Here’s my ‘out and about’ vlogging setup!

If you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been producing a lot of vlogs lately. I REALLY enjoy filming and editing – and I’m slowly getting in the swing of things. I generally have a rough idea in my head about everything I want to film we go somewhere. I’ve got it in my head that I’ve got to make sure I’ve got a good opening, and a proper ending – plus lots of content in-between! I don’t really think about a ‘script’, or get too bogged down in the detail, I want the filming to feel natural and normal. If I have to remember to say specific things, it all goes wrong.

I’ve been vlogging properly for a couple of years, and I am now REALLY happy with my vlogging setup. When you’re out and about vlogging, I think it’s really important that you have something reliable and nothing too unwieldy. For example, when I was filming in the mazes over Halloween, I might only have the time, or opportunity to film in the maze once. It’s important to know once you’ve hit record, the camera will do everything you need it to. Even in normal circumstances, you don’t want the day interrupted by something going tits up, or having to re-do things because it didn’t work first time.

I like having a compact set up so I can easily put the camera away – especially when you’re at a theme park. If you want to go on the rides then more than likely the camera will have to stay in a bag. Whilst a big set up looks more professional, if you’re having a day out at a theme park, you don’t want to be doing lots of packing away between each ride. This is why I’m particularly happy with my out and about vlogging setup, it ticks all my boxes – and it makes REALLY good footage too!

So.. Here’s my out and about vlogging setup!

Just a quick mention that the links in the post are Amazon Affiliate links, so if you click through and purchase something, I get a small financial reward. There’s a really fab ‘clickable’ image here, it tells you what everything is, and how much it costs.

First up, the main thing..

1 – The Camera – GoPro HERO7 Black

I traded in my Yi 4k+ Camera for a GoPro HERO7 Black. I was pretty happy with the Yi Camera, however, to get stable footage you needed the gimbal. Not so with the GoPro HERO7 Black, that has ‘Hypersmooth’, which gives Gimbal-like stabilisation, without the gimbal. The GoPro is expensive, as are the official accessories (more on those in a bit), but I’ve been really pleased with the quality of the footage and, a few freezes aside (cured by a battery pull), it’s been really reliable. The footage out of the camera does have a slight ‘fish-eye’ – these are action cameras, so have a wide field of view. However, there’s lens correction in Adobe Premiere Pro that fixes it.

It has a variety of different resolutions and shooting modes, I mostly film in 4K at 25fps. Editing in 4K does require quite a hefty computer, so consider that – however, I’m a massive advocate of filming in the maximum resolution you can. Even if you don’t keep the final edit in 4K, all your raw footage will be – so for archiving purposes, it’s ideal. The GoPro HERO8 is now out, and whilst that looks good, I’m not considering upgrading just yet. It feels like an evolution of the HERO7, and it’s over £100 more than the 7 at time of writing!

2 – The Microphone – Rode VideoMicro Compact On Camera Microphone

I’ve got a few microphones now, a larger Rode one (which would look daft on top of a GoPro!), and the Rode VideoMicro Compact are my favourites. I use the Rode VideoMicro Compact with my GoPro. It’s small enough to look sensible with the GoPro, and it improves the sound quality on the footage. In fairness the GoPro HERO7 Black has decent internal microphones, but having the external one with a ‘dead cat’ covering it means that wind noise isn’t much of an issue. Something which is handy for the blustery British weather.

The GoPro HERO7 Black doesn’t have an external microphone socket, it requires an extra adaptor which is..

3 – The Microphone Adaptor – GoPro Pro 3.5mm Mic Adapter

There’s not masses to say about the GoPro Pro 3.5mm Mic Adapter. It plugs into the USB C socket of the GoPro, and within the adaptor, it has a 3.5mm socket to plug a microphone in, or a line level input. The adaptor has a USB C socket too, which enables you to charge the GoPro or access the files with the adaptor still connected. It’s a little expensive for what it is, but it does the job, and it’s very helpful having a Mic / Line In. It does drain the GoPro’s battery more than normal when it’s connected, so make sure you have a few spare batteries.

The GoPro Pro 3.5mm Mic Adapter doesn’t attach onto the GoPro, so I use a housing to keep them together –

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