Probably the best introductory guide on first-person POV filming that currently exists.
As somebody with a hand-related disability, I've been seeking a way to record travel videos. So, I've decided to pursue a alternate method of videography, one which creates intriguing and unique results.
Filming in first person has only become practical (relatively cheap while delivering good quality) in the past decade, as miniaturized "action" cameras have become widely available for consumers to purchase.
However, making great videos isn't as easy as buying a great camera, especially when novel techniques are involved. I've created this guide to help share what I've learned about first-person videography, so that you don't have to repeat the same mistakes that I have.
This guide assumes that the reader understands fundamentals of video and audio recording and production.
It would be impractical for me to create a guide covering all possible techniques used to create first-person video. As a result, this guide will only use the techniques which create the best quality end product reasonably possible.
However, this guide would not be complete without at least a brief explanation of why these choices were made, and what tradeoffs were necessary to reach our end goals.
There are two common methods used to record first-person videos using action cameras: Head mount and chest mount.
Comfortable chest mounts can be found cheaply, and a chest mounted camera allows for more discrete recording compared to a head mount.
However, head mounted cameras more accurately capture the wearer's point of view by following head movements and being located closer to the eyes. As a result, this guide will use a head mounted camera setup.
Recording in first-person provides us with a tool which allows us to create more accurate sounding recordings: Our own body.
The shape of our heads and ears influence how we hear the world by physically interacting with sound waves. Ordinary stereo microphones cannot take this into account, resulting in a less distinct stereo image when played on headphones.
Binaural recording is a technique that uses a human head to create more natural sounding stereo recordings by placing microphones in or near the ear canal. This technique can create recordings which sound much closer to "being there", especially when played back on headphones.
Since headphones are frequently used by viewers for video playback, it makes sense for us to take advantage of the uniqueness of first-person recording to create a more immersive sound recording.
If you are new to binaural recording, I recommend that you read this article on binaural recording techniques before purchasing a binaural microphone setup. Binaural recordings will require equalization to sound correct.
There are two main types of binaural microphones: In-ear and over-ear.
In ear microphones provide a more accurate auditory image of where sounds are located, but they make it harder to hear while you are wearing them and are often incompatible with windshields.
Over-ear microphones provide a less accurate auditory image, but they are compatible with windscreens and may be more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
Although binaural microphones are great at picking up surrounding sounds, they typically do not perform well at picking up the wearer's vocals. It is recommended that the wearer should wear a lavalier microphone if they plan on speaking.
I recommend reading this on article on microphone placement for vocal recordings for further information.
The increasing availability of consumer virtual reality headsets has created a new opportunity to create more immersive videos.
Stereoscopy is a technique for adding depth to video by displaying different images in each eye. Just like how binaural video allows us to create a more immersive soundscape, stereoscopy can add a whole new dimension to video when done correctly.
However, the hardware and software required to create stereoscopic videos is still in it's infancy, and most viewers are not yet watching videos using virtual reality headsets. As a result, this guide will not yet take advantage of this technique.
As consumer display technologies have improved, it has become possible for viewers to play back a wider range of content.
High dynamic range is a technology which allows video to display a larger range of brightness levels, and wide gamut is a technology (almost always used alongside HDR) which allows video to display a larger range of colors. This can improve realism and immersion by allowing for more true to life imagery to be displayed.
The latest action cameras can already record in HDR by simply changing a few settings. Most video streaming websites already support HDR, along with automatic tone mapping to allow viewers without HDR-compatible displays to still receive a watchable end product.
However, a HDR-compatible display as necessary to edit HDR video, and not all video editing software supports editing HDR video out of the box. Despite these difficulties, I recommend producing HDR video if possible.
Three basic items are required to capture high-quality first person video: An action camera, a binaural microphone which can be connected to the camera, and a head mount for the camera.
However, the most time consuming and expensive aspect of assembling a recording setup is sorting out the details. As a result, this guide will list the set of compatible equipment I use, along with the choices made when choosing that equipment.
This is not necessarily the "best" first-person recording setup, and it's definitely not the cheapest. All decisions involve making tradeoffs, and the choices that made the most sense for this guide's author may not necessarily be make the most sense for you.
My goals for this recording setup were:
- Recording "YouTube quality" HDR video & binaural audio in a variety of lighting conditions
- Keeping costs reasonable without compromising on quality
- Comfortable to wear for long periods of time
- Powered by a single, swappable battery
- Doesn't significantly impair the wearer when worn
Keep in mind that some of the items used in this recording setup may have lead times of approximately 1-2 weeks.
There is currently a very limited selection of over-ear binaural microphones available. After ruling out products outside of my price range, I was left with only two options: the SonicPresence SP15V and the Sound Professionals MS-EHB-2-MKII.
