My Portable Video Blogging Equipment Kit – Record When and Where You Desire!

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT LINKS: Watch the video for details – here are links to Amazon if you’d like to purchase any of these items. These links are affiliate links so if you purchase I will earn a small commission. Each of the products here are products that I’m using (other than the metal cage as the model I’m using is no longer available). Product Links: Camera: Your mobile phone (iPhone or Android) Tripod: Dolica GX700P106 70 Inch Proline Tripod https://amzn.to/39Q9lrL Mini Tripod: Manfrotto PIXI EVO 2-Section Mini Tripod https://amzn.to/3stbQa8 Gimbal: DJI OM 4 – Handheld 3-Axis Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer with Grip, Tripod, Gimbal Stabilizer https://amzn.to/37HNMcm Mobile Phone/Camera Cage: Neewer Metal Smartphone Video Rig, Phone Stabilizer Grip Tripod Mount https://amzn.to/3laBDQ0 LED Video Light: ULANZI VL49 2000mAh LED Video Light https://amzn.to/3L8NfxI Wireless Microphone(s): 2.4GHz Wireless Lavalier Microphone System, Saramonic Blink500 B2 Dual-Channel Mic Two Transmitters https://amzn.to/3w8tySo Wireless Microphone Cable/Converter: Movo MC3 3.5mm TRS to TRRS Adapter – Microphone Adapter for iPhone and Android https://amzn.to/3svJJqu Portable Microphone: Movo VXR10 Universal Video Microphone with Shock Mount https://amzn.to/3l7stnI TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00] Have you ever wondered what type of equipment you need to record video on the go, or maybe create that new video blog you’re looking for? Well, today I’m going to share with you the kit that I use or the parts that I use in order to do video recording virtually anywhere. [00:00:19] Hi, I’m Jonathan Mast and today I want to share with you the items that I use to do my on the go video recording, whether it’s for my video blog, my podcast, or just short videos that I need to record for business. The first thing we want to talk about is the camera and the camera’s probably the easiest part as you’ve already got it. [00:00:36] What is it? Very simply? It’s your smartphone. If you’ve got a smartphone that’s been produced in the last number of years, that can record HD, which would be 1080 P video or better. That’s all. Even this old iPhone 11 that I’ve got here, records in 4k video, which is even better and is more than adequate for anything that I need to be shooting for online web based video. [00:01:02] Perfect. Even looks great on a big screen TV. So don’t go out and spend a ton of money on a camera. At least not yet. Begin by using your mobile phone. There are some other things you need in order to make your phone work well, so that your video looks great. And I want to share with you the rest of the items that I recommend here. [00:01:21] So the first thing we want to do is we need to pick up is a tripod. The tripod will hold your phone steady and allow you to move around while having a steady shot, which is very important. There are all kinds of tripods you can get. I find that one of the best values out there is this tripod from Dolica it’s a 70 inch professional tripod, and even includes. , [00:01:46] The head on the top that allows you, if you had a second person with you to pan and move that easily. Very good tripod. I have owned the sister to this one for nearly six years. It’s been thrown around in my vehicle. It’s been used outdoors and in a multitude of shoots and it still works great. [00:02:05] Highly recommended as the time of this recording. This one’s about $65. Again, I think a great value for what you get and a great tripod over. The next thing I recommend is a mini tripod. You go, Jonathan, why do I need a mini-tripod? Well, that first tripod I showed you can go up to 70 inches and is great to sit on the ground when you’re standing up or walking around. [00:02:28] But you may find occasions when you need to actually set your camera or your phone, maybe on a desk or a filing cabinet, or even the hood of a vehicle, while you’re doing some filming. And this mini tripod gives you the ability to do that, to keep that shot nice and steady and works very, very well. There are cheaper versions available in this case, than this Manfrotto, but I highly recommend you spend the extra money to get the Manfrotto. [00:02:53] It is very well-made and will last a very long time. The cheaper versions might save you 15 or $20. But in the big picture, as we’re looking to do this, well, you don’t want to have this mini tripod breaking on you when you’re out in the field, simply because you bought the cheap one. Get the quality mini tripod from Manfrotto for a total of about $38. [00:03:11] I highly recommend this one from Manfrotto. All right. So the next thing we’re going to need is … we want to have a microphone