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Affordable video cameras to record this year's best holiday moments

For some people, the holiday season months are the happiest of their lives. They decorate early and for every event, wear festive clothing and do the best they can to spread their cheer.

But then the holidays end, and it’s back to the dreary slog of January through September. That's when you can find comfort and joy by reliving holiday moments of years past. Among the best ways to do this is to record all the best moments with a video camera.

In this article: Seree Video Camera, Panasonic HC-V180K Video Camera and Sony HDRCX405 Video Camera.

Cost

Most affordable video cameras cost $75-$100 and are suitable for occasional use. Better cameras can cost $150-$200. If you want a great video camera you can use year-round, you’re looking at roughly $200-$300.

Output

Once you’ve recorded your footage, you need to get it off the camera. There are several ways to do this, depending on the camera. The most common method is to record data on an SD card, and then you put that card in your computer. Better cameras can connect directly to a computer via a USB cable or even connect to a TV for easy playback with an HDMI cable. A handful of cameras can also connect to your phone using Wi-Fi and the camera’s app.

Automatic settings

Using a camera on a professional level takes years of study and practice. Understanding this, some video cameras have automatic settings that perform all the calculations and tweaks so you get the best picture quality possible.

Best video cameras

Actinow Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 1080p footage at up to 30 frames per second. It has a 16-times digital zoom and a 3-inch, 270-degree rotating screen, and it comes with a microphone.

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Alsone Video Camera

This shoots up to 1080p footage at up to 30 frames per second or 720p footage at up to 60 frames per second. It has a 270-degree rotating screen and comes with a microphone and two batteries.

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Alsuoda Video Camera

This shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It has an infrared night vision mode, a slow-motion feature, face detection and smile capture.

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Heegomn Video Camera

This shoots up to 2.7K footage and has an 18-times digital zoom. It comes with a microphone, two batteries and a 32 gigabyte SD card.

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Hojocojo Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 4K footage and has an 18-times digital zoom. It comes with a remote and can also be controlled with your phone via an app. It also includes a 32GB SD card and two batteries.

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Kicteck Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It has a hand strap to make holding it easier, has a built-in fill light and comes with two batteries.

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Kimire Video Camera

This shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It has anti-shake, face capture and a self-timer, and it can be used as a webcam. It can also be output to a TV. 

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Komery Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 4K footage and has an 18-times digital zoom. It comes with a microphone, a tripod, three batteries, a remote control and a 32GB SD card.

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Minolta Video Camera

This shoots up to 4K footage at up to 24 frames per second or 1080p footage at up to 60 frames per second. It has an infrared night vision mode and an intelligent scene mode that adjusts the camera settings automatically.

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Mirwhapng Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 4K footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It can record while charging and has a foldable hand-held stabilizer. It also has an infrared night vision mode.

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Oiexi Video Camera

This shoots up to 4K footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It comes with a microphone and a remote control, and it can connect to a computer with a USB cable to be used as a webcam.

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Ordro Video Camera

This shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 270-degree rotating screen. It comes with two batteries and a 16GB SD card. The batteries last for up to 80 minutes.

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Panasonic HC-V180K Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 50-times optical zoom and a 90-times intelligent zoom. Its screen is touch-enabled and 2.7 inches large.

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Seree Video Camera

This shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It has a built-in microphone and a 3-inch rotating screen. It comes with a remote and two batteries.

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Sony HDRCX405 Video Camera

This shoots up to 1080p footage and has a 30-times optical zoom and a 60-times clear image zoom. It has face detection, voice enhancement and noise reduction.

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Vafoton Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 4K footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It can connect using Wi-Fi and an accompanying app to download videos and pictures straight to your phone.

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Vjianger Video Camera

This shoots up to 2.7K footage and has a 16-times digital zoom. It has infrared night vision, can output to a TV using an HDMI cable and supports SD card sizes up to 128GB.

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Vmotal Video Camera

This shoots up to 2.7K footage and has an 18-times digital zoom. It comes with two batteries, each of which can last for up to 150 minutes on a full charge.

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Zohulu Video Camera

This camera shoots up to 4K footage and has a 30-times digital zoom. It has anti-shake, night vision, time-lapse and a 3-inch touchscreen. It comes with two batteries and can record while charging.

Sold by Amazon

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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.

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