Digital Video Forum

Digital Video Forum Discuss camcorders, HD video, HD DSLRs, video editing, DV software, and video techniques. Your DV forum moderator is Skyman.
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  1. #1
    Hal
    Hal is offline
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    Digital camera video

    Hello,

    I want to buy compact point and shot camera with best video quality.
    I have narrowed my options to Cannon 870, Canon 1100, Panasonic 500 and Panasonic 35.

    Which one has the best quality video?
    Can we compare Panasonic's HD video resolution with mono sound, with Canons 640*480 with stereo sound and say which one is better?
    Is there a big difference between mono and stereo capabilities when it comes to digital camera video mode?
    I do not intend to record orchestras, I just need the video mode for common happenings.

    Thanx

  2. #2
    Moderator Skyman's Avatar
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    Re: Digital camera video

    you will be weighing up 4 things when deciding which camera has the best video quality: Resolution: as you have already alluded there is a big difference between 640x480 and High Definitions 1920×1080 (assuming it records in full hd) The Next thing you will need to look at is the frames per second rate, there is little point having a camera record in hd if it uses a jerky 10 frames per second (as a reference point cinema uses around 24 frames per second) The third and hardest thing to quantify is which compression format / codec is the camera using. for some reason this information can be hard to find, but for reasons that become clear if you have a read of the mini dv vs dvd thread this can make a world of difference. Finally the Audio quality. the only real way to find out what is better is to test the cameras. Stereo is better if you are recording objects that are moving however a clear mono microphone will outperform a poor quality stereo one every time. Smooth Audio tips the balance between good and poor video a lot more than you would think. most people will continue watching a poor quality video whilst the audio is good, however the same people will get bored with a great quality video with terrible audio, unless the content itself is exceptionally engaging. happy hunting

  3. #3
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    Re: Digital camera video

    I have the Canon SD870 IS. I can't give any comparisons to other cameras, but I am very pleased with the video quality of this camera. It shoots at 30 frames per second in standard mode. The 3 inch LCD is very good for viewing the video. There are several other modes of operation including compact mode which shoots a much longer video for the same file size, but at lower quality. You can delete portions of the video at the beginning and end right on the camera.

  4. #4
    Color me obvious dumpy's Avatar
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    Re: Digital camera video

    I would not worry about stereo vs. mono in these cameras, it really won't have
    any bearing on audio quality. In order for the camera to record true stereo audio, it will essentially need two mics, most likely both are omni-directional or cardioid (heart shaped pick up pattern). At most these mic elements could be what 3 inches from each other (most likely they are right next to each other in what appears to be a single mic). The benefit from for stereo sound from this is minimal at best. As skyman said, a better mono mic will certainly outperform a lesser stereo mic. Test them out in a store, preferably one that is not too noisy, butt not dead silent either.

    Another thing to take into consideration is record time. it's not always a matter of how much your memory card can hold. Sometimes there are hard limits on the length of a single piece of video.

    If video is that important to you (it sounds like it is more important than still images), I would recommend getting something built for video, not a still camera with video capabilities.
    Please ask before editing my photos, I'll say yes



    I like to take the pictures...

  5. #5
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    Re: Digital camera video

    This is an interesting point to discuss, but I'm still learning about this field.

    _______________
    GAYATHRI

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