The Best Vlogging Cameras of 2023

The Panasonic G85 performs just as well as the GH5 and is super lightweight and portable. The lenses from the two cameras are interchangeable as well, meaning you can pick up the G85 and upgrade to the GH5 later. While the G85 has a lot going for it, there are a few trade-offs.

Images are less sharp, especially when the camera is in motion, and low light video is more grainy. Although the G85 and the GH5 have similar accessories, they’re not interchangeable, which is disappointing.

If you start with the G85, you’ll get a 16-megapixel camera with 49 autofocus zones. It shoots in 4K at 30 FPS and a maximum ISO of 3200. If you’re on a tight budget, then this camera is a good choice. It performs well, is very portable, and it won’t burn a hole in your wallet.

This all-in-one compact camera has a lot going for it. It seems like it’s designed for the casual camera user, as you can’t really adjust the exposure and ISO. You can adjust them a little bit with the two dials on the camera, but it’s really hard to get full control over the settings you want.

However, in auto mode, especially when you have good light, this camera does quite well. It’s also one of the most stable cameras for walking and talking.

It has a 20.2 Megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor size and an ISO range of 125 to 12800. The extended ISO range can help capture shots in very low light. But video capture is limited to 1080p, which is a little weak for this day and age. Att just 10.37 oz, it’s a little guy that transports easily.

That said, this camera is missing some basic features (like a viewfinder). You need to use the screen all the time, which is fine, but if you plan to be away from power for a considerable amount of time, you can use a normal viewfinder to save some of that power. Also, since the screen only faces out, it may be prone to scratching or damage.

While the camera does have an HDMI output, there are no additional ports for an external mic or flash. As long as you don’t need to do anything above and beyond a basic point and shoot, this camera will get the job done.

The Sony a6400 is a great little camera, with a body that is a little bigger than a typical point-and-shoot. With its interchangeable lenses, lightweight body, and great autofocus, there’s a lot to love. This was also our best low-light performer. While low light images were darker than the Panasonic GH5, it was less grainy.

The autofocus can hold a tight focus on the subject even in low light. If you plan to move around a lot in your videos, this might be a good camera to take with you, but only if you have a tripod. Stabilization in this camera is pretty much non-existent.

It also features a 24 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, which is capable of 4K video shooting with a 425 point autofocus. Add to that Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC connectivity, and you’ve got a camera packs a lot into a small package. That said, there were a few drawbacks.

Navigating the settings menu can be a headache. We’re also not fans of the screen, which faces out when you fold it in. This simply leaves the screen prone to damage or scratching.

However, the Z-Fold system is more robust and stable than the typical rotating screen that lets you keep the screen in. What that means is, the stable folding system allows for more solid screen positioning as opposed to a more flimsy rotating screen that you'll find on other cameras.

Overall, this is a great camera and our favorite of the three Sony’s we tested. But the frustrating menu system, lack of touchscreen, and lack of stabilization pushed this one down to the middle of the pack.

The Nikon D5600 comes with a 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor and an extended ISO range of 100 - 25,600. It’s among the lightest DSLR cameras we tested, which made it the most portable and easiest to handle and store. It’s also quite compact with a nice bright touchscreen that folds into the body. Image quality is good, but the video footage is limited to 1080p.

This camera isn’t the most user-friendly, as the buttons are all over the place. They’re on the right side, left side, top, and front. If you’re looking for a camera that you can use one-handed, you may want to look elsewhere.

Out of all the cameras we tested, this is the only one with a lens lock, which allows you to extend the lens so it’s ready to shoot. One might argue that it’s a good feature, designed to keep the lens safe, but it’s just not user-friendly. Often during testing, we would forget that the lens needed to be unlocked or re-locked when we were done. We found it to be more annoying than useful.

The build is made of plastic, which isn’t a bad material but it feels cheap and not very durable. While this camera is capable of capturing good video, Nikon falls short in terms of the customer experience, which knocked this camera down a few pegs.

The Sony Cyber-Shot Rx100 V was the second of two point-and-shoot cameras we tested. It boasts a 20.1 Megapixel 1-inch sensor and a 2.92x optical zoom. This little powerhouse is even capable of 4K video, albeit with a 5-minute limit. Because it’s a point-and-shoot, it’s small and very portable.

What’s more, the camera holds nice surprises like the pop-up viewfinder and flash. The VCT-SGR1 Shooting Grip, which connects with this camera, gives it a nice tripod base with buttons to zoom, record video, or shoot a still. However, like the other Sony cameras on this list, this one has a few shortcomings.

There’s no touchscreen and the screen itself doesn’t fold in. The menu is also a bit of a pain to navigate with the 5-way rocker switch. Image quality is good but we noticed that, especially in outdoor testing, highlights get blown out, washing out the possibility of reading text on a page at a distance.

That said, it’s not a bad camera. It did fall toward the bottom of the pack, but that was because of the same faults that its siblings exhibited.

The Sony RX0 II is one of two ultraportable cameras we tested. Although this camera can fit inside your pocket, don’t let the small size fool you. Not only is this camera durable, but there’s also a flip up the forward-facing screen.

However, similar to the other Sony’s on this list, there’s no touchscreen, which is a little bit of a bummer. The controls are hard to get used to as well, mainly because the buttons are so small. This makes it a little frustrating to use.

Unless you attached Sony’s VCT-SGR1 Shooting Grip (we received one with our test unit), there’s no easy way to switch between video and stills. Also, the low light performance was terrible and the price tag is pretty lofty. While we like the durable build and the flip-up forward-facing screen, the high price tag is a tough pill to swallow.