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Can you get a decent camcorder for 100-150 quid?

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    Can you get a decent camcorder for 100-150 quid?

    I'm off to Japan soon and want to get a camcorder to do some filming while I'm out and about. I'm also doing a project at home that requires me to talk at a camcorder. Picture and sound need to be decent but I'm not expecting the best since I'm on a budget.

    I've looked on Amazon and cameras in that price range generally have a load of good reviews but some very severe negative ones. I don't keep up with this kind of thing so I'm not sure how reliable they are.

    Has anyone got a recommendation for something?

    Cheers!

    #2
    I would say that in my experience, even a middling one today tends to be much better than a half-decent one was 10 years ago.

    That being said, the key thing I would stress is audio. Less-than-perfect video quality is actually far less grating than bad audio.

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      #3
      Yeah, not sure whether I need to look at an external mic or whether the in built ones are good enough for just filming at home.

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        #4
        I would make sure whatever camera you buy has a mic input, and then just buy a cheap lavalier mic. Even one that only costs £10 or so will make a world of difference.

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          #5
          Originally posted by wakka View Post
          I would make sure whatever camera you buy has a mic input, and then just buy a cheap lavalier mic. Even one that only costs £10 or so will make a world of difference.
          Yep. That being said, if it saves you a lot of cash, you could buy an external audio recorder cheap and plug the mic into that. This is quite useful because it means you can be quite far from the camera but still record your voice.

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            #6
            Also a good idea although it adds a job in terms of syncing audio and video.

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              #7
              Why not just use a phone? Most half decent smart phones have very good cameras on them. Well, that is unless you need to zoom.

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                #8
                My phone is an old iPhone 5c so it's not up to the job. I'm trying to hold off doing a phone upgrade for a while and would prefer something dedicated to the job.

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                  #9
                  Make sure you get a mic with a big furry cover.
                  They instantly make you look professional and people don't question your credentials as they think you're doing something professional.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by QualityChimp View Post
                    Make sure you get a mic with a big furry cover.
                    They instantly make you look professional and people don't question your credentials as they think you're doing something professional.
                    Yeah, this is true. They say if you try to interview people in the street with a regular camcorder, people will flee from you in fear - but if you put a lens hood and a fluffy mic on it, people will line up to speak to you.

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                      #11
                      I seem to remember some guys who'd found a big fluffy mic with a BBC logo in a bin had put it on a camera and started interviewing celebrities. Nobody questioned them with such an official-looking hairy behemoth dwarfing the camera it sat astride.


                      They were interviewed on The Big Breakfast by Richard Bacon when he was hosting and he was one of the "celebs" they'd hoodwinked and he was not happy about it.

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