How To Make A Travel Video: Pt1 - Which camera to use?

Ever wanted to make a video of your travel adventures but don't know where to start?
Check out this video to see which cameras are best for when you're on the go.
Subscribe to check out the series and loads more adventure videos! kzbin.info_c...
I break down which camera equipment I've used on my various trips, going through the pros and cons of different cameras depending on your budget.
Scroll down for equipment list.
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-------------------- Equipment --------------------------
Sony A7s: amzn.to/2NAqCJA
Sony 28-70mm Lens: amzn.to/2O8IPgV
RodeGo Mic: amzn.to/2ONrW8p
Rode DeadCat: amzn.to/2zsuBzr
Shoot Tripod: amzn.to/2O8w9q5
GoPro Hero 6: amzn.to/2NADsaE
GoPro Monopod: amzn.to/2zrnEOM
DJI MavicPro Drone: amzn.to/2zrPafg
MavicPro Case: amzn.to/2zsINbs
MacBook Pro: amzn.to/2NA2NSe
WD Elements 4TB Hard Drive: amzn.to/2zsEpJo
Software used:
Final Cut X, Adobe After Effects
-------------------- About Karl Watson --------------------
My name’s Karl, welcome to my channel that’s all about sharing my backpacking adventures from around the world, through fun, entertaining and honest travel documentaries.
Through these films I want you - the audience - to escape and come on the journey with me, and then be inspired to start an adventure of your own.
In between my travels I’m based in London, UK where I work as a freelance video editor.
---------------------
#KarlWatson #traveltips #howto

[@adrenalin1088]

Professional demeanor, professional content, not going out of your way to impress or be funny.. the reality aspect is exactly why I follow this channel... keep it up man!! 👍

[@Freakwave12]

thanks alot mate, this really helps as i have no idea about either filming nor cameras so i appreciate it alot. can't wait for the rest of the series.

[@DimmyAdventures]

We use a variety of cameras ranging from Canon 80D, Canon G7X Mark II, Gopros, dji phantom 3 advanced drone. They all do a great job in capturing different parts of our trips. Love watching your videos Karl! They inspire me and my brother to keep filming our adventures. Looking forward to the next episode!! ~ Norm

[@lukemorton7135]

This is great! Really useful information from one of the best. Love it bru.

[@Monkeegenesgroup]

Summed it up perfectly! Awesome vid!

[@faenorsjewel5618]

Thanks for the advice dude :) really informative! And loved the always changing hair length! Gave me a proper giggle!

[@mikeagain]

Very useful video, looking forward to the rest of the series. Just invested in a Sony a6000 and can't wait to take it on my travels. Will definitely get a GoPro for a secondary camera for action shots, but agree with you about over use!

[@wwoodstudios]

Great Advice Karl! I'm off to New Zealand to produce a series of paintings of the epic landscape traveling through both North and South Island so will definitely go for one of the Sonys to document the journey, still building up to the trip, but all your No Bull Advice is appreciated :) .

[@todfud5988]

Hi Karl Watson, thanks for your review

[@karentemplesnow8960]

Another really helpful video. xx

[@jehuty3285]

Great video Karl. Your videos are a great inspiration! Next year we want to travel New Zealand again and I am searching a good camera for filming and photos. I’ve got a GoPro as a second cam. The Sony a7s is mind blowing but so expensive your shots are absolutely amazing.

[@hawyothman7566]

Thanks for your information

[@prasadmhakale707]

Useful information Good work

[@Tackleberry666]

I have Nikon Coolpix W300 for traveling. Quite useful. Never let me down.

[@willytylee]

useful video, wait for your part2

[@amsterdam]

Thank you for the info.

[@footsub7]

Super. Well done ...thanks

[@TDSPictures]

A nice video Karl.... we like your style :) Looking forward to the rest of the series. I like my go-pro but agree on quality. One of the best tips i use is to keep the shots short and to the point, so you're not trawling through loads of footage for editing as you've said....and also keep it steady (with a gimble if possible). The new go-pro 6 looks to be a big improvement for them in terms of quality (dynamic range) and steadyness. I'd love a bigger DSLR though... your video comparison may have sold it . Don't you feel a bit more conspicuous though sometimes filming in public with a bigger camera, especially one with a big fuzzy microphone on top?