that will allow us to go ahead and record audio. You could record the audio directly through your phone, but I do not recommend that it’s not going to sound good. [00:03:34] You’re going to sound very distant and it’s simply not going to be a good quality sound and that’s going to cause people not to watch. So we want to go ahead and we want to record great sound. And one way to do that is by adding this little shotgun mic to the top of your, your camera and you say, Jonathan how’s it going to Mount with my mobile phone? [00:03:58] I’ll show you in just a moment. So that’s one option, the other option. And my preferred option when it comes to microphones is actually to get a wireless. Hang on here while I find the right one. There we go. This is the wireless microphone that we recommend. [00:04:17] And that’s one here from Saramonic. I’ve owned my system for a couple of years and there are a number of things I like about this kit first and foremost it allows you to walk around up to 200 feet away and still have nice crisp, clear audio as it records on the cavalier microphone which is going to be clipped on your. [00:04:40] The Saramonic wireless microphone system works amazingly well, the kit includes three pieces. The red button piece is the receiver that sits again on your phone and I’ll show you how we’re going to connect all these things to your phone and just a moment, and then to transmitter units. And that’s the other thing I like about the Saramonic kit is that you can be interviewing somebody or having two people on a video. [00:05:02] And have both of you speaking in perfect clarity, having all that recorded and having that sound worked just amazingly well, so highly, highly recommend this. It is a bit more of an investment. I certainly can appreciate at $190 at the time I’m recording this may or may not be in everyone’s budget, if it is, and you can … make it work. [00:05:23] This is absolutely worth the money. Again, very reliable, holds up well, I cannot recommend this one, highly enough. So we’ve showed you a number of things, including the microphone here that we want to get attached, as well as the lights that we were talking about. Oh, there we go. That I missed the lights as I was going through. [00:05:42] I apologize. So I do recommend a light as well, and we want to connect a light so that when you’re out and about, if you’re not in, in good light, you can turn this light on. And again, Create a better looking video. But the other thing that I’d really recommend that you consider, um, one more that actually that you need, I got to fix my recording here. [00:06:02] You’re going to need a transitional cable that tells your phone that the microphone inputs are coming in are actually microphone and not headphones. You’re going to use your headphone port. Uh, we’re going to plug directly into that. But they need, the wiring needs to be changed and we don’t want to change the phone. [00:06:22] So we use this adaptor cable and this tells the phone that is now a microphone for Ian instead of a headphone for out. And everything works really smoothly for $9. Might want to buy an extra one just in case it breaks. Although I have to, and I’ve never had to use the second one. And I bought my last one about two years. [00:06:41] So the other optional item, and this is definitely not something that’s needed, but if you’re looking to create really smooth B-roll shots or background video, maybe if you walking down a trail, walking down the sidewalk downtown, or through an office building or through your home, a gimbal allows you to attach your phone into the gimbal and walk around and it holds through a gyroscopic device. [00:07:05] Your phone. Very steady and allows you to create some amazing video. You’ve probably seen gimbals in Hollywood before. They’re big, massive units that people wear on their shoulders. This is a small handheld one, but it does an amazing job. And it does so for about $180, do you need it? No. Is it good to create more interesting videos and they give you flexibility? [00:07:28] Absolutely. Again, not needed, but something I’d definitely recommend you consider. If you do this and you go through and you buy the. You buy the mini tripod. You go ahead and pick up the light and the microphone. Hopefully the wireless mic as well. Definitely. We’re seeing investment along with the cage and last but not least the adaptor cable you’ll have everything you need to begin recording video easily. [00:07:54] And simply I hope this is helpful. I’ve got links down below in the description. If you’d like to have direct links to Amazon, and those will help you buy things easier. Thanks. And make it a great day. Follow me at https://jonathanmast.com or get help from the digital marketing agency I founded at https://valorouscircle.com