Best Video Camera for Youtube

Part of success on YouTube (I have more than a million views) is having something interesting to say. Still, if the video itself grates the nerves of your viewer, they will move on, or leave negative comments.

Start with a good camera and avoid the mistakes I made.

What constitutes a good YouTube camera:

1. Minimum 720 pixel quality. 1080 pixels is better. Youtube works well with either quality.
2. Easy to use focus. The number one complaint I receive is about the autofocus of my camera creating blurry-eye for viewers. I never learned to fix it, despite much effort.
3. Battery life. The camera needs to have a plug-in option or have long-lasting batteries. Batteries dying in the middle of production can kill motivation, and even a video. While batteries charge, other things distract your attention. Some videos never get made.
4. Onboard (permanent) memory. 2 GB to 8 GB seem to be standard. This may be just fine for a one-shot 10 minute video. Multiple shots, HD video, high pixel count video, and a card full of your spouse's vacation shots can shorten your filming session.
5. Memory expansion: Look for current card slots. SD/SDHC/SDXC are some of the card types on the market. These greatly expand filming capacity.
6. Warranty: Does the seller believe in their product? Engineers know exactly (exactly statistically speaking) how to design and specify components to cease functioning the month after the warranty expires. Longer warranties equate directly to longer service life for cameras and all other tech gadgets. Calculate your cost per year. The sale price divided by the years warranteed is a better indicator of value than the sales price alone. For example, Camera A sells for $600 and its warranty is two years. Camera B sells for $900 but has a 5 year warranty. This means camera A costs $300 per year and camera B costs $180 per year.
7. File size: Not all cameras convert files into the same format. The size of those files and the amount of space they occupy on your hard drive are also not equal.
8. Outboard microphone capacity. The ability to expand your camera to have better than the built-in microphone is a plus. Crisp audio increases listener endurance simply by not driving them off. Audio quality can be as important or more so than video quality. If video goes out, people sometimes continue listening. If audio goes out, even with great video, people progress elsewhere for the information and entertainment they are seeking.