The Buyers guide to...Best video cameras for beginners

Panasonic designed the Lumix G100 as an entry-level vlogging camera but it also makes a good camera for beginner photographers and anyone looking to take a step up from their phone or a compact camera for shooting video.

The G100 has a 20.3Mp Four Thirds type CMOS sensor and the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. In addition to the vari-angle screen that allows vloggers to see themselves in front of the camera, the G100 has an electronic viewfinder built-in, which is good news for photography.

In addition to a 3.5mm port to connect an external mic, the G100 has a spatial audio recording system called OZO Audio by Nokia. This uses three internal microphones and can work in tandem with the face detection focusing to track the person talking and optimise the audio for them. It works very well provided that there’s no wind.

There are also some features for experienced videographers including V-Log L for creating low contrast, low saturation footage that’s suited to post-capture grading.

Control-wise the Panasonic G100 is fairly straightforward. There’s not an overwhelming array of buttons and dials, but you can access the key features quickly and there are twin dials for exposure control.

While the autofocus system isn’t quite as fast or decisive as the phase detection AF or hybrid systems in most other mirrorless cameras, and the eye AF isn’t 100% reliable, the G100 usually gets the subject sharp.

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Read our Panasonic Lumix G100 Review

The lone physical upgrade that the X-T30 makes on the Fuji X-T30 is the switch to a 1.62-million dot screen on its back rather than a 1.04-million-dot unit.

The upgrades come as a result of firmware and algorithm improvements. For example, the X-T30 II gains the enhanced autofocus algorithms seen on the X-T4, which means it is faster and has improved low-light sensitivity – down to -7.0EV with the XF50mm F1.0 lens mounted. The Face/Eye detection is also more reliable, but it’s still only of use when photographing humans.

Fujifilm has also given the X-T30 II two additional Film Simulation modes, Classic Neg and Eterna Bleach Bypass. In addition, there are controls to adjust the Clarity, Tone Curve and Monochromatic Color while the Auto White Balance can be set to White Priority and Ambience Priority, and there’s the Color Chrome FX Blue option to enhance blue subjects.

In another useful improvement, the X-T30 II is capable of recording 4K video continuously for up to 30minutes whereas the X-T30 is limited to 20 minutes.

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Read our Fujifilm X-T30 II Review

The Canon EOS M50 Mark II makes a relatively modest update on one of Canon’s most popular mirrorless cameras. Inside it has the same 24Mp APS-C format sensor paired with the same Digic 8 processing engine.

Like its predecessor, the Canon EOS M50 Mark II can shoot 4K video at up to 24p but there’s an additional 1.5x crop applied to the framing and the autofocus system relies on contrast detection. Switch to Full HD or stills shooting and the phase detection system that is enabled by the Dual Pixel sensor design becomes active.

The key upgrades made for the Mark II are eye tracking in both stills and video mode, vertical video recording and the ability to stream live to YouTube video a smartphone hotspot.

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Read our Canon EOS M50 Mark II Review

The Nikon Z6 and Z7 are great, but not all photographers want a full-frame camera. The Nikon Z50 offers that alternative for Nikon users wanting a mirrorless camera, and it has plenty to offer experienced photographers thanks to a solid build and a comprehensive feature set.

Its autofocus system is excellent and is capable of capturing fast-moving subjects in pin-sharp focus, even in gloomy conditions. Further good news is that the Z50 has both Subject Tracking and Eye AF modes. Eye AF is a must-have feature at the moment and it’s incredibly useful for portraits and social event photography.

Subject Tracking works in Auto-area AF mode and it’s useful for subjects that move erratically. Pressing the OK button in Auto-area AF mode activates a tracking point which is visible on the screen and in the viewfinder.

You then position this box over the subject and press the OK button again to start the tracking. As the subject moves, the Z50 tracks it around the frame, keeping it sharp in Continuous AF mode.

Inside the Nikon Z50 is a new 20.88Mp APS-C format sensor which is paired with the Expeed 6 processing engine. Together, these enable a native sensitivity range for stills of ISO 100-51,200 with expansion settings going all the way up to ISO 204,800. Meanwhile, the video range is ISO 100-25,600.

Thanks to the Expeed 6 processing engine, the Z50 can shoot at up to 11 frames per second with continuous autofocusing and exposure metering. This rate is achieved in Continuous High Plus mode while the maximum rate in Continuous High mode is 5fps.

The Nikon Z50 also delivers great video, capturing 4K at 30fps and Full HD at a range of frame rates.

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Read our Nikon Z50 Review: updated for Vlogging

It used to be that most vlogging was done on a phone, but Sony aimed to change the game plans of thousands of content creators when it launched the ZV-1, a compact camera specifically designed for vloggers.

Much of the specification on the Sony ZV-1 is familiar from the Sony RX100 series of compact cameras, but there are a few notable differences to make it better for vlogging.

Inside the Sony ZV-1 is a 1-inch type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with 20.1 million effective pixels. That’s a comparatively large sensor for a compact camera and makes a big impact on image quality. What’s more, the Exmor RS CMOS sensor brings phase-detection focusing – which is usually faster and more decisive than contrast detection. The ZV-1 has a total of 315 phase detection AF points which are available for use in stills and video mode.

As for video, the ZV-1 is capable of shooting 4K footage and exposure can be controlled automatically or manually.

Sound is just as important as the image quality in video and the Sony ZV-1 offers a number of options for recording audio. The easiest is to use the built-in 3-capsule microphone. This uses technology from Sony’s advanced video camera systems and there’s a Clear Voice function that can reduce background noise while making human voices clearer.

Overall, the Sony ZV-1 delivers everything a vlogger could wish for in a compact camera, and it comes with Sony’s excellent AF system. There are features to help inexperienced photographers/videographers/vloggers get good results, the exposure can be controlled automatically or manually and there’s a built-in ND filter plus Log and Gamma control. It makes it easy to produce great 4K video but lets you take control when you want to. It all adds up to a very enticing camera for vloggers.

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Read our Sony ZV-1 Review

The Sony ZV-E10 has a 24.2-megapixel APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor and a BIONZ X image processing engine. It also has some of the vlogging-specific features found on the ZV-1 compact camera including “Background Defocus” which enables quick switching between a blurred background and a sharp background.

There’s also the “Product Showcase Setting” mode that sets the camera to change the focus automatically from the subject’s face to an object being held to the camera.

There are also some advanced video features such as 4K (3840 x 2160) video shooting and Full HD Slow Motion at up to 120). Plus, electronic image stabilisation with Active Mode for stable video recording when walking and shooting hand-held.

Further, the ZV-E10’s advanced autofocus technology provides fast, precise AF with tracking and there’s a high-quality audio system.

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Read our Sony ZV-E10 Review