Figure 1: A Fujifilm S8600 “Bridge” camera.
Probably the cheapest way to create videos where convenience is at least a little appreciated is to purchase a so-called “bridge” camera.
A bridge camera is a camera designed to fill the niche between the least expensive camera type (compact / point ‘n shoot) camera and the much more expensive DSLR camera. In recent years some DSLR cameras have had their pricing reduced from the historically (pretty high) costs. Even with those recent reductions, for the budget minded (often novice level) user, the bridge camera still can find a good home and happy owner.
VideoMiscellany 