[@JoshEdwardsFilms]

Great start to this series mate :) couldn't agree more with everything you mentioned. I'm about to dive in and buy myself a Panasonic GH5, I can't wait! Won't just be using it for travel videos but jobs as well, so I think it'll be a good investment. Along with that I have the Mavic Pro and a GoPro Session so for the first time...I actually feel really happy and complete with my gear 👍 having said all of that I really don't think gear matters anywhere near as much as people think. The best camera is the one you've got with you. You could have the nicest looking shots anyone's ever seen but they mean nothing if they're not driving a great story

[@JoshEdwardsFilms]

Looking forward to it mate

[@cassanovab6011]

Gotta say I love your video's 💕 you given me the inspiration to go backpacking someday soon and these video's help a lot 😄 thank you, love from Canada. P.s can't wait to see the video of the women backpackers since one day I'll be one. 😀

[@DanGalla]

Absolutely agree about GoPros as a secondary camera to add a little something more or something extra. Sometimes I tune out of videos if it's all gopro as the quality frustrates me.

[@AaronJarvis96]

Great informative video! I currently use the Sony RX100 V and the performance quality is incredible considering its only a point and shoot, I'll be buying a go pro hero 5 as a secondary camera mainly for underwater footage or when I'm around water based activities. Will hopefully upgrade to the Sony a7s ii one day, either that or the Panasonic GH5 😀

[@TheTBull8]

Great video as always, just wondering what waterproof case you use for your gopro. Really don't want to buy the Gopro one and have to take the lens off every time.

[@talfrynlew]

favorite travel vid is still your hk to ny new zealand episode!!

[@MrKiwiboii]

Thanks for your Chat tonight Karl and thanks for the advice in India, cameras to use too bro! BTW, you're rocking the New Zealand shirt brother!!...lol

[@TheBudgeteers]

Useful video for people getting into video buddy. We use the canon 700d. Very cheap, excellent focus (never out of focus!!!) , lens range from $100 each so very affordable to extend your range, and flippyscreen, and rainproof. Low light is not as good as the Sony but for the price and everything else you can't go wrong.

[@NenJiDaPassiv]

Any idea if the 650D is comparable in auto-focus with the 700D? I'm using the 650D and works ok, but there are moments of derpy blur. Also, does it depend on the lense you use? Canon, clone, etc.

[@ryanjones1727]

what do yall think of the Canon SL2?

[@chrissakamoto5194]

Always in focus? Don't get me wrong...i love the Budgeteers videos, but your first episodes are out of focus... Regardless of the camera used.... You can still get out of focus shots if you don't know how to use it. Also don't you think your 10-18mm lens was also important? Loved your first series but with your wide angle lens (especially in the first few episodes) it would have been more epic!

[@oregonduc]

Ryan Jones canon sl2 has dual Pixel auto focus and flippy screen. Smaller than the main rebel canon cameras and is affordable if this is your first entry into vlogging. Also dual Pixel AF is super good for video.

[@josephdaniels3416]

