This is what you have all been waiting for. The ultimate mongering tool. An all in one camcorder/digital camera.

Ok, so you want to take digital pictures. You also want to record some of the action, non-mongering or mongering. Sony has the ultimate tool.

When you are finished recording the action, you can download the large file to the hard drive on your laptop. Then you can change the name of the file and hide it away for privacy purposes.

I wouldnt by this model though. I would wait until Sony puts out a newer model which will have more features. Usually they put out an improvement model 6 months after the initial.


http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start;sid=OSpDUBNADTJC31f7jcVJW1xQz5o8StNvxc0=?CategoryName=dcc_DICamcorders_HardDiskHandycamCamcorders&Dept=cameras

Another interesting option is the Sony HDR-HC3 Hi-definition camcorder. It is fairly small, records video in hi-definition, and can take photos simultaneously, or in higher resolution when you are not recording video. I haven't had an oppotunity to put it to the test, but it looks pretty good, if not a bit pricey (but the price is reasonable for what it offers IMHO).

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=dcc_DICamcorders_HighDefinitionVideo&ProductSKU=HDRHC3&Dept=cameras&INT=sstyle-cameras-deptfeature-HDRHC3|sstyle:sy_dept_content_b:cameras

Street price if ordered on the internet from a reputable discount dealer is around $1200.

Rather than download to your computer hard-drive and try to rename the file to hide it from "anyone" who might give you a hard-time, if found. Is there a way to send the rather large video file via the Internet to either a web-site, an awaiting friend, or a remote computer where you can download the video upon your return back home?

Or, would you have to save the file in 1Meg segments, e-mail it, then reconstruct upon returning home?

AJ - Just looking for a better way to do this without running into hassles departing the downrange country or getting back into the US.

An hour long DVD is over 4 (4000 megabytes) gigabytes in length. You will probably take several hours of video. Lets say 5 hours of video, thats 20 gigs. There is no website you can upload it to. I believe there maybe a way to ftp the file to a server. However, you need to have access to a server that will allow you to upload that huge file AND a high quality broadband connection.

The chances are that the customs officers do not inspect anything, most people get waived through. When they do conduct an inspection of your laptop, they will probably do a search for jpegs only. Just download the file to the windows program area and rename it to mymic a windows system file. Such as Hom182.sys. If you are really paranoid, then encrypt it using truecrypt.org and then rename the file.

You will need lots of space on your harddrive. So you will need a fairly modern computer with lots of space. A 100 gig hard drive should do the trick.