Lights, camera, no action: why we shouldn’t mourn the death of the camcorder

John Lewis says sales of portable video cameras are 'non-existent'. This may mark the end of an era defined by the hulking around of VHS monsters to create poor-quality home movies, but the alternative is even more troubling

Sad news for amateur film-makers; according to John Lewis, camcorders are practically a "non-existent" market, with sales down 33% this year. If they keep tumbling like this, it's likely that they will soon join other anachronistic items that the department store chain stopped selling this year, such as clutch bags and fish kettles.

But wait, people are still buying camcorders? In an age when the majority of people permanently carry around a smaller, sharper, better video recorder in their pockets, people are still committed to owning a separate device? Apparently so. Admittedly, many of the camcorders available on the John Lewis website include functionality not readily available on a phone - almost half are GoPros, which are basically camcorders you can strap to your head, while another has a built-in projector - but really? Camcorders in 2019? Isn't that a bit of a pain?

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