What are the best video cameras for hiking, backpacking and travel in general? Do you really need a dedicated video camera for hiking or can you simply use a compact camera or even a smartphone instead? In this article, I will be answering all the above questions!
Who needs a dedicated video camera
So, you are looking for a hiking video camera? The first question you should ask yourself is: do you really need a dedicated video camera?
There are plenty of compact cameras that are great for photos and videos. Going with this option does not only save you money, it will also keep your backpack lightweight. Having to carry a separate device for making videos when you are already bringing a camera might not be the best idea for everybody. Keeping your backpack light is important for hikers, backpackers, but also for regular travelers, this can be beneficial.
That said, there are certain situations where bringing a video camera on a hiking trip is actually a good idea. The biggest problem with filming on a compact camera is the zoom. See, dedicated video cameras tend to have a very small sensor compared to regular cameras. This results in poor light performance, but this also results in much longer zoom for lenses.
The poor light performance isn’t that big a deal for capturing video, it’s mainly needed for making pictures (and a video camera doesn’t care about that).
Now, the zoom might be a very big deal. Especially if you are interested in filming wildlife.
The next big argument is record time. A normal camera is only allowed to record video of maximum 29 minutes. Once a camera exceeds that 29 minute mark, it will be categorized as a video camera and the taxes will increase. When you buy a video camera, you won’t have to deal with this issue.
Other arguments are: better audio and better battery life + more options for additional batteries.
At this point, you should make a decision. Is it worth it for you to buy a dedicated hiking video camera? Or are you more interested in a compact camera that’s pretty good for video? I will cover both options in separate subsections.
The best hiking video cameras
For making up the list of best hiking video cameras I will be looking at price, size, quality, weight, size and features.
Best overall: Panasonic HC-VX1
Why is the Panasonic HC-VX1 the best video camera for hiking? Simple, it’s compact, budget-friendly, provides high quality and supports 4K. A great all round video camera for travel!
Main features:
- 4K/30 fps video
- 24x optical zoom
- 1/2.5-inch sensor
- f/1.8-4 aperture
There are also some handheld stabilization options on board. This might be pretty important on a hiking trip.
This video camera is considered the best option for 4K on a budget. If you consider this video camera too expensive, I would recommend not buying a 4K camera. Go for a good HD camera instead (like the next option in this list).
I always try to find certain negative things about products that I’ve researched, but with the Panasonic HC-VX1, I simply couldn’t find any. This is also the reason why it’s my number one recommendation.
The Panasonic HC-VX1 earns the title “best video camera for hiking”.
You can check out the latest price on amazon: Panasonic HC-VX1.
I’ll include some sample footage to give you an idea about the quality.
Best budget: Vixia HF R800
The best budget video camera for hiking would be the Vixia HF R800. It’s definitely not as good as the HC-VX1, but for this price I would have to be crazy to recommend anything else as the best budget pick.
Let’s take a look at the key features:
- 1920 x 1080 p60 video
- Canon 3.28MP Full HD CMOS Sensor
- 32x optical zoom
- f/1.8-4.5 aperture
You can check out the latest price on amazon: Vixia HF R800.
For more information, here is a user review + some samples. This should give you a pretty good idea of the quality of this camera.
Best high-end: SONY PXW-Z150
Last but not least, I will talk about the best high-end video camera for hiking. Let me start by saying that this is a professional video camera, so it comes with a serious price tag.
I would recommend this to hikers who have ambition to actually create professional video footage.
Main features:
- 4K/30 fps video
- 12x optical zoom
- 1.0″ sensor size
- f/2.8-4.5 aperture
These are obviously only a few of the specs you should take a look at. You can find a pretty complete list of specs right here: SONY PXW-Z150 specs.
You can check out the latest price on amazon: SONY PXW-Z150.
For those of you who are interested in an overview of the SONY Z150:
The best compact camera for video
A more popular alternative to bringing a dedicated video camera is to bring a compact camera that also has good video quality. This will be very beneficial when it comes to lowering the weight of your backpack.
There was a time when compact cameras performed very poor when it came to video. However, that time is long gone. I’m actually very impressed by how much these compact cameras have improved over the last years.
For me the best video camera for hiking would be a compact camera: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ100 (also known as ZS100). It might not be as good as a dedicated video camera, but it still delivers pretty good video quality. I’m not only using this camera as a video camera on hiking trips, I’m also using this for backpacking and even travel in general. The fact that this camera only has to sacrifice a little bit of quality by being so compact, this is my go-to option.
Most compact cameras that are around the same price of the TZ100 only have a zoom of around x3. Which is often an issue for video. The amazing thing about the TZ100 is that it comes with a x10 optical zoom. This is really impressive when you keep the size and price in mind. On top of that, it also has 4K resolution on board, a viewfinder, built-in stabilization and many other features.
I’ve done hours and hours of research before buying a camera. I was looking for a camera that was great for making photos, but video was also very important. Since I want to keep my backpack as light as possible, bringing a dedicated video camera was not really an option for me. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ100 really solved all my problems. I have only had this camera for a couple of weeks now, but I haven’t regretted my decision for even a single moment.
All things considered, this camera is amazing for hiking and backpacking. Definitely for the price it’s being sold today. If you are interested in the latest price of the Panasonic Lumix TZ100, you can check it on amazon.
If you want to learn more about the research I’ve done towards hiking cameras, or you are interested in some alternatives to the TZ100, you can take a look at this article: Best budget cameras for hiking and backpacking.
Action camera as a video camera
Action cameras have become more and more popular over the last years. Because of the action camera people are able to capture a video without using their hands. The downside is that the quality and features are a lot less impressive than a similar priced compact camera.
If you want to be able to make a video when you are unable to use your hands I would recommend bringing an action camera. This can be handy when you are driving a vehicle, when you are climbing somewhere, etc.
The cool thing about action cameras: they don’t need to be expensive + they are lightweight and compact. If you are looking for a good budget action camera for hiking, I would recommend the Dragon Touch 4K Action Camera.
If you want a more professional action camera, from a more established brand, there is always the GoPro HERO7.
Smartphone as a video camera
Since most hikers and backpackers want to keep their backpack as lightweight as possible, it might be tempting to simply use your smartphone as a video camera. Even though the improvement of smartphone cameras has been impressive, quality is still an issue.
I feel like your smartphone might do as a simple photo camera, but if you want to make good video footage, using a smartphone is simply not an option. Note that I’m talking about landscape/wildlife videos, using a smartphone in other scenarios might be a different story.
Conclusion
This article should have given you a pretty good idea about what video cameras are good for hiking. The most important decision you will have to make is whether or not you really need a dedicated video camera. As I said before, there are plenty of disadvantages of bringing a dedicated video camera instead of a compact camera. However, it might be the right choice for some backpackers and hikers. Especially if you are looking for the best video camera for travel, bringing a dedicated video camera over a compact camera might be worth it.
If you decide to bring a dedicated hiking video camera, it’s important to choose the right one. The main factor will probably budget. For most hikers, backpackers and travelers the Panasonic HC-VX1 is probably the best video camera that you can buy today. Obviously, if you have a bigger or smaller budget, there are good alternatives as well.