P/S for video?

Hey all, first time poster here. I'm not sure this is the right forum for my question, so mods please feel free to move.

I'm a rank amateur and shoot video mainly to document my recreational dives. No grand aspirations but it's a lot of fun and I'd like to get better. I do extremely minor editing in iMovie, slap on a soundtrack and upload to youtube (here's a recent example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCmmobXAcXE).

My current camera is a Sony T-30 with an OEM housing, it does 640x480x30fps. But UW video clearly isn't its strong suit. Also, once I crop to widescreen, apply antishake, etc. the uploaded source file is maybe 500x300 and fov is quite narrow.

I started looking at a real video solution, but quickly realized that it gets into the thousands of dollars, which...I guess I'm just not ready to commit to that yet.

So now I'm looking into the current generation of pocket digicams that shoot 720p. The problem is, they're pretty new, and there don't seem to be a lot or resources around that actually compare/evaluate the video modes on these cameras, in particular issues like low-light sensitivity, zoom-while-shooting, bitrate/image-quality, WB, battery life, etc. Still, I figure a $300-400 camera with a $200 housing will be a significant upgrade that will let me take advantage of YT's high def display.

So, finally, my question: does anyone have any suggestions for a good p/s digicam that fits my needs? Or, is there a resource out in the webs that goes into some detail on the video aspects of new digicams? I'm familiar with above-water review sites and have seen Backscatter's recent article (that sadly doesn't say much about video).

Sorry for the ramble, and thanks in advance,

Kenn

How about the Canon SX1?

Not a pocket cam, per se, but does 1080p video and has housing options already.

How about the Canon SX1?

 

Not a pocket cam, per se, but does 1080p video and has housing options already.

I did look at that - seems like a great camera, but at $1400 including housing, I'd probably just go the full video route and get something like an HF10 + Ikelite housing. Unfortunately, cost is a bit of a concern for me. I'd love to be able to get away with ~$5-700 for the whole thing if possible.

I went with a Panasonic DMC-TZ5.

It was compact, which is important for freediving, and shoots HD video- which I wanted to try. It comes with a Lecia lens that has a longer zoom than necessary for underwater use, but is 28mm wide angle lens. The camera and case would fit into your budget. It shoots HD video 8:37 at a time. This may be a pain on scuba, but has never been an issue when freediving. On an 8GB card I can get about 35 minutes of HD video.

Jon

This is a topic I am interested in too. My end goal is similar, but my path there is slightly different... I want to upgrade my UW P&S (Canon s70) to a newer P&S with better image quality. I want hi-def video clips too, because I reckon the next camera I buy will be with me for a couple of years so I want it to do a bit of everything. (I shoot a DSLR above water, but I am just not interested in what it takes to do that under water. I will compromise and shoot P&S.)

I will check out the cameras listed above, thanks everyone.