Bustapalapeno

Sweet rig. Davinci resolve is free and very powerful, takes advantage of graphics cards better than premiere. Premiere is more widely used, has a lot of great tutorials, and is (in my opinion) easier to pick up. It also costs a fair chunk of change, as others have noted. 

Well there goes that idea.
I was gonna suggest an 85mm f/1.8 but I don't think you can get one under that limit
But a nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8) would fit the bill. Portraits are awesome with one of those.
 

Hi all
 
Thanks for all the help. I finally went for the fujifilm xt30 when it came out and has been working great so far. 

I'd go with the M50 for the sole reason of better lens support....
What?
 
Go on B&H, go to the mirrorless lens section, and you will find this  when you search for mounts.
 
There are precious few Canon EF-M lenses, and if you are adapting full frame Canon glass, you might as well go with the sony, which also has available adapters.
 
Bottom line, get a Fuji.

Davinci resolve is extremely good and free, id strongly recommend that rout. 

Go Pros are garbage. They might take decent video for about 12 minutes before the battery dies, but it's still not even that impressive quality. Fisheye lens too, I wanted something more professional.

Get a 128gb while they are dirt cheap for the holidays. I get about 5+ hours of recording on 1080p60, with protune and all that crap on. Those gopro's are good for underwater  as is. I wouldn't worry about going too crazy finding a "nice" underwater case.

you definitely will need a tripod of some sort. I would add a 2nd angle first of all. To do that you can use either your phone or a cheap action cam. There's clamps you can buy that will hold you phone which are cheaper than a tripod usually and will be just fine given the weight. 
 
Unofrtunately, as far as the hands on the piano from the side shot is concerned, I have loads of ideas of how to do it, because I can just translate from photography to video, but, it will be much better with a proper camera vs. a webcam, and a camera operator or a really reliable AF camera will make a huge difference. The unfortunate part is that the cheapest thing I can think of that will give you all that is a Canon M50, which is way more expensive than a webcam. 
 
So I'd start off with a cheap action cam for the wide shot or the hand shot depending on your phone's video quality. Put both on clamps, attach one to the side of the piano (There shouldn't be any scratcing if you find a clamp with a rubber or soft clamp) and one to a door or somewhere else in the room, which will make a decent wide shot. 
 
If you get into it more, and believe its worth it spending $600-$800 on a proper camera and equipment, come back, we'll recommend something and your action cam will graduate to a top down shot and your phone to the wide shot. 
 
Another concern might be lighting, I can't really tell from the shot I'm looking at, but usually spending $100-$150 on some decent ligths will go a long way in improving the quality of your videos, especially if you are currently shooting with a phone or an action cam. 
 
Something like this for instance: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G334LP9/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07G334LP9&pd_rd_w=NBtXJ&pf_rd_p=f0dedbe2-13c8-4136-a746-4398ed93cf0f&pd_rd_wg=pzkFF&pf_rd_r=JBY2D7V1XXTS1KPDQD1K&pd_rd_r=217e1f51-fd1e-11e8-87bf-151422111fdf 
 
As far as sound is concerned, if you are already recording it from the piano, there isn't much you should do, that is the right call. 

What about a Lenovo Legion Y530?
It lacks all the Christmas lights, and looks rather professional, except for the Legion logo on the back. That logo, however, is way better than "Republic of Gamers" or the terrible looking MSI dragon. In my opinion.

$300 is way too low for it to be worthwhile to invest in camera equipment. (Especially if you are looking for the best camera for videomaking)
 
I'd recommend spending the money on a decent microphone, maybe even an external recorder, a semi decent tripod and some lighting and using your phone to record. With decent lighting, it will give you better results than most cameras you'll be able to find. 
 
To give you an idea of what a semi decent kit would involve with a camera, that is probably a
Panasonic G7 with a kit lens, (about $450)
Cheap and Cheerful tripod ($50-70)
Microphone ($60-100)
Lighting Kit ($50-70 for something cheap off amazon)
Maybe some form of cheap backdrop if you have nothing that resembles a set since with that kit you won't have the best background separation ($depends on what you wanna do)
Odds and ends (sd cards, batteries, ac adapter packs etc $100-200)
 

How about practice making videos of your own THEN practice editing videos.

I think, given the material you'll be filming and the intended method of publishing, an Alexa is overkill. I don't even know that you'd be able to rent an Alexa mini, lens, tripod, batteries, etc. for less than $1500/day.
 
Let's pull back on the scope.
 
Go watch DSLRGuide on YouTube. His video "cinematic film look on a DSLR" is filmed on a Canon t3i.
I'm not saying that's what you need to buy, but I think it's a perfect demonstration that you need to focus far less on the camera and more on learning photography/cinematography. 

What are you using your laptop for? What are the specs?
 
Put as much effort into your question as you expect to get out of it.

None of them. The best cooling pad is a clean, flat, level surface. Cooling pads are marketing gimmicks at best. The vacuums make a very very slight difference if any at all.

iq in these models won't be that different. The differences are more nuanced, AF system, other features like tiltable screens, touchscreen, better mobile control app etc. 

