If budget is a big consideration, then you’ll be on the look out for the best camera your money can buy. But what is the best video camera under 1000 dollars? Cameras are great for capturing family moments, live action footage and, at the professional level, documentaries and narrative projects. YouTube and Vimeo amateur films and documentaries, as well as video blogs and diaries, have never been so popular. A mid level / prosumer camcorder is a great investment and even low professional level models maybe useful in the future as the industry continues to develop. In this article, we’re not going to cover professional level cameras, due primarily to the obvious constraints of the price point. Instead, we’ll cover more entry level and prosumer cameras. So let’s take a look at what we consider the best video camera under 1000 dollars. The Best Video Camera Under 1000 Dollars This is our list of what we consider the best cameras you can buy for under 1000 dollars. 1. Sony FDR-AX53 The Sony has an advanced Exmor R CMOS Sensor for great image recording ability and clarity of capture. This is a lightweight camera which is both portable has an image pixel resolution 8.29 megapixels. An Xtra Fine 3.5” LCD is hinged on the side of the camcorder. The Sony is called XAVC S format, which is proprietary to Sony devices but offers good quality recording and images. A useful feature is Sony’s ‘Ustream’ where you can live stream your own video footage live over the internet to friends and family. to see. This model has an Optical Zoom of x20 (Digital x120) and takes microSD as a storage device. The design is sensible, easily transportable, with the lens not protruding from the main body of the camera. Great for travelling. Battery life is 90 minutes in standard resolution, 60 minutes in super and 35 minutes in 4K recording. The video recording resolution is 3840 x 2160! This model also has a built in USB cable for convenience, which is a nice design. No forgotten cables or problems hooking up the camcorder whenever you need to. The design is compact and lightweight, weighing just 635 grams. The advantages of this model is its compact design, good memory and the high resolution capabilities. A great travel camcorder, with 4K Ultra HD recording capability. Highly recommended for the prosumer level, and for those not looking for anything too advanced. Sale Sony FDRAX53/B 4K HD Video Recording Camcorder (Black) 4K XAVC-S recording with 16.6MP, Exmor R sensor, B.O.SS stabilization ZEISS lens(26.8mm) 20x optical zoom in 4K, 30x Clear Image Zoom in 4K 3.0" LCD (Touch panel), EVF, Wi-Fi/NFC, manual ring, night shot, 4K Time-lapse capture Built-in Zoom Microphone In-the-box: Rechargeable Battery Pack(NP-FV70/NP-FV70A) (1); AC Adaptor (1); Power Cord (1);... $998.00 - $150.01 from $847.99 Buy on Amazon 2. Canon XA10 HD Canon is a staple manufacturer of cameras and camcorders. The first thing you notice about this camcorder is the futuristic design, with side mounted light bracket and shutter shield. This camcorder is relatively small, but stacked with features and usability. A more professional offering that the FDR-AX53 we featured above – again, this camera very portable. The touch LCD viewer is side mounted and foldable. Very handy. This model has two phantom powered XLR ports, great zoom options and very useful mic and port controls. Frame rates for this camcorder are 60i, 30p and 24p for a good variety of flexibility to your videos. This camcorder records with a CMOS sensor and has a x10 optical zoom and weight about 1kg. You can adjust shutter speed, exposure and iris features whilst shooting footage. Face detention is included, with a focus assist which offers x2 automatic magnification for medium focus and resolution adjustments. This is all computer controlled for point and shoot capabilities. Colour bars help adjust pic colour quality and sound tones have a dB setting for mic sensitivity, all via touch push on the LCD. The camera has an internal flash RAM of 64GB and 2 SD/HC/XC media slots for expansion. I really like the compact design of this more prosumer camcorder and it’s always popular with anyone who buys it. A solidly built professional level camcorder that’s highly recommended. Canon XA10 Professional Camcorder with 64GB Internal Flash Memory and Full Manual Control 64GB internal flash drive and 2 SDXC-compatible memory card slots Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens with 8-blade Iris and manual focus ring Canon native 1920 x 1080 CMOS image sensor Canon DIGIC DV III image processor Dynamic SuperRange OIS with powered IS,Video Recording system MPEG4-AVC / H.264 $849.95 Buy on Amazon 3. Sony MC2500E Another Sony camcorder on the list here. Sony produce some really fantastic camcorders. The Sony MC2500E is a great Pro range wide-angle camcorder. This model has an extended mic and Ultra HD specs. A retractable 3” LCD display, which seems standard on most models, Active SteadyShot, Wi-Fi and AVCHD format. This model also features an OLED Viewfinder. The image quality of this camcorder is top notch, people online really rave about the imagine quality, so this is worth bearing in mind pre-purchase. Zoom ability and memory isn’t so great with the MC2500E. However, considering the price, this pro model is a bargain. It isn’t as portable as the aforementioned Canon camcorder. But, as previously mentioned, it’s a professional workhorse of a machine, built for solid, constant high quality recording performance. This model has an internal memory of 32GB and a Sony interface hot shoe. The file output is AVI. The MC2500E has a BNC Connector on composite output and has a sensor resolution of 6.59MP and a HD resolution of 1920 x 1080. Additional batteries cost a fair amount, but more expensive versions exist which offer