Great Video Karl! , I've been waiting for this series for a little while. I recently, upon seeing your videos decided it would be a great idea to start capturing some of the trips I do myself. Inspired by your work and traveling a lot with my business ( I founded a company called Project Etopia that travels around the world building affordable energy positive smart buildings for low and mid-income housing) i set off. With your videos in mind and having directed (but not shot or edited) a number of videos for my business I decided to pick up a lesser video camera (Sony HDR CX240 + Cheap Chinese Branded "4K" GoPro) as being a complete rooky I wanted to simply capture some footage and understand the kind of commitment required to shoot a video whilst travelling. As i do my trips half business and half leisure i decided to move forward with my aim of starting the series Mixing Business With Leisure. In August of this year i headed to Namibia on a trip to develop a shanty town replacement scheme and some new tourism based coastline housing to help the growing tourism experienced there, whilst doing this i stayed in some beautiful places and additionally got to experience the skeleton coast, Seeing the dunes that meet the ocean (the Most recommended thing I've ever done), Boat Trip to see dolphins etc, paragliding and other fun things. So whilst doing this i found the filming fine and quite therapeutic (having had previous experience i would definitely have picked up a cheap mic for the handy cam), As a newbie i missed some days due to work, travel and Filming fatigue. But all in all got some amazing footage and wanted to cut together something real nice and quick, a 5 -10 minute namibia trip summary, but this is where the problem came.......... EDITING!! Coming back and seeing about 5-6hours footage and only having a PC (i run a number of different software's that cant run on mac so traded it in for a powerful windows Laptop) I found myself absolutely lost as to what to do next, i also wanted the video to have a badass intro , great cutting so the video views smoothly and all that other good stuff! So in light of this im looking forward to seeing the editing part of this video and also wanted to inquire as to if you have looked into maybe setting up a Udemy or futurelearn course people could sign up to, Subscribe or purchase short educational courses to learn your editing methods, cutting methods, basic rules of thumb you use and also the kick-arse intro's you make? I fly back out in April to meet the president and build a poverty replacement scheme so after some good shooting last time will look to invest in one of the higher end Sony camera's mentnioned in this video! Again, Awesome video mate! Regards Joe

[@josephdaniels3416]

Yeah with all the time spent traveling, editing and working it cant be easy to fit everything in! Keep up with the grade A content and all the best

[@otephl7255]

thanks bro...!!

[@Matthew-cw3gn]

Awesome video! My one question is how long do these cameras hold their use? Like how long have you had your mirrorless sony, how long do you plan to keep it, and would you only get a new camera to upgrade once the technology gets significantly better?

[@lukehutchy]

Great video! Are there any videos on your channel that you used the Sony a5000 to film? Looking for an example of the quality of video. Also, did you stabilise your a5000 videos in the editing process or did you not bother with stabilisation? My only concern with the camera is the lack of stabilisation tech.

[@karlgardarsson4386]

Hey man, I have been a fan of you videos and wach them all. If you like to come to Iceland I can help you with al your trip, I have been travilog alot my self and got few cameras, but never been able to finish a good film like yours

[@TheCossak]

Really sage advice, thanks! How do you carry your cameras around while traveling and how easily accessible are they when you need to catch something quickly? Do you carry them in a back pack or on a holster? What about keeping cameras safe from theft? Thanks in advance

[@fionachery1958]

i like the taste all of your videos music background. its such a movie soundtrack. you bought it or used a free copyright?

[@JesShowTravelMediaJstm]

Absolutely brilliant and right in point. The biggest pain in the ass is editing action cam footage and lining it up with footage from other cameras. I personally love the end result but to edit.. it's very daunting. I took your advice a while ago when you helped me with camcorders. It was a perfect intro camera since that was my first travel film. I started with a Panasonic hc 580 camcorder with 300x, galaxy s7 phone, and sony 4k action cam. But for my upcoming Europe episode im about to buy the Panasonic lumix g7. It's 4k mirrorless and is only 500$ and the screen can turn around and has a touch screen very accurate like a smart phone. This camera has sony beat on the touch screen and camera button placement but the sony takes the prize with its brilliant low light capabilities. But I figure since I'm still new to film id rather buy a cheaper camera until I get better and have a bigger budget. Also I'm gonna get the takstar Mic because it is only 25$ instead of the 300 for the rode Mic. The rode Mic is better...but from my research not insanely better and again due to budget I'm gonna try out the cheaper option because I've seen and heard good things about it. May also get the mini road Mic which is 60$ but still need to do more research. Really looking forward to the next episode. Love this series.

[@annabelthomson9612]

I shot a whole 6 month trip on a go pro and the sound quality was so bad it ruined it all. Love these videos - never any sugar coating.

