I've got a Sony Handycam DCR-SX50 for videoing my own gigs to send to promoters which by and large I've been happy with - I can set it up on a tripod and press record - job done.
However there are 2 main drawbacks - the quality of the recording is very poor and I have to convert the file to load it up to Youtube.
Can anyone recommend a camcorder that's good quality and easy to use and around £300 or less?
I love my Cannon Vixia HFR600. Cost me about $200 here. Great picture and surprisingly good sound but you can plug a mic into it also. Records onto sd, good battery life, easy transfer into wondershare and I believe you can upload to YouTube straight from the camera. It's a gem of a camera, much better picture than my Tascam DV1HD, but that one rums on regular batteries which works better in my car.
Good luck!
Sounds just the ticket but it's currently unavailable (that I can find anyway).
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon/44159379?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1486&adid=22222222228031802559&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=68623164071&wl4=pla-125368491671&wl5=1015089&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112550106&wl11=online&wl12=44159379&wl13=&veh=sem (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon/44159379?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1486&adid=22222222228031802559&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=68623164071&wl4=pla-125368491671&wl5=1015089&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112550106&wl11=online&wl12=44159379&wl13=&veh=sem)
Walmart has it for $300 not sure what that converts to nor what it would cost to ship.
Have a look for a canon eos1200D it's a still camera and a full 1080 video camera http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EOS-1200D-18-0MP-Digital-SLR-Camera-Black-Kit-w-EF-S-18-55mm-Lens-/232126828678?hash=item360bd65086:g:ia8AAOSwnbZYCJiH i use mine for a back up but its a fab i got it of ebay just the body for £160 i think new its about 279 with a lens but a great all round camera and easy to use. with a 128gb card about £30 you've got a good 11/2 hr or more video .
I've never used a video camera so I can't speak from experience, but this new camera from Zoom looks pretty good for the money. They say it was designed for musicians.
Zoom Q2N - $159.99 / £169.00
https://www.zoom.co.jp/node/760 (https://www.zoom.co.jp/node/760)
https://www.zoom.co.jp/products/handy-video-recorder/q2n-handy-video-recorder (https://www.zoom.co.jp/products/handy-video-recorder/q2n-handy-video-recorder)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjUR-Ut91lchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbrLmJ__jsIA couple of caveats:
- The wide-angle lens is great for recording in small rooms with the camera close to the subject because you get better audio closer to the source and the wide-angle lens enables you to still capture a wide video field. However, the trade-off is that there's a noticeable fisheye effect with straight lines such as walls, doors, ceilings, etc. becoming curved. There are five field-of-view settings which allow you to zoom in closer, eliminating the curvature, but that defeats the benefits of the wide field-of-view.
(https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=25907.0;attach=186379)
- As shown in the video below, the Q2N can produce a very noticeable rainbow effect due to glare from overhead lights. This can be eliminated with an optional lens hood, but it's only available in a $50 accessory pack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHQ5us1GNVY
Here's the accessory pack:
https://www.zoom.co.jp/products/apq-2n-q2n-accessory-pack (https://www.zoom.co.jp/products/apq-2n-q2n-accessory-pack)
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Q2nAccyPk (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Q2nAccyPk)
I really lime the design on that zoom.
I think me wants one. My Tascam didn't survive the sub-zero temperatures of Minnesota.
Rock on!
Buy one that has tunnels to them men who makes them tricksy funnyplaster views. Like You've Been Caned.