THINKING ABOUT STARTING A CAR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL? WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU REALLY NEED?

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If you are thinking of starting a Car Automotive Social Media Channel and you don’t know what equipment is needed for photos and videos….then this short post will help you.

I started We Blog Any Car back in 2015. I purely wanted the blog to be a car news and review website. I firstly bought a Nikon D3200 D-SLR camera for taking photos of cars for reviews. These cars were captured all over the country and many at motor shows I attended in the UK and Europe. I found the Nikon D3200 D-SLR camera with its 18-55mm lens an excellent choice for capturing good quality images. The only negative I have (about this camera) is that the rear screen doesn’t flip out. I couldn’t see myself if I wanted to face the lens for a selfie or to record a video with myself in the shot (my phone recording quality at the time wasn’t the best for this….but this has evolved since). Picture and video quality from a smart phone nowadays is pretty good: however, when attending a car show I still like to use my trusty D-SLR camera for my website pictures. If you are thinking of posting only on Facebook or Instagram then a 4 year old smart phone is good enough to start with.

When I started producing more videos, I began by using my smart phone and a GoPro Hero 1. The GoPro Hero 1 is great for my B – roll footage and I record this with the GoPro mounted on the car’s exterior with the excellent GoPro suction mounts. The GoPro Hero 1 microphone isn’t the best (especially with the clear protective cage around it) so I use it purely for my B – roll footage…however, it is robust and will film in 1080p which is good enough for me.

I moved on to a GoPro Hero 10 and I use this for all of my interior shots whilst driving and talking to camera. I also use it for videos whilst filming a walk around the cars. With the GoPro Hero 10 the stabilisations for picture quality is brilliant!! It allows me to film really smooth footage.. whether I am walking around the car or driving at high speed. Another bonus is that it takes care of the lighting conditions and it can also record in 5.3K (which I haven’t done). The microphone is also really good and produces a clear recording (I may invest in an external mic but for now I am really happy with its built-in microphone). The rear touch screen is clear and easy to use.

Another great feature is that I can have a real time view of myself on my mobile phone before I press record. I can review all of my recordings on my phone via Bluetooth on the GoPro app. 

The GoPro 10 is around £300 on Amazon but I do recommend it and perhaps an older model for the B-roll shots. The GoPro 10 has saved me a lot of set up time and is great for beginners. 

So, all you have to do now is to get out there and start taking photos, writing and filming.

I really hope that this quick post benefits and helps you out if you are thinking of starting a car blog/channel. By all means post a comment and let me know how you are getting on or email me if you have any more questions on this topic. 

For more information or to buy a GoPro product from Amazon, just click on the link here:  Amazon UK GoPro.

For more information or to buy Nikon products from Amazon, just click on the link here:   Amazon UK Nikon.

For more information or to buy the Joby Gorilla Pod,  just click on the link here:                  Joby Gorilla Pod