Best Vlogging Cameras Under $200, $300, $400, $500 in 2023, there is no need to spend thousands of dollars producing a high-quality video.
Best under $200
There are several vlogging cameras available in the market under $200. Here are some of the options you can consider:
- Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS: This compact camera offers good video quality, image stabilization, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s available for around $150.
- Sony HDR-CX405: This camcorder is lightweight and easy to use, making it a great option for vlogging. It has a 30x zoom and steady shot image stabilization, and is available for around $200.
- AKASO EK7000 Pro: This action camera is a popular choice for vlogging due to its small size, ruggedness, and 4K video recording capability. It’s available for around $70.
- Canon VIXIA HF R800: This camcorder offers 1080p video recording, 32x optical zoom, and image stabilization. It also has a flip-out screen for easy vlogging. It’s available for around $200.
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50: This compact camera has a 30x zoom lens, image stabilization, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s available for around $200.
Best under $300
- Sony DSCHX80/B: This compact camera has a flip-up screen, 1080p video recording, and a 30x optical zoom. It’s available for around $280.
- Canon PowerShot SX740 HS: This compact camera has a flip-up screen, 4K video recording, and a 40x optical zoom. It’s available for around $300.
- Panasonic Lumix ZS70: This compact camera has a flip-up screen, 4K video recording, and a 30x optical zoom. It also has a viewfinder, which is a useful feature for vloggers. It’s available for around $300.
- Nikon COOLPIX B500: This bridge camera has a flip-up screen, 1080p video recording, and a 40x optical zoom. It’s available for around $250.
What to Scrutinize for in a Vlogging Camera?
- Fully Articulated Screen: There are few cameras out there that have flipping screens upward. However, the problem with those is that you won’t be able to simultaneously earn the use of a shotgun microphone climbed onto the camera hot shoe, which usually poses on top of the camera. For this cause, it’s better to get a fully-articulated screen that flips to the side.
- Extended Screen Connectivity: By developing your camera’s view onto a giant television screen, you’ll be able to notice what your camera catches in much more detail. This option is readily obtainable in vlogging cameras through an HDMI output and will probably be increasingly available via USB-C as the technology evolves more mainstream.
- Continuous Auto Focus While Recording Video: A good vlogging camera will have the capability to autofocus while recording video continuously. This is essential to you as a vlogger because you enjoy whatever is the main focus, at any provided time, to be focused, even if it pushes closer or further away from the camera. Without continuous autofocus, the item you’re trying to show off will seem blurry. On the other hand, your camera will alter its focus onto the article with constant autofocus. Then around onto you when you’ve lowered the thing out of the shot.
- Focus Priority Via Face Recognition: One thing that can become a problem with continuous autofocusing while vlogging in front of the camera is the camera switching away from its focus off of you and onto something of much less importance in the background. When your environment is busy with many other people, some cameras can get confused and focus on strangers behind you. Some cameras permit you to save images of your face from prioritizing their focus on you to fix this issue, even with other faces in your shot.
- Touch To Focus: When all else fails and your camera’s autofocus is still off, you’ll enjoy a fast and convenient solution to get into focus, whatever is the primary focus. The quickest solution for this comes in the form of touch to focus, a technology that lets you choose what the camera should concentrate on by the simple touch of your finger on the camera’s live sight touchscreen.
- External phone Jack and Hot/Cold Shoe: If you like to upgrade the audio in your vlogs, you should examine a camera with an external microphone input. With this option, you can get better quality sound, and all timed perfectly with your recorded video. It saves you the time to sync audio that has been recorded individually. Some microphones are conceived to be mounted conveniently onto the lid of your camera.
- Optical Image Stabilization: If you intend to capture a lot of your vlogs just keeping up your camera with your hand, one thing you have to observe out for is shakiness. Video footage that is too unstable can be undesirable to watch. Optical image stabilization (OIS) in the camera or lens can do marvels to complete your recorded video seem more stabilized.
- Weight: Weight is another thing you’ll have to consider if you’re preparing to vlog handheld with a DSLR camera. Not many people, for a prolonged period, can steadily keep up a GorillaPod tripod keeping a DSLR camera along with a wide-angle zoom lens and a shotgun microphone such as Casey Neistat famously does
- Battery Life: If you make ample use of your camera to vlog throughout your whole day as daily vloggers do, you should also watch for a vlogging camera with good battery life. You can consistently buy more batteries and keep them readily available when the one you’re operating runs out.
