2024 Best 4K Camcorder Under $1,700 | Panasonic X1500 | Test Footage with S5IIX 

I've owned a x2000 for 3 years. It's excellent for most uses and the i-zoom is sharp. I recommend the Spark Scene setting. The handle has a light usable to about one metre and a very smooth zoom rocker, great for handheld zooming. Stabilisation is also first class. It's a daytime camcorder, so put it to bed when it gets dark.

I have this from day 1. Never regret. And thinking about the second one (in 2024), even if I have S5ii X. Absolutely fantastic camera that fun to use, if you know limitations like extreme low light. Worked on the outdoor event for about 4-5+ hours on one battery! (not continuos but last long a whole day, still surprised). 24-600mm motorized optical zoom in that small factor is unbeatable to any mirrorless camera...For amateur/family (and not "professional wedding" BS) it's fantastic. + 4:2:2 10bit 4K @60 internally, infrared compatability, dual slot memory cards etc.... Excelent unlimited slow motion quality, much better than I see in most latest mirrorless.

Thanks for another great comparison review, I shoot with the lumix s5ii and I really enjoy the features from it, thanks again

Im about to grab me one of these bad boys (the x2000 bigger brother variant). I currently use the UX180 for primary shooting due to its larger sensor, but the camera is so bulky and heavy, especially when you add a mic. The other issue being the new standard of putting the LCD screen on the grip. This little guy seems like the the perfect Run-n-gun camera to just pull out of a backpack and shoot. Sure the sensor is smaller, but the 10bit color makes up for that. Just go in the menu and raise the master pedestal and everything flattens out nicely as Panasonic always does in their camcorder line. Then just crush the black is grading later and your low contrasty shooting issue is solved. But yeah....this little guy looks like a perfect quick shooting alternative for those of us with the more expensive bricks. Great review!

That zoom range is very impressive.

Your channel is great man 👍 great to hear from someone who actually knows what they are talking about 🙏

Thanks for the video and elucidation.

I grew up with camcorders and have a fondness for their form factor. Back in 1999 I paid $2000 for a Sony TRV900 3-CCD DV camera. That only shot 480i. Loved that camera with its 12x not very wide lens. I would have killed for a camera like the X1500 back then. But these days, despite how impressive it is, I can't see much use for it, outside of maybe certain travel videos where someone desires a superzoom in a small package. But there are plenty of other larger sensor cameras like a Panasonic GH series camera or even the S series full frame like you show that could do most of that job without increasing the size much, if at all. Outside of the superzoom you're only really missing the built-in NDs. So I guess I'm having trouble figuring out who this $1500 camera is for. Like I said, if it were me going for a hike I'd just take my GH4 and 14-140.

great review im sold.........subbed

nice video.. would love to see the camera footage on a sunnier day

It's my dream camera. But it will only be a dream... :) Nice review, man! 👍

Great video, thanks for posting this and doing a comparison with one of the latest Panasonic hybrid cameras. Back when this camera was first introduced, I was set on getting one or the X2000 however, with the world locked down due to the pandemic, these were not available and I ended up with the XC-H1. Posted a couple of videos on it on YT to test it out. A couple years later, I started doing YT videos with, cutting my teeth on the video side of things. Since then I have been using hybrid cameras now (Nikon and Sony). I have wondered what Panasonic could do with the BSH1 internals, in a camcorder body, with updated AF and stabilization, while keeping the whole setup close to the X2000 size. I probably would get one if they also included Log and RAW capabilities. We will see if they announce any new camcorders or gear at NAB.

great test!

This comparison is informative.

I'm curious about the x1500's close-up capabilities Normally, Leica lenses will provide very close magnification

What size is the sensor ? I own a Sony AX700 camcorder with a 1 inch sensor and the IQ is great outdoors but indoors I shoot with APSC or 35mm cameras

Thanks for review /comparison... These small sensor Camcorders are great for long range shooting outdoors, but everything else is no match in terms of image quality for even the basic APSC mirrorless cameras Eg. R50. So, I suppose if image quality is your number one priority (it is with me) I would say a 1 inch sensor camera is the starting point.

Great review. I think this is the first camcorder I've actually desired in over 10 years. Interestingly, I believe I like the way the X1500 handled highlight rolloff better than the S5 did. Of course, it's ungraded and the S5 would probably outshine it when pushing the footage, but out of camera? Really pleasing image.

Thanks

Nice video! I own the Canon XA70 which has 1 inch sensor and comes with xlr top handle that I do use for the better audio quality but as you said, it cost a bit more. You can shoot LOG but colors look good right out of camera.

Dope design. As a mirrorless user, I did not know this existed.

THANKS

super great camera. I bought mine about 10 months ago, 4K Camcorder Under $1,700 | Panasonic X1500 for 7,50 dollar at best buy. brand new, no refurnished. when i bought it, i asked the store manager why was half price, I was told that they only had a few in two stores i GUESS, AND IT HOAPPENE TO BE AT THE BEST BUY NEAR WHERE i LIVE, SACRAMENTO CA. ABSOLUBTLY LOVE THIS CAM. GREAT VIDEO, THANKS FOR SHARING IT.

