Are there any digital cameras and/or camcorders offering optical zoom in video mode?

Question

Hi, anybody knows if there are any digital cameras and/or camcorders offering optical zoom in video mode?

All I've ever had are camcorders and digital cameras that feature only digital zoom when recording video, and the quality of that zooming is lousy; you see the quality difference immediately, when playing back the videos.

If anybody knows, I'd appreciate some suggestions, preferably budget cameras, USB compatible, so I can transfer to my PC.

Thanks a lot in advance for your suggestions.

Answer 1

i recommend canon hg10

Answer 2

A lot of digital cameras can't zoom while they're recording video, but I'd expect to be able to record and use the optical zoom with any modern camcorder.  I'd also expect to be able to transfer video to my PC, though not necessarily via USB - MiniDV uses firewire and if you record to a mini-DVD you just put the DVD in your PC's drive (and hope that it works!).  If you're looking for a budget camcorder but still want good quality look at MiniDV camcorders.  You may need to pay a few $$ for a firewire card if your PC hasn't already got one, but they're still the best bang for the buck.

Answer 3

All "real" camcorders have optical zoom and digital zoom.

It sounds like you are using a very low-end flip-like or toy camcorder or a camera that is primarily used for taking stills (and happens to have a "video" feature).

MiniDV tape based camcorders provide the best available video quality - but they use firewire (not USB) to transfer video to your computer. USB is only used for transferring stills from the camcorder's memory card or webstreaming (of the camcorder has either of these features). Adding a firewire port is typically not difficult - and it is pretty cheap.

Canon ZR800, ZR950, Sony DCR-HC52, HC62 and Panasonic PV-GS320 are good, entry-level, examples.

Hard drive and flash based camcorders compress their video a lot, but the quality isn't too bad... Video is transferred using USB. Sony DCR-SR45 and Canon FS10 are examples. They typically cost more than miniDV, but that does not mean the video quality is better - compression of the video information translates into lost data and can result in reduced video quality.

In any case, when you shop for a camcorder, do not use digital zoom as a feature comparison item - because when you bring the camcorder home, your first step is to turn digital zoom off. Use only Optical zoom.

Other things to look for in a good camcorder:

Mic-in jack (optional, but very useful)

Some sort of audio manual control (again, optional, but if you think you might be recording loud audio, like bands, this will be a requirement).

DO NOT BUY A DVD BASED CAMCORDER. Their video is terrible - especially for editing or uploading to the web. The discs are a pain and can be unreliable (resulting in list video).