Vlogging how-to: eight tips for getting started

You've found your niche, a beautiful location and a compelling story. You may think that's the recipe for the perfect vlog, but do you know what kit to choose and how to film your video to a high enough standard to please savvy audiences?

In this vlogging how-to, we reveal eight tips that can help both beginners and experienced vloggers improve their vlogs. Find out how you can produce quality vlogs that will keep your viewers coming back for more – how to get steady (shake-free) and sharp footage, the importance of creative framing, and what you need to capture crisp and clear sound. Whatever your vlogging camera, whether you're shooting on a Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, a Canon EOS M50 Mark II, a Canon EOS R10 or a Canon EOS R6, here are the things to consider when creating your first vlogs.

A camera with a larger sensor will give you better quality images, but when you're vlogging it's important to balance sensor size with the overall size of the camera. For example, a PowerShot G series camera with a built-in lens, such as the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, is a super compact and portable vlogging camera. However, a mirrorless camera or a DSLR with interchangeable lenses will give you a greater variety of lens options.

Within interchangeable lens cameras there is another choice you'll need to make: full-frame or APS-C. Full-frame cameras (such as the Canon EOS RP and EOS R6) feature large sensors with expansive dynamic range and excellent low-light performance, as well as a wide field of view, but the camera body itself is larger and heavier. APS-C cameras (which include the mirrorless Canon EOS R10 and EOS R7) use a smaller sensor, which offers a tighter field of view but enables the camera to be smaller and lighter.

Many vloggers favour wide-angle lenses because they can be used in tight spaces such as a bedroom or kitchen to show as much of the scene as possible. A 24mm lens is good for that purpose, but an ultra-wide lens – one with an effective focal length of less than 24mm – is even better.

So if you're shooting with an APS-C camera such as the Canon EOS M50 Mark II, pairing it with an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens such as the Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM means you can fit more into the frame.

For full-frame EOS R System cameras such as the EOS R6 or EOS RP, the RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM is a compact, quiet, easy-to-use lens that offers a similar ultra-wide field of view. DSLR users might opt for the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM, which can also be used on EOS R System cameras with any of the range of EF-EOS R Mount Adapters.

Whichever lens you decide to use, flip out your camera's screen to help you position yourself in the frame to make filming yourself and low-angle shooting a breeze. Many cameras, such as the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, can also be connected via Bluetooth to the Canon Camera Connect app on your smart device to film or shoot yourself remotely.

Another lens choice vloggers face is prime versus zoom. Prime lenses have a fixed focal length, limiting them to a single field of view, and tend to have larger apertures. The larger the aperture (that is, the lower the f-number), the more light enters the lens, which means improved image quality in low-light conditions. Large apertures also make achieving a narrow depth of field easier, so if you want to shoot video with the subject in sharp focus against a blurred background, a prime might be the best choice.

Prime lenses are often optically sharper than zooms, and physically smaller and lighter. If you usually vlog from a single position and want to keep image quality at its highest, then a prime lens might make the most sense. For full-frame EOS R System cameras, the RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM is a great choice – it's small and lightweight, it's wide enough for indoor vlogging, and its f/1.8 aperture is excellent for blurring backgrounds and shooting in darker environments.

Zoom lenses tend to be larger because of the extra moving parts required, but their versatility can be useful if you're shooting from a variety of distances and in different locations. A zoom lens with a big range of focal lengths such as the RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS USM will let you shoot at both wide angle and telephoto without requiring a lens swap, so you don't have to carry extra lenses around with you.

However creative your content may be, if the footage lacks detail, it's worth improving. Look for cameras with Full HD or 4K video – Full HD is a good standard to set, but 4K will give you even more detail, allowing you to crop and stabilise your footage without compromising quality. Shooting in 4K doesn't mean you have to publish in 4K, of course, but remember that 4K footage will take more time to edit and upload.

The most important thing to consider is what frame rate will suit your subject. A smooth 60 frames per second (fps) is best for action vlogs and will give you an option to do slow-motion effects. 30fps or 25fps will be fine for everything else. For even more detailed slow-motion footage, the EOS R7 and the PowerShot G7 X Mark III offer fast frame rates up to 120fps when shooting in Full HD.

The compact size and light weight of Canon vlogging cameras such as the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III, Canon EOS M50 Mark II and Canon EOS R10 make them ideal for recording movement. A captivating vlog should take the audience on a journey with you – whether it's through a city's cobbled streets or showing your reaction to unwrapping your latest purchase – and movement can be key to that. Rather than shaky, distracting footage, make sure your shots are smooth so that viewers can focus on your exciting location or interesting story.

To keep shots steady, support the camera from underneath with the palm of your hand and grip it at the side. If you need extra support, a grip accessory that attaches to the camera body, giving you something to hold on to, can be a useful addition.

Technology can help a lot: for crisp and steady movies, use a lens with image stabilisation or a camera that features some form of IS. The PowerShot G7 X Mark III's 5-axis, Dynamic IS is designed to counteract camera shake even when you're running, panning or shooting at full zoom. Some EOS R System cameras have sensor-shifting In-body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), which steadies the image no matter what lens is attached, but when you use a lens with optical IS on a camera with IBIS, the two IS systems work in tandem to tackle a wider range of vibrations than one system alone would correct.

As a vlogger, your face is the thing people will look at, so keeping it in focus is crucial. Canon's Face Detection and Eye Detection technology can automatically track your face and keep it in focus.

Moving the camera horizontally during shooting, or 'panning', will allow your audience to see through your eyes – to be there with you as you look across a sweeping bay or a skyline filled with eye-catching buildings. Excessive panning can be disorienting, but when done in moderation it can add interest and drive the narrative.

Use panning sparingly, without rushing, and keep horizons level. Some cameras, such as the PowerShot G7 X Mark III, are equipped with a level indicator that helps you to do this. The IBIS in the latest EOS R System cameras, such as the EOS R7, also facilitates auto-levelling. If you don't have a tripod, place the camera on something stable – such as the edge of a bench or a table – and move it steadily, with purpose, to the side.

Most cameras that shoot video will offer acceptable sound quality, particularly the latest models such as the EOS R7 and EOS R10, but if excellent sound is important to your vlogging, consider plugging in an external microphone. An external mic is particularly useful when you're working outside, because the camera's built-in mic is likely to record distracting background noise such as wind, whereas you can reposition external mics to help block this out. Some cameras have a built-in Wind Filter feature to reduce wind noise captured by the internal mic, but this also reduces bass sounds, so often gives you less natural sound than a well-positioned external mic.

If you want to use an external mic, look for a camera with an external mic socket, such as the Canon EOS M50 Mark II, PowerShot G7 X Mark III or EOS R7.