Steve'sDigicams

crazyjamie · Oct 29, 2009, 9:42 AM

I'm looking to replace my old A540 with something similar in size.

Main things I'm looking for:

Video quality is more important than stills.
HD Video with Audio
Fairly compact.
Decent footage in low light.
SD cards, AA batteries and good zoom, stereo preferred but not essential.

I had some good help on here when picking the A540 which turned out to be really good, so any help would be great.

crazyjamie · Oct 29, 2009, 6:24 PM

Was having a look about, the Canon SX20 IS looks almost perfect HD (all be it not full) great video quality from the clips Ive downloaded, stereo sound, AA batteries, 20x zoom etc...

Its just a little on the big side... would be happy to sacrafice that 20x zoom for a similar spec cam thats just a bit smaller... not sure it exists though?

anthony_b · Oct 29, 2009, 6:33 PM

check out the Sony h20 or the Panasonic fz35

crazyjamie · Nov 2, 2009, 4:34 PM

Thanks Anthony, I checked them out, nice cameras but maybe a slightly bit more on the chunky side from what I was looking for.

I've stumbled ona couple of cameras that get great write ups and are more along the lines of what Im looking for.

The Samsung NV24HD + Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

Both seem fairly compact, have HD video, stereo sound, take SD cards have I.S.

Couple of niggles though, the panasonic seems to have a loose manual dial & looses focus while zooming & the Samsung cuts the audio while zooming and video is a bit choppy.

The tz7 does seem to be the better camera but is over double the cost of the NV24HD.

Was wondering if there are any other similar cameras that I should have a look at?

Darjorn.wang · Nov 5, 2009, 1:07 AM

Maybe you can check out the FULL HIGH DEFINITION digital camcorder below and consider it as candicate:

1. Full High Definition DVH-A80

Main features:
(1) 10.0 Megapixel CMOS imaging sensor
(2) Full High Definiton: 1920 x 1080i; 60fps, H.264
(3) 3.0-inch High Resolution Widescreen TFT, Touch Screen
(4) 5X Optical Zoom, 10X Digital Zoom
(5) HDMI Output
(6) Support SD / SDHC up to 16GB
(7) Fairly Compact and Lightweight

Detailed Introduction:
http://www.vostrostone.com/electroni...rs-HD-A80.html

cigaro78 · Nov 5, 2009, 4:20 PM

crazyjamie, I think your post and subsequent replies really highlight how subjective all this really is. I'm after the exact same thing as you, which is was I was attracted to the thread.

Unfortunately, I see you selected the TZ7. The TZ7 also known as the ZS3, is reputed to be 'bad' in low light. I take that you found a review that probably stated the exact opposite.

Here lies the problem: it's easy to find a review that says one thing, and another the exact opposite, on two equally authoritative sites. The WX1 and TX1 from sony for example got hyped, then received glowing reviews, and are now getting panned in forums. Matter of fact I also absolutely hate their noisy output.

Still, in another thread (I think dpreview), people are praising the TX1 over the ZS3 in low light.

Go figure. Personally I'm going to chose a camera by downloading sample images and video, and go from there. Reviews are overated.

Oct 29, 2009, 9:42 AM	#1
crazyjamie Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	Best Compact Camera For HD Video In Lowlight I'm looking to replace my old A540 with something similar in size. Main things I'm looking for: Video quality is more important than stills. HD Video with Audio Fairly compact. Decent footage in low light. SD cards, AA batteries and good zoom, stereo preferred but not essential. I had some good help on here when picking the A540 which turned out to be really good, so any help would be great. Last edited by crazyjamie; Oct 29, 2009 at 9:45 AM.

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Oct 29, 2009, 6:24 PM	#2
crazyjamie Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	Was having a look about, the Canon SX20 IS looks almost perfect HD (all be it not full) great video quality from the clips Ive downloaded, stereo sound, AA batteries, 20x zoom etc... Its just a little on the big side... would be happy to sacrafice that 20x zoom for a similar spec cam thats just a bit smaller... not sure it exists though?

Oct 29, 2009, 6:33 PM	#3
anthony_b Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 104	check out the Sony h20 or the Panasonic fz35

Nov 2, 2009, 4:34 PM	#4
crazyjamie Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	Thanks Anthony, I checked them out, nice cameras but maybe a slightly bit more on the chunky side from what I was looking for. I've stumbled ona couple of cameras that get great write ups and are more along the lines of what Im looking for. The Samsung NV24HD + Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 Both seem fairly compact, have HD video, stereo sound, take SD cards have I.S. Couple of niggles though, the panasonic seems to have a loose manual dial & looses focus while zooming & the Samsung cuts the audio while zooming and video is a bit choppy. The tz7 does seem to be the better camera but is over double the cost of the NV24HD. Was wondering if there are any other similar cameras that I should have a look at?

Nov 5, 2009, 1:07 AM	#5
Darjorn.wang Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 3	Maybe you can check out the FULL HIGH DEFINITION digital camcorder below and consider it as candicate: 1. Full High Definition DVH-A80 Main features: (1) 10.0 Megapixel CMOS imaging sensor (2) Full High Definiton: 1920 x 1080i; 60fps, H.264 (3) 3.0-inch High Resolution Widescreen TFT, Touch Screen (4) 5X Optical Zoom, 10X Digital Zoom (5) HDMI Output (6) Support SD / SDHC up to 16GB (7) Fairly Compact and Lightweight Detailed Introduction: http://www.vostrostone.com/electroni...rs-HD-A80.html

Nov 5, 2009, 4:20 PM	#6
cigaro78 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 12	crazyjamie, I think your post and subsequent replies really highlight how subjective all this really is. I'm after the exact same thing as you, which is was I was attracted to the thread. Unfortunately, I see you selected the TZ7. The TZ7 also known as the ZS3, is reputed to be 'bad' in low light. I take that you found a review that probably stated the exact opposite. Here lies the problem: it's easy to find a review that says one thing, and another the exact opposite, on two equally authoritative sites. The WX1 and TX1 from sony for example got hyped, then received glowing reviews, and are now getting panned in forums. Matter of fact I also absolutely hate their noisy output. Still, in another thread (I think dpreview), people are praising the TX1 over the ZS3 in low light. Go figure. Personally I'm going to chose a camera by downloading sample images and video, and go from there. Reviews are overated.