[@twistedyogi13]

I have a Sony alpha and I love it. It is super good with any kind of lighting. My biggest problem is it tends to overheat when taking video footage and it majority drains the battery. 1 battery will last me all day if I'm just taking pictures and a few short video clips though.

[@tripnigrey]

Eyebags haha Tha's HARDWORK karl :)

[@itsalwayssunnyingoa2963]

Very useful thnx

[@thesmilingfoodjournal2371]

Great intro video into the world of video. For someone who was wondering whether to film on my Canon M50, iPhone or Gopro this video has been really helpful! Thank you. Nikki

[@JasonWalking]

have you tried the dji pocket 2? curious what your thoughts are on it.

[@edgarsfelders]

Hi. I was wondering about video settings you use. I am shooting with a6000 and struggling with grainy footage in low light situations. I mostly photograph but recently decided to give it a try. Maybe you could make a small video about settings in the future. Thanks

[@InAUGral]

I have been using my Canon G5X (which is mirrorless) the past year over my DSLR because it is much lighter and has a flip screen. Plus if I want to record video at the drop of a hat I can just hit the record button. Quite useful in London to record the marching of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

[@FilinCanada]

Second 😂 nice tips!

[@TheYorkshireTripper]

Any opinion on the sony rx100?

[@Andy_Reinhart]

going to central/south america for 5-6 months in october have strictly used gopro hero 5 for all my past travel videos was wondering how much of a differnce in video the sony cameras has and if its a big difference in quality would you recommend getting a sony handicam as well to take non action video or the sony a500

[@Agraenn]

I'm thinking of buying the Sony RX100 iii, what's your opinion on the RX100 series ? It has some cons but it's very affordable, very lightweight and seem to have amazing quality. (i'm more of a photography guy but would like to get into video aswell)

[@1966scarter]

Depends what you want it for. We bought one for our rtw trip. Its amazing for landscapes & the video quality is pretty good but the zoom lets it down. We went on a 6 week safari which it was no good for so ended up buying a Nikkon DSLR but if you aren't bothered about zoom its a great little camera.

[@nexfilm]

So I just got a PJ410, and see it's stuck with 50 frames/s. My other cams are 30 or 60 and was planing on mixing it all, but I read it's not good to do. Would you think I should return the PJ410 and get something that is compatible with the 30/60 or go for software conversions ? Thanks

[@NenJiDaPassiv]

Panasonic G85 looks like a good alternative to the a7s. I'm using a 650D and a super old phone at the moment. Interesting what can be accomplished with old gear and no money, but my image quality is definitely lacking.

[@Ivanzg]

What about RX100 series. Have you tried that? Sony again :)

[@Mr1Linas]

Hi Karl. I was going to do my travel video with Hero6, but after I found this video now I'm confused weather to use my Nikon D90. However, after few test videos, I feel like GoPro has more quality on videos than this DSLR camera. Am I wrong or just this cam is too old for good videos?

[@marxistpussy]

How many memory cards and extra batteries do you take on a month-long trip?

[@SR-hc4qt]

Hopefully 1 day you'll do a UK backpacking trip. We live in an amazing and diverse place. Would be a shame not to show it off to the world.

[@SR-hc4qt]

Karl Watson: Travel Documentaries There's a good start

[@JohanV66]

Do you actually film in 4K, or just natively in 1080/25p?

[@InAUGral]

My mate used a gopro to record the entire month we spent in Africa. Instead of getting good photos (like I did with my DSLR) he got shitty wide angle footage of his time there. Sure he can show footage but no one wants to watch unless it is heavily edited down. Editing through a whole month of gopro footage from every stop along the way is a gigantic task. Unsurprisingly he has not got around to editing it 2 years on.

[@larsosejohansen]

Your latest video is a gopro montage... stop talking shit about others doing the same yourself

[@nick8405]

you should have mentioned the GH4 lumix camera, vloggers rave about it

[@Rockerfella360]

Hey man, I was wondering do you take a laptop or anything with you on your trip? Or an external hard drive to dump footage onto from your memory cards?

