In the market for a new point & shoot digicam (Not happy with dSLR video)

[Lux Interior]

I've had my Canon T1i for about seven months now and I am very happy with it, as far as still photos go.

I don't like the video, though. The quality is fine and 720p is more than enough for me, so I don't want to upgrade to a T2i for the 30 fps 1080p. What I don't like about it is that I cannot see the image in the LCD well enough to focus in movie mode (usually outside & it's too bright). If I hit the auto-focus button (should be called the "manual AF button"!), the lens will hunt for the focus and the noise is apparent in the video.

I usually have my Canon SD800is with me when I have the T1i, so I default to it for video now. But it doesn't do HD and I would prefer to move up HD.

So, I was thinking of upgrading to a new SD3500is:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Ca...3500is.asp

5x optical zoom, 14 MP, HD video with a dedicated movie button (I like that!), touch screen and some other bells & whistles that I don't really care about.

The thing is, I am really happy with the SD800is. It takes great pics and has served me well. However, I am worried that cramming twice the pixels on a small P&S chip may reduce the image quality. I would prefer the high quality of the stills over HD video if I had to make the choice.

So I guess I'm just thinking out loud here, but if you have any advice or suggestions on a new P&S or how to shoot better video with the T1i, I would like to hear.

[the_poochies]

David Pogue reviewed some sub-$300 point & shoots lately:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/...index.html

[jimbrady]

I hadn't looked at that sd3500--love the specs. Yes, 14mp is ridiculous, but I wouldn't worry about it being diminished quality from the 800's 8mp (perhaps not much better, though).

[volcs0]

I got the Canon SD780 specifically for the video mode. We've been happy with it (the video mode). It might be my imagination, but sometimes I feel like my old SD1000 takes better pictures, though.

[pRICE cUBE]

Lux, you better send that camera to me.

[Lux Interior]

pRICE cUBE wrote:
Lux, you better send that camera to me.

Only if you send a 1D mkiv in the other to me first!

[Lew Zealand]

Focus is the problem with using DSLRs for video. I see all this crap advertising copy (and "review" websites saying the same) touting it as the solution to make you the next Tarantino (OK, maybe Richard Donner) but it's all crap.

L and R pans give slanted vertical lines (not too bad, though) but there is no AF to speak of. At least not like in a regular video camera. Ah, I understand now, that must also be done by hand by the likes of Q.T. and R.D. and now you can too with your DSLR.

I focus manually on my T1i and once you train yourself to do it well, your focus can be as good as the pros. Take in an hour of outdoor video of the Olympics on NBC for instance. There is quite a bit of focus hunting and out of focus shots when panning. Most of mine are no worse though the subject matter probably won't sell any commercial time…

[pRICE cUBE]

Lux Interior wrote:
[quote=pRICE cUBE]
Lux, you better send that camera to me.

Only if you send a 1D mkiv in the other to me first!

Um, seeing as I don't have a Mark IV yet, I will send you a printed 2d version of the camera.

[Harbourmaster]

I like the Video Output from my Canon S1 IS. That being said it won't do HD video.

The best inexpensive solution that I have found is the Kodak Zi8.

Does great looking HD, fit's in your pocket and has an external Mic connector...

Hard to beat for about $150... http://www.pricemo.com/photography/revie...zi8-53134/

[Billybob]

I have the Panasonic ZS3, which Pogue rated pretty high for photo IQ. Unfortunately, I have not been impressed with the IQ and have decided to carry around a small DSLR instead.

I haven't played with the video much, but its gotten high ratings elsewhere. Its best quality is its AVCHD format, which needs to be converted to a Mac-friendly format for editing. The freeware editor that I downloaded did not do an impressive job of converting. There also is a more Mac-friendly format that you can record in. I might use that to avoid the hassles.

Interestingly, its replacement (yawn, more megapixels, more reach) is out, but the price on Amazon is only $3 cheaper than what I paid for it back in December.