Sorry Baz it was not aimed at you but at another member who is on my ignore list. My sincere apologise
That’s what happens when you don’t ignore those on your ignore list. 
Ahh RS, sorry…when I said the grain of dust or sand ruined the whole thing, I meant the camera! It jammed the zoom lens so it didn’t retract into the casing. That’s why I was upset. I appreciate your offer of trying to help though, thank you. 
can happen with retractable zooms in a compact camera. this is why I would rather go for a camcorder that zooms in without bits going in and out, What many don’t realise is actually a camcorder can be cheaper than even a compact camera
for example
The Sony HDR CX240 is only £149.99
yet does so much more than just video ,does stills as well and usually a better zoom.
Thank RS, I’ll go and check that out! I just did and don’t really fancy it. What about this one?https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camcorder-Powerful-Anti-shake-Microphone-Wireless/dp/B08GX5TTG8/ref=sr_1_21_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Sony+HDR+CX240&qid=1629655575&sr=8-21-spons&psc=1&smid=A1OY9X8OODHJY7&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTjNSTkVGUlpTU1pKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzA3MTcwMklPRUw3MlNCUFFIVyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE0NTIzMkVYMTRYUjVMQUU5TCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2J0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Good grief, how do you reduce the link…??
That is about the basic Sony range, of course there are other makes which I did research on but it still came down to Panasonic v Sony in the end due to picture quality and how steady I could handhold the camcorder. I was looking in the £600 to £900 price range and was it a tough choice having had a panasonic camcorder before. I kept deciding on this one then that one-checking on youtube- reading so many reports on both then kept changing my mind. What eventually swung it for me was the built in gimbal (reports said best in group). Nothing wrong I could find with the panasonic but **i could only choose one or other.
I am a bit wary of unknown camera/camcorder makes to be honest, I would rather stick with a well known brand name. Having said that i would go about it like this
1= set price range
2= read users/owners reports , not anyone who might get a rake off from the sale
3= see if it meets your needs
4= try and see footage on youtube from that one
5= go to a proper camera shop for best advice ,not some high street retailer
6= check battery life and how big a memory card it will take GB wise are spare batteries readily available
7= how good is the viewing screen and ease to use
8= don’t rush to buy you may well change your mind
9 and most of a research research research before deciding.
1 Like
Gotcha! I’m all about the research. So as far as No.5 goes…nothing off amazon then really? There’s a good camera shop in town, I could go there this week. I’m not in a rush though…just looking for now.
Amazon is ok but if you what to ask questions after purchase a camera store is the better option. Also if there is a fault with it your better off going to a proper shop or even for advice and even a demo first before buying.
Bit different for me I knew what I wanted and found a company that had mismarked the price by £50 in my favour so I went for it. Shortly after I saw they knew the mistake and bumped up the price to be inline with other retailers. too late as I had ordered mine at the lower price and it was on its way
out of interest what price rage were you thinking of?
Oh OK, that’s alright then, apology accepted in that case. I replied only because
by the information top right it was actually a direct reply to me. 
still trying to find my way around this new forum
Like many but I am sure that eventually we will all manage just as we all did on the old forum.
There’s always help if you are really struggling with something.
Such a nice guy but still don’t want to kiss him
1 Like
1 Like
I wouldn’t spend more than £200. I have a a camera that does video, and my phone can take a still shot of something that I might be videoing, but neither has great zoom capacity. This is what attracted me to your post, was the zooming. I need to zoom and shoot video (thinking of seals on rocks at the beach, etc.)
This is an interesting thread … I’m a total novice at cameras and videos and often wonder whether to have a dabble, for a reasonable start up amount.
did you see my zoom videos ?
Sony
no lenses to change either
towards the end of this one
Panasonic taken on the River Nile
2 Likes
Loving them yes! No shake either which is good. Are they both handheld devices? And do they have image stabilisation on them?
The sony one on small tripod does have image stablisation but turned off. The panasonic hand held no stablisation
try doing this with any other camera you will be struggling
to control a slow steady zoom is best done with a remote as in the top video as in this below
the best way I found to do this is to get the zoom as close in as possible to centralise the subject then pull out and start recording. That way you know your on the subject
Just a quick word going with 4K camcorder and monitor makes such a difference to the 1080p format
Looking forward to it. I’ll cashew later.