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This is a working list, not a one-off “best gear” roundup. I’m adding to it category by category rather than dumping everything at once, so it’ll grow over time.
Camera
I use a DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo for basically everything, and I’ve got no real plans to upgrade it. It’s been dropped, dunked, and used most days for a couple of years now, and it still holds up.
Here’s the thing nobody really tells you: watch enough vlogs and try to guess whether it was shot on an Osmo Action 3, 4, or the newest GoPro. Honestly, you can’t. The footage all looks great in daylight, all struggles a bit in the same low-light situations, and the gap between generations is nowhere near as dramatic as the marketing suggests. What actually makes a video watchable is the story and the edit, not which sensor captured it. Just start filming, the upgrade rarely moves the needle.
Because it’s a few generations old now, it’s also properly cheap. The Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo is currently £179 (4.6 stars, nearly 1,900 ratings), well below what the newer models cost, and unless you’re doing something genuinely demanding, you won’t notice the difference in your finished footage.
One place it’s worth not buying DJI’s own kit: batteries and chargers. DJI prices its own accessories at a premium, and decent third-party ones do exactly the same job for a fraction of the cost. I use K&F Concept’s 3-pack battery and charger set, three batteries plus a USB-C fast-charging case for £41.64, rated 4.5 stars, instead of buying DJI’s own.