few questions on digital cameras.

B

blahxyzblah

New Member
1.does the MP determine the video quality of a dc? if it doesn't what does?

2.are there any dc that can zoom during videos?

thanks
 
1) Yes and no. Of course if you get a digital camera that's limited to 640x480 in picture modes, then the video mode won't be any higher. If you read the specs, they usually say what kind of video capture the camera's have. My Panasonic, for example, gets 320x240 @ 30FPS.

2) Very few cameras allow you to zoom or focus while taking a video. A select few allow you to use the digital zoom, but not optical. I know the cannon S2IS offered a very high resolution video mode(640x480 @ 30FPS) and you could zoom and perhaps even focus. However, it used no real video compression, so you're quite limited to your movie capacity.

If you're trying to make videos, get a camcorder. You can get fairly nice ones for pretty cheap.
 
There are many things affecting digital camera image quality, among them are:

Megapixels.
Sensor size and quality.
Lense type and quality.
And the type of image processing the camera uses.

All these factors add up to the total image quality.

And for your second question, I'm not sure, you would have to check individual cameras.
 
i'm debating over whether to get a dc or a camcorder. so far, i'm leaning towards more on the dc cause i think it's more simpler and i don't know a thing about camcorders, plus it's smaller and can fit in my pocket.

another question, my dc's video resolution is 320x240 @ 20fps and i think the quality turns out ok when i put it in my computer and watch it, but i want it to be a little better. so do i look for one that has more fps, or more resolution, or both?
and also, when two different dc have video resolutions at 320x240 @20fps, does that mean that their video quality will be alike, or do the other specs of the camera affect it?
thanks
 
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blahxyzblah said:
i'm debating over whether to get a dc or a camcorder. so far, i'm leaning towards more on the dc cause i think it's more simpler and i don't know a thing about camcorders, plus it's smaller and can fit in my pocket.

another question, my dc's video resolution is 320x240 @ 20fps and i think the quality turns out ok when i put it in my computer and watch it, but i want it to be a little better. so do i look for one that has more fps, or more resolution, or both?
and also, when two different dc have video resolutions at 320x240 @20fps, does that mean that their video quality will be alike, or do the other specs of the camera affect it?
thanks
Click to expand...

First, I would suggest a Digital Camera over a Digital Video Camera, A digital camera is just more useful.

Secondly, if you have two cameras with 320x240 @20fps video capture capabilities, it would come down to lens quality, sensor quality etc, although it will be a very small difference, likely not noticeable.
 
an optical zoom camera is better than digial zoom, it uses lenses to zoom images while digital uses image processors to zoom. but optical cameras are bigger compared to digital camaras
 
If you want to make videos, go with a camcorder... Yes, as others have said there's more to image quality besides the MP. However, many digital cameras have very limited video functions. As I said, many can't focus while recording. Many have very poor low light recording capabilities.

Recording video is more of an "added bonus" when it comes to digicams. Yes, some have some really nice video features, but most aren't anything close to a real camcorder.

Also, you tend to be very limited by space. Lets take my old Kodak which records about what your camrea records at. I beleive the 256M card I typically use in it gets about 12 minutes of video. So, if you were to get a 1G card, that'd hold about 50 minutes. The cheapest 1G SD card I've seen is $14. You can get a pack of 3 Hi8 tapes(that's what my Digital8 camera uses) or MiniDV tapes for a bout the same price. Each tape holds 60 minutes high quality(720x480 @ 29.97FPS)

Oh, another quick note. Most digicam's don't record stereo audio. Basically all camcorders anymore do.
 
a question on cc. what types are the easiest to use, i mean like, to transfer on my computer and just start editing the video files? are there cc that are like digital cameras where i can just connect it to a usb and just transfer? and how come when i go to bestbuy they dont say the cc video resolutions?
 
^
Because most stores dont give or know the technical specs. You will need to research those on your own time. It's better, worthier than any bestbuy associate's advice.

Question is, do you want pictures, or videos?
Pictures = Digital camera
Video = CamCorder

A Digital Camera can take pictures good, record video bad or fairly decent.
A CamCorder can take videos good and zoom and all that, may take bad or fairly decent pictures.

It's up to you whether you would be taking pictures more or videos more.
 
Stay away from analog formats(Hi8, VHS-C, etc etc...) Digital8 and miniDV are both great formats that allow you to STREAM video from your camcorder to your computer. Camcorders with DVD format will probably require you to rip the data from the DVD if you want to do more than just play it. A camcorder with a hard drive will probably allow you to drag directly to your computer, but I've never tried one.

Camcorders really only come in a couple resolutions. Standard DV(720x480) and new HD compatable ones. I don't know the actual resolution most run at...it probably depends on the price.
 
i want something to take videos with. but i wanted a dc because it's small and can fit into my pocket, and i can get one for about 250 or less. but after reading what you guys have wrote, i think i might get the cc.

question- when a cc says something like this, 30x optical/1200x digital zoom, does that mean for the video zoom, or the picture zoom, or both?
2.if i get a minidv cc, is it simple and quick enough to transfer the videos from the cc to my computer?

sorry for having so many questions, and thanks for you people who are putting up with me.
 
If you get a digicam that can fit in your pocket, I can almost guarantee you won't be happy with it's video quality. The smaller the camera, the worse the video quality...typcially...

Now, there are some very nice camcorders out there that will fit in your pocket, but I don't know if you could find one for very cheap anymore or not...

when a cc says something like this, 30x optical/1200x digital zoom, does that mean for the video zoom, or the picture zoom, or both?
Click to expand...
I have no clue what you mean by video and picture zoom... The 30x means optical(lens) and 1200x means digital(basically expanding pixles) Anything above about twice the optical zoom looks horrible. My camcorder has a 25x optical/700x digital. It's VERY obvious when you hit the digital zoom area. Most of this is just a selling point for people who don't know what their getting. "Oh, this one's got more X's so it's got to be better!" Just disregard the digital zoom.

miniDV must be streamed to your computer. You basically just find what you want to record(works like a VCR) then press record and let it stream to your computer. It can take a while(as long as the video) but it's a very simple process.
 
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