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With the development of mirrorless camera technology, the distinction between a photo capture device and a video camera has become increasingly blurred. Today, there are many mirrorless still/video cameras available that can capture footage comparable to professional video equipment standards, but at a fraction of the cost.
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In this guide, we’ll outline the key technologies and features of today’s hybrid photo/video cameras to help you make an informed purchasing decision. To help you explore the jargon-filled world of video, we’ve created a glossary of terms that you’ll find at the end of this article.
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The most commonly quoted video specifications you’ll see for cameras is the output resolution, usually 1080p/Full HD, 4K or even 8K on the latest cameras. Newer TVs can display 1080p/Full HD, and the ability to display 4K video, which has double the resolution, is becoming more and more common. Shooting 4K footage offers some flexibility during the editing process, even if your final output is 1080, but the files tend to be much larger and require more storage space and more powerful machines to edit.
The same is more true with 8K recording: it gives you creative flexibility (in terms of trimming or stabilizing your footage) if you output 4K video, but the storage and processing requirements are even greater. Most people find good quality 4K more useful than 8K footage.
UHD 4K is four times the resolution of 1080/Full HD. UHD 8K is again four times the resolution.
This is the resolution most often used in videos. Full HD (High Definition), also known as ‘1080’ is 1920 x 1080 pixels. While 4K can refer to DCI (4096 x 2160 pixels) or more commonly UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels), 8K also has DCI and UHD versions, which double the resolution in each dimension to 8192 x 4320 pixels and 7680 x 4320 pixels.
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An important consideration beyond the specified output resolution is how footage is captured: the best cameras capture resolutions greater than 4K and scale it down to produce a highly detailed 4K output, but other models must sub-sample (only capture some of their sensor lines , or stitch pixels together), giving a less detailed result that is more susceptible to noise. Finally, some cameras have to crop and use a small area of their sensor, which degrades quality (especially in low light) and means your shots are more ‘zoomed in’ than your camera’s still mode, making it more difficult to get a wide-angle view. This is a detail that most manufacturers do not disclose, so you should study the terms and read reviews to be sure.
A final factor to consider is the rolling shutter: distortion of a wobbly, Jello-like subject moving quickly past the camera. This is because the cameras record their video one line at a time and scan the sensor: on a slower camera, there is a greater risk of your subject moving and being in a different position while the camera is recording. under each frame. In general, cameras with smaller sensors read faster, so they are less prone to this problem.
Most video is recorded at about 24 frames per second or 30 frames per second (where 25 fps is the standard for broadcast television outside of North America). But many cameras offer faster frame rates, which can be used in a number of ways. 60p footage can do a better job of representing motion, so it can be a great way to capture bursts of action. An alternative is to record at 60p or faster and then slow it down to 24 or 30p for a slow motion effect. Most cameras can’t offer fast frame rates at their highest resolutions, but 1080 recording at 120 fps or faster isn’t uncommon, which can be great if your project isn’t going to be 4K.
Another detail to check is whether the camera has any recording limitations. Some models were only able to record for 29 minutes and 59 seconds (an old limitation related to import duties), but most were eventually limited simply because recording high-definition video generated a lot of heat.
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The processing required to record video generates heat, and most still/video cameras are not very efficient at dissipating this heat, eventually requiring them to be turned off to cool. Professional camcorders have cooling fans, but most still/video hybrids simply try to transfer this heat to the body panels where it can escape into the environment. The best of these designs can continue recording for a long time, while other models allow you to disable the overheating limit (or at least make it less strict). This is rarely a problem if you plan to shoot lots of short clips to edit together, but it will prevent you from running your camera at something like a school concert, especially if you’re trying to shoot in 4K or higher. Fast frame rates can cause similar headaches in terms of heat and storage.
Once you’ve found a camera that captures good footage at the resolution you want, the main thing to consider is sound. Most viewers are more forgiving of bad-looking footage than bad-sounding videos, and this is a factor that can be easily overlooked if most of your experience is photography.
A microphone jack is a must: Built-in microphones in cameras tend to be simple affairs that will pick up the movement of a moving operator’s hand or clothing nearby, so you’ll want to be able to plug in an external microphone. The second most valuable feature is a headphone jack so you can control the volume and monitor distracting background noise: the human brain is very good at filtering out the sounds of cars passing by or airplanes flying overhead, but you won’t be able to remove them from your audio recordings when you watch the tape again.
One of the biggest differences in modern cameras is how reliably their autofocus works when shooting video. Unlike shooting stills, video records all the camera’s attempts to focus, as well as the moment in focus, so you need a decisive and reliable camera if you expect to trust it to autofocus while shooting.
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Top artists can reliably track your chosen subject (especially human subjects) and let you decide whether to refocus quickly (to keep moving subjects in focus), or slow and smooth when you want. draw attention from one subject to another. Autofocus depends on the camera and lens design you’re using, so it’s a good idea to do some research (and possibly test) before you decide to rely heavily on autofocus.
The small AF/MF switch in the center of the image represents the classic video dilemma: rely on autofocus or control it yourself. Most modern cameras make autofocus much more reliable.
The alternative to autofocus is, as you might expect, manual focus. This is how many professional videos are taken. Most modern cameras allow you to use autofocus to set your initial focus position before you start shooting, then provide a ‘peak focus’ feature that highlights the edges of the focus point in your scene. When used with a suitable lens (ideally one with a linear focus response where focus always changes by the same amount as you turn the focus ring) and a little practice, manual focus is quite useful, but many subjects can be tweaked so you need not to do it often. Refocus often.
Peaking has added a red highlight to the highest contrast (sharpest focus) part of this image, making it easier to see what you’re doing if you focus your image manually.
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In addition to focus peaking, most cameras allow you to ‘snap’ into video: allowing one to zoom in on part of the scene to check critical focus. While almost all cameras click in before you start shooting, few let you zoom in to double-check your focus while shooting, which is a useful option to have.
Another useful video tool worth checking out when researching camcorders is the ability to overlay a Zebra pattern on the screen, indicating a certain brightness level. It’s a useful tool for assessing exposure and can be adjusted to check for overexposed areas or to check you’re exposing skin tones correctly (getting the exposure correct is much more important in video than in stills, where you can shoot Raw for to retain some freedom of adaptation).
One detail that won’t be mentioned on the camera manufacturer’s website is whether lighting and other settings carry over from stills to video recording. The ideal photo settings are often drastically different from the ideal video settings, so we prefer to keep exposure, white balance and focus modes separate.
Even with separate (or separable) settings for stills and video, it’s not uncommon to need to add a darker filter (neutral density) to your lens when switching from
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