I have a bit of a problem. My mother has asked me to find her the best, smallest video camera possible for a somewhat reasonable price. Her idea of "too large" is pretty much any DSLR other than the very smallest/lightest ones(think bridge camera size - stuff like a Rebe T2i is out). I thought of suggesting a good video camera, but her camera is also ancient.
So I looked at video cameras that also shot pictures, and most plain sucked. So my search has come around to cameras with HD video function.
Here are the ideal specs:
CCD sensor or similar if 30fps. CMOS at 60fps. 720P is fine. Needs to function the same as a typical 300 or so dollar video camera, as a minimum.(frame wobbling/tearing isn't acceptable) Needs to also be able to zoom while recording and not be jerky or have excessive motor noise(other reason for the need for an aux mic aside from the main quality issue)
No stupid 7 or 8 minute limits on recording. 30 minutes at a time is fine.
*must have aux mic connection/available*
10MP or better. Her current one is 4MP and quite frankly sucks. I thought to concentrate on the camera side more, since she shoots pictures 90% of the time, and most cameras have better optics as a rule than digital camcorders.
Other camera functions are not important as all, since 99% of the time, she'll leave it in auto mode for pictures.
So far, I've checked out the following:
Coolpix P100
Fixepix HS10
Sony NEX-5
Leica V-Lux 20/Lumix ZS7
The newest Pen camera.(forget model number)
Are there any others that do good video? My main gripe with the ones above is worthless mics and a need for an aux mic. Or they have a critical fault like the Leica's 7 minute max recording. So far, nothing seems optimal.
