AA battery camera with HD video.

[djorob]

Hi.
Does anyone have one of the cameras floating about at the moment that run on AA's and offer HD video too?
AA battery cameras seem to be a bit more popular than a few years ago and I have seen a few with "HD video" in the blurb.
Is it true HD or just a sales gimick?
Cheers. Dave.

[SeanF]

Are you looking for a DSLR or compact?

The Pentax K-x DSLR uses AA batts and does HD video. There are examples on YouTube.

[colebatch]

is the AA battery part really important to you?

I used to be a believer in the theory that you can use rechargeables or normal batteries from just about anywhere in the world and therefore AA compacts were the go ....

But I have given up on them. The AA batteries dont last at all. For some reason AA cameras seem to go thru batteries about 5 times faster than those with built in Li Ion batteries. When you do need to buy batteries cause you are sick of rechargeable batteries running out after half a day and 20 photos in cold weather, then you go to a 3rd world shop and buy batteries, load them into your camera and find they are out of date and have lost all their charge. What initially appeared to be convenience, turned out to be an illusion. My view now after 3 AA compacts over 5-6 years, is that AA compacts are a burden.

[djorob]

Hi all.
Should have said it's a compact I'm looking for.
I had an AA battery camera a few years back and it went throught batts very fast but the nikon coolpix I have now is suprisingly good even in the cold (used it skiing a few times).
I've travelled with a dedicated battery camera and found it a bugger to charge especially when camping.
Most of the battery items I have use AA batts so am looking to use re-chargeables throughout as I can re charge them on the bike, rather than having several dedicated chargers ect.
Cheers all.
Dave.

[peekay]

The new Canon PowerShot A1200 runs on AAs and shoots HD (720p). However as colebatch mentioned, expect a short battery life especially when shooting video. One might be better of with getting a lithium-powered compact and purchasing a spare battery (or two).

[Ride Far]

I used to be a zealot re AA cameras for international travel. My reasoning was that AA batteries could be found anywhere, and I'd not have the risk of losing a charger or specialized battery or having those fail and being stuck camera-less.

But as anyone who's bought batteries overseas knows, they usually last half a day. I've had great luck with lithium AA batteries -- they can go for weeks and for a long ride I would carry quite a few. But unless you're packing lithiums, you're kind of screwed.

With so few cameras taking AA batteries now, I gave up. Plus when I started looking, the differences in features and functionality between AA compacts (low end cameras) and the higher end compacts was pretty remarkable. (Wasn't the case five years ago -- things have changed).

Just got a Canon Elph 300 (aka Ixus in the UK). What a terrific ultra-compact ... and so small. 5x optical zoom, CMOS sensor, 1080 HD video (including optical zoom while recording).

And the best thing IMHO .... 24mm wide angle (wider than the standard 28mm on most digicams). Happy picture-taking...

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Silver): Camera & Photo

[Trichelia]

The 2 options Ive been looking at:
- Canon's SX130 IS (2 AA batteries) - 12x zoom
- Fujifilm Finepix HS20 EXR (4 AA batteries) - 30x zoom

Beyond that, all nothing else to really consider......(personal opinion)

[oldbmw]

My wife has an AA powered camera and I have a panasonic with li ion battery. I bought a second on for my longer trips. we find the AA batteries to be quite a pain as they always seem to die when you want them.

to a large extent, we have stopped using the camera with the AA batteries.

The problem with these high definition cameras and latest generation is consuming a lot of battery, to see if they make more cargo.

[motravel]

yes ... needs much energy. Thats the reason hard to find one.

look at this one: EPIC Action Cam

Verry good camera with Video in full HD: Panasonic GH2
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicDMCGH2/

But i am not sure, if you want to carry it on a bike ...but quality of the video is amazig!