Suggestions for jack of all trades camera?

ActualWinners

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Hi folks,
I'm looking for a camera that has reasonable still performance but can take half decent video footage too. It needs to be a budget concious device as it will be a second camera for purely casual use.

Wish-list for features as follows:

4mp+ image sensor
No nasty shutter lag problem
Compact form factor
Optical zoom (3x or better)
Reasonable low-light performance would be a bonus
Ability to record full frame rate (25 or 30fps) video which is of suficient quality for TV playback/editing on PC/dumping to DVD etc

Any ideas or testomonials would be appreciated!

Paul
 
If Video is important then why not get a digital camcorder with the ability to take stills? Digital still camera's with a video recording option are not all that great really. Depends really on what's more important Video or Stills?
 
The Fuji F11 seems to be getting some good write ups over on the DVDForums - it can be bought from Jessops for about £135.00, with free delivery, if you use the code CPB10PC :)
 
Hi Winny,

I recently bought a Canon A620 for my personal use, but my girlfriend liked it so much that I gave it to her. For the money (£157 on Amazon) it is great value. It has a 4* zoom lens, that is just a little wider than most compact cameras, a 7.1 MP sensor and a fantastic swivel LCD.

it takes video at a full 25/30 fps at high resolution. My girlfriend plays the violin so I recorded her playing. Once I transferred the video to my DVD recorder the sound was wonderful and the picture very smooth. It did not have the clarity of a purpose video camera, but we were both impressed.

The swivel LCD is great for taking pictures low down, high up (above your head) or if you want to take a picture of yourself.

The only negative is that teh camera is a bit heavier than most compacts. My girlfriend keeps it in her bag, so it doesn't bother her. I found it to heavy to carry in my pocket, but it was fine attached to my belt.

For the money there is no better camera on the market today.

Frank
 
Thanks for the useful input and ideas folks.

Incidentally, I have a digital still facility on my camcorder - takes 1280 x 960 res shots and can save them to an mmc card in the camera. The photos are pretty poor though. Having said that, it's a JVC GR-DVL365 which is a bit old-hat and still image quality has moved on a bit since!
 
Winny,

Would back up Frank ref the A620 - it really is a Jack Of All Trades but fortunately avoinds being the rest of that well known saying.

I've had one for two months and have enjoyed it so much that it has set me off on the route to digital SLR as it allowed me to be far more creative than I had imagined. I#ve just bought a Nikon d50 as a result.

My wife recently bought a Nikon P4 which is much more of a "handbag camera" so the aA620 is up for sale on the forums here.

http://http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=378738
 

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