Best Camcorders And Video Cameras For Wedding

1. CANON XA11 - BEST PORTABLE VIDEO CAMERA FOR WEDDING

DESIGN:

The top recommended video camera that most wedding photographers suggest is this Canon XA11 HD video camera. It is an important wedding videographer equipment because it can deliver a stunning result in a wide variety of lighting conditions. 

When comparing an XA11 with that of its sibling XA10, the former shows improved low-light performance. The camcorder weighs only 745 grams, but it is sturdy and stable enough for shooting outdoors.

Wedding shoots are time-consuming. That is why you need a portable and lightweight video camera. In that case, this XA11 camcorder is perfect. It is not only lightweight but also user-friendly, so you will not get exhausted during your long shooting hours. 

With the 3-inch tilt-type LCD colored view screen, you can make the focus adjustments within seconds. It displays the video footage with high contrast color resolution and 100% field of view. Furthermore, you will find a joystick at the right of this camcorder's electronic viewfinder that allows you to control the camera setting without touching the control panel on the view screen.

You can insert universal SDXC and SDHC memory cards into this camera using the dual SD card slots provided. If you want an instant backup of files, you can enable the double slot recording option. When the primary memory card becomes full automatically, the camcorder moves recording clips to the secondary memory card.

FEATURES & PERFORMANCE:

The genuine HD canon 20x zoom-lens offers an extremely versatile zoom range with a 35 mm focal length which is also equivalent to 26.8mm to 576mm. This powerful zoom lens provides a great magnification to film the wedding ceremonies from a distance. The model also comes with endless zoom control and multiple focus modes to ease your job.

The 2.91 MP highly sensitive HD CMOS Pro image sensors can record full HD video in both AVCHD and MP4 formats at multiple bit rates. Moreover, the circular 8 aperture blade enhances the image quality and allows you to take videos of the wedding couple with smooth out-of-focus areas. That is why marriage videographers love this camcorder.!

The highlight priority mode and wide DR Gamma mode capture natural tones and colors to deliver simply realistic HD videos.

In terms of a hand-held recording system, the intelligent 5-axis image stabilization system offers three different stabilization options, making the camcorder more professional and convenient. You can either select the image stabilization options manually or allow the intelligent IS to perform automatically; both are possible with an XA11. 

Moving on, the two XLR terminals enable you to record audio on two separate channels. However, the multiple exposure modes, autofocus, and image stabilization technologies, including the intelligent viewfinder, really help you capture all the perfect moments of a wedding ceremony.

Lastly, lighting will be a big issue if it is a destination wedding or a church wedding. But, the XA11 camcorder also solves this issue as it comes with an in-built hot shoe flash mount on the top. Using this flash mount you can attach an external flash unit or nay lighting accessories. 

2. SONY HXR-NX80 4K - BEST HD CAMCORDER FOR WEDDING

DESIGN:

The SONY HXR-NX80 camcorder is specially designed for run and gun wedding videographers. This palm-sized model incorporates individual manual control options for adjusting exposure, focus, iris, white balance, and shutter speed. The battery allows users to record around 2.6 hours continuously after a single charge. 

The camcorder comes with a built-In 3 inches OLED EVF with 2.35 million dots, ND filters (Clear, 1/4, 1/16, and 1/64), and a lens hood. Besides having an XLR audio input unit, it features several ports for inserting an external microphone or headphone jack.

If you want to create a great wedding story, you can't keep the internal audio recorder in the first place. Here, you have to use an external microphone to record good audio.

FEATURES & PERFORMANCE:

The HXR-NX80 camcorder model is an upgraded version of Sony's popular NXCAM series. The biggest technological advancement comes with the 273 point phase-detection AF system. It offers fast and accurate focus during the video recording of wedding ceremonies and celebrations.

This 4K Pro camcorder provides full HD video production in 4K ultra HD to full HD resolution at a 50-100 Mbps rate. Moreover, the low light performance has also been improved with this advanced version.

