Camera recommendations?

[Cromulent]

I've got a GoPro Hero 7 Black and a head strap. I'm pretty happy with that set up to record what I am looking at but I'm at a loss as to what to do when it comes to filming my face? I vlog so ideally I'd want to film what I was looking at as well as my face while I was talking.

I was looking at special vlogging cameras and there seem to be so many of them. Also what about gimbals for them? What is the done thing for things like this? I imagine if you are holding the camera with your hands while you walk the footage is going to be really shaky.

Since I do my walks at night I need really really good low light performance as my torch will be pointing in front of me for the GoPro but the other camera will have to film my face without much light on it.

Are vlogging cameras a bit of a rip-off? Should I be looking at a proper mirrorless or DSLR instead?

I'm totally new to these matters so please be kind .

 

[Cromulent]

I know very little about the subject but 1-2 people I know who do a bit of that stuff more than just casually but not hardcore/professional use the Sony dsc-wx500 and I know Sony cameras are popular with those who do it a bit more seriously as well but not 100% on models. Couple of channels I watch more regularly use the RX100 as their main camera - the results look pretty natural.

EDIT: Most people use cameras (usually GoPros) with image stabilisation for more active stuff though you can get gimbals that help and would definitely make the footage more watchable if you are regularly doing stuff on foot.

I'm just a bit concerned with low light performance as most of my filming will take place at night and will only have a torch for illumination.

 

[Cromulent]

How much do you want to spend? - apparently the Sony Alpha 7 III is one of the best low light vlogging cameras but it ain't cheap. The RX100 even older models are very very capable in low light though.

Ouch. I see what you mean. I guess I'll just have to make do with the cheaper cameras. The DSC W500 does look really good though. I just can't find the maximum video resolution. Can it record in 4k?

 

[Cromulent]

Another option might be the DJI Osmo Pocket - interesting video comparing them here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXWWJx24wYk it doesn't have the low light performance of the more expensive cameras but is still quite decent but the bonus of stabilisation is quite good.

Again I'd caution I don't know much about this subject beyond having taken in what people I know and/or people I regularly watch on YouTube have commented on.

Yeah, I've looked at that in the past. It does seem like it does everything I want but I keep getting the feeling that if I get a dedicated camera I'll have better quality images and sound. Or at least have a plug so I can plug in an external microphone to up the sound quality.

No only does up to 1080p60.

Ah, that is a shame although it doesn't rule it out. I might just have to go lower resolution on my GoPro to compensate.

 

[Cromulent]

In this day and age I'd probably push for higher resolution footage - especially ideally you want the unprocessed footage to be as high quality as possible.

Yeah. I've been recording in 4k 60fps on my GoPro and it seems to be working well. I'll keep hunting for a suitable camera that does support 4k 60fps. I might even look into a second-hand camera to save some money.

 

[Cromulent]

Just been looking at the Sony RX100 IV and it looks like an excellent camera for the price. I'm finding it hard not to go out and buy it right now. It would solve my problems when vlogging nicely and is also a decent camera just for day to day use as well.