posted
Rival, my Dad found that, in fact, a good mid-to-high-range digital camera (not an SLR) with video capabilities and a stock of 16GB and 32GB cards was actually better in terms of HD picture quality and sound quality than the "camcorders" out there, at least the ones he was willing to purchase. It has the added bonus of also taking photos! He can even take photos while filming, although it does interrupt the movie with a click sound and a still.
He has a Canon.
Of course, he simply uploads videos to his computer like photographs and then strings them together and burns a DVD in order to send them off.
The only downside seems to be that we never know if he's photographing us or filming us. As a result, we have a lot of videos that begin with us pausing and smiling, then asking if he is filming!
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I don't have a lot of experience with camcorders. But I would quickly plug HD SLR video shooting as presented at something like http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/
With the release of the T3i, the T2i will be approaching the $500 range and you won't need a separate camera and camcorder (and thus can combine your budgets for the two). That said, you can quickly blow a big hole in most people's budgets with accessories so this is just a low probability suggestion.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
One caution against using a digicam for video is that many/most cannot adjust autofocus while recording video. This makes them poor devices for recording video where the distance between you and the subject you are recording can change substantially as is the case with a lot of sporting events.
We do most of our video recording with a Canon T2i DSLR and the quality is amazing, but the focus issue is occasionally an issue. If we recording a lot of sports I'd probably get a dedicated camcorder.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
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posted
The other problem with digicams is that they're constantly adjusting lighting / tone / hue. If you use them in video mode, most of them will experience color-shifting when the light changes (and sometimes just randomly).
Posts: 1204 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Lots of high end point and shoots, in the $300 range, do zoom and autofocus even while in use.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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