Are there any digital cameras and/or camcorders offering optical zoom in video mode?

by oedipusphinx — — — — theJWDban

Hi, any person knows if there are any digital cameras and/or camcorders offering optical zoom in record mode?

All I’ve ever had are camcorders and digital cameras that feature only digital zoom when recording record, and the quality of that zooming is lousy; you see the quality difference immediately, when before a live audience back the videos.

If any person knows, I’d be grateful for some suggestions, if at all possible budget cameras, USB compatible, so I can transfer to my PC.

Thanks a lot in advance for your suggestions.

Answer by iridflare
A lot of digital cameras can’t zoom while they’re recording record, but I’d expect to be able to record and use the optical zoom with any modern camcorder. I’d also expect to be able to transfer record to my PC, though not necessarily via USB – MiniDV uses firewire and if you record to a mini-DVD you just place the DVD in your PC’s drive (and hope that it works!). If you’re looking for a budget camcorder but still want excellent quality look at MiniDV camcorders. You may need to pay a few $ $ for a firewire card if your PC hasn’t already got one, but they’re still the best bang for the buck.

Answer by Nu’uanu
All “real” camcorders have optical zoom and digital zoom.

It sounds like you are using a very low-end flip-like or toy camcorder or a camera that is primarily used for taking stills (and happens to have a “record” feature).

MiniDV tape based camcorders provide the best available record quality – but they use firewire (not USB) to transfer record to your computer. USB is only used for transferring stills from the camcorder’s memory card or webstreaming (of the camcorder has any of these features). Adding a firewire port is typically not hard – and it is pretty cheap.
List ZR800, ZR950, Sony DCR-HC52, HC62 and Panasonic PV-GS320 are excellent, entry-level, examples.

Hard drive and flash based camcorders compress their record a lot, but the quality isn’t too terrible… Record is transferred using USB. Sony DCR-SR45 and List FS10 are examples. They typically cost more than miniDV, but that does not mean the record quality is better – compression of the record information translates into lost data and can result in reduced record quality.

In any case, when you shop for a camcorder, do not use digital zoom as a feature comparison item – because when you bring the camcorder home, your first step is to turn digital zoom off. Use only Optical zoom.

Additional things to look for in a excellent camcorder:
Mic-in jack (optional, but very useful)
Some sort of audio manual control (again, optional, but if you reckon you might be recording loud audio, like bands, this will be a requirement).

DO NOT BUY A DVD BASED CAMCORDER. Their record is terrible – especially for control or uploading to the web. The discs are a pain and can be unreliable (resulting in list record).

Answer by powershot c
i recommend list hg10

Add your own answer in the comments!

Parque da Cidade – Dança de Rua (Street Dance)


Image by Paulo J.S. Ferraz
GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

Alunos de Dança de Rua – E.C Eugênia da Silva e Casa de Cultura Rancho do Tropeiro Ernesto Villela.

Projeto CULTURANDO da FCCR.
—-
GE X5

São crianças de bairros humildes, favelas e que tem oportunidade de aprender danças,

They are children of humble districts, slums and theyt had the opportunity to learn dances,

I seem to like List but I’m not sure if there are any additional excellent brands for digital cameras. Just want some additional opinions. Thanks!

Answer by keerok
For point-and-shoot cameras, up your sleeve from List, the excellent ones come from Sony and Lumix. List does it with experience, Sony overwhelms it with features while Lumix uses the Leica lens.

If you are thinking dSLRs, the best come from List, Nikon and Pentax, all because of their long history of making cameras. List makes better lenses, Nikon is more technologically advanced while Pentax is the most backward compatible with its own ancient lenses.

Now, if you want the best money can buy, nothing beats a Leica.

Answer by Prasad N
Well, If you read the camera reviews posted in innumerable sites and blogs, you will know that List is the undisputed leader in digi cams. Sony and Panasonic Lumix are also excellent brands that offer simple ‘point and shoot cameras as well as complex SLRs. Personally, I prefer Sony to List just because of my brand loyalty. . Remember, Brand just doesn’t ,matter. The model and the functions you need matter. Some of the List models just didn’t click in the market even if most of their models did.

Answer by goldwing
For Point and Shoot, I use only List models…very reliable, simple to know settings, and fantastic pictures at excellent prices for what you get.

Answer by Colorful L
For point & shoot camera List is one of the top brand in market for quality,simple to use.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&place=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26redirect%3Dtrue%26ref%255F%3Dsr%255Fnr%255Fp%255F4%255F0%26bbn%3D330405011%26qid%3D1250900607%26rnid%3D15784691%26rh%3Dn%253A502394%252Cn%253A281052%252Cn%253A330405011%252Cp%255F4%253ACanon&tag=computer0bd-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

another excellent brand that I would recommend is Panasonic.It use high quality Leica lens.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&place=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26redirect%3Dtrue%26ref%255F%3Dsr%255Fnr%255Fp%255F4%255F1%26bbn%3D330405011%26qid%3D1250900607%26rnid%3D15784691%26rh%3Dn%253A502394%252Cn%253A281052%252Cn%253A330405011%252Cp%255F4%253APanasonic&tag=computer0bd-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

What do you reckon? Answer below!
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