However, in my experience, the SonicPresence SP15V has serious design flaws. It is very poorly fitting due to a lack of adjustability, leading to discomfort from extended wear. However, comfort isn't the biggest issue this causes. The microphones are difficult to position consistently and frequently get dislodged from their proper position, leading to noticeable imbalances in the recorded stereo image.
The Sound Professionals MS-EHB-2-MKII is more expensive, but you do get what you pay for. The microphones feel far more durable and have a adjustable fit, greatly improving comfort and preventing them from being dislodged. In addition, the cable has an adjustable cinch, which prevents noise from cable movements from coming through in the recording.
They sound great when equalized, and I have no complaints about their sound quality. However, the channel sensitivity matching on my unit was not ideal, and I had to make minor (<3dB) channel-specific level corrections to properly center the stereo image.
I ended up accompanying these microphones with the Windtech WT-10377 windshield. The windshield performs very well at reducing wind noise without a significant impact on audio quality, but wearing any windshield on the microphone reduces comfort and affects the microphone's frequency response by changing where the microphone is physically located.
There are three main companies which produce quality action cameras: GoPro, DJI, and Insta360. On paper, all three cameras are fairly close in terms of capabilities.
However, according to online action camera communities, GoPros are more prone to overheating than other action cameras. This matched their paper specifications: GoPro cameras consistently had a lower rated maximum operating temperature compared to offerings from DJI and Insta360.
Image quality comparisons involve a degree of subjectivity, and there are countless online videos comparing the different cameras.
My personal opinion was that, as of the time this guide is being written, GoPro has the best image quality, but by far the worst low-light performance, often producing unusable results. DJI and Insta360 were both fairly similar in both image quality and low-light performance, although I think that DJI had slightly better image quality.
Due to reliability concerns and my need to record in a wide variety of lighting conditions, I choose the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro camera, along with a compatible SD card, three spare batteries, and an external battery charger.
One happy accident with this choice was that the DJI Osmo Action 3.5mm Audio Adapter (not to be confused with the DJI Mic Transmitter, which does not support stereo microphones) seems to support plug-in-power for microphones, despite this not being stated anywhere on the product page. This choice ended up increasing durability, as I didn't need to use a dongle-style audio adapter.
Every action camera head mount I've tried sucks from a comfort perspective. I've tried the ActionHat, the GoPro Head Strap, the Insta360 Head Strap, the Ulanzi CM027 Strap, etc... I was unable to wear any of them for more than 10 minutes without experiencing physical pain.
However, they are all relatively cheap, and can be suitable for some use cases. If you are on a limited budget, I recommend trying a conventional head mount before pursuing more expensive mounting options.
I eventually settled on something unconventional: Using night vision headsets as an action camera mount.
Night vision headsets are perfect for this use case: They are designed to carry heavy head-worn equipment (sometimes weighing over 0.5kg!) for potentially hours at a time, and the Revo NVG GoPro Mount allows you to attach an action camera to any night vision headset. However, due to being very specialized pieces of equipment, they are quite expensive.
Due to my prioritization of comfort over cost, I purchased the 4D Tactical SOF Cap (w/ Low Profile Shroud & Crown Pad), which night vision communities consider one of the most comfortable head harnesses currently on the market. In addition, I used the Microbat Systems Flathead Counterweight (adjusted to ~225g) to counterbalance the camera and mounting equipment.
Due to the harness' high position on the head, I used the HSU Aluminum Extension Arm to position the camera closer to the eyes. However, the difference in tolerances between this extension arm and the metal GoPro mount may make it difficult to attach the extension; I was only able to use the longer one of the two due to this mismatch of tolerances. If you run into issues getting the extension attached, it maybe worth using a plastic extension arm instead.
Although this head harness is overpriced, it is definitely the most comfortable mount I've used so far. The harness will need some adjustment to get a snug fit without any pressure points (I ended up slightly repositioning the foam pads and tightening the harness to reduce the weight on the crown pad), but once you have done that, it can be comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
The harness fits snugly without the chinstrap for low-intensity use, so I would argue that the chinstrap upgrade is only necessary if you plan on using this for higher intensity activities.
If the setup's wearer plans on speaking, a lavalier microphone is highly recommended to better capture their voice. I choose the Microphone Madness MM-ML microphone, along with the WindTech 10378 windshield, based on its flat frequency response and good specifications. I mount the microphone directly above my forehead, and use my smartphone as a recorder using the Saramonic SR-C2003 adapter.
This recording setup is not waterproof, so a handheld umbrella is strongly recommended in case you encounter rain or snow.
If you plan on recording in dark locations, a bright high-CRI light is highly recommended. I personally use the Acebeam E75 Flashlight.
