The cheapest professional video cameras don’t have to sacrifice quality if you know where to look. If you’re itching to get into filming and making videos, it can be a difficult area to break into. After all, the very best equipment often comes with a price tag that you just can’t afford, especially when you’re starting out. Trust me, I’ve had those struggles.
So, what’s the solution? Well, there are actually plenty of professional quality video cameras that come at a cheap price. There are plenty of big name camera manufacturers with very good reputations that develop and sell video cameras that are more than affordable, which is perfect for people just getting into film and video making.
They may not have all the greatest features that the really expensive cameras have, but they do have plenty of specifications that will perfectly allow you to make the videos that you want and capture the shots that you want to capture. However, there are plenty to choose from on the market, and it can be difficult finding the one that’s going to be best for you.
That’s why I’ve done the work for you! In the guide below, I’ve narrowed down the 4 cheapest professional video cameras. With each one, I’ve described their features and explained why they’re so great. You’ll soon learn that just because something is the cheapest video camera, that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth buying – quite the opposite.
If you know the cheapest professional video camera you are interested in, click open our table of contents and choose what you want to view.
The Cheapest Professional Video Cameras
1. Sony Handycam FDR-AX53/B 4K HD Video Recording Camcorder
Sony is notoriously good for producing cameras, with some of the best in the business. This means that when it comes to their cheapest video cameras, they’re also going to be pretty good quality – and that’s certainly the truth with the Sony Handycam FDR-AX53/B.
It may be more expensive than some of the other cheapest video cameras I’ll be looking at later in the list, but its quality and features more than justify the extra expense. In a sense, it’s the best value professional video camera, because you’re really getting top-end specifications for a discounted price.
I couldn’t wait to try this camera out and it didn’t disappoint. It’s packed with features that will take your own videos up to the next level, which is why it’s garnered a terrific reputation from other buyers.
What Makes This Camera Great?
There are many different reasons for why this camera is a great choice when it comes to affordable and cheap professional video cameras, and I’ll get to a few of the reasons in greater depth in a moment.
Overall, it’s very lightweight and small, which makes it perfect for shooting on the go. Whether you’re using it handheld or mounting it to a tripod, you won’t have any difficulty lifting it and moving it. In the case of handheld filming, your arms won’t grow tired holding it for long periods of time, allowing you to film for longer without interruption.
On top of that, its crisp 4K footage looks brilliant when you transfer it to a computer and display it on a larger screen. Better yet, it’s incredibly easy to transfer the videos over to your computer, though it also allows you to transfer the videos wirelessly too.
Add to that the excellent image stabilization and the quick focusing system, and you’ve got a top quality camera at an extremely reasonable price. I was incredibly impressed with its features, and you will be too.
Image Stabilization
One of the very best features with this cheap professional video camera, and one that puts it above much of the competition, is its incredible image stabilization.
It uses the B.O.S.S. system, which stands for Balanced Optical SteadyShot and is exclusive to Sony cameras. It’s a unique stabilizer, with a gimbal mechanism that is roughly 13 times more effective than rival optical systems. Other optical image stabilization will tend to use a single lens element, while B.O.S.S. system manipulates together the whole lens unit and the image sensor, creating a stabilization that is a lot more thorough.
This allows the camera to stable images even when you’re really zoomed in with a high zoom lens. On top of that, it manages to stabilize it well even if you’re shaking it around as you move, which is particularly effective for handheld filming. That doesn’t mean you can throw the camera around wildly and expect it to look smooth and shake-free, but it does mean that you’re sure to have smooth video if you try to hold it relatively still.
Lens
As for the lens, this cheap professional video camera has a quality Zeiss lens that measures 26.8 mm
This lens will give you 20x optical zoom when filming in 4K, and a clear image zoom of 30x for 4K also. This is an impressive amount of zoom for a camera like this, and should give you more than enough zooming capabilities for your film project.
Auto Focus
When you’re switched onto the auto-focus mode and moving the camera around, it will take a little time and wait for the movement to settle before it selects targets to focus on. This is good in the long run, because it will always ensure that you’re going to get a crispy focused image.
However, you can also pick your own targets that the camera will focus on, using the Spot Focus feature. This is incredibly easy to use, with targets clearly presented on the touch screen. All it takes is a simple touch and the camera will snap focus to your chosen target.
As for light, the camera’s focus system works very well in reasonable lighting. This will be handy if you’re out and about, allowing you to get crisp and in-focus footage.
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2. Ordro AZ50 4K Video Camcorder Camera
This is an extremely cheap and affordable professional video camera from a brand that you may not otherwise think about. I’m featuring this one because I believe it’s a little-known gem for budget filmmakers and more people should know about it.
You’ll typically be able to get this for a few hundred dollars, which is incredible value considering the features that it has. Better yet, it has high quality 4K recording, meaning that you’re going to get some of the crispest footage out there. On top of that, there’s infrared night vision capabilities that will help you to get black and white video from night time filming.
In addition to those, it is also very easy to use and move around. This is thanks to the portable design it has, making it perfect for handheld shooting, but working just as well when you’re locking it down with a tripod. Its design is ergonomic, with a helpful handle to help you move it around.
What Makes This Camera Great?
There are plenty of reasons that this extremely cheap professional video camera is great, and I’ll be going into greater detail for a few of them in a moment.
