What would be a good camcorder / video camera for my purposes?

Question

I want to produce some video blogs that are part of a local campaign for social justice. They will go on YouTube, but I want them to appear professional. There will be two of us working on the project - me talking to camera, and one other with the camera. Some work will be inside, some at outside locations, and there will be interviews of a third person. I would expect to be paying at least £800, but ideally not much more than £1,200. I hope there is something in that price band that would serve the purpose.

I think that the camera would need to work with other accessories (not included in the above budget), like an external microphone and headphones (to ensure and control audio quality), and a tripod. Any advice here would be welcomed.

Please assume I know nothing. I know that I have a lot to learn, but the project will go ahead, in any case.

RobbieM82 · Accepted Answer

Think about something like a Canon HF10 or HF11, Panasonic SD100 or even Sony HDC-SR12. All these are HD models but they'll give great wuality whilst also providing microphone inputs, headphone outputs and plenty of scope for shaping your video which can then be uploaded to YouTube or whatever.

There's lots of info about these models etc on http://www.simplydv.co.uk. It's a free UK site dedicated to camcorder reviews and tips and I find their forums to be particularly useful.

ccrofty · Answer

I would agree with the post above. Personally, I'd recommend a Canon HF10 or HF100..... they're basically the same camera, only the HF10 comes with 16gb of internal flash memory.

Aside from professional equipment, these are just about the best you can buy..... receiving top scores from expert reviewers everywhere.

Anonymous · Answer

I still have a tape-based camcorder, a JVC which are still available on eBay. It uses VHS-C tapes and the picture-quality in Super-VHS is so good some regional news-crews still use them today. I have never been less than amazed by the quality of image.

Anonymous · Answer

I have a sony handy cam that would be perfect for that.

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What would be a good camcorder / video camera for my purposes?

4 Answers