JUST RELEASED: Panasonic LUMIX G9

With all the talk about the upcoming Panasonic GH5s, I’ve seen little attention given to the new Panasonic LUMIX G9. This camera looks to bridge the gap between the current G85 and GH5 cameras, and addresses some of the downfalls of other cameras. To begin with, the camera records 4K video at 60fps and 1080p up to 180fps – similar to the GH5. Where it lacks is in the color depth; the G9 isn’t capable of internal 4:2:2 10bit recording like the GH5, only 4:2:0 8-bit, so keep that in mind if you intend to color grade footage.

Though the camera is intended to improve Panasonic’s position in the stills photography market, there are some nice video features that are a step in the right direction. The new G9 has 6 stop image stabilization compared to 5 stop on the GH5 and G85, allowing for improved stabilization of handheld footage. Panasonic has also improved the autofocus, with 0.04 seconds for single point autofocus, faster than both the GH5 and G85, and allowing them to compete with Sony cameras. This camera also has better autofocus tracking features, as well as focus peaking for those that prefer manual focus.

Another great feature is the dual SD card slots. On many professional cameras, you’ll find dual SD card slots that can allow for in-camera backups. Even with high end SD cards, the simple truth is that they do fail, and having dual slots can prevent disaster when the footage is important.

Compared to the GH5, there are still some problems with video for this camera. The camera is limited to 10 minutes at 4k 60, or 30 minutes at lower frame rates, but it is capable of clean output to an external recorder for 8-bit 4:2:2 footage. Like other Panasonic cameras, there’s a built-in microphone jack to improve audio recording, and it also features power over USB for prolonged use.

Viltrox L116T LED Panel - Inexpensive Small Light for YouTubers

A little while back I was looking for a small light for creating product reviews on YouTube. After much research, I decided the Viltrox L116T LED panel was the right choice for my needs. This is an inexpensive LED panel that’s great for creating videos.

On the back of the panel, we have a small display, power switch and a knob/button. When the knob is turned it adjusts the brightness of the panel from 20-100%. This can be seen on the display panel. Pressing the knob causes the color temperature indicator on the display to flash, and lets us adjust the color temperature from 3300K to 5600K. This is good to match other lights in the room, that way you can accurately set your white balance.

The build quality on this light is fairly decent for the price. The panel is made of plastic, but it seems fairly sturdy, and the 1/4-20 mount in the bottom is made of metal. This is good for people who need a cheap panel that works, but I wouldn’t recommend it for much more than home use, since it can probably break easily, unless you have another backup light available.


As for the light, it’s surprisingly softer than I expected. With the panel close by, the large size of the panel doesn’t leave hard shadows on the subject. The panel isn’t the brightest one available, but it is good enough within a few feet. It does what I expected for the price and size, and I wouldn’t expect it to work well for a larger scene. Unlike some other cheap panels, I didn’t notice any color tint, since some cheaper panels can cause a green tint that makes them useless for video.

There are two ways to power the Viltrox L116T panel. Neither of the power options are included with the panel itself, but they can both be purchased along with the panel. The first way to power the panel is with a 12V DC power adapter. In this case, you don’t need to worry about having batteries charged whenever you need to shoot. In my case, the increased portability of using batteries was more of an advantage, so I instead chose to use the generic Sony-style batteries to power the panel. This kit comes with one charger and 2 batteries.

The one disadvantage of powering the LED panel with the batteries, is it does seem to dim slightly as the battery level starts to drop. This can lead to inconsistent lighting between and a fresh and nearly dead battery. If this is a concern to you, using the power adapter would be a better solution.

There are two ways to mount this panel. The LED panel has a 1/4-20 mount to attach to a light stand. In my case, I’ll be adapting this thread to a microphone boom stand that way I have good control over the position of the light while filming. The LED package also has a 1/4-20 cold shoe adapter, so that way it can be mounted on top of a camera, but this is made of cheap plastic and I generally avoid using it.

So what is this panel good for? The best use for this panel is lighting objects or people within a few feet of the light panel. With that said, I use it on my YouTube videos, but it wouldn’t be good for lighting larger scenes, or for subjects farther away. It’s a cheap panel that just does what I expected it to, making it perfect for YouTubers and small video creators that just need to add a little light so they can keep their ISO down and get cleaner video.

