I'm primarily interested in posting images to a web site rather than to print. I recently saw the new Sony Hi8 digital camcorder which also produces stills. For web use, are there any serious disadvantages to using a camcorder vs a still digital camera?

-- Michael Tienhaara (mjt@ioc.net), April 08, 1999

Answers

From what I've seen, video cameras don't have as good a dynamic range as digital still cameras: You tend to get a pretty compressed tonal range, with highlights blown out, and shadows plugged. Color tends to not be as good either, and noise is generally higher. Probably ok for occasional work, but if you want people to have a favorable impression of the images, you'll do better with a dedicated still camera.

-- Dave Etchells (web@imaging-resource.com), April 13, 1999.