Top 5+ Best Vlogging Cameras Under $200 in 2023

I get a lot of questions about whether there’s any good vlogging camera for under $200.

Let me tell you, there aren’t many good options. But you can find a few that might be worth it. For this price though, I would probably recommend to better go to a place like Craiglist and finding a decent old camera like the Canon PowerShot G7X. I will give you some advice at the end of this article on what used models to keep an eye on.

However, for those of you who don’t like used gear, I’ve compiled a list of the best ones you can get. I’ve been reviewing cameras for around 10 years, and have owned tons of cameras. Here are some I would still recommend.

These prices are pulled from Amazon and are constantly changing, so they may vary from the day the article was written and some cameras can cost slightly more than $200.

Do You REALLY Need a New Camera?

If you’re not willing to spend more than $200 on a camera, then consider simply using a camera that you already have.

Most of us already have a decent smartphone in our pockets. So use your phone’s camera instead. Most phone cameras can record in 1080p and already come with stabilization. You won’t get anything better than this for less than $200.

And also, you don’t need a high-quality camera to grow an audience on YouTube.

What you actually need is to create good content.

Plenty of YouTubers still use their smartphone to vlog. You should use what you already have, and start saving for a decent camera for vlogging instead.

But if you don’t want to use your phone’s camera, here are some actual cameras you can get:

AKASO Brave 7

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I don’t usually recommend using action cameras as your main vlogging camera, but for this price range, these are the best things you can find.

They can record in 4k, have image stabilization, and give you a frontal screen so you can check that you’re inside the frame while recording.

The downside is that their audio quality is not great—nothing in this price range is— and you’re stuck with an ultra-wide-angle lens. The optical zoom is only 5x. Still, in terms of image quality and vlogging-friendliness, this is the best thing you can get.

And when you finally get the money to buy an actual vlogging camera, you can keep this one for those special shots that require an ultra wide-angle lens, or when you’re filming sports and action-packed footage.

Kodak PIXPRO AZ405

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The Kodak PIXPRO AZ405 offers a huge focal length range, which makes it great for photography. As for vlogging, its built-in stabilization makes it possible to walk around with the camera without things getting too shaky.

For this price, having a 20 MP sensor is not bad at all. It is great for taking pictures with a lot of detail. 

The main drawback for me is the lack of a flip screen. You also don’t have a clear way of checking if the camera is recording or not when you are pointing it at yourself in selfie mode. From personal experience, it’s annoying when you’re vlogging and you don’t realize when the camera stops recording for whatever reason.

It also lacks 4k recording, but at this price, you won’t find any other camera that can do 4k without limiting the length of your clips to 5 minutes or less, which most of the time makes it useless for vlogging anyway.

However, we are working with a tight budget, and stabilization is the most vital thing you need if you want to move around while recording with the camera.

Kodak PIXPRO AZ255

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The Kodak PixPro AZ255 is very similar to the AZ405, but it tones down its photography capabilities and offers the same video quality for a cheaper price.

This is great news for people who are only interested in using it for vlogging. You still get Full HD video and optical stabilization, which are the two vital things you need.

On the other hand, it can only capture 16MP images, which is still not bad. Zoom is only 25x, so it’s almost half of the AZ405.

It shares the same downsides: no flip screen, no 4k, and no way of telling if the camera is recording from the front, sadly.

Kodak PIXPRO AZ252

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If you’re willing to use only 720p resolution, you can get everything you need for vlogging within that budget.

Remember that you don’t only need the camera, you also need memories, a bag, a tripod or camera holder, and extra batteries. This model is like a vlogging starter pack that comes with all of that and more.

The camera itself is very similar to the AZ255, but it’s limited to 720p video. This means you still get the 16MP sensor, optical image stabilization, and 25x optical zoom.

720p might sound too 2010, but it isn’t that bad. Many people still can’t tell the difference between 720p and 1080p, so it’s still a good option to get you started.

AKASO V50 Elite

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The Akaso V50 Elite is another action camera that can be a good option for vlogging. This one can record 4k at 60fps, which is a nice advantage it has over the Akaso Brave 7.

However, it comes with an important downside for vloggers: the lack of a frontal screen. This can make it annoying for vlogging as you are not always sure what you’re recording when you’re on the front. Also, there’s no way of telling whether the camera is recording or not when looking from the front.

