Cameras for Video Sharing
Video is a lot of fun, especially capturing moments that would otherwise slip by. Whether you’re shooting clips to upload to YouTube, Facebook or just to share with the family, you need a camera.
A digital camera for video sharing should store video on a memory card so you can quickly slip it into your computer and upload it. Transfer over USB is fine as well, assuming the cord doesn’t get lost. You want HD video, while it’ll take longer to upload it’ll look better and in the future when we’re flying around in our space-cars, you’ll appreciate the quality.
Memory & Accessories
If you get a non-Sony camera chances are that it’s going to use SDHC cards. (Sonys use a format called Memory Stick which is slightly more expensive, but not by much.) They’re very common and are therefor low in price. In general memory prices drop by half every year and new doubled capacities come out to fill the higher price points. Right now a 16 gigabyte SD card (or 2 or 3) is probably a good bet. That’ll be enough space to store hour or more of movies. Many camera manufacturers don’t include cards with their cameras, so make sure you pick one up.
A tripod is an good investment. In particular we love the little Gorillapod, a small tripod with bendable legs that you can wrap around a pole, friends head or stand on uneven surfaces.
Camera Shopping
Pay attention to reviews and overall ratings, that will tell you a lot about a camera. You probably want to start with something that has at least 4 stars. Good Pocket Video cameras can be had for less than $200, while a ‘real’ video camera with a good lens will set you back at least $500. Most of the Pocket Video cameras record in a format that’s easy to upload to YouTube or Facebook, but these files are large, so it will definitely take a while unless it’s a very short clip. If the clip isn’t really amazing, you’ll probably want to re-compress it at a smaller resolution before uploading it. Most Pocket Video cameras come with software (or work out of the box with applications like Apple’s iMovie) to help you edit and compress them.
Specific Cameras for Video Sharing We Like
The Kodak Zi8
For around $150 this is a heck of a little camera. The image quality has greatly improved over the previous generation, and it’s kind of stylish to boot!
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
While a point and shoot, this camera at a little more than $250 offers everything you could want in a video-shooter except for stereo sound. It has a long zoom range, lets you zoom while recording video, stores 2 hours of HD footage on a 16 gig SDHC card and even comes in colors.
The Canon VIXIA HF200
A ‘real’ video camera, this $550 1080p capable camera records to SDHC cards, has a stereo mic and controls designed for video. A great camera if you’re thinking about longer form pieces or vacations.
If you’d like to find more cameras, just click the boxes next to ‘Compact Zoom’ or ‘SLR’, the price ranges you’re interested in, and the features you’re interested in on the left. Then hit ‘Find my Camera!’
