Need Advice about Cameras and Movies

Hi. I am a newbie when it comes to digital photography and I have a few
questions about digital cameras in general, as well as some questions
about a few particualr models.

I am looking for a 4 megapixel camera and I'm willing to spend $250 or
less. I want the ability to use the camera in both automatic mode and
in manual mode.

In researching cameras, I was surprised to learn that many of them have
the ability to record video clips, not just stills. I have a camcorder
already, but I love the idea of using a camera that saves video onto an
SD card.

The camera that best seems to fit my modest needs is the Canon A520. It
has manual modes and costs only $150. However, the one drawback of the
A520 is that it can only record video clips for a limited amount of
time--for 640X480 clips it's limited to just 30 seconds at a time. In
addition to the A520, I was intrigued by the Konica Minolta Dimage Z2.
Refurbdepot.com is selling a refurbished model for $220. The Z2 has a
larger zoom by far, and it also has no limit to how long it can record
video--that is, it can store video until it reaches the limit of the SD
memory card.

Anyway, I am wondering if I'm just being silly in basing my choice of
camera on video capabilities. Can these cameras actually replace a
camcorder or are there limitations? For example, how well do they pick
up sound? Also, in general, which camera do you think is better: the
Canon A520 or the Konical Minolta Z2? Are there any other cameras from
other manufacturers that I should be considering? Also, should I beware
of buying a refurbished camera?

I appreciate your advice.

Thanks in advance,

Mirsky

"Mirsky" wrote in message
...
Hi. I am a newbie when it comes to digital photography and I have a few
questions about digital cameras in general, as well as some questions
about a few particualr models.

I am looking for a 4 megapixel camera and I'm willing to spend $250 or
less. I want the ability to use the camera in both automatic mode and
in manual mode.

In researching cameras, I was surprised to learn that many of them have
the ability to record video clips, not just stills. I have a camcorder
already, but I love the idea of using a camera that saves video onto an
SD card.

The camera that best seems to fit my modest needs is the Canon A520. It
has manual modes and costs only $150. However, the one drawback of the
A520 is that it can only record video clips for a limited amount of
time--for 640X480 clips it's limited to just 30 seconds at a time. In
addition to the A520, I was intrigued by the Konica Minolta Dimage Z2.
Refurbdepot.com is selling a refurbished model for $220. The Z2 has a
larger zoom by far, and it also has no limit to how long it can record
video--that is, it can store video until it reaches the limit of the SD
memory card.

Anyway, I am wondering if I'm just being silly in basing my choice of
camera on video capabilities. Can these cameras actually replace a
camcorder or are there limitations? For example, how well do they pick
up sound? Also, in general, which camera do you think is better: the
Canon A520 or the Konical Minolta Z2? Are there any other cameras from
other manufacturers that I should be considering? Also, should I beware
of buying a refurbished camera?

I appreciate your advice.

Thanks in advance,

Mirsky

In my opinion Mirsky, digital still cameras are a long way off actually
replacing camcorders. The main limitation, of course, is the amount of video
that you are capable of recording on your card is nowhere near as much as
you can record on a DV camcorder tape or on a DVD disc. For example, you can
record 60 minutes' worth of high quality video on a DV tape, (and longer on
some tapes) which occupies the equivalent of about 14 gigabytes of space. So
for video editing, enthusiasts prefer to use DV tape rather than DVDs or SD
cards, because the video is not compressed as much and you get a better
final result.

However, if the overall quality of the video is not an issue and you want to
record only a few seconds of video every now and then, the video recorded
from a digital still camera may be adequate for your needs. But check out
carefully the number of seconds of video that you can record on a card
before you fill it up! You might find it is only 3 or 4 minutes (or even
less), so would this be adequate for your needs? Get the sales people to put
some of the still camera's video on a screen for you to look at, and see if
you are satisfied with its quality.

With regard to sound, at least a digital still camera does not pick up any
motor noise, as can be the case with cheaper camcorders, but with a
camcorder you can add an external microphone to improve things. I have added
the newsgroup "rec.video.production" so that people who are more
knowledgeable than I am can also give their views on the movie aspects of
your question.

Regards, Jim

Mirsky wrote:

In researching cameras, I was surprised to learn that many of them have
the ability to record video clips, not just stills. I have a camcorder
already, but I love the idea of using a camera that saves video onto an
SD card.

The camera that best seems to fit my modest needs is the Canon A520. It
has manual modes and costs only $150. However, the one drawback of the
A520 is that it can only record video clips for a limited amount of
time--for 640X480 clips it's limited to just 30 seconds at a time.

The quality of digital camera video is such that you rarely use it for
video.

Since you want manual mode, you have no choices other than the Canon A
series in your price range.

The A610 is also under $250, and may be a better choice than the A520.

It's pretty amazing that there is virtually no competition in this
segment of the market.