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Sony Handycam FDR-AX53 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review

January 17, 2024 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder



Sony
FDR-AX53
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

Buy from Amazon.com


SmartReview.com Product Rating
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BEST of 2024Award The FDR-AX53 is Sony’s newest compact 4K consumer camcorder. SmartReview previewed this model at CES in Las Vegas (see video below). This model shoots at 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160) which is at 8 megapixels resolution verus only 2 megapixels for Full HD. In addition to shooting at 4 times the resolution of HD, this model has Sony’s best Balanced Optical Steadyshot (BOSS) image stabilization.

This camcorder, although a consumer model has many high end features, such as a premium Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar® T lens f2.0-3.8 (20x optical and 30x extended zoom). Shooting at this resolution will future proof your videos, as the industry moves toward 4K resolution in TVs. Footage in 4K can also be used for Full HD video production, as you can crop or zoom in on your footage and still maintain Full HD quality. Manual Control (Iris, Shutter, Exposure, and White Balance. External Microphone and Headphone Jacks, Infrared Night Vision and an EVF Viewfinder. Future proof your videos by going with 4K Ultra HD resolution. The FDR-AX53 has won our BEST of 2024 award for camcorders under $1000. …More…

Sony Handycam FDR-AX700 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review 2024

January 16, 2024 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder



Sony
FDR-AX700
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

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Best of 2024 Award The FDR-AX700 is Sony’s upgrade to the popular FDR-AX100 4K consumer camcorder. SmartReview previewed this model at CES in Las Vegas. The biggest upgrades are the new 273 point phase detection AF for fast and accurate video focusing, Dual Card Slots, Higher resolution LCD touchscreen, new 120p mode for HD, S-Log2 and S-Log3, and new HDR recording mode. This model shoots at 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160) which is at 8 megapixels resolution versus only 2 megapixels for Full HD, a four fold increase in resolution.

The FDR-AX700 has a huge 1-inch back-illuminated Exmor R® CMOS Sensor (14.2M pixels). This is far larger than most camcorder imagers, and will give better low light performance and increased dynamic range. Shooting at this resolution will future proof your videos, as the industry moves toward 4K resolution in TVs. Footage in 4K can also be used for Full HD video production, as you can crop or zoom in on your footage and still maintain Full HD quality. For best image quality, Sony has equipped the FDR-AX700 with a Carl Zeiss 12x Optical Zoom Lens. It has an excellent 2.35 million dot OLED EVF Viewfinder as well. EVF Viewfinder. External Microphone and Headphone jacks. Infrared Night Vision. Built-in WiFi and NFC. This is a premium quality camcorder in all regards and won our BEST of 2024 Award …More…

Panasonic Professional (HC-X2000) 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review 2024

January 15, 2024 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder




Panasonic
Pro X-2000
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

Buy from Amazon.com


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BEST of 2024 Award Panasonic’s Pro HC-X2000 4K Ultra HD compact professional camcorder. This model has a detachable handle with XLR inputs, a video light, and a microphone holder. 4K has 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and is about the same resolution as the 4K projector in your local movie theater. The HC-X2000 shoots 4K video at 8 megapixels (3840 x 2160) per frame, vs. 2 megapixels (1920 x 1080) of Full HD. With the industry transitioning to 4K TVs, this camcorder will future proof your videos to look spectacular on these TVs. If you shoot video in 4K and then convert it to HD, the video will still appear much sharper than a regular HD camcorder would. The HC-X2000 can record in either 4K (at 24, 30 & 60p) or HD.

For best image quality the camcorder includes a fast Leica F1.8-F4.0 lens that was designed for the HC-X2000 to help in low light situations and provides up to 24x optical zoom. 5 Axis image stabilizer keeps images steady. The 3.5-inch flip out LCD has the highest resolution (at 2,760,000 Dots) that we have seen, which is excellent for composing a shot. Other features include an ND filters, accessory shoe, and an external microphone jack and headphone jack. EVF Viewfinder. At full 4K Ultra HD resolution the camcorder records at a high bitrate to preserve quality. High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature. Full HD slow motion feature. …More…

Sony Handycam FDR-AX43 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review

January 14, 2024 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder



Sony
FDR-AX43
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

Buy from Amazon.com


SmartReview.com Product Rating
(Click for Reviews)

The FDR-AX43 is Sony’s newest compact 4K consumer camcorder. This model shoots at 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160) which is at 8 megapixels resolution verus only 2 megapixels for Full HD. In addition to shooting at 4 times the resolution of HD, this model has Sony’s best Balanced Optical Steadyshot (BOSS) image stabilization.

