Should I Buy a Pro Camera or Use my Phone?
I see people obsessing over this question all the time. They think, “I can’t start creating great videos until I get a proper camera.”
And down the B&H rabbit hole they go… SONY CANON BLACKMAGIC PANASONIC ARRI DZOFILM SMALLRIG C300 PYXIS FX3 VENICE ALEXA S-LOG 3 DYNAMIC RANGE GENERATION 5 COLOR SCIENCE galore… all for them to not actually make a video.
The harsh truth is that if you’re actually trying to reach an audience, they don’t care what camera you use.
Some of the most viral, engaging, money-making videos online were shot on an iPhone, often with bad lighting and captured in-the-moment. Meanwhile, there are plenty of high-fidelity cinematic B-roll compilations out there that never climb above 100 views (and it’s a shame, too, because the YouTube — and every other social media channel’s — compression algorithm strips much of that visual fidelity away anyway because not everyone’s internet is gigabit speed and they have to make room for everyone on their servers).
Why? Because video is about what you’re saying, not what you’re filming on. The camera is simply a data acquisition device, gathering light from the environment and generating a video file from it.
I’m not saying quality doesn’t matter. The camera (image acquisition) is one part. The others that matter just as much are:
Audio — The old saying is, “Bad video is forgivable, bad audio isn’t.” There are plenty of decent, affordable clip-on microphones that you can plug directly into your phone.
Lighting — No need for an Aputure XT-52. Place the camera somewhere between you and the window (pull the curtains to soften), and turn on a lamp in the background.
Editing — This is where your story is actually assembled. And the story is the most important part of any video.
Stop overthinking gear. It will all be irrelevant next year when the Companies want you to buy the New Products. Just hit record, and get your message out there.