[@karlwatsondocs]

Yep, cover that in the other videos of this “how to” series

[@Rockerfella360]

@@karlwatsondocs Oh my bad I'll check out the rest 👍🏻 Thanks!

[@chrissakamoto5194]

I shot an entire trip to Peru using a phone camera (S8), and while my purpose isn't for vlogging or trying to gain a youtube audience, I thought the video was fairly decent. It was my 1st time so I blame most of the terrible footage on myself and not the camera. So...Do you think a newbie would have gotten better shots with a better camera? And do you think my untrained eye doesn't see the crappy footage from my phone videos where others would?

[@chrissakamoto5194]

Karl Watson: Travel Documentaries Excellent point. I really tried to avoid low light situations and of course you can't avoid that all the time (and what I did use... sucked big time!). And in another comment to another post you mention sound is inferior which I too agree with... I didn't use any sound so didn't even consider that. Still think great accidental shots can still happen with a phone camera, but you make some great points. Looking forward to the rest of this series of your advice. Cheers!

[@oregonduc]

If you only have a go pro then just use it. It all comes down to using what you have available and knowing how to use it. I do agree on the over using it since people can get lazy and just press record and forget about it.

[@MrHdos]

Sony a5000 is what I've got, good for the price but doesn't have very good auto stabilisation so need a tripod. Good for photos though!

[@singthat4you]

what external mic do you use?

[@karlwatsondocs]

Rode go mic

[@oransherf1089]

@@karlwatsondocs may i ask did u ever visit israel;regrd;oran;

[@larsosejohansen]

I think Gh5 would be even better as the image stabilization is insane

[@lenama8697]

-Should I use a go pro to film my whole trip? -No Exact moment when my heart shatters 💔💔💔 😂😂 I was thinking I could just get go pro and I was all set and ready to go.

[@thepmaexperience]

This video is from 2 years ago though and the GoPro 8 is geared more towards vlogging etc now also 4K looks great imo. Hope that un shatters ur heart.😎

[@lenama8697]

@@leechafertravels thanks! I watched those videos, looks good 👌

[@NomadicFlavors]

Let's talk mobile phones. Q: With smart phone cameras nowadays the lenses just equal or even better to some big cameras. Would you recommend using these little things for recording a full trip?

[@NomadicFlavors]

Karl Watson: Travel Documentaries Thanks man! Also great videos, Keep It Up!

[@gatekeeper1981]

The Go pro Comment is absolutely true. i used it since 2015 and im sick of it. i just bought a Sony a6500 planning to film and photograph everything with it. before i used to haul all this gear. Video = Go Pro hero 4 + 3 batteries + stabilzer + go pro accesories \ Photography = Nikon D7000 + 2 lenses + batteries + accesories. Can't even enjoy my trip that much

[@mattoverbury]

To me, personally the camera isn't the priority nor is getting the right footage. It's about telling a decent story and what comes first is "you" - If you're having a good time, that'll be seen in the video by the viewers. Obviously a decent camera helps, but you could make a decent enough travel video using just a phone camera (as long as the mic is good enough). The next, be banging at editing so you're not boring the viewers.

[@dillon.p8629]

That first sony camera looks amazing, then i saw the price

[@dillon.p8629]

Karl Watson: Travel Documentaries no sorry i meant the second one, the one in the thousands

[@dillon.p8629]

The colours from videos and photos look brilliant

[@dillon.p8629]

Karl Watson: Travel Documentaries yeah im gonna have to get saving, currently im using a Panasonic lumix gf1 which is getting out dated now, it doesn't have a microphone port and the audio is awful. I also use a gorilla pod. The videos turn out okay but i think im going to have to invest on a new camera

[@fabi4179]

Ha first

[@antifugazi]

Way too many " slick looking " travel vlogs jam packed drone shots, plinky plony music and muscled men or sexy ladies that lack any form of story or even information (Lost LeBlanc)