Like the previous model (Canon XA11), this also has high-resolution touchable LCD viewfinders and control panel, dual memory card slots, versatile recording modes including instant HDR, and new 120p Super Slow or S&Q motion. Furthermore, the 12x Carl Zeiss zoom lens can be extended up to 18x zoom and provides a 29mm to 348mm wide-angle focal length.

On the other hand, the camcorder can be connected with HD TV or 4K TV and the MCX500 live producer through the built-in HDMI port.

While a single operator needs to run multiple cameras, we need to connect the camera set-up with a remote commander. The remote control functionality of Sony’s NX80 model supports the RM30BP remote control system.

3. PANASONIC X2000 4K PRO CAMCORDER

DESIGN:

Panasonic X2000 is another small and lightweight camcorder model that is easy to use and handle during wedding shoots. The camera body is just 900 grams while it turns 1.5 kilograms with battery, handle, eyecup, lens hood which is convenient for outdoor shooting. 

The detachable handle section contains dual channel XLR audio recording, REC button, LED light, and zoom liver for easier handling. 

The built-in LED light helps you to shoot in low-light conditions by adjusting the right lighting during shoots. The light can be adjusted through a dimming dial, making it great for church weddings.

The XLR terminals support a professional microphone to take linear PCM audio input in high resolution. To provide better control in zooming and focusing during shoots, it features two different sized manually controlled rings in the front and rear positions. 

The camcorder comes with a 3.5-inch 2,760k dots colored LCD monitor including a user-friendly touch panel. The touch panel has 12 control buttons that give you control over 38 functionalities. After shooting for a long time, usually, cameras or camcorders get heated. To eliminate this heating issue, this Panasonic model includes an ultrathin fan.

Features & Performance:

The fans of big fat weddings often want to live stream their wedding ceremony. If your clients are one of them, go for the Panasonic X2000 4K Pro Camcorder. It can live stream full-HD videos on platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

The camcorder comes with a 25 mm wide-angle and 24x extendable zoom lens. The optical zoom lens can be enhanced up to 48x super-resolution zoom with an additional lens. The five-axis hybrid image stabilization system helps to produce stunning 4K HD video.

Another pro-feature of this wedding camcorder is slow-motion options. The face detection functionality captures the subject without including any out-of-focus and exposure problems. The high-precision AF and AE system enable you to shoot in super-fast motion at 120 fps as well as in a super slow motion with only 10 bits in full HD resolution.

The versatile recording modes support 59.94p/50p video in HEVC codec format at 200mbps bit rate and 720p AVCHD video at 8-Mbps bit rate. It also supports MOV and MP4 formats. The UHD/FHD modes allow 4:2:2 10-bit color video recording up to 29.97p/25p in Ultra HD or 59.94p/50p in Full HD with SD card, and the outputs can deliver at 10-bit UHD 59.94p/50p images via HDMI connection.

We cannot ignore enlisting Panasonic X2000 camcorder in the list of best wedding videography camcorders, as it features the latest live streaming functionality at 4k UHD 60 fps filming style. But, we cannot place it at the top as it does not have an A1 image sensor and the low light performance is just an ‘OKAY’ type.

If you are someone who is looking for the best camera for capturing top-quality videos on the go, this Panasonic camcorder is for you. Trust us, it will be a great investment in terms of its design, utilities, functionalities, and performance. 

4. PANASONIC AG-AC30 - BEST LOW-LIGHT VIDEO CAMERA FOR WEDDING

DESIGN:

This ultra-lightweight camcorder model is perfect for shooting in any situation. So if you are preferring a video camera for both pre-wedding outdoor shoots and on-wedding ceremonies, this would be a good choice.

The built-in LED light brightens up the subjects with a balanced light. The lens also incorporates a 49mm filter thread. If you feel the extra light is too harsh, you can include a color conversion filter or diffusion filter covers to soften or balance the light.

