Which low-budget camera would you recommend for recording podcasts?

Sound is much more important - even if you consider your podcast video first (in which case it’s not a podcast but that’s another topic) sound is more important. Take whatever smart phone you have and use that for the video and then spend any money you have for the camera and spend it on a decent mic.

People will watch lower quality video with good sound for far longer than they will watch good video with bad sound.

Source: listening to podcasts now for 15 years and grew my own to 5k listens a month across 100 episodes.

You may have better luck if you specify what low budget means to you. The latest iPhone Pro is better than some of the entry level cameras, especially if you weren't planning to splurge for a nice prime lens.

I think the cheapest you should go is the Sony EV-10 plus Sigma 16mm 1.4 lens. If those are more than you want to spend, stick with your phone camera because you won't see enough improvement to make it worthwhile.

In either case, watch some YouTube videos about podcast lighting because that will matter more than your camera.

Sorry,I'm confused. Aren't podcasts audio by definition?

Unless your audience is going to be mainly on a video platform (and even then, the following advice will apply) you should focus your budget on audio equipment, and possibly build a recording booth.

I've spent a few years fiddling with setups during COVID / remote work. Honestly, in my experience, gear comes secondary to your ENVIRONMENT.

Julie Schiro's videos are a great place to start: https://www.youtube.com/@JulieSchiro

Here are my tiers!

Tier 1: Audio > Video first!

- Get very basic sound treatment done, even just a few panels in front and behind you. ~$100 or cheaper with DIY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3nS2-HvJMs

- Get a reliable microphone. Samson Q2U is a solid one here if you did step 1.

Tier 2: Improve video

- Improve your lighting. Face a window if you can or get some lamps to balance out lighting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiUpK0dhWTE

- Use smartphone with app or cable as your virtual webcam. Or if you have $200 get the Logitech Brio

Tier 3: $$$

- Audio: 3x your sound panelling & sound treatment. Put stuff on the ceilings too. If you still have too much money, get Shure MV7 (usb-c which is nice). SM7B honestly isn't needed unless you have a true studio environment with professional sound treatment done.

- Video: Get a Sony a6000 (this is what I use) or a6400 / 6600 and a lens with f1.4 on it. This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077BWD2BB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

- Add-ons: Get a dummy battery that plugs into your wall and can run your camera in 'forever power' mode. Get a camera signal -> USB converter like Magewell or Elgato Camlink (what I use): https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1453840-REG/elgato_sy...

If you have a mid- to upper- range phone made in the last 4 years, that's probably the best low-budget option by far. Save your money and get led panel lights instead.

And a good audio recorder will do wonders. Zoom h1n is a quite good budget option. Try searching YouTube for "h1n vs" - there are tons of great options.

Use your phone and spend your money on lighting and audio (mic and interface). You can make your video look very professional with good lighting. Bad lighting + expensive camera == amateur looking video. No matter how good the image is, with poor audio no one will watch it.

A used Sony a6000 + kit lens + cheap HDMI to USB dongle.

The nice thing about this sort of setup is that you can upgrade the lens as needed without having to redo the whole system.

As for lighting, DIY some diffusers for and stick them on some lamps.

Any camera except a webcam will work. Focus on lighting and microphones, ones you have a reason to upgrade your setup, you might consider dslr cameras that are used for serious video productions

If your budget is tight, use your phone for video, and sort out the audio equipment first. Folks will watch mediocre video with excellent audio. They will not watch the reverse.

A recent iPhone Pro or high end Android phone.

I wouldn’t recommend getting into more complicated setups until you’ve tried a recent phone. They’re really quite extraordinary.

Everyone is saying focus on the mic, but nobody is saying what mic is recommended to use with a smartphone.

I'm giving a talk in a bar next week, and for some reason the organizers are doing audio only recordings, so I'm thinking of setting up a phone to record, but I'll want a 2nd mic as I don't want to have to sync the audio recording from the organizers to my video.

Though I'm not sure if there is a good bluetooth lapel mic. I don't seem to be finding much. I'm wondering if I'll just end up using one of my earbuds, though the audio will probably end up being crap.

Any recommendations?

Like others have said, get a used Sony a6000 (or higher model, try to get one where the screen can be swiveled to point forward). If you expect to be sitting close to the camera, you can't go wrong with a Sigma 16mm 1.4 lens. If you have the space to place the camera further away, you should probably get a slightly longer lens.

Any phone within the last few years is probably the best. Now, connecting it to your laptop is probably harder but possible.

The most important though is... LIGHTING. I can't stress that enough. Buy a cheap $15 circlear light thingys. That'll improve your image so much!

Your smartphone with external wireless mic

What is your podcast going to be about?

Ive used my phone (Redmi Note 10S) to record decent video. Post work with KDenlive.

Mind your settings.