This camcorder, although a consumer model has many high end features, such as a premium Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar® T lens f2.0-3.8 (20x optical and 30x extended zoom). Shooting at this resolution will future proof your videos, as the industry moves toward 4K resolution in TVs. Footage in 4K can also be used for Full HD video production, as you can crop or zoom in on your footage and still maintain Full HD quality. Manual Control (Iris, Shutter, Exposure, and White Balance. External Microphone and Headphone Jacks. Future proof your videos by going with 4K Ultra HD resolution. The FDR-AX43 is a Smart-Review Top Pick camcorders under $1000. …More…

Panasonic Professional HC-X1500 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review 2024

January 10, 2024 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder



Panasonic
X-1500
4K Camcorder


*4K Model

Buy from Amazon.com


SmartReview.com Product Rating
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BEST of 2024 Award Panasonic’s HC-X1500 4K Ultra HD compact professional camcorder. 4K has 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and is about the same resolution as the 4K projector in your local movie theater. The HC-X1500 shoots 4K video at 8 megapixels (3840 x 2160) per frame, vs. 2 megapixels (1920 x 1080) of Full HD. With the industry transitioning to 4K TVs, this camcorder will future proof your videos to look spectacular on these TVs. If you shoot video in 4K and then convert it to HD, the video will still appear much sharper than a regular HD camcorder would. The HC-X1500 can record in either 4K (at 24, 30 & 60p) or HD.

For best image quality the camcorder includes a fast Leica F1.8-F4.0 lens that was designed for the HC-X1500 to help in low light situations and provides up to 24x optical zoom. 5 Axis image stabilizer keeps images steady. The 3.5-inch flip out LCD has the highest resolution (at 2,760,000 Dots) that we have seen, which is excellent for composing a shot. Other features include an ND filters, accessory shoe, and an external microphone jack and headphone jack. EVF Viewfinder. At full 4K Ultra HD resolution the camcorder records at a high bitrate to preserve quality. High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature. Full HD slow motion feature. …More…

Panasonic HC-WXF991K 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Review

May 21, 2022 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


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Panasonic’s HC-WXF991K 4K Ultra HD consumer camcorder. 4K has 4 times the resolution , of Full HD and is about the same resolution as the 4K projector in your local movie theater. With the industry transitioning to 4K TVs, this camcorder will future proof your videos to look spectacular on these TVs. If you shoot video in 4K and then convert it to HD, the video will still appear much sharper than a regular HD camcorder would. The HC-WXF991K can record in either 4K or HD. The camcorder records video to SDXC U3 Memory cards, with 4K recording at a high 72mbps bit rate.

For best image quality the camcorder includes a fast Leica F1.8-F3.6 lens that was designed for the HC-WXF991K to help in low light situations. For night recording, you can use the Night Vision Feature. Panasonic has added a Second Twin Camera, for picture in a picture effect. The HC-WXF991K has a twin camera, so you can record a picture in a picture. Included are advanced features such as the new Hybrid optical/digital image stabilization with HYBRID O.I.S. which uses five-axis correction to suppress blurring, 20x optical zoom (Intelligent Zoom function can go up to 25x in 4K and 40x in HD), accessory shoe, and an external microphone jack and headphone jack. EVF Viewfinder. At full 4K Ultra HD resolution the camcorder records to MPEG-4 H.264 at a high 72mbps bit rate. High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature. Night Vision. Full HD slow motion feature. …More…

GoPro (HERO10 Black) 4K Action Camera | Review 2022

May 20, 2022 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


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4.9 Stars Rating

Best of 2022 Award GoPro’s HERO10 Black Edition is the top 4K action cam on the market. HyperSmooth 4 image stabilization, is a breakthrough in stabilization technology. Action cams are made to be in shaky environments, and image stabilization is key. The folding built-in mounting fingers, that make it so you can mount your GoPro without a frame or bulky case.

The HERO10 Black has a new more powerful GP2 processor (first upgrade in years). This enables better low light performance and higher framerates. You can now shoot video up to 4K120 video (4K at 120fps). A new higher resolution 5.3K mode is available at up to 60fps. The most powerful HyperSmooth 4.0 works to give rock solid video, even when handheld or mounted. For many applications the HyperSmooth 4.0 will replace a gimbal for stabilization. Another new feature is Time Warp Video 3 which is a time lapse movie, that uses HyperSmooth to give you a much smoother and less jittier time lapse movie. A new Night Lapse allows timelapse at night. A new Live Streaming application allows you to show streaming live video to social media like Facebook. The Hero10 Black has received our BEST of 2022 Award for Action Cams…. …More…

GoPro HERO8 Black 4K Action Camera | Review

February 5, 2022 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


SmartReview.com Product Rating
4.9 Stars Rating

Best of 2022 Award GoPro’s HERO8 Black Edition is one of the top 4K action cameras on the market. HyperSmooth 2 image stabilization, is a breakthrough in stabilization technology. Action cams are made to be in shaky environments, and image stabilization is key. Another huge upgrade is the folding built-in mounting fingers, that make it so you can mount your GoPro without a frame or bulky case.

