Good Video Cameras for Documentary

[parambyte]

Sony's PXW Z190 is another one to reckon.

4k, 25X Zoom Lens, 10bit 422, 1/3 inch 3CCD Sensor.

[parambyte]

The Sony Z280 is 17X Zoom, 4k 10bit 422. But what's best it has a 1/2 inch 3CCD Sensor.

[parambyte]

A new camcorder released by Panasonic joins the ranks. 

The Panasonic AG-CX10 4K.

1/2.5 Inch MOS Sensor.

Shoots and records 4k 10bit 422 internally.
(3840 x 2160p at 23.98/25/29.97 fps (150 Mb/s VBR) 

Best part is, the camcorder has  built-in LED, great for shooting interviews.

24X Optical Zoom.
Official website is here.

The bummer is, it cannot shoot higher fps.

  The Panasonic AG-CX350 4K also shoots 4k 10bit 422 internally, but at a higher bit rate of 400Mb/s. Its zoom range is shorter at 20X.

[parambyte]

JVC's excellent but expensive offering is the JVC GY-HC550.

1" CMOS Sensor

20X Optical Zoom

ProRes 422HQ 4:2:2 10-Bit: 

3840 x 2160p up to 50/60 fps 

 

[paulrishabh31]

The XF705 Professional Camcorder offers an outstanding combination of 4K UHD image quality, features and functionality in a compact, portable design ideally suited for news gathering, outdoor events, sports and documentary production.

[paulrishabh31]

In 2021, the best cameras for documentary filmmaking are: Canon Vixia HF G40, Panasonic Lumix GH5, Sony DSC-RX10 IV, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k (and 4k), Canon EOS C100 MK II, Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H, Sony PXW-FS7 II 4K XDCAM, Canon C300 MK II (vs Canon C500 MK II), and the Sony PXW-FX9.

[paulrishabh31]

For a very long time, the C300 series of cameras from Canon has been the de facto standard for broadcast  documentary  work, and the C300 III has carried on with that tradition. Just like the FX6, it contains everything the run-and-gun  documentary  shooter needs in an all-in-one design.  vidmate download instasave

 

[parambyte]

Canon Announces the XF605.

 

4k (UHD) 10bit 

15X Zoom

Shoots HD at 120fps.

 

[parambyte]

On 5/18/2021 at 5:39 PM, paulrishabh31 said:

For a very long time, the C300 series of cameras from Canon has been the de facto standard for broadcast  documentary  work, and the C300 III has carried on with that tradition. Just like the FX6, it contains everything the run-and-gun  documentary  shooter needs in an all-in-one design.  vidmate download instasave

 

The reason I am not including cameras like C300 is they don't have lenses built in. Carrying and buying lenses becomes very expensive for a small document crew, though with big budgets one can always rent an Arri SXT as well. Add to that the shallow depth of field of large sensor cameras, making capturing precise moments ion documentary very challenging, and in the experience of many filmmakers, frustrating.

[parambyte]

Sony announced the Sony PXW Z300, another interesting camera for documentary (and of course films).

The PXW-Z300 showcases advanced Sony digital imaging technologies, including three 1/2-type 4K Exmor R® CMOS image sensors with the power-packed BIONZ XR™ image processing engine, and the AI Processing Unit that enhances high-performance shooting at 4K60p with Subject Recognition AF.

It shoots 4k at 10bit and has a 17X Zoom.

But this is why it is super interesting:

Advanced AI Processing Unit for AF

690x500-Advanced-AI-Processing-Unit-for-AF.jpeg (105.63 KiB) Viewed 1337 times

The dedicated AI Processing Unit enables accurate recognition of human subjects based on their anatomical structure, posture and other information. It can recognize subjects even when they’re facing away from the camera, or when their face is not visible, such as when wearing a mask. It can even reliably recognize people that appear small due to their distance from the camera, and in situations where their face is angled to the camera, in shade or backlit. Moreover, the PXW-Z300 can automatically adjust composition to keep human subjects in the center of the frame. An evolved ATW (Auto Tracing White Balance) function helps ensure natural-looking white balance.

Sony PXW Z300.jpg (124.14 KiB) Viewed 1337 times

More details on the official Sony PXW Z300 Page.