Q&A: Use a Camcorder for Hi-Res Stills
Are there any DV camcorders with good enough still picture quality to replace a regular digital camera?
--Jonathan Landry, Colorado Springs, Colorado
In general, Jonathan, I think that combining a still and video camera into the same housing creates a lot of compromises that get in the way of taking good pictures. But if you're heading off on vacation and don't want to lug two different cameras around the streets of Orlando, then a DV camcorder with still image shooting can be a godsend. Most DV camcorders can grab a still at DV resolution--720 by 480 pixels. That's not enough pixels to print the image, but it may be great for a Web page.
If you want better resolution from your stills, some cameras can accommodate you. Sony's DCR-TRV30 and DCR-PC110 camcorders, for instance, cost less than $2000 and shoot 1.3-megapixel still images. I expect that you'll see more camcorders appear over the next year or so with 1.5- and 2-megapixel resolution, but I doubt that hybrids will ever replace dedicated digital cameras.
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