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[New] Optimal Lens Selection for Smooth Vlogging Experience
Optimal Lens Selection for Smooth Vlogging Experience
A Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.
But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?
In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.
- Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
- Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
- Part 3: Crop Factor
- Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
- Part 5: Aperture
- Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization
Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.
Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.
Standard Lens
With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.
Telephoto Lens
Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.
Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.
When to vlog with a wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.
Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.
When to vlog with a standard lens
Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.
Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.
When to vlog with a telephoto lens
As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.
In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?
Crop Factor
Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).
In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.
Focal Length Equivalency Table
This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.
| Focal Length / Sensor | Full Frame | APS-C | Micro 4/3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 16mm | 10mm | 8mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 18mm | 11mm | 9mm |
| Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) | 24mm | 15mm | 12mm |
| Wide | 35mm | 22mm | 18mm |
| Standard | 50mm | 31mm | 25mm |
| Telephoto | 70mm | 44mm | 35mm |
| Telephoto | 100mm | 63mm | 50mm |
| Telephoto | 200mm | 125mm | 100mm |
Aperture
The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).
Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.
Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.
But do you even need a fast lens?
Vlogging With a Fast Lens
Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- Better low-light performance
- Better autofocus performance
- Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)
Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens
- More expensive
- Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
- Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture
Optical Image Stabilization
Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).
OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.
In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.
If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.
Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Navigating Partner Selection for YouTube Joint Ventures
How to Find YouTube Collaboration Partners?
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.
- Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
- Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
- Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
- Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .
Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:
1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.
2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.
People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.
3. Create quality content consistently.
If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.
Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin
This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:
1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.
This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.
2. Keep it simple.
When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.
3. Have ideas.
Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.
Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.
1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.
Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.
2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.
Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.
3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.
If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.
Collab advice starts at around 2:10.
Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.
1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.
If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.
2. Ask questions.
If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.
3. Use Twitter.
Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.
Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?
Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.
- Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
- Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
- Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
- Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .
Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:
1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.
2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.
People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.
3. Create quality content consistently.
If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.
Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin
This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:
1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.
This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.
2. Keep it simple.
When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.
3. Have ideas.
Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.
Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.
1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.
Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.
2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.
Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.
3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.
If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.
Collab advice starts at around 2:10.
Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.
1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.
If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.
2. Ask questions.
If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.
3. Use Twitter.
Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.
Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?
Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.
- Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
- Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
- Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
- Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .
Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:
1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.
2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.
People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.
3. Create quality content consistently.
If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.
Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin
This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:
1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.
This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.
2. Keep it simple.
When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.
3. Have ideas.
Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.
Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.
1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.
Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.
2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.
Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.
3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.
If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.
Collab advice starts at around 2:10.
Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.
1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.
If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.
2. Ask questions.
If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.
3. Use Twitter.
Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.
Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?
Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.
- Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
- Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
- Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
- Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .
Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:
1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.
2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.
People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.
3. Create quality content consistently.
If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.
Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin
This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:
1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.
This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.
2. Keep it simple.
When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.
3. Have ideas.
Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.
Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.
1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.
Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.
2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.
Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.
3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.
If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.
Collab advice starts at around 2:10.
Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.
1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.
If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.
2. Ask questions.
If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.
3. Use Twitter.
Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.
Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?
Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
- Title: [New] Optimal Lens Selection for Smooth Vlogging Experience
- Author: Thomas
- Created at : 2024-05-31 12:48:23
- Updated at : 2024-06-01 12:48:23
- Link: https://youtube-help.techidaily.com/new-optimal-lens-selection-for-smooth-vlogging-experience/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