The touch panel located in the top handle has individual rings that provide control over focus adjustment, zoom, and iris adjustment. Along with a traditional tilt-up 0.24 inches electronic view screen, the design also includes a pull-out 3 inches high-resolution LCD touch screen above the lens mount to provide a natural viewing experience during shoots. The camcorder comes with a built-in microphone and dual 3 pin XLR audio input units for audio recording.

Features & Performance:

Excluding some big churches, most of the wedding venues do not have proper lighting arrangements. But, thanks to the Panasonic AG-AC30 camcorder! Along with built-in LED light, it incorporates an advanced 1/3.1" BSI MOS sensor to shoot in low-light conditions. The integrated zoom lens provides amazing image quality with a 35mm focal length that is an equivalent range of 29.5mm to 612mm.

The 5-axis hybrid optical image stabilization system detects and corrects handheld shake issues from side-to-side, up-down, forward-back. Some unstable situations include rotational blurring problems. The level indicator lets you know whether your camera is in level or not while shooting with or without a stabilizer.

The versatile recording modes enable you to shoot in super-fast motion at 120 fps also in slow-motion up to 120 fps with full HD resolution. The camcorder records MP4, MOV, or AVCHD format videos and stores them in an SDXC media card. The dual media card slots help in relay recording and provide instant backup.

BUYING GUIDE FOR PURCHASING A WEDDING VIDEO CAMERA

Photographers and videographers around the world are using different kinds of cameras according to their client's specific needs. We cannot consider a particular camera to be right or wrong for wedding videography!

However, there are few aspects that you need to consider aside while purchasing a wedding camcorder. And, remember you cannot go wrong in choosing the camcorder because you are using it for a professional purpose.

So have a clear understanding of the features given below that will help you purchase a good camcorder for shooting marriage pictures and videos.

The sensor size of the video camera plays an important role while you make a purchase. A video camera with a larger sensor is mostly preferred for weddings because it has the ability to capture more light. And that is what you need for weddings, a camera that captures exceptional videos of the wedding couple and guests in low-light conditions.

Camera resolution is essential for wedding shoots but not like the sensor size. But, if you are one of those who like to bring out some of the best candid moments or close-up poses of the wedding couple, a camcorder with a higher resolution is needed. And as wedding video editors, you will be cropping the images in post-production, so you can't compromise on the camera's resolution.

High-resolution images provide more flexibility to crop them later. If your clients often demand some wedding photos for wall-sized giant canvases, you should wrap up your choice in high-resolution cameras. Moreover, high-resolution cameras are essential for shooting in poor lighting conditions or inside wedding venues, and especially inside ballrooms and reception halls.

Sometimes creative inspiration often comes from the tools. This is why the autofocus cameras with built-in filters can be a good choice for an amateur marriage videographer. Be it the couple's dance or any other program during the wedding celebration, a camcorder with in-built filters will help you get better video quality.

When accurate autofocus is essential to capture these precious moments without losing sharpness, in-built filters will enable you to retouch the shots right away in the camera as well.

When it comes to the best video camera for wedding videography, connectivity, input, and output options are a major concern. Choose a video camera that offers a variety of connectivity options including a wired and wireless connection. For live streaming, your camera needs to be connected with various compatible smartphones, tabs, and laptops via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. 

Once these devices get paired with your camera set-up, you can remotely control and shoot with those cameras, and even share images and videos immediately.

Here, the list of extra wedding videography gears could go on. Besides having the wired and wireless connectivity options in your cameras, it should have XLR Audio input units and multiple ports for inserting external jacks of microphones and headphones.

To ensure that all videos are stored properly, find a camcorder that features dual SD card slots and allows continuous simultaneous recording for a longer time.

Wedding photography or videography means on-the-go shooting. While buying a camera to cover wedding events, think about the battery life as you often may not get charging points around you. Try to choose a high-capacity wedding camcorder that can record videos when the power bank will charge the batteries.

Wedding venues often do not have sufficient light, and the videographers need to arrange proper lighting sources. Before buying a camera, check whether the camera supports external flashes or not! It will be great if the wedding video camera comes with built-in LED light.