need help choosing a camcorder!

[some99]

Firstly I want to say hi to everyone! I am new to the community

I am planning on buying a camcorder, however I have no knowledge of them. I tried googling, but just can’t find the right information regarding what makes a good camcorder. My budget is € 300 ($ 390).

A couple of camcorders I have been looking at and am interested in are:

- SONY HDR-CX320E
- PANASONIC HC-V210
- PANASONIC HC-V110
- JVC GZ-E305
- SONY HDR-PJ220E
- CANON Legria HF R406
- SONY HDR-CX280E
- CANON LEGRIA HF R36

Any of these any good? hahaha

Btw are there any SLR cameras that are also good camcorders?

Hope someone can help me out! Thank you in advance!

 

[brunerww]

Firstly I want to say hi to everyone! I am new to the community

I am planning on buying a camcorder, however I have no knowledge of them. I tried googling, but just can’t find the right information regarding what makes a good camcorder. My budget is € 300 ($ 390).

A couple of camcorders I have been looking at and am interested in are:

- SONY HDR-CX320E
- PANASONIC HC-V210
- PANASONIC HC-V110
- JVC GZ-E305
- SONY HDR-PJ220E
- CANON Legria HF R406
- SONY HDR-CX280E
- CANON LEGRIA HF R36

Any of these any good? hahaha

Btw are there any SLR cameras that are also good camcorders?

Hope someone can help me out! Thank you in advance!

Hi some99 - and welcome. This is primarily a still photography forum, but I am a video guy as well as a still guy, so I will do my best to help. With a 300€ budget, however, your options are limited. Yes, there are several Canon and Nikon DSLRs, and Panasonic DSLMs that record great artifact-free video, but they all cost more than 300€.

Your best value for money will be the 249€ Canon HF R406 - it shoots at 1080/50p in your choice of codecs, 35mbps MP4 or 28 mbps AVCHD - and has a headphone jack - unlike the other camcorders in its price range.

Here is what this camcorder can do (please watch at 1080p):

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Hope this is helpful,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

 

[some99]

hi brunerww, thank you very mush for the reply!

so how mush would a DSLRs/DSLMs camera with good recording capabilities cost?

 

[Dinardy]

D3200s are at about 550.00 now

 

[brunerww]

hi brunerww, thank you very mush for the reply!

so how mush would a DSLRs/DSLMs camera with good recording capabilities cost?

If by "good recording capabilities", you mean moire-free video, and video autofocus that actually works (like a camcorder), here are my recommendations:

Nikon DSLR: The least expensive Nikon I can recommend is the 675€ D5200 (the Nikon D3100, 445€ D3200, D5100, D7000, and full frame cameras suffer from excessive moire). But all DSLR optical viewfinders, including the D5200's, are blocked by the reflex mirror in video mode.

Panasonic DSLM: The least expensive Panasonic I can recommend is the 699€ G6. This camera has essentially no moire, shoots 1080/50p for smooth action and slow motion, features focus peaking for super accurate manual focus, and, like a camcorder, has an electronic viewfinder that continues to work in video mode.

Canon DSLR: The only moire-free Canon is the Canon 5D Mark III and it is over 2800€.

Sony DSLTs: all Sonys (including mirrorless NEX) suffer from horrible moire. I would not buy one for video.

Here is a side-by-side of the D5200 and the D3200 showing why it is important to stay away from older generation DSLRs and DSLTs for video (please watch at 1080p - note the shimmering on the chain link fence in the D3200 video):

​

Again, hope this is helpful!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

 

[some99]

thank you very mush for the information, really appreciate it!