The HERO8 Black also can shoot 4K60 video (4K at 60fps), and HyperSmooth 2 works, even at this high resolution and framerate. For many applications the HyperSmooth will replace a gimbal for stabilization. Another new feature is Time Warp Video 2 which is a time lapse movie, that uses HyperSmooth to give you a much smoother and less jittier time lapse movie. Both of these technologies are readily superior when compared to prior models. A new Live Streaming application allows you to show streaming live video to social media like Facebook. The Hero8 Black has received our BEST of 2022 Award for Action Cams…. …More…

Panasonic HC-VX870 4K Ultra HD Camcorder Review

March 7, 2021 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders


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Panasonic’s HC-VX870 was the first 4K Ultra HD consumer camcorder offered by Panasonic. 4K has 4 times the resolution , of Full HD and is about the same resolution as the 4K projector in your local movie theater. With the industry transitioning to 4K TVs, this camcorder will future proof your videos to look spectacular on these TVs. 4K shoots at 8 megapixels per frame vs. 2 megapixels for Full HD. If you shoot video in 4K and then convert it to HD, the video will still appear much sharper than a regular HD camcorder would.

The HC-VX870 can record in either 4K or HD. The camcorder records video to SDXC U3 Memory cards, with 4K recording at a high 72mbps bit rate. For best image quality the camcorder includes a fast Leica F1.8-F3.6 lens that was designed for the HC-VX870 to help in low light situations. For night recording, you can use the Night Vision feature. Included are advanced features such as the new Hybrid optical/digital image stabilization with HYBRID O.I.S. which uses five-axis correction to suppress blurring, 20x optical zoom (Intelligent Zoom function can go up to 25x in 4K and 40x in HD), accessory shoe, and an external microphone jack and headphone jack. At full 4K Ultra HD resolution the camcorder records to MPEG-4 H.264 at a high 72mbps bit rate. Panasonic has added a High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature for challenging lighting conditions. Full HD slow motion feature. …More…

GoPro HERO7 Black 4K Action Camera | Review

January 20, 2020 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


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Best of 2019 Award GoPro’s HERO7 Black Edition Camera is one of the top action cameras on the market. The big new feature is HyperSmooth image stabilization, which is a breakthrough in stabilization technology. Action cams are made to be in shaky environments, and image stabilization is key.

The HERO7 Black also can shoot 4K60 video (4K at 60fps), and HyperSmooth works, even at this high resolution and framerate. For many applications the HyperSmooth will replace a gimbal for stabilization. Another new feature is Time Warp Video which is a time lapse movie, that uses HyperSmooth to give you a much smoother and less jittier time lapse movie. Both of these technologies are readily superior when compared to prior models. A new Live Streaming application allows you to show video live to social media. This is a fantastic Action Cam, the best we ever tested. For that it has received our BEST of 2019 Award….
…More…

Panasonic HC-X1000 4K-60p Ultra HD DCI Pro Camcorder | Review

October 10, 2019 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


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Panasonic’s HC-X1000 Pro Camcorder is the lowest priced Pro 4K Camcorder from Panasonic. 4K has 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and is about the same resolution as the 4K projector in your local movie theater. The HC-X1000 shoots 4K video at 8 megapixels (3840 x 2160) per frame, vs. 2 megapixels (1920 x 1080) of Full HD. It will also shoot at Cinematic 4K (4096 x 2160p). 2 Channel XLR Input.

With the industry transitioning to 4K TVs, this camcorder will future proof your videos to look spectacular on these TVs. Cinematic 4K is the same resolution as movie theater 4K projectors. If you shoot video in 4K and then convert it to HD, the video will still appear much sharper than a regular HD camcorder would. The HC-X1000 can record in either 4K or HD. What sets this Pro camcorder apart from Consumer versions is that this one can shoot at 4K 60p (60fps) in full UHD 4K. The camcorder records 4K video to SDXC U3 Memory cards, with 4K recording at a high 150mbps bit rate. Dual SD Card Slots. Up to one hour of video recording at best compression per card. For best image quality the camcorder includes a fast Leica F1.8-F3.6 lens that was designed for the HC-X1000 to help in low light situations. For night recording, you can use the infrared Night Vision feature. Included are advanced features such as High-Speed, High-Precision AF, ND Filters, and Triple manual lens rings. WiFi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) and NFC Built-in. …Read More…

Canon Professional XF400 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Reviews | Dual Pixel CMOS AF

