Shopping for Screen Gems
While you're looking around at the various brands, you need to keep several factors in mind: Resolution, frame rates, and compression (the biggie).
Most video-compatible digital cameras support a 320 by 240 video resolution, though an increasing number of newer ones support 640 by 480. When you consider that the popular miniDV camcorders, such as the Canon ZR80 and the JVC GR-D70US, sport a resolution of 720 by 480, you can see that some digital cameras are approaching the pixel resolution of the camcorders.
Frame rate is another important consideration. A camera that supports a resolution of 640 by 480 at 30 frames per second would compare favorably with a typical camcorder (although the digital-camera movie quality still won't match that of a dedicated camcorder). If you go with a camera that offers 15 fps, you may see some jerkiness, especially with fast-moving scenes--say, if you're filming your friend sprinting to the finish line during a race. Drop the frame rate to 8 fps, and the result will be jerky all the time. Expect to see a wide range of frame rates with different cameras.
A third factor is the level of compression. A superior resolution and frame rate won't help much if the video is so heavily compressed that you can't recognize the people you've filmed. All manufacturers compress the video to fit more onto a flash memory card. Unfortunately, compression quality is often difficult to determine from a product brochure or specifications sheet. So if you can, before you buy, visit a retail store and play around with the video capabilities--or ask a salesperson to explain what you're getting.
Other Nifty Options
Which video features should you look for in a digital camera? Some cameras, such as the Minolta DiMage A1, provide an anti-shake feature that helps steady your shots. Expect to dig deep into the manual or online specifications to determine how the video modes operate and which features are associated with their use. For example, with the $650 Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom, the zoom and focus controls cannot be adjusted during video shots. This is true of almost all digital cameras, although some will let you set the aperture. Remember also that if you're shooting video inside at night, say, you usually can't use your digital camera's flash.
Camera manufacturers have steadily improved the quality and resolution of the video, in part because memory cards are becoming less expensive. This makes it more feasible to store large video files (although these larger files are not suitable for e-mailing). While some cameras limit the length of the video clips, a growing number let you save clips as large as the storage media can hold. When shopping, look for cameras that support more than one video resolution, as you'll find that high-quality video can quickly fill up a memory card. The $700 Fujifilm FinePix S7000, for example, can save only 55 seconds of 640 by 480 video (at 30 fps) or 109 seconds of 320 by 240 video (at 30 fps) to the 16MB card that ships with the camera.
Check out our following selection of five models that offer one or more exceptional video-related features. None of the five can compare with a moderately priced camcorder, but they all have features that could be very useful when you don't have a camcorder with you--or don't own one.
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