High Sierra Topix

hukhuk wrote:What is the difference between digital camera and Camcorder in the context of still picture issue?

this thread is from 2009 - things have changed a lot in the area you are interested in (better still, usable video). Almost every midrange DSLR now has at least 720p video, the newest models all shoot 1080p. Plus, they use better lenses than any consumer camcorder you can buy. They are not the same thing (lack of depth of field, the thing indie filmmakers are looking for, makes it much harder to keep things in focus that move). You have to set up each video shot much more carefully, because most DSLR cameras can't use their high end autofocus sensors in video mode, but on a mountain that only matters in camp and people shots, or trying to track that bear that's making it away with your Ursack.

The still images you can pull from a dedicated camcorder are much lower quality than what even a dirt cheap 4 year old DSLR will produce, so if your emphasis is mostly on good still with some backup video to shoot the occasional moment that asks for motion video, then you really should look at something like Nikon D7000 or equivalent Canon or Sony camera. They are all around the price of a higher quality camcorder, but produce images vastly better than the camcorder.

and to keep things related to the Solar charger subject: the DSLR I currently use works just fine with AA Lithium batteries I added in a $45 power grip, letting me ditch the entire solar gear. I hike a few pounds lighter with the DSLR setup and shoot much better photos, while video is still an option of the situation asks for it. Sound is crappy, but I don't care much. I'm not out there to shoot a documentary film and the still images have shown to be more valuabe (print books, etc).

let me get you some examples of how that works out:

this is a small reduction of a 720p camcorder frame grab

http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/gall ... _break.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Used in my blurb-printed book, this would come out about 2.5" x 1.5" before getting fuzzy

a full gallery made from camcorder video footage here - took a lot of work in Adobe Premier to extract, but it "does the job" if you didn't bring a still camera.

here a 2010 image from a Nikon D90:

http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/gall ... C_2051.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

so far so good, but the full size image actually is 12MP, not about 2mp as the camcorder produced - click here for full resolution

video quality? compare these two sources in the gallery link below - 2008 and 2009 is the camcorder, 2010 is the Nikon DSLR
Camcorder (Canon HV20 - kind of a cult camera)
Nikon D90 (720p with 11kHz audio - about as bad as DSLR video gets)

http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/Muir ... /video.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;