Gr8 Video man! I'm looking at getting a camcorder and narrowed the choice down to this Panasonic and the Canon XA60 - they are about the same price but, what is your opinion of the Canon? And forgive my basic tech knowledge but does a smaller sensor not give a greater depth of field which makes focusing on moving subjects easier? thanks!

Wow 😮

Hello. I would need to connect the camera as a webcam to my computer. I need to do an online transfer via OBS Studio and I don't know how to do it all. It is possible to make a detailed guide on how to do this. Thank you

I always loved those camcorders. Affordable, with professional features (such as ND or zoom rocket) and ergonomic. Why mirrorles and prosumer camcorders meet a miidle point.

Great video! I'm looking for the best way to record my son's soccer games, which will vary from bright daylight to night games under the stadium lights. Would the X1500 be able to handle the action and range of light conditions?

i like the zoom

great review! was it supposed to end abruptly like that?

Great review, thank you! I'm still hesitating between a second hand AX700 and a X1500. What would you recommend?

What would be your opinion of this as an option for a video podcast studio camera? I know some big shows like Joe Rogan use camcorders to record. From what it sounds like, if you can control the light, this could make an excellent option.

I have a VFX990 and although I like it a lot, even in manual mode it auto exposures. Does the Panasonic X1500 allow to lock the exposure?

Regarding dynamic range, I think it very depends on settings like "flat" profile or "landscape" in other words you can have more contrast or more flat in one camera, as well as expo EV can be measured differently on the image (in the center or over all). So it could be more or less adjustable. Regarding low light is a bit unfair as well in the beginning - you using low light f4, but native is f1.8, so with full open iris on both f1.8 and f4 it will be not that bad, not great, but not that (max gain) bad..... And in general it is not "bad" it is more like a known limitation.

Excellent review. Thank you so much,

Another flaw with teh X1500 is that if you're running & gunning then *sometimes* the record button doesn't register when you push it to stop recording. This can mean you end up with hours of footage of nothing because you pushed the button to stop recording but it kept going and then, even if you close the LCD and the eyepiece, it just keeps recording until the SD card is full. I thought this might have been a fault but I've had two of these and they both had the same problem.

Interesting! I finally sold my old Panny camcorders last year, after basically finding myself entirely on "hybrid" cameras. That an HMC40 and TM700, back in the even smaller 3-chip HD days. The annoying thing isn't system cameras, even though I get better video on my Olympus gear, even not intended as primarily video or even a hybrid market series. But I also have a Sony RX10 IV, which delivers really good video off a 1" sensor, with the same 25x zoom range you have here, okay f/2.5 to f/4.0, Zeiss vs Leica design, but better DR and Log modes. But okay, also not that videocentric. But the the FZ2500 from Panasonic, with the 1" sensor, zoom out to around 480mm equivalent, built in NDs, very video friendly... Like a baby GH5 with Log and higher bitrates... And it's only around a grand! I get the value of a camcorder for pure video work: available XLRs if you want on-camera audio, a better functional shape for video shooting, more buttons, larger battery, etc. But would it really have killed Panasonic to deliver essentially a camcorder version of the FZ2500 at the price point of the X1500? Don't get me wrong: I shot great video on Panny back in the day, and this looking like a 2024 update of my old gear is what brought me in to watch the video. You must live pain if you try any run-and-gun on a hybrid/stills-for-video rig versus a self-contained camcorder! This is clearly a good tool for many jobs... Just why won't they cross pollinate the best of both product lines?

Hey! I got the same camcorder as you. I get a low background noise (noisy preamp) when using the internal microphone? When I plug in an external microphone via 3.5mm jack, the background noise is significantly louder (even when its just the cable plugged into the socket). Do you get the same thing?

In low light, you'd really need to have equivalent depth of field as well. It would be interesting to put the S5iix at f/13 (equivalent DOF at f/1.8 on the x1500). Of course, in this setting the S5iix will trash the x1500, but you'd need to be more selective with your focus.

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would love to see a comparison to HC-X20 not fair to compare against a full frame S5

nice video. the canon G70 looks pretty good. the canon XA50 is great - w/ the 1" sensor.

How does this work in full auto mode?

I like the image out of the x1500 more. If it had the dynamic range and probably up it to a micro 4/3rds I'd probably buy.

smaller sensor will always mean better zoom for lower weight. At the cost of low light, dynamic range, and wide angle.

Is the X2000 an update for the HC-X2?

How would you compare this camcorder to Canon XA 70 ? Which is better in your opinion?

I cannot use it in low light conditions... I would like to know what is the best setting in low light conditions

Does it has IR night shot setting?

anyone know if this camera does IR or night vision recording?

The one thing I'm having an issue with this camera is the focus. I shoot aircraft and before I bought this I would go to manual focus and set it to infinity. It was never an issue and the quality was good. When I do the same with this camera, the picture quality is very good but when you go to zoom all the way you lose a fair bit of the picture quality (it gets fuzzy). As far as I can tell the digital zoom is off. I do need to be able to use the entire range of zoom on the camera because some of the subjects are a couple miles out or above me. Examples: Aerobatic aircraft: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mNVdWvYTucM.html Fighter: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-p1ZNpIAIbzM.html Giant plane: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KOi70HurE5w.html

does it has the V-log recording?

