Best cameras for still photos and video?

I went on amazon.co.uk to checkout what was available and after spending quite a bit of time reading reviews came up with,

Panasonic Lumix TZ10 - seems really good…except it shoots in AVCHD Lite not normal HD and people say they’ve had compatability issues…

Panasonic TA1 Full HD Pocket Camcorder - much cheaper, people say the video is really good but the photos not so much…..

I’m looking for a hybrid, filming will be mostly in the park, so sunny days and snowy conditions.  Photos will be more general but i’d like something good if poss.

Budget…i’m more about value (ie what you get divided by what you pay) but roughly up to around 200 quid (300 aussie dollars).

Any thoughts on these cameras or if i’m way off let me know where i should be looking!  Thanks a bunch eh!

I have a tz10, took it to nz with me last year and it was wicked. photots were spot on, video was good. i ad no compatability issues with the video as of yet.

I will probably end up using something basic like windows movie maker 2 or something like that.  Is the AVCHD Lite format likely to be compatable with that?  What program do you use deanobruce?

For that cash I would hit up the Fujifilm XP30, I took the previous version XP10 to NZ last year and the had no dramas with the quality of either the stills or the video, the video was actually very good as long as your not trying to zoom whilst doing it.  Has the added advantage of being waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, freezeproof etc and is small enough to fit in my media pocket inside my jacket.

The Fujifilm seems to be the best value for money in the rugged compact section of the market at present.

thanks NBSG, i’ll look into that one!

I would say save up a bit more and look into a slr hybrid.  Almost all of them shoot HD and you can swap lenses to increase your filming and photography flexibility.  But if your not ready for that leap then I cant really give much advice.

If by DSLR Hybrids you mean micro 4/3 cameras I don’t agree. When you put a zoom lens on it it becomes as big as a dlsr which negates it’s prime selling point.
but you probably mean dslr’s that shoot video too, right?

Ya I was thinking more along the lines of the Canon 60D or 600D.  Im was thinking something a little more high end then a point and shoot style cam.  I had a chance to look over the cameras Aidy listed and realized that he is looking for something very compact throw in your pocket style camera.

So for that I would recommend something in Canon G9 - 12.  High quality lots of great features and if you want to save look for a used G9 as it is pretty much the same as the new G12!

But again.  I am not a vid guy yet and dont know that much about what you might want.

Thanks for the replies guys, i’ve just got home from a punishing weekend so i’ll check out all the suggestions over the next few days.

For $300 you will not get a good camera that does either. You might get something that does an average job of still or video. You wont get a hybrid that does both well.

Save more or be content with whatever!
But I guess that’s what your asking - What’s does the better job in that price range for a hybrid? Answer - whichever camera the sales person convinces you does.

Spaz if Aidy is after a simple point and shoot that will take decent stills and HD video for his own memories and what not I think the rugged compacts are a perfect compromise.  Family and friends were blown away that I had taken the video’s of NZ from this innocuous little camera.  The HD video really turned out great on my 50” plasma even after being put through Cyberlink Powerdirector for editing and compressing.

Not sure if this link will work but there are a few other options in the rugged compact market that do HD

http://www.dpreview.com/products/search/cameras#criterias=SpecsCoreParams,SpecsDurabilitySearch,SpecsMovieHDMode&includeDiscontinued=No&sort=newestFirst&view=list&page=1&paramSpecsCoreParamsBodyType=Compact&paramSpecsDurabilitySearch=Waterproof,Shockproof&paramSpecsMovieHDMode=1280x720

A lot of the pics and vid in this link to my NZ trip were shot with the Fujifilm, some of the pics are frame grabs.  Some of the frame grabs are from my mates non HD cheapo non rugged Panasonic but from memory most of the stills are from mine.  Bear in mind the vid has gone through Power Director and then whatever Vimeo does to it.  The pics were just compressed using Microsoft Picture Manager.

https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/1164/

If thats the sort of quality Aidy is looking for I reckon you can’t go wrong with a rugged compact, for ease of use they can’t really be beaten, don’t have to worry about fucking it up while riding or a back pack to lug it around.  My only concession this year will be a wearable HD like the Tachyon XC, will make getting footage while riding much easier.

With all that said there are limitations to it and my other camera, a big zoom compact the Fujifilm S8100, low light isn’t great but it did ok, all the pics in my WA Margarets thread were taken with that.  Ideally I want to pick up the Pentax K-r with the 18-55mm and 50-300mm lens, that will set me back around $750 according to what I can find on the net.  Don’t think I would take it on the mountain though, way too interested in riding rather than shooting and would shit myself about damaging it if I was trying to do both with it in back pack.