As Cameras Editor, I shoot a good bit of social media content material for TechRadar – primarily solo on-the-go vlogging as I check out new digicam gear, capturing my first impressions for TechRadar’s TikTok and YouTube.
For such duties, I need a light-weight setup of the very best attainable high quality, fuss-free, to make my solo shooter life as fuss-free as attainable. I’ve fine-tuned my gear choice over a few years with a number of high merchandise which can be match for the duty.
I’m not saying my selections are the best picks for everyone, which is why I have included additional options in my best vlogging cameras, best wireless mics, best camera bags, and best camera phone guides – you will make sure to discover your dream vlogging gear in a type of guides.
However which gadgets are my private necessities? Let’s check out every merchandise one after the other and why every merchandise has made a house in my bag, beginning with the bag itself!
What’s in my bag
- Ulanzi 9L bag sling bag
- Xiaomi 15 Ultra camera phone
- Godox Cube-C wireless mic kit
- SmallRig Mini LED Video Light 25W (x2)
- Neewer neck holder
- Mini selfie stick-cum-tripod
Ulanzi 9L Sling Bag
Small, lightweight, comfortable, rugged, protective, surprisingly spacious, and quick access to what’s inside, those are the attributes I look for in a bag for my content creation gear, and the Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag ticks all of those boxes.
Slung over one shoulder and resting on my midriff, with a top zipper for the main compartment and a padded divider inside (which can be folded away inside the bag to create one single large compartment, I have quick access to all of the items listed above, right from where my hand can rest.
A full-size backpack, though it could fit a wide range of camera gear, is excessive for my needs, and most such bags are slow to access gear. No, I need the smallest possible bag with easy gear access, and Ulanzi’s does the trick!
See my Ulanzi 9L Camera Sling Bag with Tripod Holder B122 review for extra particulars.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
You’d think my camera of choice would be a ‘proper’ one – a top vlogging camera like the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (which I do certainly additionally use), or a video heavyweight mirrorless digicam from the likes of Sony, Canon, or Panasonic. However alas, for vlogging content material, I normally depend on a flagship smartphone, and all all through 2025, my go-to has been the Xiaomi 15 Extremely.
I’m not going to separate hairs about whether or not and why it’s the best camera phone of all of them, but it surely’s actually up there, particularly with its simple interface, Google connectivity (I exploit G Drive for collaborative tasks), a high-quality 1-inch sensor primary digicam, and very good telephoto cameras.
For extra particulars, learn my Xiaomi 15 Ultra feature the place I spent a month with it as my primary digicam for images, and our in-depth 15 Ultra review.
Godox Cube-C wireless mic kit
After a top-quality camera phone, I need pro-quality audio (arguably even more important), and for that, I’m not going to rely on a camera’s internal mics, good as they can be. No, I’m going to connect to a portable wireless mic instead.
I’ll be clear from the off – there are numerous wireless mics available, and I’ve tested a bunch of them, including the powerful DJI Mic 3, tiny Mic Mini, and budget-friendly Boya Mini – take a look at my best wireless mics information. However I’d wish to put the highlight on the very good Godox Dice-C package at present.
I’ve been utilizing the excellent Godox Dice-C package for a lot of months, and with out desirous to sound like an advert, it has by no means let me down. The identical can’t be mentioned for a number of different kits that I’ve come and gone in my life as a result of I couldn’t depend on them. And one of the best half? The Dice-C full package prices simply $103 at Amazon / £94 at Amazon.
The Godox Dice-C package contains two mics (transmitters), a cell receiver (plugged into the USB-C of my Xiaomi 15 Extremely), a receiver for cameras (which slots right into a hotshoe and connects to the three.5mm mic jack), a charging case, wind muffs, and varied magnetic mounts to connect the mics to clothes in a alternative of how.
The mics are tiny and don’t tug on clothes, and the 24-bit output and noise discount render improbable audio high quality.
I’ve two points with the package – the mics appear significantly delicate to rustling noise from clothes. For those who come throughout this difficulty as I’ve, it is behind your thoughts to place the mics with explicit care and restrict physique actions to keep away from it.
