Pipper wrote:
<snip earlier dicussion>
>>>In its native  STILL mode it is ok, very rarely need to edit any of the
>>>photos.  In addition to the other faults the video mode records
> 
> everything
> 
>>>too dark, and every video has to be edited to lighten them up.  The
> 
> video
> 
>>>function is shite unless used in bright daylight.
>>
>>I have used s variety of digital cameras as low-res* video cameras.
>>The bast ones I've used are the Aiptek mini-dv line.
>>Regardless of this, all of them play back showing the tool icons on the
>>TV screen.
>>My assumption has always been that this is just a method of checking
>>what's recorded (like a clearer viewfinder option), because most of the
>>digicams (that I've used) came with video editing software of various
>>levels of quality and that you could burn the video to DVD, VCD or SVCD
>>and then watch it on any TV attached to a DVD player.
>>
>>My primary digital still camera is a Minolta Dimage 7I.
>>This can do 30 second video clips, but why bother?
>>As a still camera (I think at least) it is pretty darn good, but as a
>>camcorder it leaves much to be desired.
>>
>>*by "low res" I mean 320x240, which gives (surprisingly) clear video in
>>good lighting conditions.
> 
> Well this c765 with the 256mb card will do 12.5 minutes on 320x240

My D-7i will only do 30 second "bursts" of video recording and probably 
would fit just as much as yours onto a CF card of the same size.
The Dimage 7i is primarily an "slr style" still camera and for that it 
is idealy created.

My Aiptek DV2 records in 320x240 avi at about 12 fps, great for that 
arty "pixelcam" style of movie, about the same as an old mini-vhs 
camcorder (with added motion-blur).