Lately, we have seen more and more still digi-cam companies come out with new features on their cams. However, the one feature I'm not very pleased is the AVI/movie function. I'm not sure about still digicam nettizens out there, but in my opinion movies are movies and it just doesn't belong in the still world. Why not let the camcorders do their job instead. As a matter of fact, they are far much better in doing that. I believe that the still digicam makers should focus their attention more on how to bring out the "still" image to the next higher ground. Apart from quality pictures, common issues like continuous shooting problem, ergonomics (always high on the list), high power consumption, low focusing reaction, construction & lastability, what else in the buyer's box, etc. and etc. ought to be on day-in day-out agenda.

OLY C2000Z is a good camera. However, the upcoming 2020Z comes with a movie function. I hope the OLY folks can move this movie function back to the camcorder department (where they belong) and bring in other goodies like extra zooming capability perhaps.

-- khairil_anuar (khairil_anuar@hotmail.com), October 28, 1999

Answers

I agree with you regarding the new features. I'd like to see more and more features that bring digitals closer to conventional cameras, but I can see no harm in adding features that conventional cameras aren't really suited for as well. It's motivated by consumer need or the perception of the need for AVI movies and the like. If you think about it, a digital camera is a natural way to directly capture an AVI or other compatible format movie and download it to a pc without having to digitize video and edit it. It's just simpler and may help sway camcorder buyers into looking at a digicam rather than another camcorder... It's really no different than the camcorder people introducing still mode capabilities.

As long as adding these features doesn't preclude them from adding other features, why object? Adding multiple frame recording into an AVI format is simple and cheap for the manufacturer since it's primarily a software thing. Hardware changes require a lot of R&D and are probably more limited to being performed on basic elements of the camera like CCD R&D, etc.

Well, that's my take on it anyhow...

-- Gerald Payne (gmp@francorp.francomm.com), October 29, 1999.