Video is an important part of our life. Content consumption has grown exponentially in recent years. We watch other people’s videos and produce them ourselves literally every day, shooting simple videos on our smartphones. But what if you decide to take videography seriously? How to choose a camera for video shooting and not make a mistake at the very beginning of the journey? Today we will try to talk about the key parameters that you should pay attention to.
Matrix – yes, resolution – no
The first, and most important, is the size of the matrix. The larger the physical size of the matrix, the better and more plastic the output image will be. The optimal choice at the moment are matrices ranging in size from 17mm x 13mm (crop factor 2) to 36mm x 24mm (crop factor 1, full frame). The larger the matrix, the better, but the decisive factor here will be the price, it can differ significantly.
The second, but practically useless, is the number of megapixels of the matrix. For video recording, this parameter is completely unimportant, you don’t need to focus on it at all. For example, the Canon EOS C300 Mark II professional camera has a Super 35mm sensor and at the same time has 9.84 megapixels.
It is more important to know the subtle point about the use of the matrix area in video recording mode. Some cameras, despite the large matrix, use only part of it in video recording mode, which causes indignation among users. It is customary for manufacturers to keep silent about this, but such information can be easily found out from reviews of independent publications.
Park optics and stabilization
A quality lens in a video camera is very important, but it is much better when there are several of them.
The ability to change lenses is a must.
This will expand your potentials in video shooting. You can shoot wide, from afar, in low light conditions, play with background blur and use it in every possible way for creative ideas.
However, it should be borne in mind that high-quality optics are expensive, sometimes the price of a lens can exceed the cost of the camera itself.
In order for the video to come out smoothly, without shaking and shaking, you need to learn how to stabilize the camera in your hands. This is an acquired skill, it comes with experience. Without this, in any way, although it will not work perfectly anyway. For an even smoother picture, you need an image stabilizer.
Stabilizer DJI Ronin-M 74 999 *
Minced meat in the chamber itself
What video recording options does the software part of the camera offer? At what resolution and how many frames per second will the video be filmed?
If this is 4K 60 fps, then you need to select a camera with only such parameters. If the choice fell on FullHD, then you should also consider buying a camera that can shoot 4K. The fact is that by shooting at this resolution, you can use the original view more flexibly, cropping the desired part of the frame without losing quality.
In addition to the resolution itself, it is important to look at video formats, the more options offered, the more flexible the camera’s capabilities. The standard today is recording in 4K video format in 4:2:2 format with a bit depth of 10 bits. Tracking autofocus in video mode, fixing the focus area on faces, flexible options in histograms, the ability to write video in RAW (S-log) format – the software stuffing of the camera is responsible for all this.
More detailed features of the selected camera are best studied in reviews on third-party resources. There, they will not only chew on the video functionality of the model in detail, but also show examples of video filming. In addition, modern cameras are similar to smartphones – manufacturers are constantly improving something and offering fresh firmware that can be downloaded and installed in just a couple of clicks.
This is just the beginning
Picking the best camera on the market doesn’t make anyone the best cameraman. Not only the camera is responsible for the quality picture, but also the user himself.
Everyone has to learn how to shoot, edit, make the right color correction. Separate equipment is responsible for high-quality sound, which connects to the camera and writes sound directly into it. Tripods, monopods, steadicams – all this will have to be acquired if a serious decision has been made to start filming and grow in this area.
Don’t want to think about what to buy?
If you don’t really want to choose, then some manufacturers have already taken care of the buyer and immediately offer models that are sharpened for video shooting. No, they, of course, also know how to take photos, but their feature is still video.
Mirrorless camera Sony Alpha 6000 (ILCE-6000L) Kit 16-50mm black 55 999 *
Of the relatively budget options, you can pay attention to models from Sony of the A6000 – A6600 series and a fairly recent A6400 model.
Mirrorless camera Sony Alpha 6400 (ILCE-6400) Body black
In stores: February 22 (Tue)
Panasonic has the Lumix G80, Canon has the awesome full-frame Canon EOS RP. Other manufacturers also offer many options with good video recording capabilities.
Interchangeable lens camera Canon EOS RP kit 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM black
Canon EOS RP Body Interchangeable Lens Camera Black + Mount Adapter EF-EOS R
Mirrorless camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 Kit 12-60mm black
Mirrorless camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 Body black
[16.84 MP, 17.3 x 13.0 mm, Live MOS, 200-6400 ISO, 9 fps, Wi-Fi, swivel touch screen]
56 999 *
13In stores: in 3 stores
If we talk about the leaders in the video recording segment, then of course it is Panasonic GH5S and Sony with full-frame A7 cameras with the S prefix. Fujifilm offers the new X-t4 , which some experts say is the best camera for video with an APS-C sensor. Fujifilm also has a separate line of cameras purely for video, though there is only one model now – X-H1 . Rumors are circulating about the imminent release of the X-H2. Olympus doesn’t want to be left behind either, and positions its flagship E-M1X as “fully charged for video shooting.” And if this is not enough for someone, then you will have to go hardcore – RED, Blackmagic cameras and Canon’s professional C series.
But these are all tools for professional commercial video and cinematography. Maybe a smartphone after all?;) They are also very good at shooting video, especially flagship models.
