The Gear I Use to Make Recipe Videos

If you’re interested in making hosted or Tasty-style recipe videos you’ll probably want to know what kind of equipment to use. This is a list of all the gear I use to make cooking videos for myself and others. Watch the video below or keep reading to learn more.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a portion of the sale. I personally use and recommend all of these products, so be sure to let me know if you have any questions!

The most important thing I want you to remember is it’s not the gear you own, but the skills you bring to it that will make or break your videos.

You don’t need to run out and buy all the most expensive gear available. Take the time to learn what you’ll need and upgrade as you improve your skills and start making money.

In college I minored in Digital Media and specialized in video editing. I’ve been a food blogger since 2011 and added video to my site in 2017. In 2019 I started producing videos for other bloggers. You can see some of the videos I’ve created on my portfolio page.

Now I share my tips on creating and editing recipe videos on my YouTube channel in an effort to make this transition easier for other bloggers who may have no experience with video equipment and software.

This is a list of the recipe video gear I have accumulated over the years, why I love it (or don’t), and what it’s used for.

What kind of gear to use for recipe videos

Cameras

Canon 5D Mark II

The Canon 5D Mark II is the camera I’ve used for a long time to shoot my overhead recipe videos. The quality is great, it’s pretty easy to use, and it’s pretty affordable since it’s a few generations old.

The downsides to this camera are it’s pretty heavy, doesn’t have a flip-out screen, and can’t auto-focus while recording video.

I set this camera up on a tripod as my side angle shot.

Canon 80d

I recently purchased this Canon EOS 80D in order to improve my workflow since this camera will autofocus while shooting video. Autofocus isn’t ideal for every video, but it can be really handy, especially when shooting videos of yourself talking without someone else there to help set up.

It also has a flip out screen that makes it easy to make sure you’re getting the right shot whether it’s a talking head or an overhead video. I also love how lightweight it is!

I keep this camera attached to an overhead arm for shooting top-down footage.

Lenses

Canon 50mm lens

The Canon 50mm lens is a go-to for food photography and video. It is a prime lens (it won’t zoom), so keep that in mind if you’re hoping to zoom in on anything.

I currently keep this lens set up on my side angle camera, but if I had two zoom lenses I would prefer that.

Canon 24-70mm USM II Lens

The Canon 24-70mm 2.8 USM II Lens is a super versatile lens that will allow you a lot of options when shooting video. I like to shorten it up for general food videos, and get up close for that final bite shot.

I use this lens on my overhead camera so I can easily frame the scene and zoom in for some nice stir shots.

Canon Extension Tube EF12 II

I will occasionally attach this Canon Extension Tube EF12 II to my 50mm lens for close up shots. It makes the 50mm act more like a 100mm I believe.

Extras

Vanguard ALTA PRO 263AGH TP w/GH-100 Grip Head Tripod

I love this Vanguard ALTA PRO 263AGH TP w/GH-100 Grip Head Tripod. It has an articulating arm that can be adjusted to shoot overhead and is sturdy enough to handle a heavy camera. I tried buying a cheaper tripod to use for side shots and ended up sending it back because it was such a disappointment compared to this one.

I don’t recommend using the included head if you want to do any panning or tilting (moving position of the camera without moving the tripod) since it doesn’t have a fluid motion. I will probably purchase a slider and/or video specific head at some point.

Overhead Stand

I recently purchased this Glide Gear OH 100 overhead stand to use for overhead food videos. It isn’t quite tall enough for my purposes, even with my 24-70 mm lens, so I’m still working on how I’m going to deal with that.

You can flip the overhead bar over so the attachment reaches higher, but this gets difficult if you’re using a long lens. For now I keep it stacked on top of some sturdy boxes when shooting.

Video Monitor

I survived for a long time without a video monitor, so don’t think this is something you absolutely need to get started. This Neewer Field Monitor makes it easy to see what you’re working on if your camera is set up high or far away from you.

Since purchasing the Canon 80D I don’t have a lot of use for this, but it is a great quality and I’m keeping it around as a just-in-case.

Memory Card

Don’t forget the memory card! It is such a disappointment to purchase a camera and lens, and then not be able to do anything because you don’t have a memory card.

If you’re doing light video work you might be able to get away with a 32GB card, but for more serious work I would definitely recommend a 64GB or higher.

I use this card reader to transfer data from a variety of different cards onto my computer.

Backdrops

A lot of my backdrops are homemade (you can read more about my DIY food photography backgrounds). I also have a couple Bessie Bakes Backdrops and Replica Surfaces that I like. They scratch pretty easily, but wipe up really well and look beautiful.

I recently purchased a double sided backdrop from Woodville Workshop, and will come back and update after I’ve had some time to see how I like it.

Sand Bags

If you’re using a tripod with an overhead arm, you’ll probably want to purchase some sandbags to help balance things out so it doesn’t tip over and break your expensive camera. I’ve made do with bags of rice if this isn’t in your budget.

Diffuser

I went years without a diffuser, and it was a huge mistake. I chose this Neewer 40”x60” diffuser, which is probably bigger than most people would need. This has a low price point and can take harsh light and turn it into a soft glow.

You probably won’t need a diffuser for video unless you’re working in harsh, natural daylight.

Steadicam

I still have some playing around to do with this one, and it’s definitely not necessary to get started in video. I have this Raleno steadicam, but haven’t fully figured out how to work it yet.

Still, it does help stabilize any necessary hand held footage to help create a more visually interesting recipe video.

Single Burner/Hot Plate

I use this Cuisinart Cast Iron Single Burner for stove top cooking in recipe videos. I love that it isn’t induction, so I don’t need to use any specific cookware. It isn’t super powerful (especially when I have a fan blowing on it), but it gets the job done and looks nice.

Fan

I purchased a simple tabletop fan from a department store. It keeps the steam away from my camera any time I’m working with hot food. You could also get a little fan that clips onto your tripod legs.

Lights

Lighting video can be tricky. I started with these Limo Studio softboxes, but found them to be a little green, even with white balance and color correction.

I purchased these Neewer LED video lights hoping they would replace the Limo Studio lights, but after some playing around I found that if I pointed these close to my white ceiling and turned up the yellow a bit, they balanced out the green and added a soft, natural glow of light to the scene.

Computer

I’ve always edited videos on a Macbook Pro. Recently I upgraded from a 2010 to a 2017 15 inch with a 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB solid state drive.

The improvements to my workflow were astounding! My programs run much faster, I don’t need to render my sequences, and I’m able to encode videos in 1/60th of the time. While it may seem like a huge price tag to upgrade your computer, the time saved might be worth it for you.

Audio

Zoom H1N Handy Recorder

If you’re doing any kind of on camera or voice over work, you’ll want a way to record audio outside of your camera for better quality. This Zoom H1N Handy Recorder has a nice price point, great quality, and can connect to a lav mic if you’re needing that.

Music

I use Epidemic Sound for most of my recipe videos, but I’ve also purchased from Shiny Head Productions and a few other places like Premium Beat and Audio Jungle.

Editing

I use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit all my recipe videos. I find it to be the easiest to use with the most features, plus I’m already paying for other Adobe products so I can bundle it all together.

Questions?

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out! You can also head over to the Facebook Group to tap into the great community there.