Quality Camcorders

[Matt Hunt]

Has anyone found a good compact camcorder that can produce quality video on par with what a DSLR will shoot? The whole HD thing is a joke, as some "HD" camcorders footage really looks like standard definition. I'm fed up with my Sony Handycam. The quality is awful, and I think it's broken. I can't record long video, or it will say "buffer overload" and then be locked up for HOURS! It cost me a ton of footage on 5/24, but when you compare what I shot, the footage from my Nikon D5100 blows the Handycam footage out of the water! It's not even close! Only problem is that there is no image stabilization with the D5100. Plus, it's big, and I'd like a dedicated dash cam.

 

[Bill Giles]

A couple of chasers I went to lunch with mentioned the Sony FDR-AX100 favorably. It records in 4k but the price tag was a little offputting for me, at least for now. I have no personal experience with it though.

 

[Matt Salo]

I love my camera. Sony HXR-NX3/1. It's not compact at all, but does the job pretty well. Not 4K though. And the price tag is going to ruin it for you.

 

[Matt Hunt]

I think I'm done with Sony, haha! But yeah, for a dash cam I definitely don't want something too big or expensive. I may end up using my D500 for handheld/tripod video, as it does have image stabilization, and shoots in 4K. The dash cam will be mainly for video while driving. The Panasonic HC-V770K appears to be the #1 seller on B&H. The 870 steps up to 4K for $300 more. May be worth it to buy a 4K capable camcorder, even though at the moment I don't believe I can edit any 4K files on my computer, but at least it'll save a later upgrade.

 

[Darren Lo]

I think I'm done with Sony, haha! But yeah, for a dash cam I definitely don't want something too big or expensive. I may end up using my D500 for handheld/tripod video, as it does have image stabilization, and shoots in 4K. The dash cam will be mainly for video while driving. The Panasonic HC-V770K appears to be the #1 seller on B&H. The 870 steps up to 4K for $300 more. May be worth it to buy a 4K capable camcorder, even though at the moment I don't believe I can edit any 4K files on my computer, but at least it'll save a later upgrade.

Be aware that the D500 has a heavy crop factor when shooting 4k video. This might work out fine for telephoto shots, but wide angle shots will be impractical.

http://www.eoshd.com/2016/01/nikon-d500-with-super-35mm-4k-video/

 

[Matt Hunt]

Be aware that the D500 has a heavy crop factor when shooting 4k video. This might work out fine for telephoto shots, but wide angle shots will be impractical.

I think that will be fine, as it seems more often than not I'm zooming in when shooting video.

 

[nmoore125]

I think I'm done with Sony, haha! But yeah, for a dash cam I definitely don't want something too big or expensive. I may end up using my D500 for handheld/tripod video, as it does have image stabilization, and shoots in 4K. The dash cam will be mainly for video while driving. The Panasonic HC-V770K appears to be the #1 seller on B&H. The 870 steps up to 4K for $300 more. May be worth it to buy a 4K capable camcorder, even though at the moment I don't believe I can edit any 4K files on my computer, but at least it'll save a later upgrade.

Alot of us on our team use that Panny. Its very good and the prices have dropped recently do to the new versions coming out. I have nothing bad to say about it

 

[Ethan Schisler]

I have the Panasonic HC-VX870K 4k Camcorder and I really like it. Pretty easy to use and the quality is pretty good as well. In addition, I never found the need to purchase an additional microphone because the in-camera mic is pretty darn good at capturing sound at high quality. I've always been a DSLR video user before late-2015, so using a dedicated camcorder was a change for me.