Camcorder for £250-300

sep8001

Hi

A friend is looking  for a camcorder between £250 and £300 for normal home videos. His Sony HD which is a mini DV one is now broken.

Any suggestions please?

Thanks

Terfyn

Most are SD card based. Try Amazon camcorders, plenty of choice there, but I suggest he look at the trilogy of Canon, Panasonic and Sony and stay away from the cheaper ones..

12harry

The new definition is 4K, but perfectly acceptable movies can be shot on HD now. As a bonus many folks are up-grading so the older models ( HD-only) are reduced in price.
Check that yr friend has the necessary Tripod and lights ( as required in the past).... so the whole budget can be blown on the camcorder...but SDHC Cards will be needed, as well as a spare battery.
Will he be joining us?

sep8001

Thank you both for the reply, sorry he does not have any lighting, think he has a tripod that he uses with his D90.

Will have a look on Amazon for one of the makes suggested, is it worth looking at the used market, if it is, what make/model is worth looking at.

Thank you

Terfyn

My money would be on the Panasonic HC-V750 if you can find one. I have had mine since 2014 and it has been a really good camera which has done everything I have asked of it.
The later models have, understandably, concentrated on 4K and the improvements in the HD models seem to have concentrated on more flexible Wi-Fi and upgrades in software. The new 800 has a Leica lens and a better optical image stabiliser but these seem to be the most radical changes.
Image stabilisation on the 750 is still extremely good with both mechanical and electronic stabilisers but the use of a tripod would make these assets unnecessary.

12harry

All very true . . .  but on reflection, perhaps yr friend should join-first and explain what it is they are filming....

£300 is quite a lot to spend on the wrong-gear.... although it is quite little for a camcorder.... as a modest rise would give much more choice.
If you are new to Video ( and maybe if you aren't)...buy from a reputable supplier only... unless you know the camcorder has been working regularly.
It's a minefield when Tech doesn't work at the best of times.

sep8001

Thank you for the additional replies and help.

He will be using the camcorder to capture family moments, like birthdays, their holidays, kids school plays etc.

I am sure have so many mini DV tapes that he still has not copies across to his pc, so may be one with and as card may work better for him.