Webcams and Mics

[shaithis]

My brother wants to start producing video tutorials to put on the web and he has been asking me about the best webcams and microphones to use.

I have very little knowledge of either and therefore wondering what people are using and recommending! He cannot afford to go with full-professional equipment but is looking for a good balance between cost and quality.

Any recommendations out there?

[SUMMONER]

Logitech C920 webcam - it has been on and off on Amazon for < £40 and is possibly the best entry level/budget camera for recording video for Youtube

as for microphones, here are the usual suspects...

Sumvision Meteorite - I own one of these myself and for the money you can't buy a better cardioid mini USB microphone
Sumvision Meteor - ultra portable USB mic for road warriors
Blue Snowball - the classic Youtuber microphone (not actually tried this one myself, but reviews make it out to be an excellent entry level/budget mic)
Blue Yeti - for people who have dipped their toes and are ready to spend a little more in order to get a headphone monitoring port, mounting options and a choice of recording patterns

If he is going to be sitting at a desk/standing still in front of white board, a proper lavalier mic will ultimately be the best option so.
eg: Audio Technica ATR 3350 Condenser Lavalier mic - cheap and works very well, also it is far from practical IMO

[peterb]

He might want to consider this microphone

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AUDIO-TECHNI...dp/B00B5ZX9FM/

Remember that in general, audio quality is more important than video. In most cases, you can get the message over if the audio is good, but the video is so-so. However poor audio really detracts from the content, no matter how good the video is.

[Kumagoro]

I have a c920 and it is very good for a web cam well compared to other webcams anyway. The c930 is wider angle.

I have the audio technica at-2020 or something like that. When looking for something a couple of years ago the blue geri and snowball were rated we'll but that was before they switched production to China. The one below in the link seems to be highly rated for the money. I think if he wants to sound nice a pop shield is worth getting too.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chord-Conden.../dp/B004CYVZUE

[Goobley]

I know nothing about webcams but for the size and price I have been incredibly impressed with my Samson Go Mic. It takes a bit of work to get the positioning right (fairly sensitive), but mine is stuck to the top of my monitor and does a great job. The quality is such that I wouldn't be offended by anyone using this for video tutorials. Yes, it may lack in dynamic range compared to bigger mics, but that's probably not necessary for spoken word.

[SUMMONER]

Quick! There is an Amazon Lightning Deal for the Logitech C920 webcam...

Logitech C920HD 1080p Web Cam £31.99 @ Amazon (ends 1:00pm or once they have sold out!)

[snedger]

shaithis,
What did your brother end up getting and how did he find it?

I've just had a look at what's available and the Logitech C920 does seem to be almost universally recommended for home budget video conferencing - though not so keen at the idea that I'll have to use Skype for the best quality - my personal prejudice problem - didn't like Skype when it was independent - too buggy and really don't want to use a M$ product - Windows laptop excepted
The Logitech C930e suggests that it has better low light capability, but really doesn't seem to have been embraced as well as the C920 and it costs a lot more.

Just seen that the Razer Stargazer is coming out Q2 - a bit over the top for my needs, but if it was out today, then I'd probably buy it.
Really need someone to bring out a budget telepresence experience home camera - come on China/Hong Kong!