Camcorder/Digital Camera

[Thawk]

I am in the market for a camcorder (got twins on the way ). I would like the camcorder to double as a digital camera. Is this possible? If so, what camcorder do you recommend?
Thanks,

 

[bacillus]

no real suggestions here but a camcorder produces poor still photos!
for good stills you'll still need a camera.

 

[MrHelpful]

With a camcorder, the highest resolution still you can get is 1MP, IIRC.

 

[MrHelpful]

This one uses MiniDV.

 

[jonn]

I have a Voodoo 3500 card that i just plug rca cables from my 1200.00 cam corder into, as far as movies its fine, but as said above, stills are worse than my 200.00 digital camera in 640x480 resoulation, looks good on screen till you capture the still then its bad with the camcorder. Camera's, even lesser quality, will take better stills.

 

[JohnnyPC]

I have the Sony DCRTRV-730 and I bought it for the same reason. I wanted it for double duty; the video capabilities and for the built in digital camera. The 730 has a megapixel CCD. I'll have to admit that even though this is the highest pixle count of a decently priced digital camcorder (~$750) the digital stills are pretty grainy and blurry...not anything that you could put in a frame after printing. I can only imagine what the quality would be with an even lower pixel count of the average around 5-600. I've heard from owners of digital cameras that even at 2.1 megapixels the results are a bit lackluster. Only after upgrading to the 3.1+ cams did they get a photo thatthey could be proud of...

 

[Radboy]

i like canon's the best. the look more film-like, whereas son'ys (everyone's favorite) tend to look more video-like, harsher.

 

[mschell]

You can also "rip" stills from high quality digi camcorder footage using capture/editing programs. Since this is basicly what the camera does anyway, I would just get a really good camcorder and shoot with highest quality settings in good light. You should be able to get decent 640x480 stills from this.

 

[imgod2u]

During volunteer time as a lab assistant, they let me use a great Sony DV camera that doubled as a high-res digital still camera. It had PCMIA adapter that linked it to a storage type for the still images (either floppy or sony memory stick) and a mini-dv tape socket for the video. I'm not sure of the model number but I think it was around 25 grand. The image resolution was 2400x1200 max and it was pretty great image quality (enough to correctly display 300 micron brain slices with tumors in them), better than any mid-range digital camera I know of. Not to mention the lense was absolutely fabulous, a Carl Zeiss I believe, I was able to focus on stuff less than a cm away from the tip of the lense with unbelievable accuracy. I'm not sure about all the functions (if you're planning on using it in professional grade photography that is), I didn't get a chance to mess around with the aperture, exposure or focus range settings, but I'm sure it's equivalent to your average $1000 digital camera.

Not sure if that's what you're looking for or not, but hey that's about what you'd expect if you're looking for great still coupled with DV camcorder. I'd be much cheaper and prolly would make more sense for you just to get a mid-range DV camera and a still camera separately. Kodak's new DXsomething model with the dockable port is very cheap (a little over $180 listed on cnet) and it's a great camera. Couple that with a mid-range DV camera and you've got your memories right there.

 

[SteveS]

If you are not going to be doing serious video editing, the best bet is to get a decent quality Hi-8 analog camcorder and a separate digital camera. With some careful shopping you can get the combo for less than a single higher end video camera and you will have two devices which are optimized for their special purpose.

If you really want to get both in one, Fry's Electronics has an ad (good for today only) for an RCA cc-9381 which is a minidv digital camcorder with a one megapixel sensor:

RCA camcorder

You can see the ad here:

Anandtech thread with scans

But the model is so new that there are no reviews currently available.

 

[cyclones]

Check out the Fuji range from the Finepix 4700, 4800, 6800 etc.
These range from 4.3mill pixels to 6mill pixels and also give a
80-90 seconds video and sound facility.
Many folk have commented that 80-90 seconds of watching
someone elses baby gurgle and smile can be sufficient.

 

[Thawk]

Thanks for all of the feedback. This is a difficult subject for me because I just don't understand the technologies involved. I know I want high resolution for a quality shot. That is the extent of my knowledge. It sounds like there is not a quality solution for me in a 2 in 1 camera (cept for the one that cost 25k). I guess I'll head to salesville and let the salesmen educate me some more on the subject.

 

[Crazee]

cTake a look at Camcorder Info Website

It is filled with good information. I think if you want a really nice solution, you should look at a Canon ZR20 Camcorder. It gets high ratings at Camcorderinfo and from Consumer Reports for a mid range MiniDV Camcorder. It has the ability to do some manual settings that typically come only on more expensive models and it doesn't try to do still images so you don't pay extra for something you won't need. It can be found on pricegrabber for as low as $459.00.

Then take a look at a decent mid range digital camera. You should look and see what kind of settings you need for the camera and what kind of resolution you want. There are many fine digital cameras I would recommend that you go to a few stores and see if you can try it before you buy it. At least have them take a shot in the store and download it to a computer so you can see what it looks like.

Take a look at these sites:
Digital Photography Review
Digital Camera Resource
PCPhotoReview

 

[billyjak]

I just gought a Sony DCR -TRV17 for that purpose, but the still pictures are only 640x480x
I went with the Sony because of the ILink and wireless transmitter to view on the TV, no plugging and unplugging camcorder to view video.
My camcorder also hooks up to my 1394 Firewire port through the SB Audigy port.
A seperate digital camera would be the way to go for digital pictures as I bought a Nikon coolpix 775 just for that reason.
If a basic picture is all you need then the Sonny is alright, Canons have higher resolution for still pictures but your going to pay a very high price for that feature.
The digital quality is as good as DVD playback
I could have gotten the higher up sony which does better but 2,000 is too much for my wallet, it's better to buy them seperate.