For one, it has a 3.1 inch touch screen which makes using it very easy. However, it also allows users to look at it from any angle and still get an accurate representation of the footage that is being filmed. This is all thanks to its rich, natural color effects, which boldly and vividly display the gorgeous colors that you’re filing through the lens. The screen even intelligently calibrates both the color temperature and the white balance of the image to the highest accuracy color performance – what you see is what you get.
The camera also comes with a large stereo microphone that attaches onto it. It’s incredibly long lasting, with up to 60 hours of battery, and will help you pick up your audio in good quality.
Lens
The camera uses a 2 in 1 HD 72mm wide angle lens. This allows you to capture a larger area of image without getting annoying distortion, letting you film beautiful compositions that you wouldn’t have expected would come from a camera that’s so affordable.
Portable LED Light
This is a feature you won’t find with many other cheapest professional video cameras, and that’s a portable pocket size LED light that’s attached on top of the camera. This allows you to project loads of different colors and shades of light onto the area that you’re filming, not only coloring the image a little but also acting as a light source to make sure that your footage is clearer.
The light lasts 2.5 full hours when it’s on, which should be enough between charges.
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3. Panasonic LUMIX ZS100 4K Digital Camera
This ZS100 model from Panasonic is surely one of the cheapest video cameras, especially when you consider the great specifications that it has to offer. I was really impressed with this very affordable camera, and you will be too.
For a cheaper price than most other cameras (that admittedly have fewer features), this is incredible value and sure to suit whatever video project you have.
What Makes This Camera Great?
Needless to say, this excellent camera captures 4K video footage, which is up to 4x the resolution of standard HD. This means that your videos will pop with detail and color.
Better yet, the camera offers high speed autofocusing with Panasonic’s special technology. This means that the camera instantly calculates the distance from the subject and spans the camera to focus on them, meaning that you never miss a moment when filming and rarely end up with footage that is out of focus.
User-Friendly
Additionally, the camera is extremely user-friendly. It has a touchscreen so that you can select options and make changes with just a simple tap. On top of that, it has very fast menus, meaning that you can get to what you want in no time and not lose out on capturing a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it image.
You can even link the camera with your smartphone, from which you can then access the camera’s live real-time controls. In addition to that, you can easily transfer your photos and videos between the two.
Further still, the camera also has customizable dials.
Sensor
The camera has an especially good sensor, which is 1 inch large and 20.1 megapixel MOS. This should mean that your camera ends up filming much clearer images, with fewer artifacts in them. On top of that, the images should be brighter too.
Considering that the camera is actually a point and shoot model (meaning that it’s compact), the sensor is actually much larger than most in its field.
The sensor works in collaboration with the lens, in a sense, allowing you to get the crisp and clear footage. The camera has a 25-250mm lens that should allow you to get plenty of zoom without sacrificing the detail of the image.
Stabilization
The ZS100 uses a hybrid Optical Image Stabilizer in order to steady out your footage. As long as you try to keep it relatively calm when moving your camera, your final videos should be very smooth, with minimal shakiness.
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4. Canon VIXIA HF G50 4K30P Camcorder
The final of the cheapest video cameras I’m going to look at is this great pick from Canon. Canon are some of the very best camera manufacturers out there and their reputation within the industry is not to be ignored.
What Makes This Camera Great?
Naturally, it offers top quality 4K UHD recording at 30p. Your footage will be crisp and clear, and rivals the quality of many more-expensive cameras. You can also record in slow-motion and fast-motion in both HD and 4K.
The camera also features a 20x Optical Zoom Lens and an angle of view that is 29.33mm wide. Whatever you’re filming, you’ll be able to benefit from this helpful amount of zoom. The 20x Optical Zoom should allow you to zoom to 627mm in 4K, which is very appealing for a camera of this affordable price.
Additionally, it’s also very good in low light conditions.
Image Stabilization
The camera comes with very intelligent 5-axis Image Stabilization. I covered this earlier with another camera, explaining how it’s a smart system that really works to make your footage very smooth indeed. Your footage will be extremely stable even when you’re filming handheld.
Adaptable
A neat little touch for this camera, too, is the fact that you can turn it into a top end webcam by using the HDMI output (which is free of the typical onscreen data you’d otherwise see). It may seem like a bit of waste using such a detailed, highly technical camera as a webcam – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a helpful feature.
If you ever need a webcam and don’t have one, you can very easily turn this into one.
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Buyers’ Guide
When picking out which of the cheapest professional video cameras are right for you, you should check each of them against certain essential features.
Image Stabilization
You will have noticed this come up a lot in our list, because it’s very important. Most of us will want our footage to move smoothly, without too much shakiness.
The best way to achieve this is by getting a camera with good image stabilization. Many types exist, but the 5-axis method is particularly good.
Lightweight
It’s a good idea to get a camera that is lightweight and small, without sacrificing the features. This is especially the case if you’re going to be doing handheld filming, because you won’t want to tire holding the camera.
Sensor
Additionally, you’ll want an impressive sensor. This will ensure that your footage is clear and crisp, without too much visual noise or artifacts.
Final Thoughts
It is my hope that these reviews will help you decide which video camera is best for you. Use my guide to find the best and cheapest video camera for your goals.