Video

[Jeff M.]

I've been inspired by some video trip reports recently such that I'd like to start taking video on my trips. Those of you that take video on trips, what do you use – P&S, DSLR, GoPro, FLIP, phone, other? Any recommendations on features to look for? When it comes to video I'm a novice.

[Franco Darioli]

One point to keep in mind is to know if your PC can handle the type of file you are shooting with.
Some MPEG 4 types (AVCHD and the like) need a very fast and beefy set up.
But if you don't intend doing any editing at all, disregard this…
The easiest format to work with is still the almost defunct Mini DV. That is because you are shooting individual frames not "groups of " that your PC has to re-build.
Franco

[Rog Tallbloke]

The video capabilities of my partner's Panasonic TZ7 are surprisingly good. It can shoot in two full HD formats: Motion Jpeg (which fills your emory card quickly but plays directly in most media players), and AVCHD Lite (which you need to convert using free software later but compresses well).

The camera only weighs around 8oz, and has a 12x zoom lens (which you can use during filming). If you intend doing a fair amount of video on a longer trip, the AVCHD Lite format is well worth considering (you can get around 2 hours on a 16Gig memory card).

The free conversion software is called Format Factory.

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