So, while I know a bit about video editing and quite a bit about video capture and codecs and formats and all that goodness, I've never really been into shooting moving pictures nor the creation of completed works using moving pictures.

I've made a few short videos here and there and have even used iMovie and Final Cut Pro back in the day, but it's not something I've ever really been that interested in. One can only get into so many things and I'm usually already overwhelmed trying to keep up with what I already want to do.

But... Now with some interesting products available at seemingly super low prices, I think I want to consider capturing some moving pictures and likely making some edited movies/montages/projects later this year.

Two neat products on my radar are the Kodak Zi6 and the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 (out sometime this month in NA supposedly). Both are under US$200 and capture video to SDHC cards. The first has a fixed lens and the second a larger 5x optical zoom lens. Both capture 720p at up to 60fps. The first uses AA batteries and the second a proprietary lithium pack. The Sanyo also has some image stabilization features (like within its firmware, I don't think it's optical at this price). The Sanyo also has 10MP still capture.

I'm not looking for a professional camera by any means, nor am I looking for something as bulky as a regular hand-held camcorder. Something under $200 will allow me to get my feet wet while capturing video that will hopefully still be quite usable for display on an HDTV as well as post-processing for the web. The small size will also allow me to take the camera everywhere (which is going to be an important factor). In fact I can probably just toss either one in a pocket on my person or of my SLR camera bag (when that's with me).

I'd probably end up using iMovie 09 and Final Cut Express for final output (to maintain highest resolution and possibly some additional advanced features). To start however I'd play only with iMovie.

I'm drawn to the optical zoom of the Sanyo, but I'm also really drawn to the AA batteries of the Kodak (not to mention its lower price

I'd probably like to pick something up early in April as we'll be attending a friend's wedding in Vegas mid-month with a side-trip to the Grand Canyon. This would give me an opportunity to play/test with scenery and subject matter that's a bit more interesting than the neighborhood at home.

Does anyone have any experience with the Kodak or previous Sanyo products like the CG09? Any interesting notes about taking 720p H.264 video into iMovie?

I don't really have any opinion on the cheap HD recorders, but I just want to point out the recordings possible with the Canon 5D Mark II. It produces excellent video, and all the interchangeable glass you can put on the SLR body makes for the possibility of shooting very cinematic video.

I can't get to it at work, but there are lots of sample vids using the Nikon on Vimeo (and elsewhere).

Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the phrase "on the cheap" that I wasn't previously aware of

Peter

Well, as compared to previous equipment that could do the same thing.

Having had my 5D Mk II for a few days now, I can also add that it is far from an easy to use camcorder. The video function is an addition to the stills and is full of nasty little frustrating issues. I won't go into them here, it does produce some truly stunning video but it's for serious users only at this point.

There are a few simple changes Canon can (will?) make to turn it into something more mainstream, but this is a stills camera first and video second. Having said that the whole reason I have it is for the video, but I'm not planning on using it for shooting holiday videos.

Cheers

Cris.

I dunno, I think £250.00 is pretty good.

HANG ON! I got the decimal point in the wrong place! HOLY CRAP I better ring the bank manager

Cheers

Cris

I have a brand-new Panasonic LX3 ($420 at B&H). It does 720p/24, and the video quality is quite good, although you can't zoom while it's recording, and you can only record 10 minutes at a shot, no matter how big your memory card is. I'm not so sure about the audio quality. If you really care about that, I'd investigate the new Panasonic DMC-GH1 (or is it HG1?). That one does 1080p/24 or 720p/60, has attachments for an external mike, and also allows for interchangeable lenses.

Both of these are still cameras that happen to do video. I know next to nothing about the new generation of video cameras, although my wife has one of the Sony models with a built-in hard drive. One of the things that Sony got right is that they sell a DVD burner that you can plug into the camera via USB, and you can then burn out DVDs from the camera without needing a computer. That's a big win if you don't want to spend the time in iMovie.

Toshiba announced recently 4 new budget HD cameras (1080p) - Here's a link to their UK info. I'm not sure of their US/Canada availability.