Best cameras for video creators
The cameras I film with and the ones I would recommend instead if your setup is different from mine. Mirrorless bodies, pocket cameras, action cams and drones.
Browse top Cameras
Sony Alpha 7 V Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera (Body Only)
My current main camera. Full frame, incredible AI autofocus, 30fps blackout-free shooting, and amazing low light.
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Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, 1TB, Deep Blue
My daily driver for photos, videos, and content on the go. Incredible camera system for quick captures.
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DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo Plus with DJI RC 2
My go-to drone for aerial footage. Lightweight, great image quality, and easy to travel with.
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DJI Neo 2 Combo
My go-to for hands-free filming while running or working out. Follow-me mode is incredible.
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DJI Action 6 Adventure Combo
Rugged, waterproof, and shoots incredible 4K. Perfect for travel and action footage.
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DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo
I use this to document everything — daily vlogs, travel, adventures. Amazing stabilization in a tiny form factor.
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Insta360 X5
Captures everything in 360, then reframe the best angles in post. Incredible for travel content.
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Sony a6700 Mirrorless Camera
A solid APS-C option if you want something compact and lightweight. Great autofocus and 4K 120fps, but I switched to full frame.
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Sony ZV-E10 II Mirrorless Camera
A solid option for creators who want interchangeable lenses without breaking the bank.
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Sony FX30 Digital Cinema Camera
The best affordable cinema camera out there. Would be my top pick for podcasts and pro studio setups.
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FAQs about Cameras
What people ask before buying Cameras.
Full frame sensor, AI autofocus that holds my eye when I move around the room, 30fps blackout free shooting, and low light performance that means I can film at night without adding a light. Before this I shot on the a6700, which is still an excellent camera and still on this list.
The Sony a6700 at $1,598 gives you great autofocus, 4K at 120fps and a body that is genuinely easier to carry. I moved to full frame for the low light and the shallower depth of field, not because APS-C was holding back my videos. If you cannot name the thing full frame would fix for you, save the money and put it into lenses.
Most people who buy a mirrorless camera first end up filming worse video for six months while they learn it. Start with the phone, add a mic and a tripod, and buy a camera when you can say exactly what your phone will not do.
The Sony FX30 at $2,098 is built for long records, with active cooling and a body designed to sit on a desk all day. If you are recording hour long podcast episodes or full course modules, that matters more than sensor size. For eight minute YouTube takes it rarely comes up on any of these bodies.
The Alpha 7 V has the best autofocus I have used. It finds my eye, holds it when I lean in to point at something, and does not hunt when I look away. The a6700 and the ZV-E10 II both use the same family of subject tracking, and for a talking head at a fixed distance you will not see a difference.
A gimbal is built in, so handheld footage looks like it came off a stabilizer, and the whole thing lives in a jacket pocket. I rate it 4.8, higher than most of the bigger cameras here, because it gets used. A camera you leave at home has no image quality at all.
It is light, the image holds up next to my main camera, and it packs down small enough that I travel with it. If you mainly want hands free shots of yourself rather than landscapes, the DJI Neo 2 Combo at $219 on sale follows you while you run or work out and costs a fifth as much.
The DJI Action 6 Adventure Combo at $449 is rugged, waterproof and shoots 4K that cuts against my Sony footage without looking cheap. I use it in water, on bikes and anywhere a $2,798 body has no business being. It is not a replacement for a mirrorless camera, it is insurance that you still get the shot.
The Insta360 X5 at $390 captures everything around it, and you reframe in post to whatever looked best. For travel and anything happening once, that removes the worst part of solo filming, which is pointing the camera and hoping. Paired with the Insta360 selfie stick at $89.99 you get shots that look like a second operator was there.
It is the best affordable cinema camera on this list, it is comfortable recording for hours, and it does not need to be small because it never leaves the desk. Pair it with the Elgato Cam Link 4K at $79.99 on sale and it feeds straight into your recording software as a clean webcam.
At $1,198 the ZV-E10 II is the cheapest way into the Sony E mount system on this list, which means every APS-C lens here becomes an option for you later. The image is a step above a phone in low light and in how the background falls away. In bright daylight, honestly, the gap is smaller than you would hope.
My setup is the Alpha 7 V for anything that matters and the Osmo Pocket 3 for everything else, with the iPhone as the camera that is always there. The drone and the 360 camera are for specific shots, not general filming. Buying a second mirrorless body before you own a decent light and mic is the most common mistake I see.