Choosing the best prosumer camcorder is not as difficult as you can imagine. Prosumer cameras are for people with some experience of film making, that was gained using a smartphone built-in cam, a family vintage video camera or any other video shooting device. That means that a person who wants to buy a prosumer camcorder usually already has a general idea of what kind of features has to have his or her new camera. However, the choice is so wide that your mind is going to explode sooner than you figure out how to filter everything you don't need out and stick to the options that meet your requirements. Even if you know exactly what you need, this guide will make your choosing process a lot easier and I'm sure it will help you save some money.
Now it's time to mention the recording ability. Due tu the fact that the age of tape has passed, the best prosumer camcorder's recording has to be base on flash. However you have to take care with the ones with built-in drive. First of all it is limited and you are not able to swap it on the go. Second, if the drive dies, you'll be in trouble. You will have to go to the repairs and pay for the new one which is not that cheap. As to the cards, SD or CF are good to go. You will see how handy it is to download footage to your computer via card reader. Also, in case if you are running out of the free space on your card in the field, you can always swap it to another one.
The last thing to mention is that camcorders tend to have different codecs and bitrates. And the weird part is that sometimes lower bitrate cams can outperform the high bitrate cams. Therefore, in conclusion I want to recommend you to read the reviews on the internet. If people are saying that a particular camera does not meet the criteria of the best prosumer camcorder, then most probably it does not indeed. And the opposite, if you can see only good feedbacks, then most likely it is so.
Anyhow, I hope this article will help you to buy a really good camcorder with the best price and quality ratio. Feel free to drop a comment if you want to share your experience on how you were choosing your own video camera and if you think you can share some useful advice and information that may be of help to others. Cheers!
UPD: Some people are getting confused by DSLR photo cameras which happen to shoot high quality videos as well. So if you are considering such an option, I recommend you to watch this video:
I have to be honest, the video is a bit boring, but the guy puts everything straight up.
When looking at buying the best prosumer camcorder, the main thing you have to consider is how much you are ready to spend. The important thing is not to forget about the accessories. For example, you may need lights, microphones, tripod, headset, etc. So you don't want to spend all your budget just on camcorder. Accessories cost some buck as well. For example tripods. I wouldn't recommend you to go for a tripod cheaper than $100. It is likely to be shaky and unreliable.
Then, the first thing you should check is if the video camera has a focus ring. Trust me, you don't want to use touch screen focus. You have to have a physical ring for focusing. In general, touch screen may seem cool and sometimes it's good and handy to use, but you have to get used to physical buttons and adjustments on the cam. I'll cover it a bit later in more details.
Considering that you are looking at buying the best prosumer camcorder, which means that you are on your way to professional shooting, so another crucial thing to make sure is that the cam has an audio input. Take it as a rule: built in microphone is NOT suitable for professional use. You have to accept it and live with it. The sooner you start using external mic, the better. Not all the prosumer cameras come with proper XLR inputs. You don't have to worry about it as long as it at least has the 1/8" stereo mini input.
Getting back to the buttons. I strongly recommend you to get used to use physical buttons during shooting process. If your eye locked to the viewfinder you will find it a LOT easier and effortless to get job done while using buttons. You will need a bit of time to remember the feel where each button is located and what it does. But as soon as all that will be "installed" into your head, you will not even think about it and just intuitively push and click the ones you need exactly in that moment. Of course it also depends on the style of shooting and what genre of the video. Some people get around with touch screen all the way and are really happy with it. Also some higher end cameras are meant to be used using touch screen mainly. But those are professional and quite pricey cams with very big and well designed touch screens. Since we are speaking about prosumer camcorders, I would recommend you to stick to the physical buttons.
Now it's time to mention the recording ability. Due tu the fact that the age of tape has passed, the best prosumer camcorder's recording has to be base on flash. However you have to take care with the ones with built-in drive. First of all it is limited and you are not able to swap it on the go. Second, if the drive dies, you'll be in trouble. You will have to go to the repairs and pay for the new one which is not that cheap. As to the cards, SD or CF are good to go. You will see how handy it is to download footage to your computer via card reader. Also, in case if you are running out of the free space on your card in the field, you can always swap it to another one.
The last thing to mention is that camcorders tend to have different codecs and bitrates. And the weird part is that sometimes lower bitrate cams can outperform the high bitrate cams. Therefore, in conclusion I want to recommend you to read the reviews on the internet. If people are saying that a particular camera does not meet the criteria of the best prosumer camcorder, then most probably it does not indeed. And the opposite, if you can see only good feedbacks, then most likely it is so.
Anyhow, I hope this article will help you to buy a really good camcorder with the best price and quality ratio. Feel free to drop a comment if you want to share your experience on how you were choosing your own video camera and if you think you can share some useful advice and information that may be of help to others. Cheers!
UPD: Some people are getting confused by DSLR photo cameras which happen to shoot high quality videos as well. So if you are considering such an option, I recommend you to watch this video:
