Best Professional Video Cameras

The Panasonic HC-X1 is mean but not necessarily lean. Measuring 6.8 x 7.7 x 13.6 inches and almost reaching 4.5 pounds on the weight scale, this beefy device is not as compact as most pro cams. At the same time, you can see where the extra weight is coming from.

First, the 5900-mAh battery is huge compared to the ~1900-mAh batteries that most professional video cameras come equipped with. Second, the device is packing more impressive tech than its two previous predecessors combined.

The HC-X 4-drive lens system contributes immensely, simultaneously yet independently driving 4 lens groups. You can suppress both the lens size and the drive range, optimizing image quality and zoom power. Meanwhile, the model's optical 20X zoom lens will be covering the range from 24-millimeter wide-angle to 480-millimeter telescopic.

But, even before that, this is the camera that's been designed to caption motion. Its Intelligent AF system can be customized adjusting the AF speed, AF sensitivity, and the AF area, accommodating not only the subject type but also the application. You can move its micro drive focus unit quickly yet minutely, achieving precise image expression and capturing crisp visuals. On that note, you can also play with the VFR (variable frame rate) recording feature, setting 10 steps between 2 and 60 fps, producing an excellent slow-motion effect when filming at 120 fps. Still, the 5-axis hybrid O.I.S. takes the cake, offering hand-shake correction that gives you both optical and electronic image stabilization and making sure that the hand-shake effect in different directions, including roll rotation, is detected and corrected.

The HXR-NX80 is also not cheap but the difference between this camera and the one we've reviewed before is more than noticeable even at first glance. Since the device measures 5.1 x 7.3 x 11.4 inches and weighs less than 3 pounds, it is much more nimble and mobile than most premium camcorders. Its palm-sized, ultra-lightweight profile allows you to shoot without worrying about the limits that the environment and the situation might apply. This is the camera that you can bring anywhere with you yet make sure that you're not sacrificing image quality.

Most compact camcorders compromise image performance to achieve the reduced size but this device, with its giant, 1-inch, 1.0-type stacked CMOS sensor, offers stunning background bokeh defocus effects and top-notch sensitivity, capturing high-quality video with less noise, even when the conditions are very bright or too dark. Thanks to the sensor's increased size and the 14.2-megapixel (effective) graphic resolution, the camera ensures that more light can reach the sensor, reducing blur and noise and providing clear and steady pictures even when the scenes are offering minimum illumination.

Compared to most professional video cameras, the Canon XA11 is pretty affordable. Yet, the model's specs are good enough to trade blows with most premium models. Sure, the camera has its flaws, including the passable but not impressive effective graphic resolution measuring 2.91 megapixels. The sensor's not that huge but, on the upside, its signal-to-noise ratio is pretty remarkable, ensuring vivid and accurate video recording thanks to its high sensitivity. To add more, boasting +3 dB low-luminance noise rating, the device will be capturing sharp images with precise and detailed visuals even when the lighting conditions are practically nonexistent. Plus, there's also the Infrared Shooting mode, enabling low-light capture with no ambient light available at all.

The camera cannot record 4K footage, which's to be expected considering that it costs almost twice less than most 4K camcorders. But, with multiple recording modes, adjustable resolutions, and variable frame rates, this model's flexible and adaptable to practically any production environment, producing solid 1080p (FHD) films.

Meanwhile, featuring Wide DR Gamma and Highlight Priority modes, the device will allow you to capture varying natural tones and colors, filming not only realistic but also rich and vibrant footage. With these modes, you can rest assured knowing that the visuals will remain authentic yet dynamic.

We're visual creatures. Seeing is believing where most people are concerned. With the Canon VIXIA HF G50, you can record knowing that people watching the footage will be seeing the same visuals you were seeing when recording them, adding drama and intensity when necessary but, first and foremost, making sure that the colors and the details remain authentic and realistic.

The device is loaded with awesome tech but the one that tips any scales is the DIGIC DV six-image processing unit, analyzing the scene within <0.5 seconds, all while taking into account more image parameters than you can shake a stick at. From these parameters, the unit goes to the model's ~matching feature array to select the ones that will be able to ensure optimized results to capture every detail but also reduce image noise, both with and without sufficient ambient light. In the meantime, the advanced automatic white-balance system will be analyzing the image's different areas, making adjustments where adjustments are required to make sure the scenes are captured with nuance and clarity.

This is pretty much where the processing unit ends and where the model's genuine, 35-mm Canon lens begins. Adopting advanced elements and thin yet effective coating, the lens will be reducing every distracting effect imaginable, from flaring to ghosting, reproducing sharp images with minimal distortion.

The Panasonic HC-WXF991K is among the cheapest 4K camcorders that you can put in the professional category. When you look at the models below 1000 bucks, trade-offs are inevitable compared to cameras that cost around $2500. That being said, we do not have many substantial issues with this device, except that the LCD touchscreen is not especially responsive, so sometimes you have to press the icon twice or practically squeeze the screen to achieve any results. Besides that though, the camera can even compete with most high-end models.

First things first, the LEICA Dicomar lens and the 1/2.3-inch BSI MOS sensor measuring 8.29 effective megapixels are good enough to capture sharp and detailed 4K footage. The lens will be producing subtle nuances and shading, while the engine behind the sensor will be suppressing distortion to make sure the scenes are rendered with consistent accuracy. Without going into construction details, these two elements provide an excellent foundation upon which the model's high-end tech and features are resting.

These features include the precise EVF (electronic viewfinder) that gives you accurate and detailed composition judgment, emulating the recording experience that only the most expensive professional video cameras are able to provide.

A comparable sentiment can also be extended towards the company's unique take on the high dynamic range (HDR) mode, reducing excess contrast that comes from overexposed and underexposed shooting conditions. With this mode, you can shoot without worrying that there's too much ambient light or too little. Going into more technical details, the mode basically combines two images that you take with different exposure levels, eliminating blocked shadows and blown highlights. Using the dedicated HDR button, you'll be able to access quick mode changes.