You want to record every precious moment, memorialize every milestone. You want to tell stories, and you want the best camcorder you can get to help you do it. And with the price of camcorders going down and quality going up, it’s easier than ever to find the video camera of your dreams.
But you’re no ordinary consumer you’re looking for something more professional than the common-place handheld, yet youre not ready to invest the ten to twenty thousand that purely professional camcorders cost at least. You’re a prosumer — and you’re looking for the best professional camcorders 2012-13.
What exactly do you want in a new semi-pro video camera?
With so much to consider in a pricy investment, you need to clarify and prioritize your needs. Do you want the easy tactile authority of a larger camcorder, or is it a light load for field flexibility that you prize most? Do you want to be able to use the high quality video camera right out of the box with auto functions, or do you enjoy playing with your cameras manual controls? And, perhaps most importantly for most, how much money are you willing to spend?
Next, you need to determine which features are essential to you. While all the best prosumer video cameras will offer manual focus control in an easy to access ring, are you one of the customers who also wants manual shutter control right at your fingertips, or will you settle for the standard toggle or dial? A few cameras even offer an iris ring the point is, you need to decide how much control you want and how easily accessible you need those controls to be.
Prosumer cam Shortlist
The following camcorders are among the Most Wished For on Amazon.com; a few are on their Bestseller List (and with pricetags of upwards of $1,000, it takes a lot of excellence to make it on to the list) which makes them the best Prosumer Camcorders of 2012-2013.
The Panasonic AG-HMC40
The Panasonic AG-HMC40, combines high quality AVCHD video capture with a 10.6 megapixel still photography capability, so you get the best of both worlds. At only 2.2 pounds, its easy to cart around wherever you need to go, and three ¼ inch imagers offer you full HD resolution, more features here.
As for manual controls, this video recorder offers you a manual focus ring that can also be used for shutter speed and iris control. Professional audio capabilities offer you sound to match your visuals, and a three hour standard battery life has the option for a seven hour upgrade.
At just under $1,600, its easy to see why this model is so popular, with an average customer rating of 4.4/5 stars, this may be the best video camera under $2000.
The Sony HDR-FX7
Sonys recent foray into the prosumer camcorder market has yielded consumers even more top-notch options. The Sony HDR-FX7 offers you the professional 62mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens, which uses a 20x optical zoom for ultimate image clarity with minimal glare, while the three ¼ inch CMOS sensors give lots of precise detail, more info here.
Manual zoom and focus rings offer you the easy, intuitive control you want, and an iLink port makes transferring files to your Mac or PC easy. Although at just under $2,000, its a bit pricier than the Panasonic, the Sony deserves its average rating of 4.7 stars.
The Canon XA10
No survey of electronic recording equipment would be complete without checking out the latest offerings from Canon. The Canon XA10 professional quality video camera, at just over $1,800, offers an 8 blade Iris that reduces light diffraction to give you high quality images no matter how small the aperture you use.
Two XLR input ports offer excellent audio capabilities, while intelligent batteries tell you how much recording time you have left, down to the minute. And in low-lighting scenarios when most camcorders are useless, the Canon uses infrared, as well as giving you the option to record in green or white light.
You also get nine Cinematic Shooting Mode options that range from Vivid to Nostalgic to Dramatic Black and White and let you get really creative.
However, some consumers will find it difficult to learn to use the zoom smoothly, as this camera does not offer a classic zoom ring on the lens, more real reviews here.
Canon VIXIA HF G10
Finally, at under $1,200, the Canon VIXIA HF G10 gives you a less expensive but still quite attractive option. You get an 8 blade Iris and many of the perks of Canons costlier models, like a Canon DIGIC DV III image processor for great color and noise reduction.
A single CMOS image sensor is quite big at 1/3 of an inch, giving you optimal video resolution, even in low light scenarios. This compact camcorder will get you excellent film quality in a small convenienet gadget, read reviews here.
Ready to shop for a new semi professional camcorder?
When youre through with all that filming, youll still have editing to do, so dont forget to consider your editing software when buying the best prosumer camcorder you can afford to ensure full compatibility and quick and easy transfer.
With so many great choices out there, you will just need to figure out what you need and finding a great camera to match should be easy! See more prosumer video cameras on Amazon now.
