Here's the camera I want...

[ZCarroll]

does it exist?

I don't care what size it is or how much it costs or what brand

mpeg avi video files at least 30fps 640x480

at least 6x zoom

at least 3.2MP

lightweight battery (I'm tired of carrying heavy AAs and also going to pick up my camera after it's been sitting awhile and my fully charged batteries have lost their charge)

easily accessed manual control of iso and shutter speed, with everything else being automatic (I'd like to have manual control of other features as well, but want to be able to hold at a certain iso and speed while the camera does the rest of the work for me)

fast startup (2 seconds or less) and fast shot to shot speed (close to a second or less) at full resolution

at least 1/1.8" or larger sensor

[David Metsky]

Except for the AA requirement that is pretty easy to find. In the Canon line alone there are several that meet your requirement (S3/S5, A720, A650, G9) but they all take AAs. However, with newer AA's like Eneloops, they will hold their charge for extended periods of time, allowing you to keep the batteries in the camera for weeks.

Actually, I take that back, the G9 uses a Li-Ion battery.

Others that don't use AAs include the Sony H3/H7/H9 and the Panasonic FZ8, FZ50, and FZ18.

[Rooz]

(I'm tired of carrying heavy AAs and also going to pick up my camera after it's been sitting awhile and my fully charged batteries have lost their charge)

you should consider eneloop batteries which lose minimal charge when idle even for long periods.

[ZCarroll]

None of the canons have the mpeg compression (even the G9 I see as having mjpeg)... also, the double AA battery issue, they are just too heavy, but thanks for the heads up on newer AAs. The panasonics all use quicktime. I'll relook at the Sony's but I remember looking before and them not fitting one of my needs at least.

[griptape]

I've gotta say, the Sony H3 is pretty cool for the size. It has it's disadvantages like any camera does, but it's a serious contender.

[ZCarroll]

I've gotta say, the Sony H3 is pretty cool for the size. It has it's disadvantages like any camera does, but it's a serious contender.


looks like it still uses AAs though (the H9 doesn't though), also, I'm not really familiar with Mpeg1... is that as easily edited and does it have as good compression as mpeg2? Looking at it though I realize one other thing I want that I forgot to add

At least 1/1.8 size sensor or larger... the sony has a 1/2.5 ccd, too small!

ooh... the shot to shot and start up speed just isn't there either

[David Metsky]

Why do you care what the movie file type is being used? Once you get the video into the computer you can do whatever you want with it. The file size is a bit of an annoyance, but you can take 38 minutes of video on a 4G card. Do you need more then that?

[ZCarroll]

Why do you care what the movie file type is being used? Once you get the video into the computer you can do whatever you want with it. The file size is a bit of an annoyance, but you can take 38 minutes of video on a 4G card. Do you need more then that?

Because I do! I really can't stand the quicktime player, it's the most cumbersome player I've ever used -I know there are some codecs now to be able to view quicktime files with other players but I still have problems with it not always working well, also I like to be able to see what my videos are without having to open them up. I take tons of quick videos so space is very important to me as well as being able to share easily with others and also the more compact files are much easier to work with and edit -they don't take up as much computer resources. My larger video files I made with my canon s2 are not even able to play in many situations and I don't even like to deal with editing them at that point. The smaller files sizes are great for those photo frames as well as getting more on a dvd to share.

The things that I mentioned that I want in a camera are just the items I know from the last ten years of daily digicam use make the most difference in my own use and enjoyment.

[ZCarroll]

Right now I'm making do with my casio ex-z750 and an xacti hd700... still hoping to find a camera with the features listed in my original post though -anyone know if anything like that might be coming out next year, maybe?

[downtrodden]

all that stuff gets released generally, at pma in February (i think it's Feb.) so stay tuned, you can also check the news page of this here website to see News ragarding cameras.

