Stuff.tv’s best cheap camcorders

Small, cheap, camcorders were one of 2008’s hottest gadgets. And now there’s a new wave of HD models that won’t break the bank but will serve up killer home movie footage. Here’s our pick of the best.

Flip MinoHD

www.theflip.com, £TBA

The original Flip kicked this whole cheap camcorder revolution off, and their slimmed down new 720p HD version is fighting to be number one. Ok, it’s basic, but it’s tiny and can be slung in a bag without fear of it breaking down. You can record 60 minutes onto the 4GB of internal storage. The only set back? It’s still not hit the UK.

www.creative.com, £179.99

The Flip’s original rival, the Vado HD trumps the MinoHD with 8GB of storage, letting you snag 2 hours of your mates falling off bar stalls and the like. While it records in 720p, you can watch your footage in 1080i when you hook it up to the TV. It’s not the cheapest, but its size makes it a winner.

www.kodak.co.uk, £130

The first HD budget camcorder, the Kodak Zi6 might be bulkier than the Vado and Flip, but crams in a bigger screen, up to 32GB of storage via the SD slot, as well as 30fps and 60fps shooting. There’s even the chance to play back in slow motion. Size is an issue, but at £130, price most definitely isn’t.

www.sony.co.uk, £TBA

Sony’s answer to the Flip came at this year’s CES, in the form of this slick new vertical model. You get a rotating swivel screen, 1080i shooting, 5MP stills and of course the Sony brand to set you apart. Drawbacks? No optical zoom and like the Flip and no UK release plans as yet. Boo!

www.toshiba.com, £149

For full 1080p shots, this is where it’s at. The recently outed P30 is Toshiba’s attempt to claw back some camcorder love from those enamoured with other cheap peepers. The P30 packs a 2.5in screen, with a pistol-style body. Bigger than its rivals, but well–priced, with SD support and HDMI connectivity.

Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home