There is a new breed of device gather steam. Devices that can take decent photos and videos. There are two ways of making a hybrid device.

• Camcorders that that still photos
• Cameras that can take videos

The Sanyo CG65 Camcorder is the former, and reports are that it does it quite well.
As it stands these hybrid devices can’t match the quality of a dedicated camera or camcorder. But these devices are a lot easier to pocket and carry with you everywhere.

The CG65 records video in MPEG4, H.264 format. You can fit about 2.5 hours of video on a 4GB SDHC card in the HQ setting 640 x 480, 30fps at 3Mbps.

Here’s the kicker. I have seen actual footage in low light situations and I have to say I was pretty impressed. More to come on these devices.

One of the hottest market segments in digital cameras right now is video. The quality keeps getting better and better for using a digital camera to also take videos.

Casio just announced two new cameras with a YouTube capture mode. The Exilim EX-Z77 and the slimmer Exilim EX-S880 These cameras feature settings and bundled software to provide ideal settings for recording, storing and uploading video to Youtube.

At first glance this seem like a cheap marketing ploy. Uploading a video to Youtube isn’t exactly hard.

However a close look at the specifications reveal these are more than existing models with Youtube sticker plopped on them.

For starters these cameras have the EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processing module. This engine reduces noise in images, improves image quality and lowers power consumption.

Like other cameras in the Exilim line these cameras have a massive 2.8-inch LCD screen. Casio cameras have the best screen in the business and they work great in all lighting conditions including bright sun.

Perhaps the biggest improvement is that these cameras record video in H.264 standard, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10. Files are created with the MOV extension. Most digital cameras record in “Motion Jpeg AVI” or MPEG1. H.264 is superior to these other two standards. It can create much smaller files at much better quality.

The reported list price for the EX-Z77 is $229. The slimmer EX-S880 is listed at $299.

I know people sometimes people associate Casio with cheap watches and their cameras are often overlooked. casio cameras use the same sensor (made by Sony) as most of the other portable digital cameras, so picture quality is just as good as most other cameras out there. Nobody has a screen as nice as the Casio’s. Take a look at some reviews for Casio cameras, people love them.

There is no date yet announced when these cameras will become available. I’m sure it will in time for the fall holiday season.