I recommend getting some containers to better protect the equipment during transport. I choose the Point Source Audio CO-PCH Microphone Case to protect microphones and small accessories, and I picked the Peak Design Packable Tote to transport the setup when not in use.
These are the settings I have chosen (for DJI Osmo Action 5 w/ Feb 2025 firmware) to give the most flexibility in post processing:
- Video
- 4k resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) / 60 fps (switch to 30fps in low-light)
- HLG color, +0.0 EV
- RockSteady stabilization, Standard FoV
- "Texture" -2, "Noise Reduction" -2
- High Bitrate enabled
- Audio
- Stereo
- +0 dB gain
- AGC on
I may try doing stabilization in post using software like Gyroflow in the future.
Since most headphones/earbuds are designed to take into account the effect of the HRTF in order to match the sound profile of a pair of speakers (this article on headphone frequency response interpretation contains more information), binaural recordings require an inverse HRTF equalization to sound correct. An unequalized binaural recording played back on typical earbuds would additively combine two HRTFs, resulting in a distorted sound.
The article on binaural recording linked earlier provides the following (inverse HRTF) equalization preset for in-ear microphones:
480 Hz Low shelf, Gain = +2 dB
4 kHz Bell, Gain = -11 dB, Q = 1
8 kHz Bell, Gain = +8 dB, Q = 2
Master gain = 0 dB
Keep in mind that this is only an approximation, and may require further adjustment to sound correct due to inter-individual variation in HRTFs.
I found it significantly more difficult to find any guidance regarding equalizing over-ear binaural microphones, so I had to make an educated guess regarding how to do so. I am not an audio engineer, please reply in the comments to let me know of any mistakes.
At a starting point, everything below 1.5kHz should be roughly the same, as the structure of the head and torso is the primary contributor to the lower frequency portion of the HRTF.
However, after that things start to get a bit more microphone-specific.
The over-ear microphone used in this guide aims to capture sound near the entrance of the ear canal, but is not inserted into it. The open-canal HRTF has a peak at 2.5kHz rather than 4kHz, so the equalization preset should be adjusted accordingly. However, keep in mind that the impact of HRTF components above 1.5kHz will be microphone specific and cannot be determined definitively without measurement.
After modifying the previous equalization preset, I ended up with this:
480 Hz Low shelf, Gain = +2 dB
1200 Hz Bell, Gain = +2 dB, Q = 1
3 kHz Bell, Gain = -10 dB, Q = 0.8
8 kHz Bell, Gain = +4 dB, Q = 2
Master gain = 0 dB
With the over-ear microphone used in this guide, attaching a windscreen significantly changes where it is physically located, resulting in a change to the frequency response.
Since this change is relatively small, everything below 1.5kHz should stay roughly the same. These adjustments will likely be just reduced attenuation of higher frequencies due to the ear structure being farther from the microphone.
I modified the previous equalization preset by-ear, ending up with this:
480 Hz Low shelf, Gain = +2 dB
1200 Hz Bell, Gain = +2 dB, Q = 1
3 kHz Bell, Gain = -8 dB, Q = 0.8
8 kHz Bell, Gain = +3 dB, Q = 2
Master gain = 0 dB
Without specialized measurement equipment to verify these microphone-specific changes, I cannot definitively verify that these adjustments are correct. However, in my experience, they improve the sound of over-ear recordings made with windscreens attached.
In a future revision of this document, I may further improve this EQ preset to take into account any attenuation of higher frequencies caused by the windscreen itself, rather than purely taking into account the microphone's location being changed.
Even with the best equipment, recording first person video will have a bit of a learning curve.
Current recording technology cannot perfectly capture your point of view. There will always be a discrepancy between what you see and what the camera sees, what you hear and what the microphone hears, and you will have to learn how to take that into account as you create your videos.
The best way to learn to work with your new recording setup is to practice using it. Over time, as you get more experienced, your recordings will better capture what you want them to capture.
Here is what I've learned from my own usage of this recording setup:
- Be intentional with head movements. You likely underestimate how much you move your head, and the first few recordings you make will reveal this. You will have to be more intentional with how you move your head while wearing the recording setup in order to prevent the video from being a nauseating experience to watch.
- Be mindful of camera positioning. Although this guide positions the camera close to the eyes, it will not exactly match up with what you can see due to a combination of factors (different position, inability to match eye movements, different field of view, etc...). Although this is not typically a big deal, it is worth keeping in mind when you want to make sure something specific is on screen.
- Always attach windscreens when outdoors. Microphones are significantly more sensitive to wind noise than our ears, and wind noise sounds more unpleasant in recordings than it does in person. Keep in mind that windscreens will affect the microphone frequency response, often attenuating higher frequencies.