Behind The Mikeanic Video Blog-Post
When I thought about starting up a YouTube channel, I thought I would need fancy video equipment, and audio equipment, and that's where I was wrong. Turns out that I had all the equipment I would need to start up a decent little YouTube Channel. One phone. That's it. That's all you technically need is a phone, with a camera on it.
Of course, that all depends on what type of channel you're planning on having. If you are just streaming, technically speaking you can use a webcam, which most laptops have, but you do need some kind of a camera, and if you're portable, then you need a portable camera. This is why your phone is the best option, as the vast majority of people have a phone with them, which has a camera on it.
Editing, well, there are a lot of free editors, with CapCut being the one that originally came to mind, however much of the features to use on CapCut have been Paywalled, unfortunately. And it's not a one-time payment either, no, they decided to implement the "Subscription Service".
If you have a PC and can copy the files onto your PC, you can also use other free software, like DaVinci. Funny thing is that Windows 11 actually comes with editing software known as Clips. I have no idea how it works, as I have not used it.
So I have a few cameras, honestly. Over the years I have collected a bunch of old phones, ones that I used to have.
I have an old 2013 Phone, the Nokia Lumia 1020, which was a phone, built around a Camera. It was purpose built, actual XENON Flash, not a LED flash, and a mechanical leaf shutter. It's a pretty impressive device, but it is definitely now showing its age. As of writing this post, it has been having some issues where any recording into the 30 minute range will cause a low-battery warning, even tho it should not be showing it, so it's requiring constant wall power, but it still has a place in my recording rotation, since it can capture in full HD 1080P30.. sure, it's not 1080P60, but I can live with 30, and you don't actually notice in the videos when most images are static, plus it has a (for a phone) large sensor.
Next on the list is my little Iphone 2 SE, which I have a serious love/hate relationship with this phone. Mostly I hate the phone, but I love having it because it's nice having the second camera, however I have had a lot of issues with it, where it'll actually delete the video while I was copying it over to my computer for editing. It has happened many times, which sort of just says that I have a lot of issues when it comes to iPhone. My kids don't let me touch theirs, as every time I do, something goes weird on it. My eldest, his phone will be working perfectly fine, then he'll hand it to me so I can show him something, and it'll just stop responding.. So I think the relationship is definitely mutual.
Next is my main phone, the S23, which I use as my, well, every day phone. It shoots in full 4K60, or even 8K if I wanted! That's insane, but when I think about it, 8K? That just sounds like a whole lot of extra space on the phone I really don't need to take up, or space on my Hard Drives! 4k60 is enough, both the iPhone and the S23, it's a lot, indeed!
I use a pair of wireless microphones, really inexpensive off amazon, and they have a dongle that plugs right into your phone, so it creates a easy wireless connection that is quite stable, and since it's dedicated, it isn't prone to interruptions and dropping, unlike Bluetooth.
In fact, I have a couple sets I use, depending on what I'm doing in the video;
Check the affiliate links before for gear I'm using and mention in this post.
The Microphones I think are the biggest difference in audio quality you can get. When you're using your phone for recording the video, the audio is very improved using a microphone, and it doesn't have to be a really expensive one. Granted, the ol' Buy it Nice, or Buy It Twice adage is true, but the cheap as chips mics are actually really good, and you won't feel bad if you accidentally drop it, or break it. I've only had clips break, never actually had the microphone break, personally.
But the single, best upgrade you can have to your video is audio quality.
Myself, when it comes to Audio, however, I go a step beyond, as I let the phones and cameras record audio using their own built in microphones, as they're very good at picking up ambient noise, without filtering. Noise like birds chirping, engines running, cars driving by, wind, etc. They capture it all, where as my voice audio I have it on a dedicated microphone that is being recorded to a separate phone that I use only for audio recording, and nothing else. It's terribly slow at being a phone, and as for being a camera, well, it is frustratingly bad, and I just couldn't deal with all the shortcomings of its recording capabilities to continue to use it after I had retired it from being my daily use phone, when I acquired the S23.
Going back to some of my earliest videos when I was recording without dedicated microphones, I remember having to boost the audio, and it would often sound hollow, or tinny, which was frustrating, both to myself, the creator, and for those watching, as they had to strain to really hear and make out what I was saying.
Now this is where I have started to diverge from the beaten path lately. I have started using, and looking into picking up, a dSLR. My son brought one home from school, and so I've been tootling around with it before it goes back, and I have made a huge discovery on the quality of the video. It's massive in difference, however it's also massive in difference in entry costs, of course today you can get some very impressive old dSLRs that record in 1080p, and the sensor size makes a whole world of difference in video quality. If you have a dSLR already, or a Mirrorless camera, then you're already got a step up over those with just a cell phone!
The other thing I have been experimenting with is a GoPro style action camera, which I wear attached to the brim of my hat, which I use a mounting screw from a tripod mount to hold it. It allows the viewer to "See what I see as I see it" sort of view, however I have to remember they can't look sideways with their eyes, I have to move my head. It is great for SOME types of video, but not others. I find it's really good when I have to get in really difficult to record places, and I'm having to look at what I'm working on, say, inside the engine of a car, or under the car. Or when I'm mowing the lawn, or blowing the snow, it gives a First Person view of the action.
Tripods are also a very important thing to have, if you plan on having a static camera, or if you're doing repair videos, or showing things and need two hands, or many other reasons to have a tripod, mainly because it adds a lot of stability to your shots. I've also learned that putting a camera on a shaking lawnmower does not make for good videos...
Editing is one of those things that you kind of learn as you go along. You also learn different ways to edit, which suit *Your* style. That's the most important metric, is this is your style. Just because I use multiple cameras with microphones and tripods, action cameras, and a dSLR now.... That is just a style, and brand, that I've built for myself, and find that I like that kind of flow. Remember, tho, for every camera you have, that means more hard drive storage space, and a more dedicated editing flow you're going to need to develop. It takes time, but if I can do it, you can do it!
Now the best part was the reward for my persistence, and consistency of uploading a new video every week, for almost 2 years.. My channel has finally passed the threshold required for Monetization and entry into the Partner Program with YouTube. That's right! I crossed the 1000 Subscriber mark with 4000 watch hours On September 11th, 2025!
What a fantastic moment that was, even tho that was not a great time for me, as I had suffered a pretty serious injury when moving my motorcycle, however that is a different post entirely, or even this video here.
I know it's been a bit since my last blog post update, I've been meaning on making more on a more regular basis, but I've been really pushing my recording lately, and trying to bring up releasing 2 videos a week, hopefully at sometime soon in the new year, once I can feel a few things out with the flow of the video and how I'm going to record it.
So with that,
Stay tuned....
Amazon Affiliate Links;
Small Lavalier Microphone - Recommended
Small Lavalier Microphone - Inexpensive
LED Video Lights - Decent'y Bright
Milled Aluminum Tripod Mount Phone Holder
Lightweight Carbon Fibre Tripod
