Camcorders: Reliability
Best camcorders for reliability
The best digital camcorders will preserve those important moments in great quality - be sure to check which models are rated Best Buys in the Which? camcorder reviews before you decide on a purchase. But buying a digital camcorder is no small investment, so it's good to know you're spending your money on a reliable brand. We surveyed Which? members to see how reliable they'd found their own digital camcorders to be, and the results suggest that most big brands are reassuringly durable.
Panasonic camcorders lead the field with an impressively positive response. However, Sony camcorders rank closely behind, and other big names such as Canon and JVC also fared well in our survey responses.
| Digital camcorder reliability | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Score |
| Panasonic |  94% |
| Sony | 93% |
| Canon | 91% |
| JVC | 91% |
Table notes
Sample sizes: Panasonic (238), Sony (466), Canon (163), JVC (161). The total sample size was 1028.
Why camcorders break down
The top three reasons why your camcorders broke down:
- 21% Camcorder not recording
- 14% Poor picture quality
- 12% Cassette jamming
Camcorder reviews - recommended brands
Our survey of owners’ views sheds useful light on choosing the best camcorder, in addition to our thorough camcorder test programme and our own expert Which? camcorder reviews, which can help you find the best digital camera for you.
Check out the table below to see how many camcorder owners would definitely recommend their camcorder to a friend - we compare Canon, Sanyo, Hitachi, JVC, Sony, Samsung and Panasonic.
| Definitely recommended camcorders | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Score |
| Canon |  |
| JVC | |
| Panasonic | |
| Sony | |