HD & 4K Camcorders Vs. Smartphones | Why buy a Camcorder for Video?
January 10, 2021 by SmartReview
Filed under Camcorder Articles, Digital Camcorders
Camcorders vs. Smartphones for Video
The quality of the video on smartphones has improved, but smartphones still cannot overcome the clear advantages of a dedicated camcorder. Camcorders in regards to video, offers so much more in best video quality, which we will explain fully in this article.
The Zoom Lens of the Dedicated Camcorder: The biggest advantage of a camcorder is its zoom lens. With a zoom lens, you can get in close to the subject, when it is not possible or desirable to get in closer. You cannot do this with a Smartphone, as most have no zoom, limited zoom, or digital zoom which gives you grainier video. Most camcorders have a minimum of 10x zoom, with some as high as 30x zoom. It opens up many possibilities for creative videos impossible with a Smartphone. Camcorders also have powered zoom, which smoothly moves you from wide angle to full zoom, a feature absent on smartphones.
Image Stabilization of the Dedicated Camcorder: Just as important as zoom is, image stabilization ranks as one of the most important features of camcorders. Image stabilization helps to eliminate any shaking while filming. Most smartphones have either no image stabilization or minimal as its not possible given the size of the smartphone lens. This produces shaky video. Camcorders have far superior image stabilization, with the most advanced camcorders having 5-Axis stabilization. Sony has the best, called Balanced Optical Image Stabilization (BOSS), giving smooth video almost as if you have a Steadycam. See Video below….
The video above really demonstrates the huge advantage a camcorder has over a smartphone. You can walk with many camcorders and maintain stable footage. You cannot do this with a Smartphone.
Related Camcorder: Sony FDR-AX53 4K Ultra HD Camcorder with BOSS image Stabilization
Image Quality Smartphone Vs Camcorder: If lighting is good, Smartphones can take decent video, but this fails in low light situtations. Camcorders can have much larger imaging sensors than Smartphones and better low light performance. The smartphone video is fine for social media, but you really see the difference when you blow it up on an HDTV or 4K TV. Then you can see huge quality differences. Standard settings in Smartphones can use lossy compression, producing grainy video on larger screens. To future proof important video, we recommend camcorders that shoot in 4K Ultra HD, and have high bit rate compression for maximum quality.
Memory Card Storage and Transferring Video: Many Smartphones have limited internal memory, and many cannot use external memory Micro SD cards (iphones for instance). This can mean that you will run out of storage on the phone if shooting a lot of video. Video takes up a huge amount of room. Camcorders have unlimited shooting as long as you have memory cards. Transferring video to a computer can be difficult with some Smartphones, while camcorders make it easier through USB, or plugging the memory card into the computer.
Microphones and Sound Quality: The Smartphone has limited options for sound quality and usually depends on internal microphones. In perfect conditions with a Smartphone, the sound is usable, but outside in the wind, the wind noise will destroy your audio. Camcorders use higher quality microphones, many have the option to plug-in better mics with windscreens to use outdoors. You can also control the sound levels on many camcorders. So here is yet another advantage of camcorders over smartphones.
Sharing Videos on Social Media and Wifi: Many people share their videos on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Its very easy on a Smartphone to share your videos. Camcorders however have come a long way, and closed the gap by providing WiFi connectivity for sharing on social media. You can even control your camcorder with your Smartphone over Wifi. Some camcorders can be remotely controlled from a remote location over WiFi and you can monitor your pets, or other subjects.
Are Camcorders better than Smartphones? The conclusion of this article is that if you want the best quality video, superior image stabilization with enough zoom to shoot events like concerts, sports, plays, etc., then a camcorder wins out. For sheer convenience, the smartphone is smaller, and always with you, and easy to share videos on social media. In that regard the smartphone wins out.
Related Article: Best Low Light Camcorders – Comparison and Reviews
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