My video camera is on its way out - why get a new dedicated camcorder?

[mtyson]

As the title says. My JVC HD camcorder is on the way out; battery catch missing so the lithium pack drops out if the camera is jarred, the lens encasement got smashed so it doesn't focus after 15X zoom any more either...
Now I'd like a Full HD device to replace it. But with a budget of under £200 should I get another such barrel shaped camcorder, or get a nice compact camera which does HD videos, or even get an entry level SLR with HD video (I've seen refurbs such as the Nikon 3100 with lens at just within budget). I need good clear sound quality too.
So that's the quandary. Also I'm warming to the compact/SLR option as its one less device to carry around. Another thing is that I have a Nokia Lumia 925 which is supposed to have good 1080p video recording but never got around to testing it yet.

Thanks for any advice and pointers. Mark

[kalniel]

How long do you need to record for continuously?

[mtyson]

Probably no more than 10 minutes at a time.