Portable HD Video Recorder

[ronmexico]

My friend just purchased the Flip MinoHD (http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2008/11/720p-in-your-pocket-hands-on-with-the-flip-minohd.ars) 720p video recorder. I like its size and simplicity. It has a little button that flips out a USB attachment, records high quality video, and syncs with an apple computer nicely. It's downside is that it is only digital zoom, no image stabilization, built in 4GB memory and battery, and it only records video. I was at Best Buy and about to purchase one when I glanced at the digital camera section and saw that many of them do the same thing...and they do more...for just a little extra cost. Does anyone here have a suggestion for a small camera that records 720p video, takes nice snapshots, has image stabilization, expandable memory...and syncs well with an apple? I appreciate the help!

[ime_NY]

I'm in the same situation.

I believe Casio, Nikon, Canon, and Sony have all recently come out with new digital point-and-shoots that record 720p. They range from ~ $ 250-$400, but of course you find cheaper prices snooping around.

Even though I have a bias towards Nikon and Sony, I'm leaning towards the Casio EX-S12, but I'm not sure how I'll balance my shooting between 720p and the YouTube capture mode:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9275358&type=product&id=1218072893544

[ronmexico]

Yeah...I expected that price range...and in fact am not looking for the cheapest option. $200-$400 is fine, but I will pay towards the upper end if there is a device that works well and syncs well with my computer.

[Robo]

If you're looking for something in the Flip price range that A) takes stills, B) has expandable memory, and C) has an optical zoom, the answer, to me, is obvious. Get thee a Sony Webbie HD!

There's two different models. The PM1 ($169) is styled more like the Flip and other "bar" camcorders, but with a swiveling lens for self portraits. It does take 5MP stills, and it does have a Memory Stick Duo slot rather than non-expandable memory; however, it only has a digital zoom (4x).

But! There's another model, the CM1 ($199). This one is styled more like a traditional camcorder, with a larger, fold-out, swiveling LCD. Like the PM1, it uses Memory Stick Duos for its memory and can take 5MP stills; however, the CM1 has a 5x optical zoom (20x digital, of course).

Unlike the Flip MinoHD, which captures at 720x1280, the Webbie HDs capture at 1080x1440 - not quite 1080p, but certainly a welcome improvement.

It seems like either (but especially the CM1) would fit your needs fairly well. Sony lists both as being compatible with OS X (v. 10.4.11 and higher) but I've never tried used them with OS X. And they actually seem to be competitively priced Sony products, for once! You just need to add memory. Plus, they come in purple. And orange. (And silver, if you're boring.) What's not to love?

[Swox]

Something I've wondered about this sort of small HD camera is whether their lenses are good enough to really capture HD. Is HD actually not that lens intensive, or are these things really only HD in data size (i.e. are they going to look as good in 480p as 720p?)?

I really don't know anything about camcorders, so I'm curious to know how this all works...

I hope this isn't thread hijacking, but it seems related...

[PB PM]

You would need a rather good lens to take full advantage of HD, otherwise it is just a waste of pixels.

[zippy]

I don't know about the really small, Flip size cameras, but I've seen side by side comparisons of video on two Sony Camcorders - standard and HD, and I thought the difference in video quality was amazing.

I have been drooling over a Canon HD camcorder with 16GB built in Flash memory, plus an SD card-slot for additional storage at Costco. Price is about $550. The only short side is that it is 'only' 12x optical zoom. The $250 non-HD unit right next to it has a 35 or 40x optical zoom - yummy.

If they would bump that HD camera to somewhere around 30x or more optical zoom and tack on another hundred $, it would be perfect.

[ronmexico]

Roboman...thanks for the reply. I think we are on the right track. I checked out some reviews on a few sites, and both models you recommended seem to have issues with lighting. Have you experience the same issues?

After looking a little more, I do like specs on the Sony Cybershot DSC-T500 (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cybershot-DSC-T500-Digital-Stabilization/dp/B001DTA7IW). I like it's size, ability to function as a camera and 720p video recorder, optical zoom, image stabilization. I am concerned about some of the complaints about battery life. Any experience with this or any competitors offer a better product.

[Robo]

*shrugs* I've mainly used it outdoors, when I'm out and about, to capture things that interest me (like plastic bags blowing in the wind ;)). It's just my little "with me all the time" camera, and with that in mind, I have no complaints. When I'm at home, or planning to shoot something, I use my Canon instead, of course.

I wouldn't expect any of the little Flip-style cameras to have good low-light performance, to be honest. That's just not their "thing." That probably goes for the video capture modes for still cameras, too.

Which leads me to my next question. Are you mainly getting a camera for stills, or for video? Your first post seems to suggest video (with the Flip comparison) but your later posts have been talking about still cameras.

I say this because video cameras are better at capturing video, and (wait for it...) still cameras are better at capturing stills. Cameras like the Webbie HD are "jack of all trades, master of none." If you mainly want to take stills and then maybe shoot a few minutes of video every once in a while, get a still camera. If you mainly want to shoot video, but you want to be able to take stills in a pinch, get a video camera. If you don't plan on doing either that often, or else just want to save money, get the Webbie. If you plan on doing both very often, I'd get both a "real" video camera and a "real" still camera, but that would be difficult with a $400 budget. (The beauty of it is that you don't have to buy them both at once.)

If you're looking for HD video, "size and simplicity" be damned, a "real" camera like Canon's HV30 would give you much better quality (as it should, for $600). And for stills, any old Digital Elph would blow the Webbie out of the water. But again, I'm a little bit confused as to what, exactly, you're looking for. Do you have a set budget? "$200-400" is kind of vague, and if that's all you're going on I can promise you'll end up spending closer to $400. :p

[ronmexico]

I can see how I've created a little confusion :). The real motivator here is I have a young son who I would like to record on video...and, coincidentally, our cybershot is acting up. But knowing myself, I would rarely use something that I can't easily fit in my pocket, nor am I looking for professional grade. That's when I started looking at the Flip MinoHD, and when I realized maybe I can get two for one. I was hoping to hear that there is a great device out there. Thanks for your time!