Video Gear for YouTubers

When growing a YouTube channel, there will inevitably come a point where you decide it’s time to increase your production value. Though new equipment isn’t a substitute for creativity and quality content, it does give you the proper tools to make it happen. In the following article, we’ll cover some budget equipment that YouTubers can consider when getting started.

Video Recording

There are a few cameras we recommend for YouTube content creation, depending on what you’re using it for. For people on a tight budget, the best option will still be to use a modern smartphone. Many of these cameras can now shoot 4K video, but at the very least can shoot 1080p. Though smartphone video is improving, they are still limited by their small sensor size. They lack in low light performance, leading to noisy footage, which requires lighting to make better. Cellphones also don’t have different lens options, and it’s a lot more difficult to get a narrow depth of field. For a little better quality compared to a cellphone, the next step up is a Canon Rebel DSLR. Many of these can be purchases used, and we recommend getting at least a T4i due to the improved autofocus capabilities.


For content creators looking for a newer camera, Panasonic has a few great options. The cheapest good option is the Panasonic G7, which shoots 4K video at 30 frames per second. This doesn’t shoot quite as well as the Panasonic GH5, with its 4K video at 60 frames per second and 10-bit 4:2:2 video at 30 frames per second, but it comes in at only a fraction of the price.


For a few more specialized purposes, we have other recommendations. First, vloggers should check out the Sony RX100 V. This camera is a compact point and shoot with a completely retractable lens, allowing it to easily fit in a pocket. It also shoots video in 4K and has a flip up screen so you can see yourself while recording. Though you don’t get the interchangeable lenses of the other cameras, the portability of this setup has its own advantages. The other option for small cameras is an action camera. These are used in situations where you can’t get a bigger camera, and are known for their versatile mounting options and durability, especially since they have waterproof housings. Though the GoPro is a popular option, many people will find they can get similar performance out of a YI 4K action camera, at about half the price.

Lighting and Backdrops

Along with video, lighting is absolutely essential. You can have a very high quality video camera, but the footage will still be ruined if shooting without adequate lighting. For small lights that can be used close by for lighting a person, or for lighting small products for review, we recommend the Viltrox L116T. This is a small LED light panel that works off batteries or a power adapter. It can be mounted on a camera hot shoe, on a cage, or on a light stand. The light panel has adjustable color temperate, as well as brightness.

For softer lighting over a large scene, a softbox kit like the LimoStudio 700W lighting kit will work well. Though these light panels can output a large amount of soft light, they don’t necessarily have the best color accuracy and there is no adjustable brightness setting.

Those looking for a professional lighting setup should consider an Aputure light kit. These portable LED panels also output a lot of light, plus they provide more accurate colors, have adjustable brightness, and can be battery powered.

Along with lighting, it can also be nice to setup a backdrop, whether it’s just a plain grey color or a green screen. In either case, there are backdrop kits available to make this easier. Regardless of the backdrop kit choice, they will require a large amount of consistent light, so softbox lighting is essential. Backdrops aren’t necessary for every creator, but they are nice if you want to have a clean looking, consistent set from video to video.

Capturing Quality Audio

People are willing to forgive a lot when it comes to the quality of your content, but poor audio is not one of those things. Regardless of whether you’re shooting on Red or an old cellphone, noisy, distorted audio will absolutely ruin the quality of your video.

There are a few good options available for creating budget YouTube videos. The first is to use an on-camera microphone. This increases the quality of the audio being recorded directly to the camera. It’s less flexible that using a dedicated audio recorder, but it’s a tremendous improvement over the default audio quality. A good quality option that’s popular among many content creators is the Rode VideoMic Pro, which is a directional on-camera condenser microphone. Though the Rode VideoMics are great for this purpose, there are cheaper options available, such as the TAKSTAR SGC-598. Some people prefer using lavalier microphones instead, but this requires a dedicated audio recorder or wireless system. Lavaliers take a little more effort to set up, and aren’t usually suitable for spontaneous shooting.


