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In anticipation of our trip to Africa in March I just got myself a new video camera after my old Canon MV630i stopped working recently. Only having a 720p television, and being unable to tell the difference between SD and HD footage on it, I figured I didn’t need a HD video camera, and that a widescreen SD version would be just fine. Especially seeing the frequency with which I take video footage means I couldn’t really justify spending around $1,000 on a HD camera. So in the end I got myself a Canon Legria FS200 (why I went flash memory as opposed to DV is a whole ‘nother story).

After getting the new camera I took it away with me to Sydney a couple of weeks ago, and this week I did some quick editing in iMovie to produce the below:

It’s not the best camera work or the most sophisticated or artful editing, but the point of the exercise was just to get familiar with the camera and start learning how to use iMovie ’09. However, the thing that struck me while editing the footage is the apparent low resolution of the video footage—especially when compared to the still photos included in the edited movie (which of course were taken with a much higher resolution still camera)—although, to be fair, the concert footage wasn’t taken with the camcorder, but with an IXUS 80 IS (which only does SD in 4:3). So now, after what I thought was careful consideration, I’m questioning my decision to buy an SD camcorder?

Perhaps a better option for me, especially considering I don’t do a lot of video, would have been to get a compact still camera that also does HD video? For the price I paid for my SD camcorder I could have picked myself up something like the Canon IXUS 200 IS, the equivalent of which is reviewed here by Lisa Bettany. This is what I have just advised my sister to do for an upcoming overseas trip, so I’ll be interested to see how she goes.

So the moral of the story for all you potential camcorder purchases is not to underestimate the value of HD, even if like me you can’t really tell the difference on your TV set.