Camera, phone or webcam?

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Undoubtedly, the first – and for some the most exciting question when it comes to recording yourself is what to record with. The matter is just as simple as it is complex and in the end it all boils down to your needs. I know, not much help so far but I’ll break it down in a way that will be.

You have three options: a webcam (laptop or external), your phone, a camera.

I’ll give you my personal recommendation right now which a camera and I will also elaborate on the reason but it doesn’t mean that you have to run to your local camera store and spend a bunch of money so let’s go over these three categories to figure out which one fits your needs the most.

Webcam

Recording a video with a webcam is common practice. In fact many popular online creators started out recording their videos using this method simply because its convenience. Most laptops on the market have 720p or 1080p webcams, high-end ones even have a 4K built in webcam such as the M1&M3 24 inch iMac models which is great. Alternatively, there are external webcams as well that serve the same purpose.

The quality they can record with is enough for a wide range of content such as course videos, tutorial video, review videos, video sales letters (VSL) and pretty much for any talking head content where you don’t strive for video esthetics in terms of the video background and lighting. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:

Easy usability
Recording right into your computer (no need to transfer files)
Autofocus (your face will be sharp at all times)
You probably have it

Cons:

limited settings
Weak video quality
Unflexibility of camera position
Poor audio quality
Limited space for lighting
Fixed lens
Amateur look

Some of the cons you can easily get past if the videos you want to record don’t require the higher video quality or to be able to choose from a thousand settings However, two them I would urge you not to avoid: sound quality and lighting. These two aspects of recording yourself will ultimately define the overall quality of your video and the audience’s audio-visual experience.

Some computer and webcams record better audio then others but none of them would really pass my standards. Maybe the ones on new MacBooks and iMacs but even those have nothing to do with the audio of a proper microphone.

Which you can obviously get and connect to your computer but that is a topic for an other article.

The lighting however is still an issue. And my issue is that first of all most webcams won’t have a setting to fix the exposure or the ISO on your face so sometimes the light will be more and less bright which takes away from the viewing experience. The way you can use lights is also more challenging as you’re most likely close to the computer or monitor which means that placing a bigger light behind the display from an angle that would give a direct light on your face makes little sense. However it’s not only about the position of the light it’s also your posture. In the case of a laptop, you’re likely looking downwards blocking the light from your face with your own forehead. To sit upright and still look into the webcam, your webcam has to be higher up. With an external one this is manageable but if you mount it on a monitor the monitor again will cover your face from the lights, unless you use a small screen ne that you can place in front of the monitor.

So as you can see in order to record a proper video using a webcam you’ll need extra equipment to bridge the these problems. Again, if despite these difficulties a webcam still fits your needs, go for it. But I would urge you to at least get a proper microphone and pay attention to lighting.

Some web camera recommendations:

High End: https://amzn.to/45UCJbf

Mid-range: https://amzn.to/4mYguY7

Cheap: https://amzn.to/43UCYk6

Phone

Evidently, the most popular and convenient of all methods is recording with your phone. No surprise there. Pretty much all smartphones can record in a level of quality that content creators that bought expensive equipment in the early ages of YouTube would be jealous of. Especially high end models… It’s just simply insane what they can do both in video and audio recording. I wouldn’t say that all phones will pass my bar but high end models definitely do. It’s hard to generalize the features of all phone on the market so I’m mostly considering higher end models say starting from iPhone 11 (and the Android counterparts) Let’s look at the cons and pros:

Pros:

High enough video quality (most of them)
Decent audio quality
Portable
Multiple video settings
Autofocus
You most likely have it
Lens choices
Flexible camera angles
Easy access to files

Cons:

in some cases price
Lack of options for external microphones
Risk of damage due to everyday use
Front facing camera (I’ll explain)
Not seeing yourself when recording with the best quality
Requires large phone storage (affects the price)

A few years ago I bought an iPhone 14 Pro Max for it’s recording capabilities. Not as a main camera but as a decent secondary one. I even recorded entire YouTube video with it and for YouTube it works. The moment you look at it on a bigger screen though you start noticing that the high resolution is not the same as high quality. Now these high end smartphone can record in really high quality as well, like Apple ProRes when it comes to iPhones. But ProRes will eat up your storage space even if you buy one with a 1TB of storage. Coming off of that, the price of these phone are really really high so unless you already have one of these phones, buying one for the sole purpose of recording videos is something I would advise against simply because for half the price you can get a proper camera that will serve you better in filming yourself. (I’m talking about choosing the only camera you’ll have.) Regarding storage space, the option to extend storage is mostly popular via cloud storage service which is significantly more expensive than a few SD cards.

