Quality images can elevate the look and professionalism of your blog. So, which is the best camera for blogging and/or vlogging? It’s worth putting down your phone cam to find a more high-end blogging/vlogging camera with more capabilities. We’ll break down the 10 best cameras for blogging and vlogging and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Contents
What to Consider in a Blogging or Vlogging Camera
A blogger’s needs are different than a professional photographer’s. Most bloggers can get away without a cutting edge, professional camera. This is less true for many vloggers, where video quality is very important.
High megapixels in modern digital cameras aren’t always necessary. Full (1080p) HD has just over 2MP while even high end UHD 4K monitors are less than 8.5MP. Images of 20, 30, or 40MP are not necessary and will likely slow down page load times. A camera with a lower number of megapixels but that has a very high ISO range for shooting in variable lighting conditions will be the better choice.
When choosing a blogging camera, think about your budget and what your needs are. While a point and shoot or a compact camera could work, an interchangeable lens camera may be the best option. Being able to change lenses will offer more flexibility and set up a kit perfect for the subject you’re shooting. A high-quality lens on a budget body will give you far better results than a more expensive body with a low-quality lens.
Best Cameras for Blogging
While bloggers will have different needs that are met by different cameras, here are our top choices for blogging.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | Sony a6500 | Canon Rebel T7i | Nikon D5600 |
| Type | APS-C Mirrorless | APS-C DSLR | APS-C DSLR |
| Resolution | 24MP | 24MP | 24MP |
| Video Resolution | 4K | 1080p | 1080p |
| Image Stabilization | 5-Axis In Body | Lens Only | Lens Only |
| Max Burst Rate | 11 FPS | 6 FPS | 5 FPS |
| Changeable Lenses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display Screen | Tilting Touchscreen | Fully Articulating Touchscreen | Fully Articulating Touchscreen |
| Weight | 1 lb | 1.17 lbs | 1.02 lbs |
| 3 Day Rental* | $61 | $37 | $35 |
Sony a6500 ($39 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Sony a6500 is small enough that it can go with you anywhere, without being so small that it’s hard to use. It has the benefits of a mirrorless cameras’ smaller body size but less battery life than most DSLRs offer.
There are a wide range of lenses available for it, spanning from affordable to high end. It has great photo capabilities, including high burst rates and a very good autofocus, as well as stabilized 4K video.
Benefits:
- 4K video with great 5-axis in-body stabilization
- 11 frames per second and very good autofocus allow capturing fast action
- Weather resistant body
- External mic port
- Great low light performance
Canon Rebel T7i ($34 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Rebel is Canon’s entry-tier camera. While it doesn’t have the capabilities of Canon’s higher-end cameras, it’s still a great DSLR option and is fully compatible with all Canon lenses.
Benefits:
- Relatively compact and light
- Able to shoot 1080p video up to 60 FPS with Canon’s Dual Pixel AF
- Fully articulating touchscreen
- Decent battery life
- Automatic mode works well for casual or beginner photographers
- Good autofocus
- Relatively inexpensive
Nikon D5600 ($36 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Nikon D5600 is a direct competitor to the Canon Rebel T7i, and each one have strengths over the other. They’re both great entry-level DSLRs with good image quality and battery life and both have lens options. Nikon has some of the best low light sensors available and the D5600 benefits from this. If you expect to be shooting in challenging light, this camera can help you get the pictures you want.
Benefits:
- Very good low light performance and dynamic range
- Capable of shooting 1080p video at up to 60 FPS
- Small size and good price
- Huge number of great lenses available, including from third party brands
- Good battery life
Best Cameras for Travel Blogging and Vlogging
Travel blogging combines different styles of photography such as street, landscape – both natural and urban – architectural, and even food photography. There are benefits to each feature, such as being light, easy to carry around, and being relatively unobtrusive when shooting in a crowd. These cameras are also suitable choices for vloggers.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | Fuji X-T20 | Nikon D7500 | Sony RX100 VI |
| Type | APS-C Mirrorless | APS-C DSLR | 1” Sensor Compact |
| Resolution | 24MP | 20.9MP | 20.1MP |
| Video Resolution | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Image Stabilization | Lens Only | Lens Only | 5-Axis In Body |
| Max Burst Rate | 8 FPS | 8 FPS | 24 FPS |
| Changeable Lenses | Yes | Yes | Fixed Only – 24-200mm Equivalent |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display Screen | Tilting Touchscreen | Tilting Touchscreen | Tilting Touchscreen |
| Weight | 0.84 lbs | 1.41 lbs | 0.66 lbs |
| 3 Day Rental* | $43 | $49 | $54 |
Fuji X-T20 ($40 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Fuji X-T20 is the smaller little brother to the X-T2. At 383 grams, it’s one of the smallest interchangeable lens cameras that you can buy. It’s comfortable to carry around all day and if you’re concerned with the aesthetic of your camera, it has a trendy vintage SLR design.