Additionally, I wanted the important thing parts would slot in the charging case, which solely has house for the 2x mics and the digicam receiver, not the cell receiver or wind muffs. As a result of it would not, I’ve wanted to hold all of it within the cumbersome case if I would like the gear protected correctly. I do not normally need to carry all the parts, although, so I’ve tended to go for a tender case to retailer simply the bits I would like for any given shoot.
SmallRig Mini LED Video Light 25W
If I can, I tend to use natural light for vlogging, because using artificial light is one more thing to think about (and potentially carry for a shot). However, I’ll always pack a mini LED video light in my sling bag just in case I need it, especially for product b-roll.
My choice of lighting gear for solo vlogging is the lightweight SmallRig Mini LED Video Light 25W, which prices $59 at SmallRig or £59 at Amazon. I’ve two, and with dimensions of 4.4 x 2.9 x 1.1in / 112.5 x 74.0 x 29.2mm, I can simply match a type of into my sling bag, each of them at a push.
I have been so impressed with SmallRig’s video lights – they’re highly effective, versatile, and reliable.
Battery life has proved to be longer than different lights I’ve used, with as much as 50 minutes at full energy, and USB-C quick charging on the go, which can also be attainable whereas the lights are in use. I can not let you know what number of occasions different lights have let me down with poor battery life.
SmallRig’s full colour spectrum Mini LED Video Mild 25Ws lights include a (magnetic) diffuser, and three settings: white/heat mild (with a 2,500 to 10,000 kelvin vary and CRI 96 colour accuracy), RGB, or a variety of 14 totally different results, akin to lightning and flame.
You navigate between the three settings utilizing a button, and circle by way of the choices in every one, colour temperature or energy output, utilizing a management wheel – it is all tremendous easy, which is what I would like when solo vlogging.
It is attainable to connect the lights to magnetic surfaces or to stands/selfie sticks utilizing the tripod thread on the underside. The one cons to those lights are the comparatively sluggish start-up time and barely noisy followers (no matter output you’ve gotten the lights set to).
Various: Ulanzi LED20 RBG video light for $40 at Amazon / £48 at Amazon
Neewer neck mount
For those POV shots when I’m hands-on with the gear, I need both of my hands free, which means that I can’t be holding the camera. My solution, although it’s hardly the stylish look I want while filming, is a neck mount. Needs must!
I use the Neewer GP-16, which costs around $25 at Amazon / £25 at Amazon. Costs can differ ± $10 / £10 at any time, however I received mine for £23 at Amazon UK earlier this 12 months.
The thought is that you just put on the versatile neck strap after which connect your digicam to the mount – the Neewer GP-16 package deal I purchased consists of choices for mounting a cellphone magnetically, or a small motion digicam by way of a common threaded mount.
Whether or not I am hands-on with gear or just need my POV at any given second, this neck holder does the trick!
Insta360 2-in-1 Mini Tripod
For walking-and-talking clips, I need a selfie stick to maintain the proper distance between me and the camera to frame the shot correctly. Rather than a dedicated selfie stick, however, I find the Insta360 Mini 2-in-1 Mini Tripod is a versatile alternative, and it costs just $30 at Amazon / £27 at Insta360.
Firstly, the mini tripod can angle the cellphone, and secondly, it options built-in tripod legs, so I can set the digicam on a handy floor for hands-free filming the place appropriate.
To be used with the Osmo Pocket 3 or an motion digicam, the mini tripod setup is straightforward. Nonetheless, for a bulkier digicam cellphone with out a tripod mount, I’ve wanted to choose up an affordable cellphone clamp that screws into the mini tripod, any generic clamp with tripod mount sub $5 / £5 will do.
I would like a barely bigger and sturdier model to be used with a cellphone, with an extended most peak and better stability – the Insta360 Selfie Stick + Throwpod has caught my eye – but when I am solely utilizing one assist, that is the one which slips inside my sling bag.
Another that I exploit often, as a result of I can connect it to the tripod holder of my sling bag, is the mini tripod that options throughout the Heipi 3-in-1 travel tripod. The included head on this tripod has a hidden cellphone clamp, making it perfect for vlogging.
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