The reasons the front camera is a con for me is because it’s what everyone uses – okay lets not generalize – many people will use to record themselves. Not a shocker, it’s convenient to be able to see yourself while recording. But hear me out. First of all, the front facing camera of any phone will have a significantly lower quality. I mean it’s obvious. On top of that the audio quality will also be worse. However, what really bothers me is that – and this issue is actually there at the webcam method and will be there at certain cameras as well – is looking at yourself while recording instead of looking at your audience. Which means straight into the camera lens.

Why is this a problem? It belong to the topic of being in front of the camera and presenting so I will talk about it in another article. The important thing for now is that you remember to look into the camera while presenting something to your audience.

Clearly, recording with your phone’s main camera is the way to go. However, seeing the composition and yourself is still useful even if your not looking at yourself. Self monitoring is important and it ads and extra step in the workflow when recording with a phone because you’ll have to watch each take and see if you were properly in frame, if your hair was fine (important factor) etc.

So, phone will be good for a variety of videos, I would even say that they’re good for any type of videos. However, while I would instantly recommend anyone having to film themselves or wanting to start making videos to use their phones, these devices are only good up until a certain level after which you’ll find it inevitable to start using a proper camera.

Camera

Regardless how fascinating what a small device like a phone can produce ,the function of camera is still best served by a camera. I will go through the pros and cons but right off the bat I need to mention the obvious reason. A camera is made to be a camera. You have the traditional settings such as Aperture, shutter speed ISO and generally the same resolution on a camera will look better compared to a phone.

Obviously it’s impossible to generalize because certain cameras might be worse than the camera features of the latest iPhones so I will consider the ones I would recommend for filming yourself.

Now let’s see about the pros and cons.

Pros:

high quality (both hobby and professional)
Various settings
Option to use different lenses
Option to use different accessories
Broad range of options tailored for individual needs
Easy access to extra storage
Price

Cons:

requires extra time to learn how to use them
Autofocus is not great in all models
You have to buy it
Battery life?

I honestly struggle listing cons because it’s like trying to come up with reasons why a spoon is not the best piece of cutlery to eat soup with when it’s literally what it’s made for.

There’s a range of cameras that barely exist anymore exactly because of the photo and videography capabilities of smartphones but at the end of the day, a camera is a camera and a phone is not primarily. Most of a phone’s photo and video features are based on software. When it comes to a camera it’s up to the sensor size, the lens being used and then computing power and forward. Capturing an image is mostly up to the glass the light goes though and the sensors that creates the image (in digital technology). So as fascinating, scary and amazing the technology behind the cameras of a phone they can’t replaces cameras in all fields of usage.

The camera that I use for most of my online work is the Sony ZV-E10 with a Sigma 30mm lens. That whole setup cost about $800 at the time and it’s perfect.

Naturally, it again comes down to your own needs and I would recommend investing into a camera only if you’re planning on recording videos regularly for a YouTube channel, social media, or you want to create a course to sell for instance where you’ll have a return on your investment one way or another.

Camera gear recommendations (the equipment I also use):

Sony ZV-E10: https://amzn.to/3ZQBSVx

Sony ZV-E10 cage: https://amzn.to/4kAO2dd

Sigma 30mm f1.4: https://amzn.to/4mZeXkt

Sigma 18-50mm f2.8: https://amzn.to/44dmHIm

ND filters: https://amzn.to/3FSaX4L

Rode VideoMic Go II: https://amzn.to/4k6kXpf (I use the original VideoMic, but you can’t really buy it anymore. The go is a similar choice or for an upgrade try the VideoMic NTG: https://amzn.to/3TjtGcm )

Conclusion

Nevertheless, you may start out and learn on a webcam, phone or whatever you have access to which will help you become more certain about your needs. The main differences are the ones above however, that you can use as a starting point for choosing the right equipment to film yourself.