[Monstermind]

I'm considering tinkering with traditional stop-motion animation (ie hand-drawn images and a camera, not Flash-generated) on my Mac. Which would be better for me to buy, a still camera or a camcorder with single-frame capabilities? Both cases assume Mac connectivity, natch.

I'm guessing the still camera, but if anyone has any pointers...

[petek]

I'd go the still camera route 'cause you will have better resolution and macro focus control for less $ than with a DV camera. You have to pay a chunk of change for the DVs with megapixel stills built in, and the DV 720 x 480 resolution will disappoint you if you want images bigger than wallet size.

[The Scalz]

I have gotten great stills from my low end Sony Digital 8 camcorder. The key is good lighting. Bright light, as strong as daylight will make a world of difference.

Good Luck!

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Richard Scalzo
Graphic Designer & Art Director
Mac user for 15 years

[witulski]

With a motion camera, couldn't you shoot 4-5 seconds of each drawing, dump it all onto your computer, and select individual frames from the raw footage to put together your animation?

just a thought....
greg

[Monstermind]

Greg: yeah, you could do that, but based on what little I know about this, a still from a still camera looks better than one from a camcorder.

But again, I don't know if there's anything else I should be aware of...

Also, it just seems like kind of a roundabout way to go about it.