If your content relies more on tutorial videos, reviews, or animations without having yourself on-camera, then a USB microphone might be more suitable. These standalone microphones require nothing but a USB connection and recording software to work, making them suitable for people without much experience in audio production. A versatile option that’s good for most people is the Blue Yeti. XLR audio interfaces usually provide better quality over USB microphones. However, good audio quality can easily be achieved with a USB microphone without the expense and extra space taken up by the equipment.

Stabilization and Support

There are plenty of stabilization and support options available that would interest content creators, so we’ve created a separate article on this topic.

Camera Stabilization and Support for YouTubers

No matter what sort of camera you’re using for YouTube, proper support and stabilization is essential to avoid that unprofessional shaky look. Though the professional systems used on your favorite large films can cost tens of thousands of dollars, getting smooth shots doesn’t have to be so painful. There are many different systems worth considering, and they all have their unique advantages and disadvantages for different use cases.

Tripods and Monopods

For most people, the best way to increase their video stabilization is with a solid tripod. Not all tripods are created equal, and many new video creators are surprised when they learn what a professional system may cost. Luckily, there are still budget options that are definitely worth getting. One solid option is the Davis & Sanford Provista 7518b, which we did a separate review on here. This high quality budget tripod has a 75mm half-bowl mount tripod head and supports large camera rigs up to 18 pounds. I like the inclusion of a bowl mount on this tripod. It allows the tripod head to be quickly leveled when setting up, without the need for the tripod legs to be the same length. This isn’t a big deal for photographers, but it’s important when filming video since you can’t level the shot during editing. I often find myself using this tripod for use on my YouTube videos, especially B-roll shots of products when working on reviews. The head provides fairly smooth pans and tilts, but I would have liked to have an adjustable tension for the pan friction. To me, the pan friction is a little loose, which can lead to inconsistent panning speeds at times. The good news is, this tripod can easily be upgraded to another head in the future if you find its not working out, whether you use a normal 75mm tripod head, or a standard flat base head with a 75mm half-bowl adapter.

If you require more of a portable solution, a monopod could be a better option for you. They’re much smaller than tripods and can often be thrown in a bag and carried much easier. Monopods have only one support and can usually fit a video head, although with a lower weight capacity. The often have a tilting base, which can allow them to achieve sliding shots in some cases. When choosing a monopod, we recommend a free-standing option with its own feet, that way you’re not constantly holding it up. If you require both a tripod and monopod for different situations, there are hybrid tripod/monopod options available.

Overhead Camera Angles

Many content creators are often looking for a solution that will give them a top down perspective when filming. These are often used on a tabletop for unboxing or cooking videos, when the best shot is a looking straight down on the object. These support systems often don’t allow for any motion in the shots, and they’re known as overhead camera rigs. One simple option that’s available is the Glide Gear Overhead Camera Rig. This system is placed on a tabletop and holds the camera facing downwards.

For those who aren’t looking to invest in a dedicated overhead rig, there are also extendable tripods that allow the head to tilt to a top-down perspective.

Sliders

Shots that move side-to-side without that change in angle from panning are often made using a slider. Though you can do this by hand, sliders offer a few advantages. First, they support the camera and prevent that jitter you get from freehand motion. Second, they keep the camera on a straight track allowing for more consistent shots. Finally, professional sliders can often be combined with a motor or flywheel, allowing them to achieve perfectly smooth motion, especially when the camera is moving slowly.

Camera sliders often come in different lengths, usually between 60 and 150 cm. Smaller sliders are more portable, but they don’t allow much range of motion. Larger sliders provide a longer distance which is helpful in larger scenes, but they often flex if mounted in the center and require a much more robust support system.

There are two main types of sliders available. The first is a friction slider. These can often sell for under $50, but they’re made cheap. All they are is a rail and a plate with a camera mount on top, often with a plastic strip in between to avoid direct contact between the metal components. These systems are not very good and don’t provide very smooth motion. The next type of slider is a bearing slider, which typically starts at around $100. These also have a plate sliding along a track, but instead they use a set of bearings to ensure smoother contact between plate and rails. Bearing sliders can often be made of a metal track or carbon fibers rails, but they both effectively work the same way. The motion provided by a bearing slider is much smoother and easier to control, and they can often be combined with accessories such as a flywheel or motor.