Benefits:
- Very small and light
- 8 frames per second burst shooting
- Good low light performance
- Good dynamic range
- Able to capture 4K video
- External mic input
Nikon D7500 ($41 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
Unlike the other travel blogging cameras, the Nikon D7500 is a larger camera that’s not as easy to carry around. It does, however, offer other great benefits. Because it’s a DSLR, it will have a far greater battery life than mirrorless cameras, allowing you to shoot longer without having to worry about switching out batteries. Nikon offers some of the best low light performance, allowing you to shoot in more difficult lighting conditions.
Benefits:
- Fantastic image quality and dynamic range, even at high ISOs
- Great autofocus when shooting stills
- Very good ergonomics
- 4K video
- 8 frames per second burst shooting
- Good weather sealing
Sony RX100 VI ($49 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Sony RX100 VI doesn’t have an interchangeable lens, but with a 24-200mm equivalent lens, travel bloggers will have plenty of focal length flexibility. It’s a very small – 0.6 lbs – package that’s easy to take with you anywhere you go. Although it’s small, it has great autofocus and a 24 frame per second burst mode that will let you capture action. It also has stabilized 4K video – or 1080p up to 120 FPS for slow-motion footage.
Benefits:
- 24-200mm equivalent focal length gives a lot of flexibility
- Very good video with stabilization
- Very good autofocus
- Small and portable
- Very good dynamic range
Best Cameras for Vlogging
Vloggers who are creating content for YouTube or Vimeo require different features in a camera. Aside from the obvious video capabilities, a vlogger may need extra audio inputs and a screen that can flip out. Additionally, the demands of shooting video consume batteries more quickly.
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | Canon 6D Mark II | Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II | Panasonic GH5 | Sony a7R III |
| Type | Full Frame DSLR | 1” Sensor Compact | Micro Four Thirds Mirrorless | Full Frame Mirrorless |
| Resolution | 26MP | 20MP | 20MP | 42MP |
| Video Resolution | 1080p | 1080p | 4K | 4K |
| Image Stabilization | Lens Only | Dynamic IS | 5-Axis In Body | 5-Axis In Body |
| Max Burst Rate | 6.5 FPS | 8 FPS | 11.9 FPS | 10 FPS |
| Changeable Lenses | Yes | Fixed Only – 24-100mm Equivalent | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display Screen | Fully Articulating Touchscreen | Tilting Touchscreen | Fully Articulating Touchscreen | Tilting Touchscreen |
| Weight | 1.51 lbs | 0.71 lbs | 1.60 lbs | 1.45 lbs |
| 3 Day Rental* | $83 | $39 | $87 | $125 |
Canon 6D Mark II ($58 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Canon 6D Mark II is sometimes criticized for its lack of any truly standout features. However, as a whole, the 6D Mark II works well and is reliable in providing high quality still images and video footage.
Benefits:
- Uses Canon’s Dual Pixel AF system which is among the best video autofocus available
- Fully articulating touchscreen LCD
- Full frame sensor makes wide angles and shallow depth of field effects more accessible
- Good low light performance
- Weather sealed
- Great battery life
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II ($33 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The features vloggers need are going to push them into more expensive bodies. For those who need to shoot video on a tighter budget, the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II gives you a lot in a small compact camera body.
Benefits:
- Very small and light (0.7 lbs)
- Affordable
- 8 frames per second burst shooting
- 24-100mm equivalent lens gives good focal length options
- Face Detect AF does a good job, though not at good as Dual Pixel AF
- “Dynamic IS” combining in-lens and electronic IS
- Very good still image and video quality
Panasonic GH5 ($74 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
Panasonic built the foundation for mirrorless camera video capabilities and continues to push what a mirrorless camera can offer to video shooters. However, it still maintains strong with photography capabilities as well.
Benefits:
- Full sensor (cropless) 4K capture
- Many video-centric tools including Log profiles (upgradeable option), built-in LUT display, and waveform and vectorscope displays
- Very effective 5-axis in-body image stabilization
- Dual UHS-II card slots
- Weather-sealed body
- Decent AF capabilities
- Up to 180 FPS in 1080p shooting mode
Sony a7R III ($88 for a 3 Day Rental – See More)
The Sony a7R III has become one of the most popular cameras for vloggers, and for good reason. It features some of the best video capture abilities and offers great still photos as well. It’s a great option for vloggers wanting top-tier equipment. But this comes at a more expensive price. See also the Sony a7 III, which blends features from the a7R III and the a7S II.
Benefits:
- 42 megapixel still images
- Full frame sensor
- 4K video
- Up to 120 FPS in 1080p video
- 10 frames per second burst shooting
- Log video profiles
- Very good low light performance
- 5-axis in-body image stabilization
One of the biggest challenges bloggers face is having to create a consistent amount of quality images to support their blogs. Luckily, the best camera for blogging/vlogging is one that helps deliver your message and brand to your audience in a beautiful way. Choose a camera that you are comfortable with and are willing to carry nearly anywhere.
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