7 Best Mirrorless Cameras Perfect for Travel Filmmakers
What are the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking? Find out below!
Filmmaking is all about capturing the scene in the right light, trying to portray a message through various clips, angles, shooting environments. But, how can you even begin to think about creating an Oscar-winning film, if you don’t have the right camera? Understanding what the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking are isn’t exactly an easy task with so many incredible models on the market today.
Elements such as build quality, brand reliability, price, and usability need to be looked over to determine what is the right mirrorless camera for your filmmaking endeavors. Spending hours scouring the internet or catalogs is tedious, which is why we have done all the work for you. Here is our list of the 7 best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking available out there today. All you have to do now is picture that perfect movie in your head, read this list, and get well on your way to winning those film awards.
The 7 best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking
Panasonic Lumix GH5 4K Digital Camera
Sony Alpha a7IIK Mirrorless Digital Camera
Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera
Panasonic Lumix GX85 4K Digital Camera
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Camera
Fujifilm X-T30 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Nikon Z6 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera
The best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking: reviewed
Panasonic Lumix GH5 4K Digital Camera
Sometimes, you’ve just got to go all-in for a camera that really has it all. This is one of those times. The Panasonic Lumix GH5 4K Digital Camera comes with a 20.3-megapixel sensor and no low pass filter, which ensures excellent sharpness, regardless of the time of day. This camera has some amazing video capabilities. Firstly, its standard video taking setting records in 4k, guaranteeing fantastic quality for your clips. Secondly, it uses 4k 60p/50p to record videos, which helps to produce smooth video, and it has excellent motion compensation capabilities.
If you’re planning on being out in the elements during filming, the camera body has a splash and freezeproof design. It is freezeproof to ten degrees, and each and every joint, button, and dial is weather sealed. Definitely one of the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking in unpredictable weather.
2. Sony Alpha a7IIK Mirrorless Digital Camera
Sony is quite the household name for many different electronic or technological advancements, including the fact that they make phenomenal quality cameras. Definitely one of the more expensive among the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking on this list, but the quality you receive from this model is truly outstanding. The Sony Alpha a7IIK Mirrorless Digital Camera is equipped with a 5-axis body image stabilization. This means you will have little to no camera shake, especially during handheld video recording.
You can record full HD video at 50 Mbps per second on this camera, using full-frame or crop mode depending on your preference. The Sony “E-Mount” lens system has a variety of models that boast about being “movie friendly,” which is excellent for budding filmmakers or videographers.
Best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking
3. Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera
One of the most reliable brands out there, with Canon, you can always be sure to get what you pay for. The EOS M50 is among the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking and photographing, thanks to an improved image quality that will take your movies to the next level. The 24.1-megapixel sensor, combined with the DIGIC 8 image processor ensures terrific, colorful, and bright videos.
The electronic viewfinder is exceptionally high resolution with 2,360,000 dots, which allows you to see all of the detail you’re going to get while you’re still filming. Even though it’s quite compact, it produces video in 4K UHD. The EOS M50 will never let you down when it comes to the quality of your filmmaking.
4. Panasonic Lumix GX85 4K Digital Camera
There are times when, as a filmmaker, you need to whip out your camera and be able to instantly capture a candid moment that you’re seeing in front of you. The Panasonic Lumix GX85 promises just that. This camera can capture 3 frames per second even when it’s filming in 4K. It includes a feature called ‘4K Live Cropping’, meaning that you can zoom in or pan the camera to crop the frame while you are filming.
The high-resolution viewfinder ensures that even if you’re out filming in bright sunlight, you will see the exact image you are trying to capture on film. The auto-focusing features on this camera are also incredibly high speed. You won’t have to worry about spotty or blurry moments, even if you’re filming a fast sports scene.
5. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Camera
The OM-D E-M10 Mark III is razor-sharp, allowing you to capture cinematic shots without having to worry about any lapses in clarity or quality. With an image stabilization system included in the body, the camera compensates for your natural hand movement. This feature allows you to capture flawless video with no shakes, even when you’re filming in lower light settings. With this camera, you don’t even need to take things to a computer to edit. After capturing your amazing video in Ultra-HD 4K, you can combine short clips to create movies, and add background music, without even leaving the camera.
The design of the body makes it incredibly easy to use the camera. The buttons and dials are laid out in a way that won’t confuse you when trying to find the right settings. Just twist the dial in the right direction, and get to filming.
Sony Alpha: one of the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking
6. Fujifilm X-T30 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Fujifilm is well known for making incredible cameras for many, many years. It is pretty much a household name alongside Nikon and Canon. Although they can be on the pricier side, Fuji cameras are known for being reliable and long-lasting. The Fujifilm X-T30 Mirrorless Digital Camera has a 26.1-megapixel sensor, combined with an X-processor 4 quad-core CPU, that ensures the auto-focus is kept extremely fast acting. Plus, the face detection system works great even when you are recording 4K video.
With the X-T30, you can record up to 120 frames per second at 1080p quality or up to 30 frames per second when using the 4K setting. Both are incredibly high frame rates for such a compact model. This Fuji camera comes with video ‘filters’ that work to improve the richness of the colors of your subject - another thing to keep in mind when looking for the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking.
7. Nikon Z6 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera
Definitely one of the more expensive mirrorless cameras for filmmaking on this list, the Nikon Z6 brings so much to the table, making the high price tag worth paying. The 24.5-megapixel sensor is combined with an EXPEED 6 image processor, giving the camera the ability to capture vibrant colors, without skimping on the resolution, regardless of what time of day you’re shooting in. You won’t find a better camera to use in low light environments: with an ISO of 51,200, you won’t have to worry about a place being ‘too dark’ to shoot in.
The camera is capable of capturing 30fps UHD 4K video in full-frame, without any cropping. You will also be able to shoot time-lapse scenes in the 4K settings, or slow-motion videos at 120fps in 1080p.
What is the best mirrorless camera for filmmaking?
So, what are the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking?
With so many models available on the market, it will never be easy to decide what the best mirrorless cameras for filmmaking are. Without considering a whole multitude of factors such as price range, brand reliability, and what you actually want to get out of the camera, it can be hard to make a decision.
But weather you are a hiker looking for a camera to take in the outdoors or a digital nomad ready to start vlogging, there is something for you. In this article, we have provided you with 7 fantastic options to suit any budget or need when it comes to filmmaking. You shouldn’t be stuck searching when you could be out there making films and planning your next award acceptance speech. Let us do the work and make things easier for you.
Even when you’re out shooting and directing, don’t forget to come and check back to see our latest tech and camera updates!