Roseyland

I’ve decided that I want one of these cameras for Christmas. I’m just not sure which one. Currently, I have a Nikon Coolpix S51, which I’m very happy with. It’s an 8.1 megapixel camera, with a 3x optical zoom, and it shoots 640 x 480 video. I’ve discovered that I really like the video capturing capability of my camera. It’s a nice way to capture an overall scene that won’t fit into a single picture. Initially, this had me thinking that I should step up to a pocket camcorder for videos, and I was almost set on the Kodak Zi8. The Zi8 takes 1080p HD video, but I’m not sure I take enough video to justify carrying around a camcorder in addition to my camera. I like the connivence of being able to switch between videos and still images on one device. I also wouldn’t mind a camera with a larger optical zoom, wider angle lens, and a few extra megapixels.

This has led me to two possible cameras. First, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3:

The ZS3 is a 10 megapixel camera with a 12x optical zoom, and it can capture 720p HD video. I like that this camera can capture HD video and has a large optical zoom. I also like that it is still fairly compact even when the lens is extended. Another nice thing is that this camera has a dedicated video recording button on the back, so you don’t have to switch the camera into video mode to shoot videos.The reviews say this camera is limited in terms of manual controls, like shutter and aperture settings, but I never touch those settings anyway. I’m a little uncomfortable with the the HD video format used by this camera. The ZS3 records HD video in a format called “AVCHD Lite”, which doesn’t look to be a problem, but it could make importing the videos onto my Mac a little painful.

The second option is the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS:

The SX200 is a newer camera that also has a 12x optical zoom and shoots 720p HD video like the ZS3. This camera has 12 megapixels compared to the 10 megapixels of the ZS3, and according to the reviews, the SX200 has several manual controls. I like that this is a 12 megapixel camera, and that makes me want it, but I don’t like that the flash mechanically raises above the camera. I’m also not thrilled with how far the lens extends from the camera and the optical zoom can’t be adjusted while recording a video. This camera does record HD video in H.264 format, which would probably play nicer with my Mac.

I think I’m leaning towards the Lumix. I really like that it has a dedicated video recording button on the back. I think one of the reasons I don’t shoot more videos now is that it’s a pain to navigate through the menu to the video mode on my current camera. Still, the 12 megapixels of the SX200 is tempting. Thoughts anyone?