Camera w/ webcam mode | The Coffeehouse

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

I really wanted this Canon Powershot http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=18183

It has HDMI out, but it does not appear to have a live webcam mode where it streams the live video over the HDMI (only recorded HDMI out from storage). Anyone know a camera in same range that does have a webcam-mode with an HDMI out?

alwaysmc2
It's not stupid; It's advanced!

My experience has been that webcam mode for picture cameras is that it is inconvenient and doesn't work very well... You might be better off buying cheep USB webcam in addition to the point-and-shoot.

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to alwaysmc2

#Aug 15th @ 10:25 AM

"My experience has been that webcam mode for picture cameras is that it is inconvenient"

Thanks. That suggests you have found one. Which one?

USB web cams don't really have the quality and tend be designed for fixed use. I need something to carry around and do some live encoding experiments with expression encoder and streaming. I could get a std video cam, but something like the canon would have been perfect and serve a dual use as a really nice camera with good audio.

Ion Todirel
buuu

Aren't camera sensors and built in processing systems different from those on a video camera? Look at the high end DSLRs, they can only take an n continuous shoots, where n is usually less than 10, with the crappy sensors of the compact cameras that n is 0. Besides compact cameras sucks, and put that thing on a DSLR would only do damage.

RLO

You would probably be better off using an video recording camera and hooking it up via firewire, than to try to use a still shot camera, despite the ability of those cameras to record video.

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to Ion Todirel

#Aug 15th @ 6:33 PM

The new bread of cameras are worlds apart. The Kodak zi8, for example, can record video at 1080p 30fps for 10 hours w/ a 32GB card.

Thing I don't get is they could just bypass the encoder and stream out the hdmi port, so it seems this would be an ~easy feature that many are asking for.

Ion Todirel
buuu

In reply to staceyw

#Aug 15th @ 9:37 PM

don't let the "HD" tag confuse you, they are not, and they will never be, the sensors technology is the same, you can't beat physics...

Dodo
I'm your creativity creator™ :)

In reply to staceyw

#Aug 15th @ 9:37 PM

More than 720p is uncommon for a pocket camera device, not to mention expensive. If you found a cheap one it's usually an upscaling unit that digitally enhances the image.

If I understand you correctly, you want a portable camera that can feed the currently captured image to an HDMI output device like a TV or projector?

I have no clue about camcorders, but the JVC Everio GZ-HD5 seems to be able to do what you want. Though, I wouldn't want to shell out 1000+ bucks for it.

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

In reply to Ion Todirel

#Aug 15th @ 11:22 PM

And this is just a repeat of the megapixel war. A high-resolution sensor is pointless if the sensor is small (which makes it more suspectible to noise) or a cheap lens (color aberration is a major problem with cheap lenses).

I forsee modern dSLRs (with proper video support) replacing digital video cameras for entry-level videowork soon.

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to W3bbo

#Aug 16th @ 3:58 PM

"I forsee modern dSLRs (with proper video support) replacing digital video cameras for entry-level videowork soon."

I agree. The new products seem to be going that way. It seems to only make sense. You remove another device in the tool bag. Naturally, the best of all worlds is a killer wimo phone w/ 1080p video, zune integrated, wifi, hdmi out, instant shutter, and controls all your media centers in your house and tv.

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

In reply to staceyw

#Aug 16th @ 5:44 PM

"Media convergence" will never happen. We have the current scenario where Apple makes the world's most popular portable media device that is intentionally incompatible with anything Microsoft comes out with, and the high-end entertainment equipment manufacturers (like Bang and Olfusen) not wanting to sully their PR by mixing with the lower-end stuff, then there's the medium-end guys who want you using a homogenous environment with only their equipment (e.g. Sony), finally there's the cheaper stuff that's incompatible with everything else because that would only push the cost of manufacturing up.

It's a shame, because if Microsoft worked together with Sony they'd be able to pull off some good stuff, Sony at least has a sense of style and how things should work.