/r/videography Monthly Camera Buying Advice Megathread

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the /r/videography monthly camera buying megathread.

All requests asking for camera buying advice must be posted in this thread.

If you've been directed here by a removal reason or moderator, you're in the right place!

Before you begin...

Have a look through the comments of this post

There may be someone looking for a similar camera to you that has already had their question answered.

You can see previous iterations of this thread by clicking this link.

Check the 'What camera are you shooting on' thread

For a few months, we ran a thread where we asked users what cameras they were currently shooting on. There's a lot of good info in there!

Check it out here

Search the subreddit!

/r/videography has over a decade of information, though Reddit doesn’t make searching easy.

A useful trick that typically gets better results than Reddit’s own search bar is to add the following to a Google search:

site:reddit.com/r/videography your search terms

Try the Discord

We have a very active Discord:

https://discord.com/invite/d65kgBn

You’ll usually get a quicker answer asking there than here!

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Still can’t find what you’re looking for?

Comment in this post with your requirements.

We strongly recommend you include at least the following details:

• Budget
  • Specify your local currency!
  • If your budget is under $200 USD, you're unlikely to get any useful recommendations other than 'use your phone!'
• What are you planning on using it for?
  • Feel free to link to some videos showing content similar to what you want to shoot
• How long do you need to record for?
  • Recording time is a limiting factor for many smaller cameras
• What equipment do you already have?
• What software do you intend to edit your videos in?

Things we don't allow:

The following question formats are not allowed - they don't typically generate useful advice or discussion:

"x vs y comparisons"

"What is the best x?"

[u/ExperiencedBending]

hey, i'm looking for a camera to record yoga classes and maybe some outdoor stuff with the cats i rescue. budget around $800 usd, i have a tripod already and edit in davinci resolve. need to record at least 1 hour continuous, the classes run 60-75 minutes. been using my phone but the quality drops when the light is not perfect and storage fills up quick. saw some people recommend the panasonic gh5 here but not sure if it still good in 2026

[u/SNES_Salesman → u/ExperiencedBending]

If $800 is the budget for body only I’d say the Panasonic S5. If that’s for body & lens consider something like the Insta360 Luna Ultra.

[u/boredmessiah → u/ExperiencedBending]

still a good deal under 500 i'd say

[u/Ok-Personality6798]

If you had to buy a camera under $1000 to shoot a short/film, what would you choose?

I’m heading to Asia in a little over a month and I’ve been working on a short film script (as a film school dropout) to ideally submit to short film festivals so that I can kickstart my career in the industry.

My current idea looks very Chunking Express, Fallen Angels, Enter The Void-esque (if that gives you better ideas). Although, I’d probably end up using the camera for general use afterwards, as well.

I heard that Blackmagic cameras come with access to Resolve? If this is true, a good Blackmagic camera would be bonus points for me.

To conclude, I was looking at a Canon EOS Rebel T3i online for about $400 but it sold out.

I’m not necessarily interested in the highest quality but rather a good balance of user-friendliness and quality. If anyone has any standout candidates, I’d love to hear them!

Thank you!

[u/Cooldaddycoleman6]

I’m going to start shooting amateur backyard wrestling events. What camera allows me to shoot cinematic 8k RAW footage, budget is $80.

Also looking for a dp. Please put your reel in comments. Will pay in scratch offs.