Social media is a must do for businesses to stay relevant, particularly SMEs. The main traffic magnets online are video and pictures; they can capture your target audience more than just posting text. So you might have thought: Do I need to buy a camera to get on this bandwagon?

To help you out, we’ve prepared this quick guide to what cameras are available and what they’re best suited for:

• DSLR

Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs) look the part for photography; with interchangeable lenses and a multitude of other accessories available, they are very versatile. Even more so for video: Don’t be fooled by the photographer front, these cameras shoot excellent quality video of television quality. The cameras themselves are quite expensive depending on their quality, and there is a significant learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with them.

We’d recommend using these cameras if you’re prepared to take some time out to learn all the intricacies and are keen on having the best quality videos and images in your marketing. If you’re not scared by the price, it’s a worthwhile investment.

• Camcorders

These all-around video cameras are still produced, even though their market has been eaten up. The advantage of this is they’re nowhere near as expensive as they used to be, making them an appealing alternative to some of the more modern and costly technology. Depending on the specifications you can record HD video, sound and transfer to a computer with a camcorder, and they’re very easy to use. Camcorders are a jack of all trades but a master of none and lack a lot of key features that DSLRs and even mobile devices have. We’d only recommend these if you’re a bit of a technophobe, or if you have one ready to use.

• Action Cameras

Action cameras put your audience at the centre of the action. GoPro is the most recognisable brand of these sturdy, compact cameras, though multiple brands are available with varying features. Again, price and quality go hand in hand with these cameras, and they’re best suited to filming outdoors, strapping to vehicles time-lapses and instances where larger cameras could get damaged. They are capable of shooting regular video, but that isn’t what they were intended for, so if you plan on filming anything else we’d suggest investing your budget elsewhere.

• Drones

The latest must-have gadget, many drones come with cameras as standard, and they are brilliant at recording swooping overhead shots that would previously have required a helicopter. Unless you’re planning on offering drone services, that’s all they’d be useful for relating to your business. They’re impractical for shooting anything else due to the amount of noise they make, and the wind given off by the propellers is unavoidable. On top of that, there is a lot of legal red-tape you need to go through before you can even think about taking one for an airborne spin.

For experienced camera operators and prospective service offerers only.

• Mobile Devices

This might seem like an odd choice, but hear us out. Many smartphones and tablets are equipped with high-quality cameras, and a multitude of accessories and programs are also available for these devices. They’re portable and great for just snapping a quick picture or recording short and snappy videos on the fly. Many social media apps allow you to live stream too, making the process easier than having to hook up a large camera.

While your iPhone might be great at taking a quick photo, you’ll struggle to produce anything much more substantial or glossy than short and snappy videos; you’d be hard-pressed to make a full promotional video on these.

As such, mobile devices are only recommended for social media videos and nothing more advanced. And for goodness sake, hold the phone landscape and not portrait!