At the low end, the cheapest slider that has acceptable results is the Neewer carbon fiber slider. This slider works on a dual-rail bearing system and provides smooth enough results with a little practice. The problem with this slider is that there are no available accessories, so the smoothness and speed of the sliding motion is entirely dependent on the skill of the operator. Some people have also had a few issues with the motion being a little stiff near the center, and loosening up towards the edge, leading to speed inconsistency.


An intermediate slider is offered by Konova, which creates solid metal sliders. These are some of the cheapest sliders available that offer a wide variety of flywheel, motor, and timelapse accessories. They’re a good starting point for creators, since they can be upgraded over time as your needs evolve. Konova sliders have a much better build quality than Neewer, however their metal rails can pick up dirt along the track which lead to bumps in the motion, meaning they require maintenance and cleaning for optimal performance.

For a truly professional grade slider, there are great options available such as the Rhino Slider and Edelkrone slider, however, the return you get on your investment starts to diminish at this point.


Higher end motorized sliders can also provide great features such as time lapse support. Creating a sliding time lapse is a great way to establish a new scene, especially if there’s a lot of slow activity, such as clouds moving by outdoors. Adding a moving time lapse, can give you a professional look, but systems to do this can be fairly expensive. One good example of a rig that can do this is the Rhino Slider with Motion. These sliders can support side to side motion, and often also have pan capabilities. They can be programmed to slide the camera a certain distance along their length, and take a certain number of shots during a specified time. When choosing one of these systems, it’s not as simple as just using a regular motorized slider with an intervalometer to trigger the time lapse. The slider and intervalometer must work together, snapping each picture while the camera is not moving. Though this isn’t a big deal during the day when a short shutter speed can be used, it is essential for creating night time lapses due to the longer exposure time required.

Gimbals and Glidecams

A great way to achieve a longer smooth shot, such as following an actor or actress, is with a gimbal. These stabilizers allow for a wider range of motion than a tripod or slider, since the camera can be held freehand. The role of a gimbal is to hold the camera as stationary as possible, all while the operators’ hand can be moving. They even have been used to create smooth footage where it would have otherwise been unusable, such as while holding the camera and running.


Since most video creators reading this article will likely be shooting their video on a DSLR or mirrorless camera, they’re able to use a gimbal like the Zhiyun Crane 2, which has a maximum weight capacity of 7 pounds. This covers most small cameras with a reasonably sized lens, but it won’t work for a large telephoto lens. If your video setup only uses a small camera like an action camera, there are smaller options available like the Feiyu G5 V2. These are cheaper than the full size gimbals, and they’re more portable and easier to carry around for longer periods of time due to their lightweight design.

Though previously a lot of these shots were done with a Glidecam, the price of 3-axis motorized gimbals has dropped substantially in recent years. Gimbals are often much easier to operate and balance compared to a Glidecam, and they can provide professional results without much practice, provided you at least learn how to control it. The motors in a gimbal can also compensate for being slightly out of balance, whereas glidecams struggle in this area. This is especially important when using zoom lenses, since changing the focal length alters the balance of the camera system.

Due to the available options now for gimbals, we wouldn’t recommend glidecam-style stabilizers for video production unless you’re working on a tight budget and are looking for a cheaper way to create smooth motion. In that case, a Neewer stabilizer will work, but they can be a lot of hassle and still not provide the best results.



Overall, smooth motion is a great way to improve the quality of videos for YouTube. Nothing looks more unprofessional than shaky footage, and smooth footage can really provide a nice cinematic look to your content. Though many people are scared off by the vast selection of support and stabilization equipment available, we hope this article provided a great overview of some of the available options than will help you achieve the best results for your situation.

Davis & Sanford Provista 7518B - Best Starter Tripod Available

The Davis & Sanford PROVISTA7518B Fluid Video Tripod is an excellent entry-level video tripod with a fluid head. This tripod is solidly built and will function for a variety of filming and photography applications.