No. The sensor has weird color and is very noisy. The wide angle isn’t flattering for most pictures. Gopros are basically just smart phone sensors in a rugged, compact body. 
 
Honestly at this low a price, it is hard to say. Just go on eBay and see what you can find from Canon and Nikon used. Prices for these low end cameras fluctuate widely, but almost anything from the past few years will be better than a smartphone for sharpness, and has zoom/ilc

It definitely is. Go for the 800d or even the 750d over the d3400.
 
Also, that is the reason I recommended fujifilm, the interface is very intuitive in understanding what is going on and learning the logic behind photography. 

Because Apple isn’t a gaming company, and they don’t make gaming products, and anyone who buys their machines for gaming is an outlier.
 
Because Apple is a Fashion brand. One of their most important assets is their style and brand perception. They can never compromise on looks. Ever. It would harm the brand and the value of their company.
 
Because as processors get more and more efficient, there is less need for lots of thermal dissipation. Because very few people, even creative pros, really need that much performance. 
 
Because in the end, they don’t care that much about longevity. People who buy their hottest, most powerful computers are going to replace them every few years anyways, because they can afford to. Their thermal designs are good enough for normal users who don’t push their computers hard and want it to last a long time. 
 
Just get a hackintosh. Apple isn’t making products for you, so make it for yourself. 

I think Mirrorless vs DSLR is one of the most important deciding factors. There is a distinct change in shooting style between the camera styles, and I would say it is as important as how good the controls are. What would you consider more important than mirrorless vs dslr? Image quality? AF performance?
 
For @_Hustler_One_, I would second the reccomend for the Fuji cameras. I know, they are way out of your stated price bracket. If you need to stay on price, go with a Canon, I totally agree with @cc143 on that one. But the Fuji’s are easy to use, produce best in class JPEGs, and have great “low end” glass. Also I prefer mirrorless shooting. 

Mirrorless Vs DSLR is not and should not be a deciding factor in any way. People who think that are too stuck on looking at spec sheets and should probably use their cameras a bit more. 
 
I would actually steer a beginner towards either an entry level Canon dslr (not a nikon) or if you were to consider a mirrorless, a fuji camera over anything else.  Here is why: 
 
I am a Canon and fuji user myself, for an entry level camera, I would prefer Canon because all their cameras are fully compatibl with all their lenses, that isn't the case with nikon, whose d3x00 and d5x00 lack an in body af motor, thus not allowing you to use the majority of f mount glass, while that mostly includes older lenses, most of them are pretty well regarded and cheaper in the used market. Whatsmore, while the f mount is indeed much older, the market for ef lenses is simply deeper, so theres more supply of used glass which is cheaper to choose from. 
 
Additionally, with nikon and Canon, the d5x00 series and x00d series respectively are pretty much equivalent in the same generation, so going you'd be indifferent for going for one over the other as far as body tech is concerned. Now if you move into the more expensive stuff, that's another story. Also, entry level dslrs aren't really that bulky, even compared with mirrrorless cameras, and have advantages like longer battery life and reliability over them. 
 
The reason I'm happy recommending the x series cameras from fuji is a) the interface is more intuitive and easier for a beginner to understand photography and learn how to use a camera properly. b) their lens system is comprehensive and excellent for crop sensor, which means even if you were to upgrade to something like an xt3 or xh1 down the line, you wouldn't need to exchange any lenses you will have accumulated. 
 
So my recommendation would be either an 800d from Canon, which is an excellent little camera and pretty cheap, especially if you look at used options, which when shopping for camera equipment you should always do, because the value proposition is immense and you are very unlikely to end up with a bad one if you know where to look, namely delaers of used photo equipment, or ebay users with good ratings. I have bought a very small number of things new, everything I currently use on my canon kit was used and I have had no issues with any of it. 
 
On the fuji side, the xt100 is a great little camera, but I would rather go with an xe3 or xt20 myself, if I were to find a good deal. 
 
On both systems, the kit lens is more than adequate for a beginner. You can look into expanding your glass selection as you get more into it, not when you first start out.  
 

Well the Sony is a mirrorless camera, while the Nikon is a DSLR. That should be enough of a deciding factor for you to pick. I like DSLR but most people these days will probably point you towards a mirrorless, especially for a first camera. They're easy to use, easy to learn on, and almost always have a smaller form factor, so easier to travel with. Both choices are great. The D3400 has a 24MP sensor, while the Sony has a 20MP. For beginning and casual photography, you won't really notice a difference. Canon's Eos Rebel T7 is another to consider, but I think when comparing the two, most people go with the Nikon D3400 (however the opposite is true for the D5600 vs T7i).

I would, but the 1050ti isn't enough firepower at that price point in gaming for me

Dell XPS 15

I would go with the first one. You get a 1TB hard drive, a more powerful processor, and much better graphics, the Vega 8 is much better than Intel Integrated. @GeneXiS_X does have a point however. Laptops don't evolve that quickly, and for around this price you can get some really good laptops used with i7's and better screens. The main potential problem with buying used is battery performance. 

It all depends on what you shoot