Digital still camera for video

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shredder

shredder

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As the title indicates I want a digital camera which I primarily intend to use for shooting video. I did a little bit of research and have shortlisted the following:
Canon SX150 (USP: 12x optical zoom, smaller than a prosumer, uses AA batteries, an advantage for me who has Eneloops and Sony Cyclenergy batteries lying around unused. Records HD Ready videos (.mov) with stereo sound, with a dedicated movie recording button).
The other contenders are:
Fujifilm FInepix S4200 (USP: 24x optical zoom which does make it bigger and heavier than the Canon, equipped with electronic viewfinder which the Canon does not have, Records HD Ready videos (.avi) BUT with mono sound).
NIkon Coolpix L310 (USP: 21x optical zoom, no EVF, records HD ready videos with a dedicated record button)
Does anybody have any experience with any of these cameras? I feel that the S4200 has a slight advantage except for the fact that it records videos in mono sound. I'm no great expert in this department, so I'll be glad if anyone with knowledge in such matters can tell me whether there will be a big difference between videos recorded in mono and stereo. I repeat that the camera's main duty will be to capture videos. Quality of stills is secondary.
TIA
 
shredder said:
As the title indicates I want a digital camera which I primarily intend to use for shooting video. I did a little bit of research and have shortlisted the following:
Canon SX150 (USP: 12x optical zoom, smaller than a prosumer, uses AA batteries, an advantage for me who has Eneloops and Sony Cyclenergy batteries lying around unused. Records HD Ready videos (.mov) with stereo sound, with a dedicated movie recording button).
The other contenders are:
Fujifilm FInepix S4200 (USP: 24x optical zoom which does make it bigger and heavier than the Canon, equipped with electronic viewfinder which the Canon does not have, Records HD Ready videos (.avi) BUT with mono sound).
NIkon Coolpix L310 (USP: 21x optical zoom, no EVF, records HD ready videos with a dedicated record button)
Does anybody have any experience with any of these cameras? I feel that the S4200 has a slight advantage except for the fact that it records videos in mono sound. I'm no great expert in this department, so I'll be glad if anyone with knowledge in such matters can tell me whether there will be a big difference between videos recorded in mono and stereo. I repeat that the camera's main duty will be to capture videos. Quality of stills is secondary.
TIA
Click to expand...

If you are not planning to use for taking photos, you can get a handycam ;)
Which will perform better than still camera in the video capturing area.

I have Nikon D40x DSLR, but I bought Canon SX220HS for my wife to capture photos and occasionally videos. It capture HD Video (1080p) with stereo sound. It is mostly used to capture the video of my kid, hence zoom is not important for me. One issue I found is that it loses focus slightly and regains immediately. If I zoom in/out it also captures the motor sound. So I don't recommend using it much while shooting videos.

If your primary purpose is to shoot videos, I suggest selecting one model which can shoot Full HD videos.

Another model I considered was Sony HX9v, but its screen is not 16:9. Canon SX200HS got 16:9 screen which is good for videos.

There are many sites which compares the models in details, like dpreview.com
 
So basically you are saying that even the stereo microphones has its drawback since it will register the sound of the zoom motor?
 
shredder said:
As the title indicates I want a digital camera which I primarily intend to use for shooting video. I did a little bit of research and have shortlisted the following:
Canon SX150 (USP: 12x optical zoom, smaller than a prosumer, uses AA batteries, an advantage for me who has Eneloops and Sony Cyclenergy batteries lying around unused. Records HD Ready videos (.mov) with stereo sound, with a dedicated movie recording button).
The other contenders are:
Fujifilm FInepix S4200 (USP: 24x optical zoom which does make it bigger and heavier than the Canon, equipped with electronic viewfinder which the Canon does not have, Records HD Ready videos (.avi) BUT with mono sound).
NIkon Coolpix L310 (USP: 21x optical zoom, no EVF, records HD ready videos with a dedicated record button)
Does anybody have any experience with any of these cameras? I feel that the S4200 has a slight advantage except for the fact that it records videos in mono sound. I'm no great expert in this department, so I'll be glad if anyone with knowledge in such matters can tell me whether there will be a big difference between videos recorded in mono and stereo. I repeat that the camera's main duty will be to capture videos. Quality of stills is secondary.
TIA
Click to expand...


budget ??

video requirements.. (home , function/party .. etc etc )

1080p or 720p.
 
Budget around 13k
Requirements: General purpose (ocassional party, ocassional trek/hike, in anad around the house)
I can live with 720p
 
both have pros and cons..

digital camera : excel in still image and 13k is good for a decent pcket p&s

however video will have no options/controls like camcorder...
just live with what they give as factory defaults.
low light video quality will suffer..

not sure how the small processing unit will handle 1080p else it might be slight jittery.

yes while you zoom you might hear the motor sound for digital cam's are tweaked for image and video as a bonus..


camcorder : excel in video and makes butter smooth videos. though new age digital cams are not much behind but whatever is made for a purpose will always excel from the other which have video as an advantage.

loads of zoom though at max zoom a tripod is a must or panning to prevent
jello effect and jitter..

if it will be only specifically for video and no stills at all then settle down for a handcam.

