Sounding off on video


Pocket video camera in your future? They've become as popular as most "standard" digital cameras, mostly because of their form-factor.

Most pocket video cameras often do less than a digital still camera that shoots HD video. The video cameras usually don't have a zooming lens; almost all digital point-and-shoots have an optical zoom lens. Point-and-shoots offer scene modes for nighttime, portraits, etc., while videocams have only a couple of options: stills or different size videos. And I haven't seen a pocket video camera with a flash or fill-in light, which would help improve still photography.

But for all the video choices, I don't understand why so few offer a key feature: dual microphones. Video without audio isn't terrible, but video with poor audio is almost intolerable. Canon and Kodak make cameras with two microphones; the Kodak V1253 pictured above does a pretty decent job, captures HD video, and has a fairly nice feature set in a svelt form factor, including a 3-inch LCD, Schneider lens, and about two-dozen modes for still photos.

One problem: the V1253 is no longer in production. Need to hunt for it in online auctions, or look at somewhat bulkier Canons with twin mikes.

The big-name camera makes, Nikon and Canon, now offer digital SLRs that capture HD video, too. The results are gorgeous, and some allow you to add an external mike, like Kodak's Zi8 pocket video camera. But they are not inexpensive.

For my money, a point-and-shoot that grabs video is far more useful than a camera that emphasizes video first.

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