Selecting a Video Camera

One of the most frequent questions I get is, “What kind of video camera should I buy?”

home video camera

Of course I can’t tell any one person precisely which camera to buy but I can tell them this.

Video cameras can be broken down into four basic categories. Which one is right for you depends on:

Do you want simple or do you want to get artsy?
What are your technical demands?
What’s your budget?

Those should be easy questions to answer. Let me define the four categories and you’ll be able to see clear differences on which you can base your selection.

Webcams/Flip cams come first. They’re both drop dead easy to use.
Consumer grade cameras, which are still fairly easy to use but give you a lot more features than a web or flip.
Prosumer grade, which are more difficult to use but give you lots more artistic control.
Professional grade cameras which are sturdier, higher quality versions of the prosumer cameras. Professional grade cameras are fantastic but you do not even need to THINK about using one unless you are really doing a high level project.

What are the Differences?

Believe it or not, the differences you find in these four levels of camera are not drastic differences in the final image quality. Yes, the image quality improves as you go up but really, some of the tiny little cameras get a great picture.

The biggest difference with higher grade cameras is that the higher you go the more independent, manual control the camera operator has. Higher grade cameras have more features that affect the picture quality and they are all under the videographer’s control. That, plus high level cameras have better individual parts that are higher quality and sturdier, especially the lens.

Prosumer Video Camera

Now, having manual control over all the controls is only a benefit for someone if they WANT to get artistic and have that kind of creative control. Certainly lots of people do. I sure love having that sort of control. But if you are not interested in that sort of thing, it can become a hassle and just something else to learn. For simplicity, you can stick with automatic functions and it will do ok most of the time and you do not have to worry about it.

So if you are looking for easy point and shoot, you do not want a professional grade or prosumer grade. A consumer grade is going to be easier to use and still get a quality picture, maybe even as good as a higher level camera.

Consumer Grade Video Camera

Most consumer cameras will be totally automatic, have a decent sized but simple 10-1 zoom lens and probably a few additional features such as a built in light, image stabilization, and multiple modes for different conditions. Consumer cameras pack a lot into a little body. Their biggest drawback is they do not usually have any place to plug in a separate microphone so you are limited to using the onboard microphone.

Now the very simplest and cheapest grade of camera to use is the web cam or flip cam. These have become so popular and for very good reason. They are drop dead simple to use. A web cam of course has to be used with a computer, but a flip cam can be put in your pocket and taken anywhere. They often get remarkably good image quality for their size. But their ease of use is their best feature because that is a HUGE benefit in so many ways. I love them.

The drawback to these cameras of course is that they have fewer features. Some do not have zoom lenses at all, and if they do they might just be a small 2:1 zoom. You certainly do not have features like built in lights or image stabilization. Some are fairly high resolution, even HD, but some have pretty crummy resolution. My web cam does although it is a top of the line. But that’s ok. I just look at it as a good thing because the low resolution knocks at least ten years off my face!

Flip Camera

So, with that information, you can use the four grades of camera guidelines to figure out what grade of camera you want, and then select one that meets you needs within the grade.

For more information on cameras and what all the features and specs mean, sign up for my free home study course. And part of that course, it’ll be the third email you get after you sign up, is quite lengthy about all the technical specifications of video camera.

Thanks for reading VPT

Lorraine Grula

B&H Photo has always been one of my favorite places to buy video equipment. They carry EVERYTHING and their prices are great.