Hey all. I鈥檓 looking into getting a small action cam type of camera. Primary purpose would be for travel and recording music playthrough videos at home. My wife would like something small and discreet that she can use to take short videos while traveling, but not make her look like an obnoxious vlogger. At the same time I鈥檇 like to use it in my home studio to make videos. Doesn鈥檛 have to be 4k, 1080p would be fine if it doesn鈥檛 meet the budget limit. I鈥檓 looking into something less than $200.
Anyone have suggestions?
You must log in or # to comment.
What鈥檚 wrong with a smartphone?
I don鈥檛 mean to come off as abrasive, but phone cameras are very good. You aren鈥檛 going to beat them optically for $200. The biggest shortcoming is stabilization vs mini cameras on a gimbal, but you can get around that with Gyoflow for free:
https://docs.gyroflow.xyz/app/getting-started/supported-cameras/mobile-phones
Check out the Blackmagic video app, too.
We have older phones, and the video quality isn鈥檛 that great, especially in darker environments. I鈥檒l try Blackmagic, thanks for the suggestion.
especially in darker environments.
That鈥檚 because the sensor is small. Newer phones and mini cameras will all be weak in dim light, outside the absolute extremes like Huawei and Sharp phones.
Check out a Canon EOS M, ~$250 on eBay, or any older SLR that supports MagicLantern firmware. That鈥檚 the absolute best way into better indoor video, as its image sensor is like 6-10X the area of a phone鈥檚. Not sure what lens is best for M-mount, but I can look around if that鈥檚 of interest.
It鈥檚 not as small as a phone, but about as small as a point-and-shoot.
鈥lso, I just realized you have a third option.
If you鈥檙e pretty technical, there鈥檚 this Canon firmware hacking software called magic lantern:
That you can load onto a classic EOS M:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_M
The M and its now obsolete lenses it are cheap, and magic lantern gives it rather excellent video recording capabilities. Smaller cameras just can鈥檛 compete with its big sensor.
But if you don鈥檛 consider yourself much of a tinkerer, I鈥檇 avoid that route.
Also, if you鈥檙e trying to beat a smartphone optically, modern mirrorless cameras are good. And not embarrassing to hold. This is my little R50V next to an older body:
And I am not a vlogger. It鈥檚 my travel/family cam.
Though TBH I鈥檇 recommend a used Panasonic Lumix S9 instead. That will utterly blow a smartphone out of the water.
鈥ut it鈥檚 not cheap. A used S9 with a 18-40mm lens is $1000, and that鈥檚 a steal in the photography world. The R50V with a kit lens is like $700 new, and that鈥檚 as cheap as these video-centric cameras get.
Those aren鈥檛 exactly small and discreet, and like you said, they鈥檙e way above my budget.
GoPro is the go-to for a reason, and they鈥檙e uncomfortably tiny when not in a case.
Do you have a recommendation for a particular model? A brief search pulled up only one model just a little above $200. The rest are $300+.
Sorry, I don鈥檛.
I looked at them years ago, and found competing products to be just as capable for a lot less.