Himself a director: TOP-5 amateur video cameras

Canon LEGRIA HF R706 is the youngest model in the line of entry—class video cameras from the famous Japanese manufacturer of photo and video equipment. More advanced versions of the camera are the camcorders Canon LEGRIA HF R76 and Canon LEGRIA HF R78 .

The video camera differs from its counterparts in the absence of wireless modules and built-in memory. However, the last nuance is not so important, because for a long video shoot you will still need to get an SD memory card. The varieties of these data carriers, as well as their speed characteristics, are described in detail in the framework of the material"How to choose an SD and microSD memory card".

The body of the video camera is designed for the grip in the right hand. But it will be inconvenient for left-handers to hold it in their hand, as well as to use all the functions of the camcorder. To get started, you just need to open the camera screen and press the record button. Changing the shooting parameters is carried out using a touch screen, zooming — with special rockers. By the way, the multiplicity of the optical zoom of the model is 32x, and together with the proprietary advanced zoom technology, it increases to an impressive 57x. In everyday use, these numbers are enough to shoot absolutely all the plots.

The camera is able to focus on the object of shooting from a distance of 1 cm. Coupled with the high aperture of the object (f/1.8 at the wide end), it becomes possible to effectively blur the background. You can also influence the picture by adding a variety of visual effects (dynamic stamps and drawing) or the functions of slowing down (by 2 times) and speeding up the video (in 2, 4, 10, 20, 60, 120 and even 1200 times).

When shooting in the dark, digital noises inevitably appear in the picture, and at the maximum zoom positions it can be spoiled by distortions. Therefore, the camera shows itself to the best extent in daylight and medium zoom. It will be an excellent family purchase for those who need a simple camera without unnecessary bells and whistles for a small cost.

A video camera from the Japanese company Sony is ready to compete with smartphones in video shooting. The quality of the videos obtained with its help is several times higher than the result that the cameras of most mobile gadgets are ready to offer.

The equipment of the model included only the most necessary — it was deprived even of the possibility of touch input, which is why the video recording parameters are changed by means of a 5-position joystick to the left of the display. You will have to get used to it properly, but on a frosty winter day, this method of control provides solid advantages in comparison with tapping on the screen.

In good light, the camera produces a juicy and colorful picture, especially when shooting using the XAVC S codec — the consumer version of the professional XAVC video recording format. The maximum resolution of videos is limited to the value of 1920 x 1080 pixels, the recording speed in it can reach 50 fps, and the bitrate is 50 Mbps (paired with high—speed SDXC Class 10 memory cards). With the deterioration of the quality of lighting, the detail of the video sequence drops significantly and the picture becomes very noisy.

An optical image stabilizer is installed inside the camera, which helps to compensate for the trembling of the operator's hands and make the picture in the frame smoother. The built-in microphone is responsible for the sound recording, and there were no wireless data transfer modules on board the camcorder, which are familiar to the class of amateur video cameras. Their absence had a positive effect on the overall weight of the model — in the equipped state , the camera barely outweighs the arrow of the scales for the mark of 200 g.

A small appendage protrudes from the body of the video camera — this is how Japanese engineers implemented a built-in USB cable for connecting to a computer. In the marching position, the tip of the "tail" is hidden in the sidewall of the handle. In addition to pleasant impressions about the "baby", it is worth highlighting its long—term battery life — continuous video recording on a single battery charge in AVCHD format with a bitrate of 18 Mbit / s is conducted by the camera for 2 hours. This figure fully satisfies most of the needs in amateur shooting scenarios.

The Panasonic HC-W580 camcorder belongs to the class of strong average people in the segment of amateur video cameras. But among the crowd of his peers, one important feature distinguishes him.

The "chip" of the model is the support of the "picture in picture" function. In an additional window on the main image, a picture from a Twin camera located on the side of the video camera display is broadcast. It allows you to capture the face of the operator who will comment on what is happening on the video, or a part of the space invisible to the main object. The location of the window is selected by dragging it across the screen with your finger. The picture-in-picture function can also be implemented in another way — two smartphones are connected to the video camera wirelessly via Wi-Fi, the image from which is broadcast directly in two additional windows on top of the main video.

