Xebec said:
I've heard good things about the Optura-Xi which replaced the Pi. The Pi has a 1/4 inch CCD with 690k of effective pixels. The Xi has a slightly larger 1/3.4 inch CCD with 1230k of effective pixels.
Edit: In order to fit 1230k of pixels in the Xi's sensor, the pixels are certainly smaller than on the Pi and according to the Kodak article, could very easily mean image quality could suffer.
I have recently bought a Canon MVX3i - which is the European name for the Xi. I bought it in Jessops for £949 - but have now seen it for £929 or so. This is outside the original requirement, and also "only" has a 10x zoom.
If I can now use this opportunity to chime in with my limited opinions - primary based on comparing still to video and also bad marketing from some companies...
1. Zoom. The X-Factor (10x, 12x, 20x) is only part of the story. This factor is the
range of the zoom - so if the camera takes a great wide angle image, a 20x may only be 10x when compared to a camera with a not-so wide view. I would suggest to always try to compare the 35mm equivalent zoom, which should be given somewhere. For example, on my MVX3i the lens is 4.7mm/5.2mm - 47mm but listed as 43.7mm - 489mm 35mm equiv on the
www.canondv.com website (but not in the manual strangely!). Also, look at what telephoto adaptors you can get (quality, not cheap) and add that into your budget. A 2x teleconvertor should be between £50 and £150.
2. Quality. Assuming you go with a miniDV or Digital8 camcorder, the moving image quality - in terms of resolution etc. - are
identical. The image format on the tape is fixed by standards. What does make a big different is how the image is captured (as other have mentioned the sensor size) and the lens. Obviously,
never ever use digital zoom. If you really want that, do it afterwards on the computer... Stills from video will be limited to 720x576 on PAL... but also bear in mind the issues with interlaced video (all consumer cameras) and the relationship between even/odd frame recordsing and high shutter speeds.
3. Handling. The MVX3i has a bottom-loading tape, which means no loading a new tape while the unit is on a tripod. You can botch an adaptor together to lift the unit off the tripod, but not the best... This is just one example of checking what issues you may come across when trying to pick the right camera.
4. Battery life and being away from home. I just spent £110 on the largest battery for the MVX3i - ouch - but it should let me fill 3 tapes while out. Remember how far you will be from home, and budget for batteries. I strongly advise against 3rd party batteries. My 3rd party Jessops and two Hahnel batteries are "crap". See
www.batteryuniversity.com for some background as to why some cheap 3rd party batteries might be crap. (cell matching and age from factory etc.)
Back to the issue of what to buy - I would advise you to either find something basic and cheap at first, learning about what features you need and don't need, and then upgrade in a year or so,
or build a checklist and go for something more expensive straight away and save a few hundred from a "failed" attempt.
I have seen basic miniDV cameras on sale at Dixons for £250 - £300.
rgds,