To create your own home studio for YouTube purposes is both fun and economical- if you know what to shop for. The following is a simplified breakdown of a PRO-SUMER menu to get you started on the world of home-studio productions. PLEASE note that this list is not top professional or commercial grade and will never replace broadcast quality production equipment - but for the purposes of YouTube publishing, the recommended solutions can bring amazing results and will more than suit your needs.
Shopping plan: CHEAP'N GOOD. Don't go Broke building your studio. There are so many options online to save $$ on consumer and pro-sumer level hardware that does just fine for YouTube's non-broadcast resolution publishing. Have a budget in mind and try not to go beyond it. Shopping for gear is an endless black hole for your wallet so be warned!
PRODUCTION STANDARD SUMMARY:
1. Camera
2. Tripod
3. Lights
4. Audio
5. Editing Equipment
TYPES OF VIDEO CAMS YOU CAN BUY (affordable). Know that there's video cameras and there's DSLR's. 2 different animals. Though both seem to carry much of each others' capabilities these days,
1) Comsumer Level Camcorder -
fixed lens (2-300 range) HD- rec one that shoots 1080p w/ audio input
so you can connect microphone. Lens is OK at best (notice the size of the lens will determine resolution, sharpness and image quality). IF you should want to buy
new, BEST BUY or B&H has demos- you want a person to show you. But
when you go to a store - come with pre-established research from the many online shopping carts out there and have a definite price in mind. They WILL
try to upsell you! These range from crap quality to
great.
1a) The GOPRO- I know little about this cam but many people love it for its picture
quality and portability for action work and capturing hard-to film places. 
2) DSLR-
an SLR (single lens reflex) photo camera with DIGITAL video
feature. Many are fascinated by the output of this video solution but it is NOT to be confused with A VIDEO CAMERA. The audio capability is just not there and it does not hold standard video functions like zoom, xlr inputs and audio mixing. It does however allow for replaceable lenses and (in many cases) stronger image control as a photo camera (aperture/f-stop, shutter speed, exposure, iso and white balance)- which are film-camera related terms. You can get a Canon t2i, a t3i or a t4i used (or cheap new)
at Ebay for a few hundreds. The detatchable lens is a selling point
and so is the highly controllable setup but it does require time
and patience to understand. This is getting into photography 101
but youtube has all the lessons you want.
3) Pro-sumer Video Camera (3000 range) If you really want features, buttons and higher fexibility, a true VIDEO CAMERA is for you. For purposes of a starter, you won't need this but it's good to see what's next as far as upgrades!
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2) LIGHTING KIT: you have many choices online between tungsten and LED solutions- from soft-boxes to photo umbrella stands. Unlike film, digital photography is much more forgiving and flexible when it comes to light sources.
Here's some "cheap and good" studio kits-
lights and backdrops retailing around $350. Softboxes are standard studio lights for digital filming. They usually house fluorescent bulbs 
and are covered by a white diffuser to reduce and eliminate any hot spots on a person or subject. These soft boxes direct light (anywhere from 1000 watts and up) toward a limited direction to illuminate a controlled area.Another alternative to softboxes are portable flatware LED panels. Their brightness can be controlled and they often come with barn doors to shape the illumination.
Remember, without light, you have no image. Good lighting is crucial- but NOT EXPENSIVE.
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AUDIO MICS:
For dialogue and speech, get a good mic. (do homework on what's
good). I use a mic with a battery-powered LAVALIER pre-amp to get best powered
sound. Never rely on the on-camera mic; plug a separate quality mic into a camera because the mic that's on the camera will often suck. There are other solutions like SHOTGUN MICS, H4N recorders but there's where you can truly run into some $. For the most part, a successful video is about image, lights and sound.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRIPODS:
For stationary shoots, any photo tripod around $30-45 will do. "Cheap and good" means basic here. Tripods go up to the thousands, but for the purposes of having a steady camera, you need something light and firm.FLUID-HEAD PRO TRIPOD: If you wish to explore higher end tripods for panning, tilting or camera motion, look for fluid-heads and semi-pro's (est $100-140).
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SPATIAL CONSIDERATIONS
YOUR
SPACE can be anything as small as a 5x5 square area sectioned from a
room or a corner of your home to this. Depending on the amount of space
you plan on moving around in, most likely the average home studio will
require at least a 10x10 room or a portion of one. Note that all
materials (light stands, tripods, backdrops) are foldable- so once
you're done with your shoot, your portable studio can be put away to
preserve the harmony in your home.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITING or POST PRODUCTION
This is where the real engineering craft comes in. Once you've shot your footage, you'll need software to cut and mix the images in order to produce a sequential story. There are many editing softwares available that are quite user-friendly to the consumer market- most of them are under $100. The best part about software is that all editing how-to's are available in YouTube.
See our list for the top editing softwares and their reviews.
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