- 4K Resolution Video Recording: Being able to document video in 4K resolution is a bonus. As a standard practice on YouTube, numerous vloggers jump cut into a zoomed-in, close-up photo of their face when they like to highlight a punchline. If your video assignment, however, is in 1080p and your video recording is also in 1080p, you’ll demand to stretch the scale of your recorded picture to create that zoomed-in look.
Here are some of the best vlogging cameras under $200. Minor price fluctuations may be there. Let’s start exploring…..
GoPro Hero 4 Silver
- – Fast burst rate at 30fps
- – Can shoot up to 4K
- – Durable design
- – A lot of available accessories
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast burst rate at 30fps | 4K video playback could be better |
| Durable design | |
| Can shoot up to 4K | |
| A lot of available accessories |
YI 4K
- – 4K available at 30 fps
- – A generic tripod can be used with the YI 4K
- – Cheaper than GoPro
| Pros | Cons |
| 4K available at 30 fps | Doesn’t include accessories readily available |
| A generic tripod can be used with the YI 4K | Stabilization isn’t available in 4K |
| Cheaper than GoPro |
Nikon Coolpix P520
- – 42x optical zoom
- – 1080p videos
- – Takes slow-mo videos
- – Built-in WiFi
| Pros | Cons |
| 42x optical zoom | Weight |
| 1080p videos | |
| Takes slow-mo videos | |
| Built-in WiFi |
Sony – HDRCX405 HD Handycam
- – Superior stabilization
- – Shoots 1080p videos
- – 30x optical zoom
| Pros | Cons |
| Superior stabilization | Construction felt flimsy |
| Shoots 1080p videos | |
| 30x optical zoom |
Andoer 48MP WiFi
- – Can capture 4K videos
- – WiFi functionality
- – With external microphone
| Pros | Cons |
| With external microphone | Doesn’t have WiFi despite being released in 2014 |
| WiFi functionality | |
| Can capture 4K videos |
Canon PowerShot S110
- – Can shoot in 1080p
- – Can shoot in slow-mo but not in HD
- – With WiFi connectivity
| Pros | Cons |
| Can shoot in slow-mo but not in HD | Poor battery life |
| Can shoot in 1080p | |
| With WiFi connectivity |
Olympus Stylus TG-Tracker 4K
- – Wide-angle
- – Extremely durable
- – Shoots 4K videos
| Pros | Cons |
| Extremely durable | Stabilization helps but not really superb |
| Wide-angle | |
| Shoots 4K videos |
Fujifilm FinePix S9400W
- – 50x optical zoom
- – With built-in stabilizer
- – Superb colors
- – Shoots in full HD
| Pros | Cons |
| With built-in stabilizer | As heavy as a DSLR |
| 50x optical zoom | |
| Superb colors | |
| Shoots in full HD |
Canon PowerShot SX420 Digital Camera
- – Can do 42x zoom
- – Good autofocus feature
- – Great colors
| Pros | Cons |
| Great colors | Can only shoot up to 720p |
| Can do 42x zoom | Poor battery life |
| Good autofocus feature |
Kodak PIXPRO SP1 Action Cam
- – For the extreme environment
- – Shoots 1080p videos
- – Great video quality in terms of colors
| Pros | Cons |
| Shoots 1080p videos | Heavy design |
| Great video quality in terms of colors | |
| For the extreme environment |
Panasonic Full HD Video Camera Camcorder
- – Can do 50x optical zoom
- – Shoots in 1080p
- – Superb image stabilization
| Pros | Cons |
| Can do 50x optical zoom | Doesn’t perform well in low light scenarios |
| Superb image stabilization | |
| Shoots in 1080p |
Sony HDRCX240/L Video Camera
- – Shoots in 1080p at 60fps
- – Offers 27x optical zoom
- – Perfect for low light conditions
| Pros | Cons |
| Offers 27x optical zoom | Doesn’t have WiFi despite being released in 2014 |
| Shoots in 1080p at 60fps | |
| Perfect for low light conditions |
Conclusion
Now that we’ve equipped you with 12 of the best vlogging cameras under 200, it’s time to pick a winner. If you intend to be a hard vlogger, we choose the Nikon Coolpix P520 to be the best one for this list. It suggests versatility for most vloggers. It provides you with excellent quality videos plus the ability to zoom. You don’t understand from action cameras such as GoPro Hero 4 or the Olympus Stylus TG Tracker. However, suppose you need something to apprehend your adventures, like surfing and other fun activities outside. In that case, we still pick the GoPro Hero 4 Silver over other action cameras out there. It has accessories to accommodate and adapt to the chosen lifestyle.