Click photo to enlarge
If sharing footage online is a priority, it's difficult to
beat a Flip camera. Some even include simple, built-in
software to edit and upload footage.
Not so long ago, cameras and camcorders lived as separate
species.
But while digital cameras still take better photos than
camcorders and camcorders still shoot better video than
cameras, the differences between them have shrunk to the
point where many people can and should do fine with just a
camera.
Starting with that assumption, look for a few key features in
a pocket-size digital camera.
First, make sure the camera uses cheap, standard SD card
storage, not Sony's memory stick or the xD-picture cards
Olympus requires.
Second, make sure it includes optical (not just digital)
stabilisation to steady longer exposures.
Third, try to get the smallest model you can find that takes
AA batteries.
What about megapixels of resolution, the traditional measure
of a camera? It no longer matters - they all offer more than
enough resolution to saturate an 8-by-10 print.
Don't pay extra for a higher number here.
After that, look for a zoom lens that offers both good
telephoto reach (5x is the upper limit on most pocketable
models) and, if possible, a wide-angle option.
If you hate complexity, get a point-and-shoot camera with an
automatic mode-selection feature that will, for instance,
switch to macro focus for close-up subjects.
If, however, you'd like to retain manual control of such
things as exposure and aperture, you'll have few choices
among pocket-size models.
Bigger "ultrazoom" cameras and bulky digital
single-lens-reflex units should all allow that flexibility
but cost more.
As for video, if sharing footage online at YouTube or other
sites is a priority, it's difficult to beat Flip cameras.
Some even include simple, built-in software to edit and
upload footage (although the Apple iPhone 3GS's video
software is even easier, since it doesn't require a separate
computer).
You do sacrifice some video quality with digital cameras and
Flip-style video cameras.
For footage you'd recognise as high-definition, look at
higher-end camcorders.
One that uses SD card storage - not recordable DVDs, an
internal hard drive or tape - will let you easily dump your
footage on a computer and clean it up in a program, such as
Apple's iMovie or Microsoft's Windows Live Movie Maker.
- Rob Pegoraro of the Washington Post.
