Cheap Point and Shoot Video Options - Technology Evangelist

I ran into my good friend Mark Eibner at the Inman Connect conference in San Diego at the blogger party thrown by Zillow.com. Mark was shooting some videos with people attending, including me, using an RCA EZ201 Small Wonder point and shoot video camera.

He took the footage he shot, uploaded it to JumpCut
(the Small Wonder has a USB jack, so you can plug the camera directly into a computer) and threw a title into the video before publishing it to his blog.

I had my Canon SD800 IS point and shoot camera in my back pocket, so I whipped that out and captured a short shot of Mark interviewing John McKnight from RealTyger.com.

For comparison's sake, I uploaded and edited my clip using Jumpcut too. Jumpcut is a free online video editing service owned by Yahoo that allows you to upload video, edit clips, add audio, titles, and effects, then publish to your website, blog, etc.

Here is my Danon SD800 IS shot, JumpCut edited video of one of Mark's interviews:

The Small Wonder retails for just over $100, and does one thing very well. But that's all it does. For example, it doesn't shoot still photos. The Canon SD800 IS currently retails for around $300, and is great as both a camera and an on the go video camera.

JumpCut is an easy to use video editing tool that offers most common editing features. However, you're locked into the service, so videos created on JumpCut will reside on JumpCut. Yes, you can post them to other sites and email them, but they'll use the JumpCut player. A better option, in my opinion, is to edit videos on your computer, store a local copy, then upload the video to the service (or services) of your choice.

I think lens quality is probably the primary factor. I believe the SD800 captures at a larger frame size, so that may play a roll in the pixelation.

Personally, I prefer having a still and video combination over carrying two separate devices. Especially with the quality I get from the SD800. Of course, it is more expensive.

Ed, is this Canon SD800 IS still the best on the go camera and video combo you'd recommend? How is the video's sound quality? Thanks!

Rita, the SD800 IS has been discontinued and replaced with the SD870 IS. The 870 isn't enormously better than the 800, so if you can find a great deal on an 800, consider that option. However, the 870 has been out long enough to come down a bit from it's initial price as well.

Comments

1. Posted by: Joe on August 8, 2007 4:42 PM:

Ed,
your point and shoot does a better job (In my opinion) than that small wonder. What is up with that?! Why does your point and shoot have better video? Its not as choppy or pixelated..

hit me back,
thanks.
-Joe!

Required fields marked with: *
Name*:

Email Address*:

URL:
Remember personal info?

Comments*:

HTML Tags you can use in your posts:
<b>Bold</b> = Bold
<i>Italicized</i> = Italicized
<a href="http://www.othersite.com">Link to Other Site</a> = Link to Other Site

Please keep comments on-topic. Contact authors or other commenters
directly for off-topic conversations.

Notify me of future comments via e-mail

Technology Evangelist Digest - Free Newsletter

Sign up for the free Technology Evangelist Digest to receive daily updates, editorials, and practical advice on emerging technology trends in hardware, software, webware, marketing and beyond.

Technology Evangelist Digest will keep you up to date on the technology trends that will help make you more productive and efficient both in business and your personal life.

Let's face it: If you made it to this line, you must have found something valuable on this page, right? Think about how cool it would be to have something free and interesting to read every day from Technology Evangelist by signing up today.

1. Fill in your email below,
2. Then click on the confirmation email you receive.
3. That's it. Your first Technology Evangelist Digest will arrive within 24 hours.