There is no honest one-model answer to this question. Casey Neistat has spent years making the camera feel less important than the shot, and his current approach reflects that. He uses a small group of cameras that solve different problems, then reaches for whichever one is closest.
The newest public description of that system came from Casey himself in April 2025. The last time he clearly named a favorite conventional camera was in a November 2023 WIRED interview. Put those two statements together and the picture is useful, even if it is not a tidy shopping list.
Evidence key: Confirmed by the person means Casey named or described the gear himself. Confirmed by an official representative means a company or production representative documented it. Visually identified means an item appears clearly in dated footage but was not named. These labels are editorial notes in the article, not new admin fields.
The short answer
Casey's latest publicly described vlogging kit has three parts:
- A main camera, which may be a dedicated camera or his phone
- A small drone
- A 360 camera for shots that a normal camera cannot make
Confirmed by the person: In 2023 he named the Sony a7S III as his favorite camera at that moment. In the same answer, he said he also uses his phone, called GoPro reliable, and explained that Insta360 cameras let him create shots that look as if a crew made them.
Confirmed by the person: In 2025 he described the three-part system above and demonstrated the Insta360 X5. He also openly said the X5 video was branded. That distinction matters: the video proves he used and evaluated the X5, but it does not prove that every later vlog was shot with it.
Main camera: Sony a7S III, with a date attached
The Sony a7S III is the most recent conventional camera body Casey has directly called his favorite in a broad gear answer. He told WIRED it was easy to use and produced a professional-looking image.
That statement was recorded in 2023, so it should not be rewritten as “Casey uses only the a7S III in 2026.” Cameras rotate, videos are made months before publication, and Casey's own point was that proximity matters more than model loyalty.
The a7S III still makes sense for his style. Its strengths are low-light video, dependable autofocus, a fully articulating screen, and long recording without the huge body of a cinema camera. Those are practical vlogging advantages. They are context, however, not evidence that a particular accessory or setting is in his current bag.
The phone is part of the real setup
Gear lists often leave out the least glamorous answer. Casey does not.
In the WIRED interview, he said the phone he happens to be using is a camera he will use. In the 2025 video, he again described the first slot in his kit as a main camera, “whether it's this or my phone.”
That is more than a backup plan. A phone starts instantly, attracts less attention, and is already in a pocket. For a filmmaker whose videos depend on catching an event as it unfolds, those advantages can beat a larger sensor sitting in a bag.
The 360 camera: Insta360 X5 was demonstrated in 2025
The newest specifically named camera in Casey's public footage is the Insta360 X5. In April 2025 he used it to show why 360 cameras occupy a separate place in his kit: they record a sphere around the camera, so framing can happen after the moment has passed.
He highlighted two practical improvements. Replaceable lenses reduce the risk that one scratch ends the camera's useful life, and a folding selfie stick is easier to carry than the long rigid sticks associated with older 360 rigs. The video also discusses 8K capture, low-light improvements, waterproofing, editing tools, and battery life.
The careful wording is “demonstrated and positively assessed,” not “unquestioned daily driver.” Casey disclosed the commercial relationship inside the video.
GoPro and a small drone fill different gaps
Casey called GoPro “rock solid” in 2023, but did not name a model in that answer. It is safest to describe GoPro as a proven part of his camera vocabulary, not assign him whichever HERO model is newest on a store page.
His 2025 setup also includes a small drone. He did not identify the model in the setup passage. What he did explain is more revealing: modern compact drones have become good enough that he rarely needs the bigger professional drone he owns. Size and willingness to carry the tool win again.
What is not confirmed
Several older Casey gear lists circulate online with Canon DSLRs, specific microphones, Joby tripods, and past drone models. Many were accurate for a particular era. They do not become current merely because the pages were updated recently.
As of this research pass, there is no newer direct, complete public list from Casey that replaces the 2023 Sony answer and the 2025 three-part system. We would rather leave an accessory unnamed than turn an old sighting into a current claim.
The useful lesson from Casey's setup
Copying the a7S III will not make a Casey Neistat video. Copying the decision structure is more valuable:
- Use the phone when speed matters.
- Use the main camera when image control matters.
- Use the drone when position matters.
- Use the 360 camera when the shot would otherwise be impossible.
The through-line is not brand loyalty. It is removing friction between an idea and the recorded moment. That is the most consistent thing Casey has said about cameras, and it is also the part of his setup that has aged best.