Camera + Camcorder or DSLR for photo & video?

[Yzzim]

Wow congrats! Hope the baby is healthy!

Baby isn't doing so well. He was transported last night by air to a NICU about 90 miles away for respiratory distress. Not exactly sure what's up, but it's looking like pneumonia with possible meningitis due to a group b strep infection. I really have no idea what most of that means but it's not good. He's on a ventilator right now and is sedated pretty heavy on some strong stuff. Looks like we are going to be here for at least 14 days for IV medication, possibly 21 if the spinal tap comes back negative. Can't believe all this happening right now, it's crazy.

I'm looking at getting the pocket recorder as soon as I get some down time. I did look at the Kodak pocket recorder and saw there's a newer version? Should I check out the newer version? Is it worth the extra money?

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

 

[jaydee]

Baby isn't doing so well. He was transported last night by air to a NICU about 90 miles away for respiratory distress. Not exactly sure what's up, but it's looking like pneumonia with possible meningitis due to a group b strep infection. I really have no idea what most of that means but it's not good. He's on a ventilator right now and is sedated pretty heavy on some strong stuff. Looks like we are going to be here for at least 14 days for IV medication, possibly 21 if the spinal tap comes back negative. Can't believe all this happening right now, it's crazy.

I'm looking at getting the pocket recorder as soon as I get some down time. I did look at the Kodak pocket recorder and saw there's a newer version? Should I check out the newer version? Is it worth the extra money?

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

Wow, hope everything works out with the baby. My firstborn son is 9 days old today and I can't imagine going through that. I remember the OB talking about strep B, my wife tested positive for being a carrier so she had penicillin running through her IV during the labor to reduce the chance of passing it on. Scary stuff, but the stuff hospitals and doctors can deal with now is amazing, I'm very hopefully everything is going to be alright.

Haven't messed too much with 60fps in low-light, but I can tell you that, for the price, the camera does amazingly well in dark situations. Live concerts in the dark came out pretty dang well for a $100-ish pocket camcorder. Although if it's primarily low-light performance you're after, the Zoom Q3HD has the best low-light of any pocket cam I've seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SyWM17l2iQ

Other than general use, I'd like to use a new camcorder for frame by frame analysis of bowling technique and try to count revs on the ball going down the lane (usually dealing with 10-20 revs down 60ft @ 12-18 mph). So 60 fps is a minimum requirement, and bowling alley's aren't terrible, but not the best lighting situation. I would imagine far better lighting than concerts though. But if you recorded the concert at 1080p@30 fps, it might not be representative of low light performance with 720p@60 fps shooting. I'm only looking to spend in the $100 range so the Q3HD is out. For the record, I tried my Canon SX200IS shooting video in 720p@30fps mode and that doesn't cut it.

 

[realmike15]

DSLR's are much better for Film Makers and Advanced Amateurs than they are for everyday home movies. Optically they are better than most camcorders 5x the price and offer outstanding low-light performance, but they lack key features like AF which is something the typically layman doesn't want to deal with.

In short, if you're an amateur film maker a DSLR w/ video is your best bet. If you're someone looking to make home movies, a DSLR will likely be too difficult to use.

 

[Kaido]

Baby isn't doing so well. He was transported last night by air to a NICU about 90 miles away for respiratory distress. Not exactly sure what's up, but it's looking like pneumonia with possible meningitis due to a group b strep infection. I really have no idea what most of that means but it's not good. He's on a ventilator right now and is sedated pretty heavy on some strong stuff. Looks like we are going to be here for at least 14 days for IV medication, possibly 21 if the spinal tap comes back negative. Can't believe all this happening right now, it's crazy.

I'm looking at getting the pocket recorder as soon as I get some down time. I did look at the Kodak pocket recorder and saw there's a newer version? Should I check out the newer version? Is it worth the extra money?

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

Wow, hope everything goes alright!

I would say that the new Kodak isn't worth the premium. It's nearly exactly the same as the current one, and the current one is $112 shipped and works pretty nicely for a super easy HD camera. Also, if you search on Amazon for "TS16GSDHC6-P2", you can get a 16GB Class 6 SD card with a USB card reader for $29 shipped (directly linking changes the prices for some reason).

 

[Caecus Veritas]

Have you considered the Olympus E-PL2 or Panasonic GF1(2) or equivalent?

I use the 5DII and wife uses GF1 (20mm kit) - this is in addition to the HSF10 camcorder. Funny thing is, even with all the equipment, the GF1 gets the most use for the everday pictures & videos of our 1 1/2 year old son. Wife initially thought it was too complex but now loves it. Sometimes the camcorder and DSLR just gets too... burdensome for everyday use.

The GF1 has very good image quality that can stand its own against better DSLRs. It can be carried in wife's baby bag daily. It can do nice videos (especially with the 20mm 1.7 pancake lens). It can be anwhere at anytime. And the picture/video settings can be as simple or complex as you need it to be. For an everday general use camera - but something better than P&S, I don't think there's any better package than these compact mirrorless DSLRs.

EDIT: all our wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Munky]

I didn't see anyone recommend the micro 4/3 systems, but if you're looking for one camera than can do video and stills well, then consider something like the Panasonic GH1. I tried one, and the AF during video is miles ahead of anything you can get on a DSLR. The newer GH2 is supposed to focus even quicker, along with better video quality, for a higher price though.

Unless you're on a tight budget, I would rule out compact or super-zoom cameras.