if more often indoor video's low light, evening ... again a camcorder will excel..

else look forward for a good cam with a 720p video..
with a cam if you record video either have a super steady hand or a tripod for digicams stabilization optical/digital/sensor shift dosen't really work much while recording video though the videos are quite manageable

also as a fact that yes the zoom motor voice might get recorded but stereo mic will have its own advantage. do not settle down for mono else you'd watch a good video with crappy sound.
 
shredder said:
Budget around 13k
Requirements: General purpose (ocassional party, ocassional trek/hike, in anad around the house)
I can live with 720p
Click to expand...


if budget can be increased slightly..
these are the camera's you shud be looking forward for.. these can really put a lot of camcorders to shame.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V captures 1080p at 60 fps price : 15k

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Digital Camera also does 1080p at 24p (cinema effect ) 20k.. a lot more than your budget but have a look


all these are really good camera for still image as well..

my bet would be hx9v for that range of 15k else hx10v for a 1000 bucks more.
 
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please check this.. sx150 is not even comparable to HX9v.. rather look for sx220/230 for hx9v comparo..

Canon SX150 IS vs Sony DSC-HX9v - Our Analysis

Side by Side Comparison: Digital Photography Review

added a fine 921k dot lcd better wide angle, faster burst and more presets for white balance can help fine tune better..

does 1080p 60fps will be a lot smoother..

and add a gadgetry of a GPS.. and you have a nice package at that price..

canon's point and shoot have this issue of purple colouration at the far end of telephoto and still occurs even with the top of the line p&s.. keeping the g series away
 
Its not fair to compare a 16600/- (Sony) to a 9995 (Canon) one.

Compare Sony DSC-HX9v with Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. / SX220
And then see who wins.....

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Review | PhotographyBLOG

And don't limit yourself only in Sony and Canon. The travel zoom (Compact zoom camera) concept was developed by PANASONIC with their TZ series.

You can look for Panasonic Lumix TZ25. It records 1080p !
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15/TZ25 Review: Digital Photography Review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 ZS15 Zoom Review

Its 14788/- in Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ15: Price in India, Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ15 Reviews Online - Infibeam.com
 
Last edited:
theironhorse said:
please check this.. sx150 is not even comparable to HX9v.. rather look for sx220/230 for hx9v comparo..
Click to expand...

Rupam said:
Its not fair to compare a 16600/- (Sony) to a 9995 (Canon) one.

Compare Sony DSC-HX9v with Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. / SX220
And then see who wins.....
Click to expand...


exactly my thoughts... thats what i stated in my post earlier...

here is the comparo of hx and sx230.. the sony still tops the list though i am a fuji fan but this still hits my list..

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-SX230-HS-vs-Sony-HX9v
 
Ofcourse according to the website Sony DSC-HX9v does seem to have an edge over Canon.
Remember to use a SDHC card of minimum class 6 or higher for HD recording. Otherwise camera's data writing speed will be throttled and also you will not able to shoot in burst mood.
 
shredder said:
Any thoughts on this?
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Click to expand...

stay as far as you can.. even if the product is capable of doing what they show in spec sheet.. then better check these kinda stuff in personal rather buying online.. else they will be in dust after using a few times...

warranty ??

1080p -- what kinda processing unit..

sensor is 1/3.2 .. too small to give you any decent result.. even the compact camera are with better sensons..

brand /company ?? history of products from same manufacturer ??

any reviews.. from a good website ..
 
I just saw a few Full HD clips of videos shot by the SX220 and is it good!! It's even better than the footage of some dedicated hd camcorders. Having said that, availability seems to be an issue, with flipkart listing the product as permanently discontinued (on their site at least). Anyone know about the MOP of this particular camera?
@Rupam, I took a look at the Panasonic TZ25. It is pretty good at the price, BUT Full HD recording is at 1080i not 1080p. Again, the sound is recorded in mono... sigh, I guess you can't have it all.
I also came across the Nikon S6300 which
-records videos at Full HD 1080p,
-stereo recording
-dedicated movie recording button
-records in AVCHD, (which I am given to believe, is the better compression than JMPEG, used in some cameras) and AAC audio.
Slightly lesser zoom range than the competition at 10x but then I guess you can't really complain since it is the cheapest of the three.
 
shredder said:
I just saw a few Full HD clips of videos shot by the SX220 and is it good!! It's even better than the footage of some dedicated hd camcorders. Having said that, availability seems to be an issue, with flipkart listing the product as permanently discontinued (on their site at least). Anyone know about the MOP of this particular camera?
@Rupam, I took a look at the Panasonic TZ25. It is pretty good at the price, BUT Full HD recording is at 1080i not 1080p. Again, the sound is recorded in mono... sigh, I guess you can't have it all.
I also came across the Nikon S6300 which
-records videos at Full HD 1080p,
-stereo recording
-dedicated movie recording button
-records in AVCHD, (which I am given to believe, is the better compression than JMPEG, used in some cameras) and AAC audio.
Slightly lesser zoom range than the competition at 10x but then I guess you can't really complain since it is the cheapest of the three.
Click to expand...

did ya check on the hx9v and hx10v video.. sx should be available through ebay however its priced 5k above sony.. thats like 20k ..
 
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