Q. I saw digicams for just around 50 pounds... and camcorders for about 100, so I was wondering... I'd love to record "moved pictures" as well and upload them on my computer.
A. Many, perhaps most, digital still cameras will record video. It can be good, if not necessarily great, but there are issues.
The cheaper digital still cameras record in the Motion JPEG (MJPEG) format, which is basically little different than making a "flip movie" of still JPEG images. They do this because the camera already uses JPEG for still photo storage, so there's no need for more expensive digital processing.
Generally, an MJPEG video recorded by a digital still camera is at a lower resolution, probably 640x480, sometimes a bit more or less as an option. The quality compares reasonably well to DV camcorders. The big problem with MJPEG is size... it can use up hundreds of megabytes per minute... so you can't fit much video on the camera. If you're keeping under the 10 minute YouTube limit, this may be ok for you... otherwise, it may be a problem. More advanced digital still cameras offer video-camera like compression, probably using some form of MPEG.
I have a Panasonic DMC-TZ5, which records in MJPEG, but does offer high definition recording in 720p (1280x720 at 30fps), so it can actually look better than DV, sometimes. Of course, this takes up significant space on a flash card... it limits videos to 2GB (even if you have a larger memory card), which means you get about 8 minutes of HD video in a single clip... up to 15 minutes if you record at a lower resolution. Of course, this is also a $300 camera, not a cheapie... and even at that, the video quality is no threat to an HD camcorder of most any type.
Aside from the video format, there may be other digital still camera issues when playing videocamera. Many of them cannot zoom while in recording mode... you have to stop, zoom, then start again (the Panasonic can zoom). Some are a bit touchy on the autofocus, largely because of nuances in how a camcorder does its autofocus versus how a still camera does... they still use the still camera focusing algorithms for video mode, and the video quality suffers a bit as a result (switching off autofocus may be an option, I've done this with the Panny).
Sound on consumer camcorders is bad enough, but most digital still cameras have abysmal sound. My Panasonic, for example, records in 8-bit mono... this is only really useful for synchronizing to another audio source (I sometimes use the Panny as a 3rd camcorder when I have my two HDV camcorders on tripods... I'm using those others, and/or a field recorder, to cover the audio), or possibly for YouTube videos.
You'll find the same issue going the other way... video cameras often offer digital still mode, but there will be quality issues. I took hundreds of photos on my Canon HD10 while on an extended backpacking trip. At about 3Mpixels, they're not too bad for 4"x6" snapshots, but you're not getting good enlargements from these. On the other hand, only one camera in the backpack was useful when walking 10-15km each day for two weeks.
The cheaper digital still cameras record in the Motion JPEG (MJPEG) format, which is basically little different than making a "flip movie" of still JPEG images. They do this because the camera already uses JPEG for still photo storage, so there's no need for more expensive digital processing.
Generally, an MJPEG video recorded by a digital still camera is at a lower resolution, probably 640x480, sometimes a bit more or less as an option. The quality compares reasonably well to DV camcorders. The big problem with MJPEG is size... it can use up hundreds of megabytes per minute... so you can't fit much video on the camera. If you're keeping under the 10 minute YouTube limit, this may be ok for you... otherwise, it may be a problem. More advanced digital still cameras offer video-camera like compression, probably using some form of MPEG.
I have a Panasonic DMC-TZ5, which records in MJPEG, but does offer high definition recording in 720p (1280x720 at 30fps), so it can actually look better than DV, sometimes. Of course, this takes up significant space on a flash card... it limits videos to 2GB (even if you have a larger memory card), which means you get about 8 minutes of HD video in a single clip... up to 15 minutes if you record at a lower resolution. Of course, this is also a $300 camera, not a cheapie... and even at that, the video quality is no threat to an HD camcorder of most any type.
Aside from the video format, there may be other digital still camera issues when playing videocamera. Many of them cannot zoom while in recording mode... you have to stop, zoom, then start again (the Panasonic can zoom). Some are a bit touchy on the autofocus, largely because of nuances in how a camcorder does its autofocus versus how a still camera does... they still use the still camera focusing algorithms for video mode, and the video quality suffers a bit as a result (switching off autofocus may be an option, I've done this with the Panny).
Sound on consumer camcorders is bad enough, but most digital still cameras have abysmal sound. My Panasonic, for example, records in 8-bit mono... this is only really useful for synchronizing to another audio source (I sometimes use the Panny as a 3rd camcorder when I have my two HDV camcorders on tripods... I'm using those others, and/or a field recorder, to cover the audio), or possibly for YouTube videos.
You'll find the same issue going the other way... video cameras often offer digital still mode, but there will be quality issues. I took hundreds of photos on my Canon HD10 while on an extended backpacking trip. At about 3Mpixels, they're not too bad for 4"x6" snapshots, but you're not getting good enlargements from these. On the other hand, only one camera in the backpack was useful when walking 10-15km each day for two weeks.
Best Camcorder and microphone for recording talks?
Q. I need something to record talk presentations. What are the best options for good quality camcorders and microphones? I have a 700$ budget, so I am looking at a 500$ or less camcorder and maybe 100$ for a microphone and 100$ for a tripod.
A. You can go for Sony DCR-SX43 Standard Definition Flash Mem Camcorder which costs only $199.99 from thriftynickel.biz
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