The camera is equipped with good optics, providing 50x optical approximation. In a wide-angle position (28 mm in 35 mm equivalent), shooting can be done with a maximum aperture of f / 1.8, closer to the long end its value drops to f/4.2.To help the operator, a 5-axis image stabilization system and an auto-leveling horizon function are provided. The use of the latter will avoid blockage, but note that the edges of the frame in this case may be spoiled by jelly-like distortions.

The video camera writes videos in resolution up to 1920 x 1080 pixels at a speed of up to 50 fps. At the maximum recording parameters, it is capable of shooting videos for 2.5 hours in a row — that's how much the model's battery reserves are enough. Due to the small physical size of the matrix, night shooting is not very easy for the camcorder, but in good light it shows excellent results. For those operators who are not used to fully trust automation, a number of manual video recording settings are available.

In the arsenal of capabilities of the Sony HDR-CX625 video camera, there is not enough support for recording video in ultra-high resolution UltraHD. The remaining parameters of the model are unlikely to be able to make significant claims.

Thanks to its ergonomic shape, the camera fits comfortably in your hand. The only part of the case that theoretically can be overlapped by the palm during video shooting is the hot shoe. But the very fact of its presence already refers to the advantages of the model — through this interface, you can connect an additional light source or an external microphone. Sound recording is also performed by means of a built-in stereo microphone or through a special port for connecting a third-party recording device.

Videos in FullHD format are written by the camera in excellent quality both in daylight and at night. Shooting using the semi-professional XAVC S codec will help to pull out more details from the video sequence, which opens up wide possibilities in post-processing of the footage. In parallel, the camera records video in MP4 format, which is more familiar to the ordinary man in the street.

The 5-axis stabilization system, which has found application in the design of the video camera, ensures maximum smoothness of the video sequence. Of course, with active running, the stub will not be able to fully compensate for camera fluctuations, but with a leisurely descent from the stairs, it fulfills its duties at a very high level — obvious jerks of the image are cleaned clean.

The high bitrate of video recording (about 50 Mbit / s) sets certain requirements for the speed characteristics of the memory card, which is suitable for installation in a video camera. It is advisable to get a flash drive not lower than the 10th speed class. In addition to the main function — video recording — the camcorder can make timelaps. In addition, the camera functions can be controlled remotely (from a smartphone or tablet). As a result, Sony HDR-CX625 will serve as an advanced amateur solution with a small reserve for the future to move to a higher semi-professional level of video shooting.

Reference. A timelapse is a video clip created based on a series of photos taken with a stationary or smoothly moving camera over a long period of time.

The model with the HC-VFX990 index from the Japanese brand Panasonic is the pinnacle of the evolution of amateur video cameras. It belongs to the top class of amateur video recording devices.

The high level of the camcorder can be recognized by the optics used in its design — the Leica Dicomar object is capable of shooting with a 20-fold optical approximation at maximum aperture values of f/1.8-3.6. The front lens of the object supports the installation of light filters with a diameter of 49 mm. You can also put a hood on the nose of the camera. More information about this useful accessory is described in the material "Why you need a lens hood for an object and how to choose it".

FullHD resolution for premium-level video cameras is already considered a relic of the past. Panasonic HC-VFX990 writes videos in 4K format (3840x2160 pixels) However, with a low frame rate (only 25 fps), which is why it will not be possible to achieve maximum smoothness of the video sequence when shooting dynamic plots. In addition, for some reason, a number of useful functions of the video camera are not available in 4K format: HDR, artistic and special modes, broadcasting images from smartphones connected via Wi-Fi to additional windows in the screen. The full functionality of the camera is revealed when choosing a shooting in a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The ergonomics of the video camera turned out to be extremely convenient: the camcorder fits into any hand like a glove, when shooting, the operator can see through an inclined viewfinder, and a cold shoe is provided for installing additional equipment on the model body (without synchro contacts). Questions are raised only by the useless place near the screen, inherited from the Twin-camera on board Panasonic HC-WX970 .

The camera is equipped with a hybrid image stabilization system — in the case when the optical stub fails, software algorithms for vibration compensation come to its aid. Such a developed system is able to fully replace mechanical devices for image stabilization (steadicams, tripods, etc.). Naturally, with such data, a video camera a priori cannot cost a little money. But it's not a pity to give your blood money for it, because in return, remarkable features are offered in a video shoot.