Some cameras offer more benefits for indoor shooting.
There is no single camera available on the market that is best for indoor shoots. Every camera offers advantages and disadvantages, and much depends on the subject and setup. For low-light shooting, some cameras are better. When the shoot is well lit, most cameras will be sufficient. The key to picking a camera is understanding the situation at hand.
Controlled Lighting: Light Everything
When shooting outdoors during the day, the sun provides all the light anyone would need. Once inside, lighting becomes a problem, and choices are key. For a simple shoot of a birthday party or a funny video to post on the Internet, just about any consumer grade camera will be fine, as long as you have as much light as possible. Turning on all the available lights in a room should be sufficient.
Controlled Lighting: Mood Lighting
An alternative to lighting everything is lighting to set a mood. Not just any video camera will do for these conditions. With lighting for the mood, say for a scary or romantic scene, the lighting needs to be focused on important subjects of the shoot, with everything else dark. Cameras with a good lens and large video sensor that can absorb a lot of available light are ideal. These tend to be higher-end cameras and D-SLRs (digital single-lens reflex).
Uncontrolled Lighting
In uncontrolled indoor lighting, the best option is to go with cameras with the best lenses and largest video sensors available. The camera must be flexible. Just as with mood lighting, a high-end consumer or professional grade camera or a D-SLR is the best option. Among these expensive options, there are subtle differences of quality, but largely they all have something to offer.
Sensor Sizes
The key to how well a camera will perform in low or uncontrolled light is the video sensor size. Generally there are two popular types of sensors in consumer video cameras: 3CCD sensors and CMOS sensors. The differences between these sensors are subtle, and both can perform well in low light. The larger the sensor, the better it will do because it can absorb more light. For best performance, a full frame sensor is ideal. Full frame is equivalent in size to 35 mm film. It is available in the highest-end video cameras and D-SLRs.
Fine Controls
Another key feature to look at on video cameras is the control the camera offers over the picture. Control over the shutter speed and gain will be best for low and uncontrolled light.
An Alternative: Put a Light on The Camera
One alternative to provide sufficient lighting is to attach a light to the camera. A small LED light bank attached to the top of the camera will light subjects up to a few feet away for indoor shooting. For this option, it is best to have a camera that offers a shoe for attaching accessories. Many consumer cameras do.
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