On Wed, 22 Jan 2003 10:11:35 -0500, "Mark Weaver" <weaver@nospam-corvusdev.com> wrote:

>Having done just a bit of research, the Canon ZR-40 looks like quite a

>bargain at around $400. I have no interest in memory slots or still images

>(I already have a digital camera and would not be at all interested in 1

>megapixel images from a mini-DV), but I would like the passthrough

>capability to digitize old Hi8 tapes.

Watch out for camera noise in the audio (Sony cameras are better for this...).

>One question -- is the .29 megapixel really a problem for video? As far as

>I can tell, that resolution corresponds to 640x480 which would be fine.

Mebbe - but it is a noticeable step-down from what better

cameras can show...

>Does a megapixel-capable camera really provide better video quality.

See the thread above, "How does 680k pixels compare to megapixel?",

and also: www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder--comparison.htm

(where imaging-types are compared - though read the comments,

since still frame-grabs do not show some effects that can be

important...

>And,

>more to the point, is there any place I might download small video clips of

>the same scene taken with entry-level and higher-end video cameras so that I

>can compare quality with my eyes?

See the site above for stills (and also

http://www4.big.or.jp/~a_haru/index.html) - but DV video

files are WAY too large to download without excessive

further compression...

>Any other bargain priced DV cameras you'd recommend over the ZR-40?

Look for a Sony TRV18 on close-out...