Cinematic podcast video quality: the best video podcast cameras to make your content stand out

Making video podcasts is a powerful way to grow your audience and bring your content to life. The rewards for podcasters who capture their shows on camera can be great, with more reach, deeper engagement and opportunities for next-level monetisation.

In fact, adding video to a podcast is no longer a "nice to have", it’s now the priority. As Steven Bartlett, host of The Diary of a CEO podcast, puts it: "If you are going to succeed in the new world of media, whether that's YouTube or Facebook or Meta or Snapchat or X, video is at the very heart of all those mediums, and if you're trying to reach people and get growth then you do need to be a video-first podcast."

Content is still king, but superior picture quality can make your videos majestic enough to stop the scroll. TV is now the primary device for viewing YouTube in the US, according to the platform, which revealed that it reached the media milestone of more than 1 billion active viewers of podcast content in February 2025. So, there's a real incentive to make your video podcast look the best it can on the big screen, where you'll be competing with clips from film studios, broadcasters and influential content creators.

"Viewers might be watching people simply sat in a room with microphones in front of them," suggests Graham Payne, Product Marketing Manager at Canon UK, "but there's a real push to increase video podcast production values now."

So, what features should you look for when choosing the best camera for video podcasts? Ultimately that depends on the budget and space you have available – and where you are on your podcast journey.

"Some podcasters starting out might want to get to The Diary of a CEO production level, but it's all about learning to walk before you run," Graham advises. One of the most common mistakes when choosing your first podcasting camera, he cautions, is going for a basic model that isn't designed for long-form video recording.

"Podcasters who have been audio-only tend to get whatever they can lay their hands on. It might be a webcam or a phone, but predominantly it's an entry-level camera. However, they typically run into obstacles such as overheating, 29-minute recording limits or poor autofocus."

These issues might not be a concern if all you want to do is grab a few clips to advertise a podcast on social media, but you run the risk of missing the moments that could make a perfect clip to resonate with a new audience.

"The Rest is Entertainment team need to take their own cameras into the studio, so they've upgraded to two EOS R6 Mark II bodies and a pair of Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lenses – and the look and feel of the podcast has been immediately elevated. It looks great."

For podcasters further along on their video podcast journey, a Canon Cinema EOS pro video camera brings a step up in performance.

"Models such as the EOS C70 and EOS C80 are ideal for professional podcast productions, as they are compact, have no record limits and no overheating issues, and can be run off mains power," Graham says.

They're also equipped with Canon’s powerful Dual Pixel CMOS AF with intelligent tracking that automatically recognises and tracks the subject's eye. With Face Only AF enabled, the camera will focus only when it detects a person's face and will hold the focus if the person moves out of the frame, rather than jumping to the microphone or another part of the set.

"The autofocus performance on the EOS C70 has made a big difference to the production of The Diary of a CEO," Graham reveals. "Before they worked with Canon, the team were using cameras that had no autofocus. There could be a huge star being interviewed and the crew would spend the whole time worrying that the person would move and be out of focus.

"But now they just focus on their show notes and what's going on in the interview."

Very bright prime lenses such as the RF 50mm F1.2L USM are often paired with these cameras to give a cinematic feel to podcasts. "We're really loving the 50mm prime lenses, and the fact that they go all the way down to f/1.2 means that we get a really nice blurred, dreamy background," says Jamie Gilbert, Senior Videographer and Editor at Marvellous Media, which makes the hit That Peter Crouch Podcast.

The built-in Neutral Density filter on the EOS C70 means that Jamie can open the lenses to f/1.2 and capture the depth of field that helps to separate Peter and his fellow presenters from the background, while still having full control over the exposure.

If you have the budget, three cameras will provide a dynamic setup for video podcast interviews: a presenter close-up, a guest close-up, and a camera for wide shots or B-roll cutaway shots that you can use to add variety in the edit. Even if it's a solo shoot, you'll give yourself more creative freedom in the edit if you have at least two different camera angles to cut between.

Graham suggests using a 50mm or 85mm lens on the host and guest cameras, positioned at eye level for a natural look. "Podcast producers have fallen in love with the RF 50mm F1.2L USM and RF 85mm F1.2L USM, but they're quite substantial lenses with heavy glass. If you're filming your podcast in different locations, then you'd maybe prefer an f/1.4 lens such as the RF 50mm F1.4L VCM.

"For the wide shot, podcasters are using a 35mm lens such as the RF 35mm F1.4L VCM or even the RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM or RF 10-20mm F4L IS STM if they need to go super-wide to include a larger group of people."

Have backup batteries and memory cards set aside in case of emergencies and, if you can, take production notes during the recording so that you can highlight the timecodes of standout sequences for the edit and snappy, self-contained moments that will make great short clips for your social media platforms.

Whether you have the relative luxury of recording a full season of content before the first episode is released, or you need to put a timely interview live the same day, a workflow that lets you edit, export and clip your video with minimum effort is crucial. Fortunately, there's much you can do in-camera to streamline your video podcast post-production.

"Lots of people have come over from the world of audio podcasting and are terrified about the post-production side of video podcasts," Graham says. "Turnaround time can be very short, especially if you're having to get one or two podcasts out weekly – or even every day in some situations.

"Podcast producers want to concentrate on their content, they don't want to spend a lot of time and money on post-production."

Professional video producers recognise that shooting in Log or RAW ensures maximum dynamic range and image quality, but it requires the added step of colour grading footage in post-production. If you don't have the time or budget for this step, Graham explains, there are acceptable alternatives: "If you've got a good-quality camera and lens and you light correctly, then you can get things done very quickly."

The camera settings required will depend on the situation, but Graham recommends recording a video podcast using the broadcast standard Rec.709 Custom Picture setting for an image that's perfectly (and quickly) usable straight out of the EOS C70 and other Cinema EOS cameras. "Alternatively, try Wide DR for a slightly more vivid looking image."

If you're using more than one camera for a video podcast, then you'll need to match their output to achieve a more consistent look and feel. Otherwise, cuts between the cameras can be jarring. Ideally, they would be identical cameras, but Graham points out that Canon sensors use the same proven colour science, so it's easier to achieve a uniform look across different models within the Canon range.

"Use a grey card to set a custom white balance for each camera so they're all matched to the lighting, and you're good to go."

Steven Bartlett says the decision to launch The Diary of a CEO in video was "one of the most important decisions we ever made" and the growth has come from the video component. The Diary of a CEO surpassed 10 million subscribers on YouTube in early 2025.

However, that level of growth doesn't come from creating great content alone. There's an understanding of the power of the hook, which is why the team has someone whose job is to make trailers – as Steven describes it, "when your show is cut into lots of clips and goes out into the wider internet like a fishing rod and pulls audiences into your podcast ecosystem."

You might not have someone dedicated to creating your video podcast promos, but you can still make your content stand out as TikToks, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Format your clips vertically for mobile, add captions to make your video accessible without sound, and include a call to action. Video podcast clips are valuable, viral tools for social media marketing, and sharing a few seconds of the right clip could be it all it takes to turn passive scrollers into committed viewers and listeners.

Whether you’re looking to connect with new audiences on social channels or improve viewer engagement for your full shows, Canon's video podcast cameras deliver the rich video quality that can make the difference. To find out more, explore the EOS R System cameras, Cinema EOS cameras and remote PTZ cameras that work seamlessly together to elevate your podcast production values and make your content stand out in a crowded feed, and watch to learn how to podcast like the pros.