Which is your fave codec ?

On wide angle shots of the X1500, only the center of the picture is sharp. The more you look at the edges, the more blurry it becomes. The same problem has the X2000, which I had a few years ago.

10:04 Nakatomi Plaza!

Dynamic Range of S5 is crazy!

Used the camera on a gimbal for college baseball at Globelife'

can the camera do a good bokeh??

can you mount on gimbal?

The left side of the last content is covered by the next video introduction pop-up, so I can't see it... (14:50~)

is good panasonic.. i use lumix g7

is it good for filmmaking?

I wish Panasonic would do an S52 in this form factor. I never shoot stills and just want a camera that looks the part that has internal ND. I'm so done with alle these budget cinema focused slr's that make me look like a photographer.

amazing camcorder but I expected better rolling shutter performance consider far less sensor size 😭

This camra parci pls nice

I have this camcorder under 2020.??

Whats the best camcorder on the market regardless of price?

manufacturers could think again about making this type of camera instead of focusing on hybrid and mirrorless cameras, this camera/camcorder body is much better than dslr and mirrorless bodies, a more robust body that has cooling capacity, that has a better grip for filming, as fimmakers we don't want to take photographs, we want to make films. so we need cameras in this more retro format and the camcorder standard.

Looks like the Sony FDR AX 53 just met its match 👌🏽

It’s a cmos sensor?

BEST CAMCORDER UNDER 2K !!!!!I I HAVE IT

is there on 4k camcorder under 3k with 4k 60p with 1 inch sensor?

Speaking of 600mm on full frame DSLR it's not about price. It's HUGE and HEAVY. On camcoder 600mm is (almost) pocket size...... Motorized.

I'll wait for the Chinese version.

I watched all whole video and realized you're not talking about INR😂

I wish there is goong to be new camcorder release By the way man, my name is Johnny and I'm a freelance logo designer, are you interested to have a logo redesign for your channel to have a new branding? I would love to have the honor to design a techie monogram logo together with you! Let me know if you interested to make it happen! :-)

handheld?

They need to put the 4/3 chip in

I shoot with a Panasonic 1500 camera sporting events Enduro and motocross the perfect choice max satisfaction!

The battery is not good after fiw time fall down

XF400, save for the 422 10-bit - is a better camera.

clearly footage is 10x better with the panasonic Siix.

Can you run this camera off an external power supply?

J'en ai eu une, je l'ai revendue, trop grosse, stabilisation compliquée, trop grosse pour moi, utile pour un vidéaste pointu, je ne le suis plus, c'est la vie, j'ai deux autres caméras plus petite beaucoup plus petite, ça me suffit. Sinon très bon outil semi-pro.

Thats a tiny little sensor. There are 20 year old point and shoot digicams with larger sensors. If you dont need 4K 60p, you are much better off getting the Panasonic FZ2500 for half the price. You get a larger, 1 inch sensor and a faster lens.

Lets not kid ourselves, the only reason they can cram all this into such a small package with that kind of zoom, is the sensor size of 1/2.5 inches, and I am not saying thats bad, camcorders have their places too, its just such a shame that camcorders are taking a backseat in todays world, the camera control on modern camcorders are just awful, the grip is fine but older camcorders let you control shutter and aperture with right hand, the same hand you holding the camcorder with, so its all one hand operation, modern camcorders have these awful little buttons to push, that being said while photo body is complete opposite of comfort for videoshooting, at least it has physical buttons and dials. I really miss oldschool camcorders, man they were so ergonomically good.

It has a smaller sensor than most celphones.. .LOL

Хоть у меня такая же камера, но мне как то не нравится как она снимает, я бы не дал что она снимает в 4К не за что, вот в 1080р- точно дал 5 звёзд.

iphone 15

I own two of them, the menu is a disaster, lowlight can't do anything. As a c camera yes, in good light outside it can score points again. Comparable to a smartphone with a large lens. at this price there really is no better alternative, and you have to have studied the camera, logic is different.

Top handle in a hot shoe - is very bad idea! Приккреплен он обычно на 4 коротеньких, тоненьких болтика, которые совсем не рассчитаны на такие нагрузки. Бывают такие камеры на которых он особенно хлипкий...

It's bonkers that they are selling small sensor and fixed lens for $1700😮

Good review. As you said, the picture can look crappy in high contrast situations. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oOjAjTczVno.htmlsi=dl85QR5bHwojYAiI&t=334 looks really bad compared to the shots I got with my older Panasonic WX970. $1500+ seems a tad pricey for the few added features. Seems like all these cameras should be halved in price given what's out there these days.

So basically you need to study videography to use that one or any other ..

f 4 on 1 inch isn't f4 on ff btw, if u do f4 on ff u need to multiply by 3 due to sensor crop

Thaer is no Audio Chanel sir

I bought it about 3 years ago, I use it in church, and I'm not that happy with it, its quality when transmitting live is very poor.

1/2.5-type (inch) MOS Sensor ?? LOLLL

Too dark recording.

WTF is gain?