Do you have one of those little puffer brushes, or spray-air cans at all? I got one single grain of sand caught in the zoom lens of a small pocket camera I had. It came from the dust off a passing lorry I think. Ruined the whole thing, I was upset! 
Yes I do have what is called a ārocket blowerā but donāt use it now if i can help it. The problem with using anything that blows into a camera is going to stir up and dirt/dust within the camera body. do you still have that photo? if so stick it on here and let me have a go see what i can do.I tend to use what is called an āartic butterfyā which builds up a static electricity and dirt goes onto it
@realspeed Thatās a little harsh, trolling is the last thing I would ever do, my usual response to something like this comment would be to ignore it. However, just to clarify my post, before retiring I worked as a self-employed graphic designer producing artwork for printed items and also produced and published magazines entirely from start to the finished publication. That meant receiving photographs for publication and having to assess the most suitable by way of subject, suitability, resolution, colour etc. If these were not acceptable in any way for the printing process, which is very technical and complicated, I had to adjust them to ensure they were.
I was interested enough to look at your first photograph and when seeing the second one my immediate thought was as I posted. Thereās nothing by way of trolling in doing that. It was a genuine comment and in view of my previous occupation it was not without knowledge on the subject. I am sorry you felt it necessary to take it the way you did.
Sorry Baz it was not aimed at you but at another member who is on my ignore list. My sincere apologise
Thatās what happens when you donāt ignore those on your ignore list. 
Ahh RS, sorryā¦when I said the grain of dust or sand ruined the whole thing, I meant the camera! It jammed the zoom lens so it didnāt retract into the casing. Thatās 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 donāt realise is actually a camcorder can be cheaper than even a compact camera
for example
The Sony HDR CX240 is only Ā£149.99
yet does so much more than just video ,does stills as well and usually a better zoom.
Thank RS, Iāll go and check that out! I just did and donāt 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 linkā¦??
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 Ā£600 to Ā£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= donāt rush to buy you may well change your mind
9 and most of a research research research before deciding.
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Gotcha! Iām all about the research. So as far as No.5 goesā¦nothing off amazon then really? Thereās a good camera shop in town, I could go there this week. Iām not in a rush thoughā¦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 Ā£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, thatās 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.
Thereās always help if you are really struggling with something.
Such a nice guy but still donāt want to kiss him
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I wouldnāt spend more than Ā£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 ā¦ Iām 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
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