July 5, 2019 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


SmartReview.com Product Rating (Click for Reviews)

The Canon Professional XF400 is Canon’s Pro 4K Ultra HD Camcorder. 4K Ultra HD has 4x the resolution of full HD, the same resolution used on 4K TVs and Movie Theater 4K projectors. The XF400 upgrades the popular XF Pro Series with many new features. The Canon Pro XF400 has a new much larger (1-inch) 4K UHD CMOS Imager with Wide Dynamic Range Gamma and improved low light performance. Compact in size. Records video in 4K Ultra HD at up to 60fps, and Full HD at up to 120fps. Records to SDHC/SDXC memory cards (camcorder has two memory card slots) The 15x zoom HD Video Lens delivers excellent image quality and low light performance even at full zoom.

The Professional XF400 features the new 5-Axis image stabilization (keeps video sharp in low light, or when holding the camcorder without a tripod). Infrared Night Vision Feature. Another big first is the inclusion of the excellent Dual Pixel AF a high-speed, high-precision autofocus technology to a consumer camcorder. The new Dual Digic DV6 Processors are what powers these new advanced features, including 4K @60fps (4K 60p), and 1080p @120fps. The Large 3.5-inch high resolution touchscreen is the highest resolution screen on a camcorder that we have reviewed. For Sound, the Pro XF400 has Dual XLR inputs, and external microphone and headphone jacks for recording and monitoring audio. …More…

Canon Vixia GX10 4K Ultra HD Camcorder | Reviews

January 4, 2019 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders, Featured Camcorder


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The Canon Vixia GX10 is Canon’s first consumer 4K Ultra HD Camcorder. 4K Ultra HD has 4x the resolution of full HD, the same resolution used on 4K TVs and Movie Theater 4K projectors. The GX10 shares much of the same hardware as the Pro XF-400 4K Camcorder, with the main difference being XLR audio. So you get Pro features on a Prosumer camcorder. The GX10 has a new much larger (1-inch) 4K UHD CMOS Imager with Wide Dynamic Range Gamma and improved low light performance. Compact in size. Records video in 4K Ultra HD at up to 60fps (4K 60p), and Full HD at up to 120fps. Records to SDHC/SDXC memory cards (camcorder has two memory card slots)

The 15x zoom HD Video Lens delivers excellent image quality and low light performance even at full zoom. The Vixia GX10 features the new 5-Axis image stabilization (keeps video sharp in low light, or when holding the camcorder without a tripod). Another big first is the inclusion of the excellent Dual Pixel AF a high-speed, high-precision autofocus technology to a consumer camcorder. The new Dual Digic DV6 Processors are what powers these new advanced features, including 4K @60fps, and 1080p @120fps. The Large 3.5-inch high resolution touchscreen is the highest resolution screen on a camcorder that we have reviewed. For Sound, the GX10 has both external microphone and headphone jacks for recording and monitoring audio. Built-in WiFi. The GX10 has won our BEST of 2018 award for consumer HD camcorders.
…More…

Canon XA30 Professional Compact HD Camcorder | Review 2017

May 11, 2017 by  
Filed under Digital Camcorders


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The Canon Professional XA30 is Canon’s top flash memory based HD camcorder. Compact in size. The XA30 has a new imager with Wide Dynamic Range, and better low light performance. Records in full 1920 x 1080 Full HD (1080p). Records to SDHC/SDXC memory cards (camcorder has two memory card slots). Relay Recording allows the camcorder to automatically switch video recording to the next available SDHC/SDXC memory card when one card is full. You can also record simultaneoulsy to both cards as a safety backup. The upgraded 20x zoom HD Video Lens delivers excellent image quality and has SuperRange optical image stabilization (to keep video sharp in low light, or when holding the camcorder without a tripod). Included lens hood. Even at 20x, it maintains a light gathering F2.8. The XA30 has a large 3.5-inch high resolution OLED touchscreen. Built-in Dual Band WIFI. External Microphone Terminal with Manual Audio Level Control, Headphone Terminal, Digital DV 4 image processor. Included are advanced features such as Canon’s Native 1920 x 1080 CMOS Image Sensor (better for low light) and provides a wide dynamic range, AVCHD H.264, and has a true 24p Cinema mode. (native 24p). External Microphone Jack for better sound options. The XA30 records at up to 35mbps. At the maximum AVCHD quality , you can record about 5 hours and 55 minutes to a 64GB SDHC or SDXC memory card. More recording time is also available if you use both memory card slots. Canon’s Instant AF focusing system greatly enhances auto focus speed and accuracy and decreases the time to lock in focus (even in low light). EVF Viewfinder. The Canon Pro XA30 has won our BEST of 2017 award for Pro HD camcorders under $2,000… …More…

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