The Cameras I Use
- DC-1
- Sep 30, 2025
- 5 min read
Views based in this blog post are based on my opinion only.
Panasonic Lumix FZ80
This camera is my main photography camera, I use it for almost all of the photography that I do at our club game days.
With 18.1 megapixels it takes really good clear photos - i just need to make sure all the settings are spot on!
The camera also features up to 4k video recording, so it also acts as my main camera for video when I do vlog style videos, or some of the filming I do of the game days when I'm not playing.
For a bridge camera this thing is excellent, I didn't want to break the bank when it came to getting a good camera so this one was a really good option to get, and for the price of when it was new it performs well above what I would have expected from a camera with its price range.
Panasonic HC-V550
The HC-V550 is relatively new to my camera set up, I haven't used it too much for anything as yet, I have done some test style vlogs which came out pretty good. I also tested it out on the field but the video didn't come out all that good, but that could have come down to lighting.
This camera only records up to 1080p, which is plenty enough for creating YouTube videos.
Its main use will most likely be for having an added angle when doing Vlogs, but one more test on it will be to use it out in full sunlight (when we get good weather!) to see how it comes out, if that comes out better then it may become one of the more main cameras - only with its use restricted to good sunlight shots only.
Its a good cheap camera, not one of the higher end ones or as good as the FZ80 but it still does the job well. I'm not sure on how much this one costs as it was given to me.
GoPro Hero 6 for gaming
The Hero 6 is the main GoPro that I use in all my gameplay videos. I have it attached to a cap where I drilled a hole through the brim and then attached a GoPro tripod mount, which then allows me to attach a waterproof case (for protection) to the cap and hold the camera steady while I'm filming. Using the waterproof housing (in my opinion) is critical for protection of the lens, I've had one housing shot and broken so far, had I not had the housing on it the GoPro itself would have been shot.
This camera records up to 4k for which gives excellent footage, naturally the better the light the better the footage, so some of the game days at CSG have really good clear footage where some of the games at Zone 67 the footage is noticeably less but this is due to it being dark outside and not using LED lighting inside. The same can also be said for some of the game days where its been cloudy or raining, the footage is just a little weaker than when it is a nice clear sunny day.
For me though, I don't mind it being either way, even when the footage is a little dull it still comes out good enough to make a quality video out of it.
Another camera that was given to me, so I wouldn't know how much they were brand new, but if I remember correctly they were up around the $500ish mark.
GoPro Hero 2018 for gaming
This GoPro (admittedly I actually thought it was a Hero 5 for quite some time) is another one that was given to me (yes I've only paid for one camera!).
Its primary use is as the secondary gameplay camera, so you'll see this one either mounted to my gun or on my chest.
For the gun its just sort of like a first person view like you see in video games, I don't mount it there very often but am looking at doing it a little more in the future to have more angels of some of the fire fights I end up in, then said fire fights can have two angels instead of one. I'm also thinking about trying out some footage with having that camera pointed back towards me, so you can see what I see, but then also see me doing what I do.
And then the chest mount is to get the bodycam style footage like you see from police officers, I just think it looks kinda cool and would be cool to get some footage in milsims where we have to engage with villagers and have that footage as a bodycam.
This camera is not quite as good as the Hero 6 but still does the job, it will only record up to 1440p/1080p, but I find that this is plenty to get good video, and with it being used as a bodycam I didn't really want to have top notch 4k video on that camera, so it does add a little bit of an element to it. It also stops having that idea of going from a 4k view of game play to a bodycam that is also 4k, it adds enough difference to clearly be another camera.
Panasonic Lumix TZ80
This camera is the most recent one that I've started using, another one that was given to me (I don't know how I manage to be given so many!). Although its sat in a draw for a few years I pulled it out one day to give it a test and actually found that it's a really good camera. Its still in what I would call the testing phase, where I'm taking it out to take photos and videos and just seeing how they come out and adjusting settings accordingly. Its almost there and ready to actually be used as a full time camera.
The cost of this camera (although I didn't purchase it) was around about $500 brand new, similar price range to the FZ80, and so far behaves just the same. Some obvious differences in the two cameras (the size being the main one), but the quality of images and footage has largely remained the same.
It also has a 18.1 megapixel sensor for photos, again, that comes up with nice clear imagery in clear light or with LED lighting. It also has the capability of recording video up to 4k resolution, so that will help hugely in making videos where having a second camera angel would have been extremely useful!
Once the testing has been fully completed, this will be another main camera for both photos and video, used on game days for photography and video, and also used to film vlog style videos - bring on the summer sun where I can attempt to make plenty of vlog videos with the gear I use, how I make videos etc!
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