Best Cameras for Music Videos in 2022

The greatest cameras for music movies are good for any musician attempting to make their music cinematic. Don’t imagine a phrase “The Buggles” mentioned again in 1980: video didn’t in reality, kill the radio star. Music movies are from time to time, as iconic as songs themselves. But regardless of how good a music is, you’re merely not going to seize all that pathos on video with out the proper gear. Luckily, not all choices will break the financial institution, and plenty of will double as extra than simply devoted music video cams. Here’s a collection of the most effective cameras for music movies. 

— Best Overall: Canon VIXIA HF G50 4K30P Camcorder
— Best Affordable: GoPro Hero8 Digital Action Camera
— Best DSLR: Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera
— Best Quality: Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Camcorder
— Best Mirrorless: Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit

How We Picked the Best Cameras for Music Videos

What makes a superb music video digital camera? In normal, any good high quality video digital camera will work to shoot music movies. However, there are a couple of extra points you could need to take into account when choosing one out that’s particularly for capturing music movies. Here are the options we thought of when choosing out the most effective cameras for music movies. 

Size and Maneuverability: Where will you be capturing your music movies? If it’s anyplace exterior your house, be it a forest, a parking zone, or in case your price range is giant, a rented mansion, you’ll want a digital camera that travels effectively. Just about each costly digital camera has a carrying case you should buy for it, and also you completely ought to, when potential. But extra importantly, will your digital camera be capable of shoot with little to no further setup? Staging and lighting aren’t at all times simple or potential once you’re out in the wild. As far as audio goes, don’t sweat it. Do what the professionals do and loop your tunes in throughout post-production.

Durability: Cameras, even on the decrease finish of the worth spectrum, are mighty costly. It could be a disgrace to lose your funding after an unintentional spill. If a digital camera is constructed cheaply, there’s a superb likelihood that the video it captures can even be poor high quality. 

Technical Specs: Resolution and lighting are vital, positive. And then there’s all the additional lenses obtainable, relying on the digital camera. But after we’re speaking a couple of digital camera for music movies, two issues are paramount. One, stability, and two, shutter pace. There’s one thing many if not most music movies have in frequent, and that’s movement. You desire a digital camera that may seize fast, sudden actions, like the type you’d see in a Twyla Tharp dance. 

Customizability: Sure, your telephone could have already got a digital camera inside it, and it might very effectively be a superb one. But are you able to add totally different lenses, microphones, lighting gear, and different video optimization equipment? Even lower-end cameras can help you shake up the way you shoot, and these choices positively take the cake over the competitors. 

Best Cameras for Music Videos: Reviews and Recommendations 

Best Overall: Canon VIXIA HF G50 4K30P Camcorder

Why It Made the Cut: This large, but lightweight camcorder comes with all the accouterments for anyone shooting rapid movement in a myriad of environments.

Specs:
— Dimensions: 3.3 inches L x 9.1 inches W x 4.5 inches H, with lens hood
— Weight: 1.91 pounds
— Camera Type: 4K video camera
— Pixels: 21.14 MP (megapixels)
— Aspect Ratio: 16:9 up to 4K

Pros:
— Five-axis image stabilization
— Captures genuine 4K
— Streamlined touchscreen interface

Cons:
— Less portable than other cameras
— Pricey

Camcorders are a little less common than they used to be with the proliferation of camera phones, but the Canon VIXIA HF G50 4K30P is ideal for budding music video administrators. 

Whether you’re indoors or out, this camcorder captures every thing in wonderful 4K. Within this digital camera lies a strong DIGIC DV 6 Image Processor. This fashionable piece of digital camera tech is essential for guaranteeing the most effective in picture high quality, whereas streamlining operability. It additionally stabilizes video seize, utilizing 5 totally different axes in case issues get somewhat shaky.  It even has built-in quick and gradual movement video acquisition capabilities. But like all nice user-friendly gadget, working it’s performed largely by means of a useful three-inch touchscreen, which helps you to do every thing from adjusting focal factors to monitoring shifting topics, and performs again movies you shot. Different capturing modes include clear, easy-to-understand explanations, so that you don’t want a movie diploma to grasp them. All you need to do is level and shoot. The Canon VIXIA is likely one of the pricier fashions provided right here, however it might be the final digital camera for music movies you’ll must splurge on for some time. 

