The 8 Best Canon Video Cameras

Editor's Notes

December 15, 2020:

While the camcorder field has stayed stagnant for the company, Canon has poured a tremendous amount of development into their line of mirrorless cameras, including the EOS R5 Full-Frame, which is one of the few cameras within a consumer price range that can shoot in 8K. Of course, there aren't too many affordable 8K displays yet, but the purpose isn't to display in 4K so much as it is to be able to crop in 100 percent on an 8K image and have the end result still resolve in 4K.

The big problem with the R5 is heat, however, which limits the amount of time you can run it for a single shot and increases downtime whenever the unit decides it needs time to cool off and locks you out. And even if you solved the heat issue, there aren't memory cards big enough to contain very much 8K footage. So, for arthouse directors who like to do half their movie in one take, it won't fit the bill. But it certainly has its uses. The EOS R6 Full-Frame is a much more reasonable option for those looking to the DSLR form factor to shoot their videos. It maxes out at 4K, but offers much longer recording times and much smaller files to deal with.

The other new addition to this list is the Canon PowerShot Zoom. This is actually a monocular, but like most digital monoculars and night vision instruments these days, it's also equipped with recording capabilities. It has a pretty far reach — up to an 800mm focal length — but its minimum length is 100mm, making it tough to frame up small indoor events or large groups of people standing nearby.

October 03, 2019:

Every single camcorder on our previous list has been replaced by new models put out by Canon in the last year or so. One of the biggest differences you'll see in this ranking compared to our last one is that all but one offering included features 4K video, where only a smattering of our earlier selection could boast it.

One of the models that left was the 5D MkIV, a DSLR that's part of a historically video-centric model line for the company. Our replacement for that is Canon's new EOS R, which is the company's first foray into the full-frame mirrorless sector. Like the 5D series, the R has a lot of features that make it ideal for video capture, especially among indie filmmakers. These include things like 10 bit video recording and the Canon Log format, which greatly increases your color flexibility in post production.

In ordering all these new models, we prioritized pro features like SDI outputs and XLR microphone inputs, as well as sensor size, glass quality, and rings that give more nuanced control over zoom and manual focus.