Digital camera as a camcorder?

[vid83]

Should I use a digital camera as a camcorder?
The main purpose of the camera is for family videos, but image quality is still very important to me.

In researching camcorders to buy, I've found that camcorders have smaller sensors than digital cameras.

My current point and shoot digital camera can record HD 1080p and it has a 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor.
The Canon Vixia R400 camcorder can record 1080p has a 1/4.85 inch CMOS sensor.

My digital camera has a bit rate of about 22Mbps while the R400 has a maximum bit rate of 28 Mbps for AVCHD and 35Mbps for MP4.

Would I get a better video image quality using a camcorder?

Will the lens and higher bit rate of the camcorder make up for the smaller sensor size?

[vid83]

What I like about the digital camera is the portability and that it has a wider angle lens. Not sure to buy a second digital camera and use it for video or if I should get a camcorder. I want to upgrade from a digital camera to a camcorder but it seems like when I do this, the specs. for the camcorder is not as good as a digital camera.

[mL999]

camera or camcorder ?

Use the "still" camera . Any well known brand will do . The manufacturers aim to please you so you can usually believe their specifications . ( specifications -not their descriptions . The descriptions are just sales talk) The quality will be OK. Concentrate on taking nice shots , composition, focus, lighting , very slow pans and zooms ( if you really must use them)- study the news broadcasters techniques and do remember the need for establishing shots -- and so on.

Use video editing software for adjustments and effects effects there is no need to have fancy features built into the camera.. I use Vegas Platinum HD . It is not difficult to learn the basics (cut and join fade in and out and hardly anything else) . Other popular editors have similar features. Find a free trial version ( or indeed a free editor) and see how you go.

Later on if you become really enthusiastic you will can choose a camcorder to suit your personal interests but remember technique will always be much more important than equipment. ang enjoy yourself as much as I do best wishes from mike

[Stears555]

The video quality (sharpness details therefore the real visible resolution) of camcorders are better than the videos of digital cameras.

The real video sharpness (details) is measured by LW/PH, the midrange and top consumer camcorders are better in these terms.


Higher resolution sensor-chips create worse quality videos. The best solution if the sensor, or the active-territory of the sensor has the same amount of pixels as the camcorder's output resolution. (just see broadcast and the best studio videocameras)


About the real (VISIBLE) resolution:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/how_we_test

"The sharpness that a camcorder actually produces is rarely the same number that the manufacturer advertises. For instance, camcorders that output a 1920 × 1080 picture are not actually capturing one thousand nine-hundred and twenty horizontal lines of information. That’s simply the size of the ‘container’ that the camcorder outputs (also known as the resolution). In fact, there are lots of ways that manufacturers can play with the numbers, emphasizing capabilities of the lens, or the sensor, or something else. The simple fact is, you don’t buy a sensor, and in most cases, you don’t buy a lens. You buy a camcorder – a complete, pre-assembled camcorder, so that’s how we test them."

[Stears555]

The best price/quality ratio solution will be the the next members of the Canon HF M family (hf m 60x), they will be on the market around september/october of 2013...

[smrpix]

Camcorders are ergonomically better suited to shooting video.

[Stears555]

Camcorders are ergonomically better suited to shooting video.

IT IS NOT JUST ERGONOMY! Camcorders have higher visible video resolution than cameras.

See sharpness tests of different camcorders and cameras in digitalcamerainfo.com and camcorderinfo.com.

[julitomg]

Camcorders are ergonomically better suited to shooting video.

IT IS NOT JUST ERGONOMY! Camcorders have higher visible video resolution than cameras.

See sharpness tests of different camcorders and cameras in digitalcamerainfo.com and camcorderinfo.com.