One of the great reasons to choose this tripod over the Magnus VT-4000 is the use of a standard 75mm bowl mount. Unlike the Magnus tripod, the Davis & Sanford can be upgraded with a Manfrotto MVH502A Video Head in the future. This allows for some better performance, without needing to buy an entirely new tripod. In my case, I instead chose a flat base video head, since I can use it with my Konova K2 Slider. This can be made to work with this tripod, but it requires the use of a 75mm bowl adapter.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a tripod is the quality of the fluid head. The fluid head basically acts to provide drag so that movements are smooth when panning and tilting. That way, any small changes in pressure don’t have as much of an effect on the camera movement. Smooth camera movement is one very obvious factor that separates professional and amateur video.

The fluid head on this tripod definitely provides smooth movement. When using it, it’s a little easier to get a smooth tilt that it is to pan. This is more down to practice, since it’s easily to push the handle straight down than it is to maintain a smooth motion of your hand across your mid-line.

Even though this tripod has a fluid head, it definitely still takes some practice and technique to get smooth movements. Even so, new users will find the video very usable and any movement from an inexperienced user can easily be cleaned up during editing using something like Adobe’s Warp Stabilizer.

After a little practice with this tripod, tilting the head seems to work best with my hands placed at the end of the handle. This gives a longer range of movement and makes it really smooth. As for panning, I prefer to have one hand on the camera grip and another right near the base of the handle on the other side of the video head. Having two points of contact gives a lot more control and prevents the slightly jerky movement of each hand from affecting the camera as much.

 

One fantastic feature of this tripod is the adjustable head. The center handle can be loosened, which allows the head to tilt side to side, forwards and backwards. If the tripod isn’t on level ground, or the legs aren’t set to exactly the same length because you’re in a hurry, you can quickly adjust the position of the head to get it level. There’s even a small bubble level just to make sure it’s straight. This is especially important for video, since it’s very difficult to rotate a video clip during editing without losing quality and resolution.

My version of the tripod has the slightly older FM182 fluid head. The newer V18 head is very similar, but has a few improvements to some of the locks, making them a bit easier to use with a camera installed. In particular, the lock that holds the camera clip in place can’t be tightened properly when using a DSLR camera because it can’t rotate. I’ve been able to get around this issue by tightening it almost all the way, and just tightening the last part when I put the camera on. Aside from this small issue, the rest of the video head is fairly straightforward to use.

As for photography, I’ve also used this tripod for astrophotography. Even on a windy night, it’s solid construction prevents it from moving around, especially when all the clamps are properly tightened. With this tripod, you can easily shoot long exposure shots without worrying about the camera moving.

The video head construction on this tripod really surpassed expectations. The head is absolutely massive and is completely made out of metal, except for the strong plastic hand grips. It was a pleasant surprise when I noticed even the clamps and locks were all metal, unlike some cheaper tripods where they would all be plastic that could break easily.

The tripod legs are also very solid. The legs are all metal except for the clamps, feet, and a hinge assembly that connects it to the video head. All the clamps seem to be well constructed and can easily hold the tripod at whatever height it is set at with a heavy rig on top.

This tripod isn’t designed to be lightweight and portable. The tripod and bag together weigh in at right around 10 pounds, which is significantly more than some of the carbon fiber tripods available today. It’s also about 3 feet long when collapsed, so don’t expect to be carrying it around in your backpack. This tripod is intended to support heavy camera rigs and be used in larger production situations, so you’ll be disappointed if you’re looking for something to carry around everywhere.

Unlike some of the cheap knockoff brands available online, this tripod also features a very durable bag. The material, zippers, and clips are all very well built, and the logo is actually embroidered instead of being just a printed label. There’s also increased padding around the video head. This can act to protect the video head itself, but honestly I think you’d be more likely to put a dent in the floor with the weight of this head than to damage it, so the padding can protect against that as well.

Overall, the Davis & Sanford PROVISTA7518B Fluid Video Tripod is one of the best fluid video tripods available for the money. We would highly recommend this to anyone looking to make their own videos and add a sense of professionalism with smooth pan and tilt camera motion.