Best Affordable: GoPro Hero8 Digital Action Camera

Why It Made the Cut: GoPro Hero8 is built for the outdoors and built for athletes, but fairly good enough for music video directors.

Specs:
— Dimensions: 2.61 inches L x 1.12 inches W x 1.91 inches H, with lens hood
— Weight: 0.91 pounds
— Camera Type: Action Camera
— Pixels: 12 MP
— Aspect Ratio: 4:3 up to 4K

Pros:
— Shoots good quality video day and night
— Built tough and waterproof
— Hypersmooth 2.0 provides fantastic stability 

Cons:
— Less than ideal image quality

Tons of music videos are shot outdoors, usually in a location like a festival or concert where the action simply doesn’t let up. For these activity-heavy destinations, always bet on GoPro Hero8.

It’s unlikely that Michel Gondry or Tom Scharpling will begin capturing music movies utilizing GoPros however for beginner capturing, the GoPro Hero8 may simply qualify as near greatest because the Canon VIXIA. The Hero8 merely has many options packed into a tool that may match comfortably into any pocket. Hypersmooth 2.0 provides an nearly unfathomable quantity of stability to every thing you shoot. GoPro works in loads of totally different lighting environments, making it good for seashore events and midnight raves. Plus, with the big range of in-camera results and video-customization capabilities, you’ll seemingly should do far much less work in put up. It even works as an important livestream digital camera, must you resolve to go unplugged for the followers. Even if you happen to don’t use it as your go-to digital camera for music movies, the Hero8 is cheap sufficient to pack alongside as a pinch hitter.  

Best DSLR: Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera

Why It Made the Cut: For remote shooting and still shots, Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR is affordable, as long as you don’t mind a few trade offs when it comes to aspect ratio.

Specs:
— Dimensions: 5.1 inches L x 4 inches W x 3.1 inches H
— Weight: 1.04 pounds
— Camera Type: DSLR
— Pixels: 24.1 MP
— Aspect Ratio: 17:9 up to 1080p

Pros:
— Great still camera, pretty good video
— User-friendly interface
— Ready for remote shooting

Cons:
— Tops out at 1080p
— Clunky

The Canon EOS Rebel T7 is pretty clunky with none of the travel-friendliness of the camcorders in this compilation. But there’s no debating how crisp photos and video come in utilizing a DSLR digital camera. 

There’s far much less mobility right here, however the technical specs communicate for themselves. With WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, the Canon EOS Rebel T7 may simply be set as much as shoot remotely by linking it as much as a post-production pleasant laptop computer. Every good music video wants its YouTube nonetheless, and Intelligent Auto Mode makes taking nice photographs simple in any lighting scenario. Sadly, if 4K video is your goal, the video seize tops out at 1080p. Images nonetheless come in extremely crisp and clear, even when they’re a tad much less smaller than the 4K commonplace. Like any digital camera, capturing works by means of a viewfinder, however video capturing is finished fully by means of a big LCD display. Plus, it’s primed for customization and appropriate with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses together with ultra-wide, commonplace, macro, and telephoto lenses. 

Best Quality: Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Camcorder

Why It Made the Cut: Shooting music videos on a Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K is as close to channeling Dave Meyers as you can get. 

Specs:
— Dimensions: 14.9 inches L x 7.9 inches W x 8.8 inches H
— Weight: 8.25 pounds
— Camera Type: Action Camera
— Pixels: 80 MP
— Aspect Ratio: 17:9 up to 12K

Pros:
— Powerfully good image quality
— Cinematic sensors with tons of range
— Packed with post-production features

Cons:
— Incredibly expensive 

Is using the Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Camcorder overkill for capturing music movies? Maybe. But if you happen to’re wanting for the sort of cinematic glow you discover in TV reveals and films, URSA Mini Pro is your greatest wager. 

