I'm thinking of buying a simple, easy-to-use camcorder for my use and for others to use for ski shots. Good zoom, optical stabilization, almost point & shoot are wanted. What will work well for people who don't know what they're doing and want to invest the minimum in time and thought to get decent skiing videos? Panasonic's cheapest...HC-V180K? Sony's cheapest...CX405?
HC-V180K: 1080p, 50x optical zoom (90x total), automatic leveling, 28 mm wide angle lens, 5-axis stabilization, bright or dim o̶p̶e̶r̶a̶t̶o̶r̶ conditions. 2-5/16" x 2-5/16 x 4-9/16". 7.4 oz.
CX405: stabilization, Zeiss 26.8 mm lens, 30x optical 60x total zoom, bunch of good sounding features, 2-1/4" x 2-3/8" x 5-1/8", 7.6 oz.
Both sound very good, both are about the same price, the Panasonic is a bit smaller, more zoom.
Anyone know which of these, or something else, will be the easiest to use and still make good videos?
Are the really cheap camcorders as junky as the low price suggests, or good enough for limited use? It looks like they have limited zoom. Is 20x enough?
HC-V180K: 1080p, 50x optical zoom (90x total), automatic leveling, 28 mm wide angle lens, 5-axis stabilization, bright or dim o̶p̶e̶r̶a̶t̶o̶r̶ conditions. 2-5/16" x 2-5/16 x 4-9/16". 7.4 oz.
CX405: stabilization, Zeiss 26.8 mm lens, 30x optical 60x total zoom, bunch of good sounding features, 2-1/4" x 2-3/8" x 5-1/8", 7.6 oz.
Both sound very good, both are about the same price, the Panasonic is a bit smaller, more zoom.
Anyone know which of these, or something else, will be the easiest to use and still make good videos?
Are the really cheap camcorders as junky as the low price suggests, or good enough for limited use? It looks like they have limited zoom. Is 20x enough?