I agree with the ergonomy thing, its hard to hold a digital camera and get good results, the way you have to wrap your fingers aroun it, the way you reach every button, even the zoom lever. And the results will show in any screen.
I also agree that the resolution is better wheter is real or perceived.
A camcorder like the mentioned Canon Vixia R400 also have an external microphone jack (sometimes even for home movies, you could want to connect an external microphone, even an inexpensive one, for a casual interview at a party, a family event, etc...)...also a headphone jack wich is very useful to monitor your audio even if you dont use an external mike (let´s say you are with a couple of friends in a park and you want to record them saying something interesting or important to the camera, you find a nice spot besides a fountain and you frame your two shot a few steps away from your friends to include the fountain..ok..you do the shot and back home you discover that the fountains splashing sound, wich didn´t seem that obvious, covers the people speaking at a normal volume because of the combination of audio AGC, a poor digital camera integrated mic and lack of a way to monitor the sound, where if you at least had the chance to hear what it was like you could have moved your subjects away from the fountain and/or closer to the camera)
Also the camcorder has a better (optical) image stabilization system for your handheld shots.

[Stears555]

Camcorders are ergonomically better suited to shooting video.

IT IS NOT JUST ERGONOMY! Camcorders have higher visible video resolution than cameras.

See sharpness tests of different camcorders and cameras in digitalcamerainfo.com and camcorderinfo.com.

I agree with the ergonomy thing, its hard to hold a digital camera and get good results, the way you have to wrap your fingers aroun it, the way you reach every button, even the zoom lever. And the results will show in any screen.
I also agree that the resolution is better wheter is real or perceived.
A camcorder like the mentioned Canon Vixia R400 also have an external microphone jack (sometimes even for home movies, you could want to connect an external microphone, even an inexpensive one, for a casual interview at a party, a family event, etc...)...also a headphone jack wich is very useful to monitor your audio even if you dont use an external mike (let´s say you are with a couple of friends in a park and you want to record them saying something interesting or important to the camera, you find a nice spot besides a fountain and you frame your two shot a few steps away from your friends to include the fountain..ok..you do the shot and back home you discover that the fountains splashing sound, wich didn´t seem that obvious, covers the people speaking at a normal volume because of the combination of audio AGC, a poor digital camera integrated mic and lack of a way to monitor the sound, where if you at least had the chance to hear what it was like you could have moved your subjects away from the fountain and/or closer to the camera)
Also the camcorder has a better (optical) image stabilization system for your handheld shots.

Again: video quality means fine details shaprness , the real video-resolution (instead of the advertsed kontainer resolution)

A very good consumer camcorder can produce and reach 1100 * 1100 LW/PH real resultion in the 1920*1080 (Full HD) pixel container fromat, while a good digital camera can produce and reach only 600 x 600 or 700 x 600 LW/PH REAL resolution in its 1920*1080 container format... The result: more blury less sharpness and less fine details on the video image...

LW/PH means real resolution: widths per picture height

TEST CHART FOR REAL (VISIBLE) VIDEO RESOLUTION:

[handyguy]

camcorders have longer zooms.

[aedipuss]

camcorders have longer zooms.

no. dslr cameras have interchangeable lenses and as big a zoom as you can afford, up to and including telescopes.

[Cornucopia]

But the OP was asking about point & shoot cams, not dslrs. So for that comparison, similarly priced camcorders DO usually have better zooms.

Scott

[aedipuss]

i thought he might be looking to buy new - either one. not that the OP ever came back anyway....

[redwudz]

I suppose I am somewhat backwards as I tend to use my camcorder (JVC Everio HD) as a still shot camera and I find it more convenient than packing along my Nikon electronic still camera if I want both video and stills.
My Nikon doesn't do very well for video recording, though I seldom use it for that.

The other big plus with my camcorder is that it uses a HDD, so I can get three hours or more HD video on the HDD. My Nikon can't come close to that.

I suppose if you have a high end SLR still camera with interchangeable lenses, then shooting video with it may be more practical, but you might have a hard time holding it still enough compared to a camcorder with any other than wide angle settings.

[Stears555]

Hey guys!

Why do you forget the main problem of DSLR cameras? The sharpness and details of the DSLR video (the real resolution) are always lower than the video of better consumer camcorders.