[griptape]

Things don't usually hit streets until late march/mid april as far as next gen. It tends to be march/april and late october/november when retailers actually get reasonable stocks of new cameras. Next gen cameras aren't always an upgrade though, so it's a roll of the dice whether you settle for something now (the best camera is the one you have with you) or wait for its "upgrade" 6 months later that may or may not be any better.

[ZCarroll]

Next gen cameras aren't always an upgrade though, so it's a roll of the dice whether you settle for something now (the best camera is the one you have with you) or wait for its "upgrade" 6 months later that may or may not be any better.

Yeah, it's frustrating because I'm not really asking for much or a feature that hasn't been done already... I've mostly been extremely happy with my casio z750, I just want something a little faster (shot to shot cycle time -although a faster lens would be nice too!) and with a little more reach (zoom), but every other camera I've tried I have to give up something or a lot of somethings and it's not worth it. The perfect camera (for me) is very doable, it just isn't being done.

I got some eneloops... maybe if those work out better I might be able to deal with something that takes AAs (although that sure adds a lot of weight and bulk). As it is, my AA cams are *always* running out of juice, whereas I've never ever run out with my casio while out and about (or my xacti so far, but I've only had that a couple weeks compared to the 3 years I've been using the casio).

[Spookonthe8ball]

Yeah, it's frustrating because I'm not really asking for much or a feature that hasn't been done already... I've mostly been extremely happy with my casio z750, I just want something a little faster (shot to shot cycle time -although a faster lens would be nice too!) and with a little more reach (zoom), but every other camera I've tried I have to give up something or a lot of somethings and it's not worth it. The perfect camera (for me) is very doable, it just isn't being done.

I got some eneloops... maybe if those work out better I might be able to deal with something that takes AAs (although that sure adds a lot of weight and bulk). As it is, my AA cams are *always* running out of juice, whereas I've never ever run out with my casio while out and about (or my xacti so far, but I've only had that a couple weeks compared to the 3 years I've been using the casio).

Camera manufactures like it that way;) They can sell ya a new camera ever so often, and it's like the battery guys are in the meeting too:eek:
Electrical power is essential for the workings of a fast camera. Most notable is flash recycle time. The 4 AA models usually blow away the 2 AA models in that arena. Good luck in the search for your most acceptable imaging machine.:D
Spook

[ZCarroll]

I'm still looking for this camera... does it exist yet?

[ZCarroll]

Okay, how about now? Surely there has to be a camera like this available now?

I've been playing with a panasonic lumix fz-28 and while very close I still would prefer a bigger ccd (not much, really) and of course those quicktime vids are just unbearable... the quality is great (the sound is bad, but not a complete deal breaker), just using quicktime is a major, major headache.

[AndyfromVA]

Have you heard about the upcoming Sony HX1? It has a lot of interesting features but it's going to be very expensive. http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/digital_imaging/digital_cameras/cyber-shot/release/39145.html

[ZCarroll]

Have you heard about the upcoming Sony HX1? It has a lot of interesting features but it's going to be very expensive. http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/digital_imaging/digital_cameras/cyber-shot/release/39145.html


Thanks for the info, sounds interesting although I'm not sure about that imager?, it is smaller, also... can't figure out what kind of batteries this takes, or if it takes sd (although that's not a deal breaker either, it's becoming more and more of an issue for me)... the price doesn't sound bad at all to me, but, again, I don't care what it costs.... love that it's mpeg4, yeah! and the rotating lcd is a nice bonus...

Thanks again for the suggestion, I will be on the lookout for this one..

[ZCarroll]

Well, after years of searching and trying out cameras I've finally settled on the panasonic zs3. I am ABSOLUTELY LOVING this camera!!

But, yeah, not having a manual mode sucks... I think (wishful, perhaps?) that I can 'trick' it by playing with the various modes once I get to know it better. There are some things that could be better... definitely having aperture and shutter priority modes of course!... but it's one pretty amazing camera all around so I'm mostly happy.