Best Video Cameras For Schools To Shoot Video Content In-House
What are the best video cameras for schools video content filmed in-house on a budget? If you are planning to film a video at your school but don’t know where to start, what video camera to use or what minimum video quality you need, here are some of the answers you are looking for if you want to shoot some amazing video content.
Although decades ago a professional video camera used to be an essential tool for filmmakers, nowadays you can still create good video content with smartphones or budget cameras. While that’s certainly good news for creating videos cheaply and quickly, it might not be the right solution for you.
Whether you are a staff member or a student, what camera is best for filming a video in-house at your school depends very much on your objectives (i.e. how the video is going to be used, where it will appear, etc.) and obviously budget.
With so many video cameras on the market, ranging from small budget cameras to cinema-quality professional cameras costing thousands of pounds, finding the perfect camera can be hard.
To make the choice a little easier we have asked our Feel Good Crew, with over 50+ years combined of film production experience, to weigh pros and cons and pick the best camera for any budget and filmmaking skills.
Here are our best camera recommendations for shooting school video content on a budget:
Low budget - Under £300
As said, you often don’t need a video camera to create your videos. Most schools have access to tablets or smartphones that are able to record in Full HD, these are a great starting point for capturing video content.
In this case, our advice is to make sure to film in a place with good lighting, since such devices (smartphones and tablets) have smaller camera sensors that don’t perform as well in darker environments.
Tablets and smartphones are great for producing quick video content for social media.
Panasonic LUMIX DC-TZ90EB-K - £300
If what you are looking for is a small budget compact camera with digital zoom and up to 4K recording ability, the Panasonic LUMIX DC-TZ90EB-K is an excellent option. This camera also has a microphone jack for plugging in an external microphone. This feature is very useful if you want to improve the quality of your audio, especially for school interviews.
Highlights:
- 24mm lens with 30x optical zoom
- 4K resolution
- Ultra high-speed focusing
Canon EOS 2000D DSLR - £450
With the ability to change lenses, a DSLR is the next step up in video cameras. We highly recommend the Canon EOS 2000D DSLR.
This entry-level DSLR from Canon comes included with an 18-55mm kit lens which will allow for a variety of framing options. It also has the ability to record very high-quality video content with its 4K resolution.
The Canon EOS 2000D DSLR also allows to film slow-motion shots which are fantastic to film school sports.
Highlights:
- 18-55mm lens
- 4K resolution
- Scene Intelligent Auto for quick shooting
- Optical viewfinder with 9 point autofocus
A word from the Feel Good Crew
Video is one of the best ways to tell your story in an engaging way, it is an amazingly powerful medium to share your message and raise awareness of your school. It is important to remember that the quality of your video content doesn’t depend exclusively on your video camera. There are so many other elements to consider to create a great video, especially with a low budget, from the development phase to the distribution. Find out more about the 5 main phases of film production.
Are you planning on getting into video production for schools but don’t know where to start? You will probably find our article about “What to include in your school advertising video” very useful.