With 80 megapixels per body and as much as 12K video, the seize capabilities of this digital camera are merely large. Video seize isn’t simply huge, it’s quick. Shooting in 12K nabs 60 frames per second. At 8K, bump that as much as 120 frames, with an ungodly 240 frames at 4K. And with 14 stops of dynamic vary, photos look nice close to and much. Here’s the most effective half: it doesn’t matter what vary you utilize, the Blackmagic RAW file format allows you to reframe in enhancing so there’s by no means a necessity for reshoots. Despite its large file measurement, this format is extremely optimized and works throughout a number of CPU cores. It’s additionally GPU-accelerated so post-production is as easy crusing as capturing video. Pretty a lot each side of capturing is user-friendly, which is why it prices about as a lot as a downpayment on a mid-sized sedan. If you may abdomen the price, there’s a lot to like in the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 12K. 

Best Mirrorless: Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit

Why It Made the Cut: The Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit comes with everything a music video cinematographer needs, including a fantastic microphone. 

Specs:
— Dimensions: 14.9 inches L x 7.9 inches W x 8.8 inches H
— Weight: 0.58 pounds
— Camera Type: Mirrorless Camera
— Pixels: 18.5 MP
— Aspect Ratio: 4:3 up to 4K

Pros:
— No camera person necessary
— Excellent for livestreaming
— Comes with a microphone for music capture

Cons:
— Slower frame rate in 4K 

In many cases, buying a new camera involves buying more than one product. Canon’s Content Creator Kit cuts out the intermediary and packs every thing a brand new music videographer wants. 

The principal occasion is after all the EOS M50 Mark II mirrorless digital camera. Because the display flips up, the topic that the digital camera is pointed at can preserve tabs on the video being captured. This after all makes the digital camera good for livestreaming on YouTube and Twitch, when it’s not getting used to shoot music movies. While it does shoot in 4K, count on decrease body charges. Bumping it all the way down to 1080p unlocks a reasonably reliable 120 body price, although so it’s not all unhealthy. But bear in mind it is a package, which suggests it comes with greater than only a digital camera. It additionally comes with a tripod that doubles as a selfie stick, and a distant to function the digital camera from close by. The Canon Stereo Microphone DM-E100 that’s included in this bundle is ideal for capturing crisp, clear, excessive constancy sound. Basically, it’s an all-in-one bundle at a reasonably affordable worth. 

Things To Consider Before Buying A Camera For Music Videos

Necessity

There’s a superb likelihood you’re studying this text on a tool that has a digital camera that may shoot music movies. That’s not a stretch, some in style music movies made at this time have been shot fully on smartphones. Lady Gaga’s “Stupid Love,” Selena Gomez’s “Lose You To Me,” John Legend’s “Good Night,” Grimes’ “Butterfly,” and Ellie Goulding’s “How Long Will I Love You,” have been all shot on an iPhone 11 Pro. And that telephone is 2 years outdated at this level. Cameras on smartphones get higher and higher, and there’s simply no competing with their versatility. The iPhone 13 Pro even has a devoted “Cinematic capturing” mode. Plus, if you happen to’re capturing music movies, you’re seemingly additionally hyping up followers on social media, and consolidating all of your media for content material creation in one place could be very useful. 

Despite these new, highly effective specs in fashionable smartphones, capturing on smartphones comes with a couple of compromises, equivalent to the dearth of lenses. In our best cameras for vlogging roundup, we really helpful beginning your journey to e-stardom utilizing a smartphone. After all, it makes little sense to drop a whole bunch, if not hundreds, of {dollars} on a flowery digital camera simply for music movies, solely to lose the need to shoot weeks in. If you merely will need to have a digital camera for music movies separate from a tool you utilize for Instagram browsing, the GoPro Hero8 Digital Action Camera is our price range choose. 

Other Accessories

So to procure a digital camera for music movies…now what? Before you begin capturing, there are some things you could have forgotten to select up. Here are a couple of equipment that you could be want earlier than you yell: “Action!” If you don’t need to fear about getting all of the extras together with your new digital camera, the Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit accommodates every thing you want proper out of the field. 

SD Card: Every digital camera in this checklist requires an SD Card to truly save your video to. We suggest getting an enormous one, as recording in high-quality often takes up a whole lot of area. The SanDisk 1 TB microSDXC offers loads of freedom concerning file area, and slides into any wonderful post-production gadget. 

