I have been looking at some of the HD video cameras. Several take 30 frames per second in the 1080p mode and 60 frames/sec in the next lower resolution (720?). These boast many megapixels quality and I thought one might be good for a dog camera. Since it is hard to get just the right pose all the time, I thought if I shot a minute or two of video and then used stills from it, I might get decent photos of the dogs. Has anyone done this and what was your outcome??

I have tried this with my old Sony digital camera, but the size and resolution on the old tape models is not good for clipping stills.

back in the day, I did it, too time consuming. Easier to go through a bunch of pix and pick the best one.

Maureen, have you tried any of the cameras with a continuous shooting mode (burst) which have the ability to shoot several shots immediately one after another?

.... meant to say "DSLR" cameras, with the burst feature.

You should know that both Nikon and Canon have recently come out with new DSLR's that take digital still photographs, but also have the ability to take short videos. In Nikon's case, it is the D90. I am not sure of Canon's new camera's model number, but I am sure if you go to their website, it should be easy enough to find. I believe both cameras to be capable of shooting at least 720 High Definition, and the Canon may even be able to shoot at 1080 High Definition. If you are interested in a digital camera capable of shooting digital stills and high def video, I would suggest checking out both cameras. I would also suggest Googling both models, to read the results of the test reports posted on the Internet, which were performed on both cameras, as they are both new without a track record . In that situation, you really want to see how they are doing in tests, before purchasing.

Thanks for the info Stan...sounds interesting!

Thanks for all the good info. I have a digital video camera (as I mentioned) but it is not great. I think the best I can get is 389x292 and in pretty ordinary resolution. I was looking at some of the "low end" HD cameras (under $200) just before Xmas and was amazed at what they "say" can be done. 10 megapixel in still frame mode, burst capability in still mode, 1080p video, etc. I have a good editor and it is no hassle for me to select still frames, but it has not been worthwhile with my old system.

I will check into some of the upper end cameras suggested here. They are more than I wanted to spend right now, but may be the wiser investment in the long run Thanks again for the input.

the new Sony t500 does a great job taking HD video.. I just got for xmas and took on vacation. The video is unreal.. LOVE IT

I picked up a Nikon DX 40 last year at Costco. Good price, the DX is the stabilization feature, which is important out there. It takes continuous frames, which means I can take a dog moving and end up with some good shots. I can also take a short video. It has a "kids in motion" setting which works great with the dogs. Different focus setting for close up, nighttime, daylight, etc, which is basically different pre set auto focus settings. Also has manual settings for people who have the time to figure it all out. It also came with the zoom lens, which was $200 separately at Circuit City.

I have a Canon Rebel right now and about to move up to a 50D. I love Canon. But I've looked at the 5D Mark II (the latest that has short video) but honestly the video is so short and not great quality that I just purchased a digital video for far less money than the additional money it would cost to get the 5D Mark II and the quality is much better. For me the quality of the photograph and the video is most important though and I know people have different needs. There is a great set of short information videos (both reviews and mini tutorials on how to use the camera) on youtube by cameralab.com. I found these very helpful.

I bought a higher priced DSLR Sony camera and it does great. Pictures are turning out amazing of the dogs. I also purchased the extra lens for movement pictures and a 8 gig card. I didn't want to spend that much either at the time but it was a great investment:)