Camcorder which takes good stills

The main thing to look at when buying a camera is sensor size. Larger isn't always better, but it is a good guide to what kind of camera it is, how expensive the lenses will be, and who it's aimed at. In general, Micro Four Thirds and APS-C cameras are for both hobbyists and pros, while full-frame models tend to be strictly for advanced photographers with bigger budgets. Compact cameras with 1-inch sensors are for travel zooms and everyday photography.

Other features to look out for are viewfinders electronic or optical , which are considered essential by most photographers, and handling. If you're likely to want to use longer lenses, then a good grip is essential. You should also consider which lenses you're likely to need for your favorite types of photography — for example, bright prime lenses are better for portraits and street shooting, while wide-angle zooms are more useful for landscapes.

Deciding which camera system, including lenses, is the best for you is often better than choosing a camera in isolation. Buying a camera these days is a big investment, so every camera in this guide has been tested extensively by us. These days, real-world tests are the most revealing way to understand a camera's performance and character, so we focus heavily on those, along with standardized tests for factors like ISO performance. To start with, we look at the camera's design, handling and controls to get a sense of what kind of photographer it's aimed at and who would most enjoy shooting with it.

When we take it out on a shoot, we'll use it both handheld and on a tripod to get a sense of where its strengths lie, and test its startup speed. We'll also look at how quickly the buffers clears and repeat the test for both raw and JPEG files.

In various lighting conditions, we also test the camera's different autofocus modes including Face and Eye AF in single point, area and continuous modes. If the camera's raw files are supported by Adobe Camera Raw, we'll also process some test images to see how we can push areas like shadow recovery.

And we'll also test its ISO performance across the whole range to get a sense of the levels we'd be happy to push the camera to. Battery life is tested in a real-world fashion, as we use the camera over the course of the day with the screen set to the default settings.

Once the battery has reached zero, we'll then count the number of shots to see how it compares to the camera's CIPA rating. Finally, we test the camera's video skills by shooting some test footage at different frame-rates and resolutions, along with its companion app. We then take everything we've learned about the camera and factor in its price to get a sense of the value-for-money it offers, before reaching our final verdict.

Mark is the Cameras Editor at TechRadar. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile. North America. Included in this guide: 1. If you're looking for the best cameras for photography in , you've come to the right place.

Fujifilm X-T4. Resolution: Viewfinder: 3,K dots. Monitor: 3. Autofocus: point AF. Maximum continuous shooting rate: 15fps mechanical shutter , 30fps electronic. Movies: 4K at 60p. User level: Intermediate. Reasons to avoid - No headphone jack - Video recording limit. Canon EOS R6. Specifications Sensor size: Full-frame. Autofocus: 6,point AF. Maximum continuous shooting rate: 12fps mechanical shutter , 20fps electronic.

User level: Professional. Reasons to avoid - Video recording limits - 20MP resolution. Canon EOS R5. Megapixels: Autofocus: 5,zone AF. Screen type: 3. Continuous shooting speed: 20fps. Nikon Z6 II. Autofocus: point hybrid AF. Maximum continuous shooting rate: 14fps.

Movies: 4K at 30p. But there is still plenty of serious features on offer here - including a twin memory card slots, that are loved by keen videomakers.

Mention 'camcorder' and most people think of affordable, consumer-friendly all-in-one video cameras, but there's also a growing market for professional camcorders that share the same broad design but are intended for professional news gathering and broadcasting, with underslung grips for low angle run and gun shooting or as shoulder mounted camcorders fitted to chest harnesses or rigs.

Canon's impressive XA40 is a pro-grade camcorder that not only produces excellent 4K footage but also uses oversampling to ensure its Full HD footage is peerless in quality. Its palm-sized build means it's easy to pack up and take wherever you need it to go, while the 20x zoom lens gives you real shooting versatility.

Optical 5-axis image stabilisation is also a boon, making it easier to capture professional-looking shots while you're shooting handheld. A camera for all seasons and all situations. It features a large 3. Not only can it shoot 3,x2, up to 60fps, but can shoot at fps at p if you need slo-mo. The HC-XE employs an A 24x optical zoom and 5-axis hybrid optical image stabilization offer plenty of compositional opportunities.

Image quality is excellent, in both HD and 4K. Detail is high and color rendering excellent. It's a superb semi-pro shooter, but understandably complex to use. The some professional uses, a camcorder with interchangeable lenses is the next logical step up the pro video ladder. It has an impressive internal codec, allowing 10bit 4K recording at up to 60fps. If you want to get the ultimate in quality, though stick on an Atomos recorder, such as the Ninja V , and you can shoot bit ProRes to the external drive.

It has built in Wi-Fi for live streaming, too. Also read: Best cameras for vlogging The best 4K camera for serious filmmaking Best paid-for video editing software for vloggers and filmmakers Best cameras for streaming Best video tripods. Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years — and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.

His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Included in this guide: 1. Canon Vixia HF R Specifications Max recording resolution: 1, x 1,px. Consult your device's manual or the manufacturer's website for more specific information.

Photo mode is a function on some camcorders that allows you to freeze a frame while recording a video. When you play back the video, the image will appear on the screen for a brief period of time, interrupting the recording. Many analog camcorders include this feature, yet it has limited uses since the image isn't stored separately from the video.

If you want to capture a digital still from a video you've recorded, you can import your video onto your computer and freeze a frame in any video editing software. Most editing programs let you scroll through videos by individual frame, so you can pick out the exact moment you want to capture. Unfortunately, the resolution of stills taken using this method is usually pretty low.

The pictures would be good enough to e-mail to friends, but they wouldn't be print quality. A camcorder that has a built-in digital camera will have a memory card. The memory card is where your digital pictures will be stored, and you can download them onto your computer through a USB cable. Built-in digital cameras vary widely in quality and resolution.

In general, anything under two megapixels is not good enough for a quality print out. If you like to take a lot of pictures, then you will probably be better off carrying both a digital camera and a camcorder. Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. Everywhere Threads This forum This thread. Search Advanced…. Log in. Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4. Support UI. X Donate Contact us. New posts Trending Search forums.

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Previous Next Sort by votes. Sep 7, 44 0 1, 1. Something that would be good for both taking pictures and video. I just need something reliable. Mar 16, 0 3, You could get it for slightly less from amazon and return it if you don't like it. If you opt for a digital camera, the max is Meaning if you opt for a 60 minute video you have to re-start it in the middle.