Buying A Digital Video Camera
If you ask a professional or any camera expert about which is the best camera for video, you'll probably get a different answer every time. It all comes down to what you want to use it for. The best camera for streaming won't be the same as a camera you'd choose for shooting a movie, your next vacation, or for launching an influencer career!
buying a digital video camera
This guide is for anyone just starting out in video that doesn't know what camera to get. If you already know what you're looking for, you can jump straight to our dedicated buying guides to the best camcorders (opens in new tab), the best 4K cameras for video (opens in new tab), the best action cameras (opens in new tab), and more.
Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. For the last 3 years Hannah has worked at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With 5 years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups."}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() if (window.sliceComponents.authorBio === undefined) var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -9-3/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); else triggerHydrate(); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate, 1500); else console.log('Could not lazy load slice JS for authorBio') } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));Hannah RookeSocial Links NavigationStaff WriterHaving studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. For the last 3 years Hannah has worked at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With 5 years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.
What is the best camera for beginners? We think it's a camera that's not too expensive to buy but still offers great image quality and the scope to try out more advanced techniques and shooting styles as you learn more about photography. And for us, that means one thing: a DSLR or a mirrorless camera! (opens in new tab)
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com\n\n"}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() if (window.sliceComponents.authorBio === undefined) var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -9-5/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); else triggerHydrate(); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate, 1500); else console.log('Could not lazy load slice JS for authorBio') } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));Rod LawtonSocial Links NavigationContributorRod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com (opens in new tab) but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com (opens in new tab)
With the best 360 cameras, you can capture images and videos that are quite unlike anything else. Interactive 360-degree content allows a user to navigate through it using a mouse or a touchscreen and is an unparalleled way to capture an incredible landscape, a fleeting street scene, or a pulse-pounding bike ride. It requires getting a little technical, but the results are so worth it.
The files created by 360-degree cameras are big and unwieldy, as often 360-degree cameras are really multiple cameras in one, capturing different perspectives that can then be stitched together in software. However, many 360 cameras also let you dive in and pick out a flat "slice" of a scene to convert into a more traditional "flat" video. This means you have tremendous versatility with a 360-degree camera; it almost doesn't matter where you point it.
Do you want to invest some of your money into a lens along with a new camera? You need to think about what challenges you may face as a photographer and what kind of pictures do you want to take. Basically there are two types of lenses - a prime lens and a zoom lens.
Small cameras may not have as many features as DSLRs and high-end prosumer cameras, but their megapixel resolutions can match and sometimes even beat their higher-priced alternatives! Plus, nowadays there are a lot of small cameras with great optical zoom and interchangeable lenses.
If this sounds like what you need to do, make sure your new digital camera has magnified preview mode, before you purchase it . With this feature you can zoom in on your photos and check if they are of utmost quality. Digital cameras with this feature may have a button or dial next to a magnifying glass, signifying a zoom-in capability.
If you want to compare megapixel counts of two or more cameras, check if these cameras have the Foveon X3 three-layer sensor first. You may think the final photos will come out larger in resolution than what the camera provides.
Foveon X3 digital cameras, however, have a sensor array, with three sensors for each pixel - one detecting red, one blue, and one green. The digital camera then merges everything together, supposedly resulting in sharper and more pleasing photos.
Are you planning on buying a digital camera for night photography, perhaps cityscapes or fireworks displays? If so, here are a few things to look for. Note that only the high-end cameras will have some of these features, so balance your desires with your budget:
The same should be considered when you are about to buy a camera. The camera itself costs a certain amount of money, but you should think about the accessories that you might need to buy. If you wish to enhance your photography or protect your investment, you consider buying the following:
If you purchase the most expensive digital camera you can afford, you might break the budget on accessories. Instead you may want to step down a notch, buy a slightly less expensive camera and spend your extra money on needed supplies.
Especially if you are a beginner, you should check how many scene modes a digital camera has. Pre-programmed scene modes can automatically configure the settings with just a couple of button presses or knob twists. This may help you if you have to shoot in challenging light conditions. For example, some cameras have following scene modes:
With the plethora of choices available, one question you may ask is how much optical zoom do you really need for the types of photos you want to take? If you want to buy a camera with a greater optical zoom distance, it is going to cost you more money than the one with only a 2x or 3x zoom, so this decision must be made according to your budget.
If you plan on using a tripod, check the underside of the digital camera to see where the tripod socket is located. For best balance, the socket should be in the middle of the camera, though some manufacturers put sockets on the left or right side of a camera. A poor socket placement may make it more difficult to steady the camera for crystal-clear photos, when shoot with a tripod. 041b061a72