It also has no optical zoom, so you’re stuck with an ultra-wide-angle lens at all times. This can make it annoying for viewers due to the Perspective Distortion, and it can make you look unnatural if you get too close to the camera.

Still, the camera has great image stabilization and 4k60p at this price is almost unheard of. It is still a great camera for its price, and you will have some money left in your budget for getting a tripod and some extra memories and batteries.

How to Find the Perfect Vlogging Camera (Used)

As I said in the beginning, a good idea is to find a used camera that was originally sold for around $400-$600. You can find a great vlogging camera within that range. Nowadays, some of those can be found for $200 or less. Here are some notable models to look for:

• Canon Powershot G7X (Mark I)
• Sony RX100 (Mark I)
• Panasonic Lumix LX10
• Sony CyberShot DSC-H90

There are many more models that I don’t know. You can find a good one by yourself if you look for these things:

Optical or In-Body Image Stabilization

When you’re recording video and you’re moving around, your video can get really shaky.

That’s why image stabilization is one of the first things to look for in a vlogging camera.

For this price range, the cameras that you’ll find that have the best stabilization will be the action cameras and camcorders.

Since most point & shoots were made mainly for photography, most of them don’t have good stabilization.

Something that helps with stabilization is getting a small tabletop tripod and using it to hold your camera while you record your vlog.

This will also help you get the camera further away from your face so people can see more of your environment. Or else, your face will occupy the entire frame!

Flip Screen

Vlogging without a flip screen can be pretty hard for a newbie, especially when you’re using a small camera with a small sensor.

The reason is that the flip screen will allow you to make sure that your camera is recording and that you’re inside the frame.

Nobody wants to record a 10-minute video just to find out that your camera stopped recording at minute 2. 

Ugh.

It has happened to me before, so I think a flip screen is almost mandatory.

Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to find a camera with a flip screen for under $200. That’s why we suggest that, if you have this budget, start with your current smartphone.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if your phone records video that is a bit lower quality. If you can see yourself and you can record decent audio, you can create and grow a YouTube channel.

I have a Nigerian student who built her channel from 0 to 1,000 subs with only 12 videos while using a really old phone. 

The image quality of her videos wasn’t good, but it was good enough. What mattered was that her content was helpful and valuable.

Wide-Angle Lens

A wide-angle lens is also vital if you want to record yourself while walking around.

Since you’ll have to record with the camera close to your face, you need a lens that can zoom out enough to capture your big head — just kidding — and your surroundings.

Using a tabletop tripod for handheld recording will also help you with this.

Autofocus

Another frustrating thing we often have to deal with is poor autofocus.

We want the autofocus to constantly focus our face, no matter how much we move around.

It’s difficult to find good autofocus for this price, but there are some that work well.

They might be a bit slow, but if you choose the right camera, autofocus won’t be a big problem.

Image Quality

Everybody wants to record in 4k nowadays, but the truth is that 4k is just overkilling it — especially for YouTube.

Most cameras nowadays can record 1080p, but you can even go for something that can only do 720p and save some money.

I do recommend getting a 1080p camera because, you know, 720p is sooo 2010.

Also, you want to pay attention to the frames-per-second. This will determine how “smooth” your video looks.

For YouTube, I like to use 24 or 30fps. But most cameras can do up to 60fps (but you don’t need it).

Things You Don’t Need in a Camera for Vlogging

If you want to find the perfect camera for less than $200, you’ll need to make sure you ditch a lot of features you don’t need.

This will allow you to get the most for your money.

Here are the things you should ignore if you want a camera for vlogging:

Zoom

As we said before, you need a wide-angle lens. You can ignore those cameras that have a lot of zoom. 

This is useful to record your kid’s baseball game, or even for shooting wildlife. But for vlogging, it’s completely useless.

Connectivity (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc)

This is nice to have, but you don’t need any of it. 

I know it might feel weird nowadays to use a cable — a cable! can you imagine!? — to transfer your videos to YouTube.

But you can certainly sacrifice these features if you want a really cheap camera that is still useful for vlogging.

Megapixels

Probably the most common marketing trick these brands use to sell their cameras is the megapixels. 

This doesn’t mean anything, really.

Megapixels will only matter if you want to print HUGE pictures. 

I’m talking about really big posters. Most cameras can print a portrait size just fine.

It certainly doesn’t matter for video quality. So ignore megapixels completely when picking a camera for video.