a longer charge time. The product also comes with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty. This model is usually bundled with an accessories package, including spare lens, a carry case and a tripod. Making it exceptional value for money. This is a solid mid range pric point camcorder. Sony HXR-MC2500E Shoulder Mount AVCHD Camcorder (PAL) (Internationa Model no Warranty) 1/4" Exmor R CMOS Sensor 26.8mm Equivalent Wide-Angle Lens Records SD in DV AVI File OLED Viewfinder with 1.44 Million Dots Flip-Up 3" LCD with 921k Dot Resolution Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC Internal 32GB Flash Memory Sony Multi-Interface Hot Shoe BNC Connector on Composite Output SDXC/Memory Stick Card Slot $1,149.95 Buy on Amazon 4. JVC GY-HM170U This JVC GY-HM170U is a mid range size with a fun, fluffy mini microphone, x16 optical zoom, fixed eye viewer, HD shooting capabilities, as well as excellent Imagine Stabilization and battery life. This is a popular professional 4K SDI camcorder. This model shoots at a 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160. The image fps is 24-60p and offers a great sound recording quality, two channel inputs with fine adjustments. The lens on this camcorder works well in low light levels, with gain controls and LOLUX options for extreme conditions. The SDXC is directly compatible with Final Cut Pro, just swap the SD card and start editing. Output in USB and HDMI allows for good connectivity. The limitations of this level of prosumer camcorder is that the lens aren’t changeable and at times the CMOS sensor can be a little slow for fast moving objects. Unless you’re working at a professional level, this really isn’t that much of major problem. As mentioned, though, we’re not covering professional level cameras in this article. This is a great camera, well built with a solid mic and good input / output compatibility formats. It even has customizable presets with fast setup, which is a great function missing from the other models I reviewed here. The JVC is obviously capable of producing great results for cheaper than a high-end professional camcorder setup. Ustream, Wi-Fi and 4K HD output options are all covered here and the mic has built in stereo, which is what you would expect for a camera this price level. This JVC model is both high quality and easy to use. A good prosumer level camera which ticks all the boxes. Sale JVC GY-HM170UA Camcorder, 3.5", Black JVC gy-hm170u ultra 4K HD 4Kcam professional camcorder & top handle audio unit Fully functional high performance 4K ultra HD camcorder 12x optical zoom Lens and 4K CMOS sensor $1,799.00 - $520.00 $1,279.00 Buy on Amazon Features These are the popular features to look out for in most camcorders. They vary in levels and the camera models compete for the best combination. Lithium Battery supply The power source to the unit. These days, due to technological advancements, they are quite fast charging – they take about 1 hour to charge and last about 3.5 hours of record time. Li-ion 4200 MAH (milliampere hours). Resolution and frames per second (fps) 4K is the standard that most prosumer cameras are aiming for these days. It has a higher resolution – usually about 3500 x 2000, with a frame rate of 30 / 60 fps. Auto Stability / Zoom Auto stability (or Image Stabilization) is a feature which is popular with beginner to amateur users, especially. And it’s also a key feature for a lot of professional use. When people first start to use cameras, they usually have wobbly hands and poor stability. This feature uses either a gyroscope or a clever mathematical algorithm to compensate for this shaky hand movement. This function becomes more important the further you zoom in to a subject. But, for most cameras (and lenses), this becomes more difficult (and expensive) the longer the zoom lens is. Light level sensitivity This is an aspect that renders how well the camcorder performs in low light levels. LCD The rear display which shows a preview of the framed shot. Ranging from 3 – 5 inches, this preview window is useful for tricky shots and instant shot feedback (via playback). Sensor Usually a CMOS (on the cameras featured in this article), the sensor is responsible for the measuring ability of different points of light. This determines the quality of the image captured by the camcorder. Wi-fi / USB Auxiliary Additional features for connectivity, to send images to your laptop or email to share footage for work or play. Best video camera under 1000 – Final thoughts The standard of the camcorders featured here is very good. The build quality is high and we particularly like the XA10 from Canon. Sony certainly knows how to make a quality camcorder and the overall appeal of the JVC model is high quality and offers very good recording and output results. All of these models are very similar and it is difficult to choose an overall winner. I liked the compact design of the first Sony camcorder (FDR-AX53) and this will make an excellent camera for travel videos and vlogs, in particular. The design is excellent and it has a good price point and excellent 4K image resolution.This comes a close second. The winner here for innovative design, combined with good overall performance and a great lens is the Canon AX10. It’s portable, stylish and offers all the features the others do with the added bonus that it is relatively small for a professional quality camcorder. This is a real workhorse of a camera that will give you many years of excellent results. We hope you’ve found this helpful. There are a whole bunch of cameras under 1000 dollars out there. Did we miss out your favorite? Let us know in the comments below. The post Best Video Camera Under 1000 Dollars: 4 of the Best Budget Camera Options appeared first on Filmmaking Lifestyle.
