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General discussion

choosing a camcorder

by Linda4668 Nov 4, 2007 3:27AM PST

My son wants a camcorder (I am told that a hard drive camcorder would be best since he will be capturing still shots off the video and then erasing the unused footage) that will allow him to capture still shots from the video with at least a 2 mp resolution. Does such a camcorder exist?

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4 Posts
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There is no such (consumer) device today.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Nov 4, 2007 3:57AM PST

When recording video the usual camcorder image is at most NTSC or PAL encoding even if we look at 1080 HD CAMCORDERS they still do not meet your 2 megapixel requirement.

Can you use something of less pixels?

I know of scientific or prototype gear but that's in the million buck range...

Bob

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What do you really need?
by dressner Nov 6, 2007 7:15AM PST

If ALL he is doing is isolating frames of video into pictures, it's really not worth it- use a digital camera. You will get much, much better pictures (and at a lower price) if you buy a digital picture camera, rather than a camcorder. And vice versa- video taken with a digital still camera will be subpar.

If he does need a camcorder rather than a still camera, you could take a look at the Panasonic SDR-H18. Video and picture quality is ok- but don't expect to print pictures much bigger than 4x6 and them still look high-quality.

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thanks for the info
by Linda4668 Nov 6, 2007 7:42AM PST

He will be using the camcorder to take video footage of lightening storms. He then edits it frame by frame to get the actual picture of the lightening bolt. He is currently using his digital camera in the video mode to do this but the resolution is poor if you print a picture greater than 5 by 7. It would be extremely hard to capture the lightening bolt by just using the camera in the camera mode because of the slight delay in capturing the picture after you snap the picture. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

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Here's how to research this area.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Nov 6, 2007 7:51AM PST
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