 3-inch tilting touchscreen, 1,040,000 dots | Viewfinder: Electronic | Max video resolution: 4K | Mic input: Yes | Headphone port: No
One of the biggest bugbears vloggers and video makers have with Canon is the crop factor when shooting 4K on many of its cameras, but the G7 X Mark III bucks the trend — thank goodness. This high-end compact packs a similar body and an identical lens to the G7 X Mark II, but includes a new sensor and no 4K crop.
It was also the first camera of its kind with a microphone input — vital if you want clean audio, not to mention the ability to livestream straight to YouTube. This means that even if you’ve got an expensive cinema camera, if you also have a G7 X Mark III you can create a fuss-free live setup without any expensive capture cards and a PC.
With its flip-out screen, the G7 X III also gives vloggers a clear view of themselves when they shoot, and thanks to its 20.1MP 1-inch stacked CMOS sensor and Digit 8 processor it’s also able to capture great stills, so your custom thumbnails can pop nicely.
2/Sony RX100 Mark VII
Best YouTube camera for travel vlogging
Type: Compact | Sensor: 1-inch CMOS | Megapixels: 20.2MP | Lens: 24–200mm f/2.8–4.5 | Screen: 3-inch tilting touchscreen, 2,360,000 dots | Viewfinder: Electronic | Max video resolution: 4K | Mic input: Yes | Headphone port: No
The Sony RX100 Mark VII looks virtually identical to its predecessor (the RX100 Mark VI, which is still on the market). But with the newer version you get a microphone input, not to mention a faster sensor packing Sony’s latest autofocus, complete with newly added eye-tracking.
With its articulating screen that faces forward and down, it’s excellent for vlogging, and with a nice, wide 24mm lens that goes all the way out to 200mm it delivers more versatility than the competition too.
A key differentiator for any YouTuber between the RX100 Mark VII and most of its competition is the maximum 4K capture time. While by default it captures a maximum of five minutes of 4K footage, jump into the settings and set the ‘Auto Power OFF Temp’ option to high and it can record for much longer — in excess of one hour.
3/ DJI Osmo Pocket
Best YouTube camera for pocketability
Type: Action camera with gimbal | Sensor: 1/2.3-inch | Megapixels: 12MP | Screen: 1-inch touchscreen | Max video resolution: 4K | Mic input: With adapter | Headphone jack: No
Fuss-free YouTubing never looked so steady, or fitted so easily in pockets and hands. The DJI Osmo Pocket is effectively an all-in-one gimbal/camera combo capable of capturing up to 4K footage and 12MP photos with silky-smooth stabilization, despite being absolutely tiny.
It records onto microSD cards and has a small screen, so YouTubers and vloggers can frame their footage perfectly. If you need a bigger viewfinder it also connects to DJI’s app for iOS and Android, delivering even more granular control with the wireless adaptor, sold separately.
Out of the box there are undeniable limitations, which is unsurprising given the Pocket’s size. There’s no external mic input, the lens isn’t ‘action camera wide’, and there aren’t any mounting options for timelapse video, which the Pocket is capable of shooting.
Having said that, DJI has thought things through, and additional accessories open you up to a world of better audio, and even waterproofing if you’re prepared to kit your Osmo Pocket out.
4/ GoPro Hero 9 Black
Best YouTube action camera for pros
Type: Action camera | Sensor: 1/2.3-inch | Megapixels: 20MP | Screen: 1.4-inch color (front); 2.3-inch touchscreen (rear) | Max video resolution: 5K | Mic input: With adapter | Headphone jack: No
The original action camera brand, GoPro is still a YouTuber favorite, with a world-class flagship product that delivers excellent image quality and stabilization for die-hard action fans and globetrotters. It may be more expensive than the DJI Osmo Action, but the GoPro Hero9 Black now has a 1.4-inch front-facing screen for easy framing of selfies and videos, and there’s a wider range of third-party accessories.
It’s also got some really neat features, the most useful being Hyper Smooth 3.0, an image stabilization system that works so well. The result is super-smooth handheld shots. It’s also really hard to resist the option to capture in 5K video, even though it’s ‘only’ in 30 frames per second (it also fills-up SD cards pretty quick!). There’s more in store from the GoPro Hero9 Black in the shape of the brand’s Max Lens Mod, which makes use of the camera’s removable lens cover by bringing an ultra wide 155º field of view that will be useful for group-vloging, yoga classes, and education. Max Lens Mod will also bring a 360º modes pioneered by the GoPro Max; 360º horizon lock, which means you can rotate through 360º. GoPro now has a suite of modular accessories; the Media Mod wraps around the Hero9 Black and enables Light Mod and Display Mod (if you need an even bigger front-facing screen) to be attached.
5/Canon EOS M6 Mark
Best for Canon lens owners
Type: Mirrorless | Sensor: APS-C | Megapixels: 32.5MP (effective) | Lens mount: Canon EF-M | Screen: 3-inch tilting touchscreen, 1,040,000 dots | Viewfinder: Electronic clip-on (sold separately) | Max video resolution: 4K | Mic input: Yes | Headphone jack: No
With its 32.5MP sensor, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II sports the highest resolution of any APS-C camera, along with the Canon that was announced alongside it. It’s also the first mirrorless stills camera from Canon to capture uncropped 4K video, a boon for YouTubers who need a wide angle for vlogging. With Dual Pixel AF, it’s also a great choice for solo shooters who don’t have a camera person on-hand keeping everything looking sharp.
As with the original M6 there’s no viewfinder, which will suit YouTubers just fine, and the screen flips out, visible over the top of the camera. This isn’t much use if you intend on using the hotshoe for a shotgun mic, but if you have a lav mic for audio it’s a great setup.
With a microphone jack and a USB-C port it’s off to a good start from a connections point of view, and while Canon doesn’t have a wide range of lenses for the M6 Mark II’s EF-M mount, with the addition of an inexpensive adapter the camera can take EF lenses, although still with that APS-C 1.6x crop factor.