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YouTube Opinion Are you a cheap or an expensive youtuber?

Tito Tim

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I record on my cell phone. Whether I had a channel or not, I would have a phone (currently Huawei Nova 3i, used to be Samsung J5). I stick with medium priced phones. Decent enough cameras, especially just for YT. I did buy a nice large tripod on a visit to the US (only a $40 tripod). Also, I built my own green screen with lights, for under $20. I do use a Chinese knock-off Gorilla pod ($3), and no name lapel mic ($20). My most expensive extra piece of gear is my gimbal. It was $100 and I bought it with a YouTube check.

So... yeah... pretty cheap ha ha :)
 
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Beanie Draws

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hahahaha my channel is super cheap :p The first 3 years I was using Windows Movie Maker (free) a logitech c920 webcam (roughly $200 at the time) and a desk lamp that cost $20

Slowly upgrading my setup. Looking to add another camera for multi angles and streaming (face cam and drawing cam) a new chair, and maybe an upgrade to my computer, and of course a lighting rig.
 
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Aaron

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I havenΓÇÖt created content on the platform
for a hot minute but IΓÇÖd definitely fall in the expensive category. I have thousands of dollars invested into creative equipment (mostly because that is my Business)
 

TubeBuddy

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I have expensive gear now, but I started and still use inexpensive gear. It doesn't matter the price tag of the gear it's how you use it. We all have phones that have better cameras then oscar winning films, so it's REALLY what you do with it.
 

Aaron

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I have expensive gear now, but I started and still use inexpensive gear. It doesn't matter the price tag of the gear it's how you use it. We all have phones that have better cameras then oscar winning films, so it's REALLY what you do with it.

Very factual... I started years ago with equipment equivalent to a Potato and worked my way up over the years. Sometimes I look back on old stuff and get amazed by what I was able to do back then.
 

Damon

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"Expensive." I want every one of my fishing adventures to be a documentary film. The curious thing is I use low/zero budget film methods. From the YouTuber's perspective, it's expensive. From the filmmaker's perspective, it's very cheap.

An $800 cinema camera is dirt cheap compared to an $80k Arri Alexa or even a $10k Canon C300.
 
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WorldComposting

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Hmm this is a good question. Mine wasn't cheap but at the same time it wasn't purchased just for the channel. As an example I have a good camcorder I bought years ago but I use it all the time to take videos of my kids. The same for lighting and many other things I use for my videos.

So I guess it is somewhat expensive but a lot of the things would have been purchased anyhow.
 

ANT wong deso

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So far, I still use average cheap equipment.
I just use my mobile phone to record some movies and photos, however sometime use my Go Pro 5. Just a few month ago, I bought a low budged stabilizer for mobile phone. Only once time used, still need to explore its utility.
 
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Moto Mengy

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So far I just have a GoPro Hero 8 and a $20 GoPro accessory kit. And that's all I plan to buy unless my channel starts making me money.

Now, if my channel DOES become a revenue stream, well then I could certainly see me reinvesting the proceeds into improving the channel's quality. Maybe buy a 2nd camera, maybe even a drone, etc.
 
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kalaspuffar

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You always upgrade your setup when you have the ability to do that. I have a comfortable setup now with some great gear.

But when I started out I had a 10$ camera, a headset mic that I had laying around. A blue sheet for greenscreen that I stapled to the ceiling. And they used builders lights 400W that got crazy hot and using some styrofoam frames from a microwave that I taped some baking paper over in order to get a defuser for the lights.

I have a video on my channel about my getto setup back then. But it worked :)

Use what you got but don't do things that are scary unsafe like I did...

I hope this helps
Best regards
Daniel
 

DamoΓÇÖs Paintings

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Haha I am a cheap *** when it comes to making my content, iPhone 6s Plus, is what I use, which I wouldnΓÇÖt call cheap, except I use not a tripod, but one of those flimsy rubbishy long clamps and clamp it to one of my easels, and for the microphone, the typical earplugs my phone came with, but later I will have me a good setup, we all gotta start somewhere huh!
 

Zita

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I guess IΓÇÖm a bit too lazy to to be a real expensive channel, IΓÇÖm more for value rather than being fancy, especially when you just started, I film with my iPhone SE 2, dji mobile 3 and a shure mic. ThatΓÇÖs it, but later if IΓÇÖm successful IΓÇÿm going to have a whole production team around me...haha.
 
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Stanley | Team TB

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I love this thread! @Damon props for that answer sir!

I'm cheap... Iwish I could claim I'm the cheapest but last year I did upgrade to an S10. Do my entire channel with a phone (originally an S6) and one peripheral camera (cost $250 for better underwater footage). No computer, although I do invest in Kinemaster and Picsart. Gas is the most expensive thing I invest in.