Tripod: While many cameras right here present stability options, nothing retains a digital camera nonetheless and regular like a superb high quality tripod. But what makes a superb tripod? Like the cameras listed right here, you need one thing sturdy and versatile. The Neewer Carbon Fiber Tripod is constructed robust and gives digital camera angles you’d by no means even consider. The UBeesize Tripod comes with much less options and sturdiness, but it surely’s a superb bit extra inexpensive. 

Microphone: The everlasting query on the subject of capturing music movies is: “Do I loop in the audio throughout capturing or after?” The reply, so far as the music in the music video is worried, is sort of at all times the latter. However, you could need to seize audio except for the featured music. For that, you’ll want a superb high quality microphone. The proper microphone will rely totally on the digital camera that you just use, however the Rode VideoMic Go has huge compatibility throughout many digital camera fashions. 

Post Production

“Star Wars,” the model that’s much less of a movie franchise and extra a full-fledged empire, appeared horrible when it was first shot on movie in 1977. Using film magic, legendary editor Paul Hirsch turned the mess George Lucas captured right into a coherent story that also warms the hearts of billions. This heavy enhancing can also be performed by the recording business, one thing that anybody who has ever seen Blink-182 dwell can attest to. Music video manufacturing combines these two medias, however the magic nonetheless occurs in the enhancing bay. Here are some things we suggest for enhancing music movies.

Macbook Pro: Mac gadgets are a typical in all enhancing bays, each beginner {and professional} for a cause. They’re constructed with the sort of specs and pace you need to edit, render, and export video, with sufficient RAM to run a couple of media functions on the identical time. The newest iteration of the MacBook Pro not solely offers for a easy and streamlined enhancing course of, but it surely’s moveable so you are able to do it on the fly. It’s even Climate Pledge-friendly. 

Editing Software: While Macbook Pros are unequalled enhancing machines, what makes for good enhancing software program depends upon the editor. There are loads of choices obtainable, and so far as we’re involved, enhancing on a Mac means you must edit with Mac software program, primarily Final Cut Pro. It’s far much less busy than Adobe Premiere Pro, and in contrast to the packages in the Adobe suite, you solely have to purchase Final Cut Pro as soon as. Here’s extra info on the best video editing software. 

FAQs

Q: Can you shoot a music video with a GoPro?

You can completely shoot a music video with a GoPro. It’s nice for capturing in the wild. There are even a handful of guides to doing it together with this one by the Berklee College of Music.

Q: What cameras do I must make music movies?

For capturing music movies outdoor on a price range, GoPro Hero8 Digital Action Camera is a superb choose, however the Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Camcorder offers loads of cinematic prospects. 

Q: What lens do I would like for music movies?

The lens that comes together with your digital camera ought to be greater than sufficient for capturing fundamental music movies. However, nice cameras for music movies just like the Canon VIXIA HF G50 4K30P Camcorder will at the very least can help you swap out lenses. 

Q: How do I am going about creating my first music video?

Creating a music video isn’t a lot totally different from creating every other video. Some planning, storyboarding, and scripting ought to be performed, however you could need to additionally document the music beforehand to provide the music video round. For extra ideas, consult this handy guide.

Q: What sort of digital camera do music video administrators use?

Any rudimentary search will render two solutions to this query: the Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Camcorder and the GoPro Hero8 Digital Action Camera.

Final Thoughts on Cameras For Music Videos

Music movies are an effective way to amplify your sound and make it pop for the plenty. Would anybody know who A-ha! was if it weren’t for their memorable animated romps? For a superb and semi-affordable digital camera, the Canon VIXIA HF G50 4K30P Camcorder is our general greatest choose as a result of it’s user-friendly, particularly on the go. The GoPro Hero8 Digital Action Camera is so good some indie artists like Mike and Kim use them for capturing, and who may argue with that price ticket? If you need to add a cinematic edge to your music movies, Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 12K Camcorder is an ultra-premium gadget that really does all of it, as long as you’re working with a Hollywood price range. 

This put up was created by a non-news editorial staff at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s proprietor. Futurism could obtain a portion of gross sales on merchandise linked inside this put up.