Digital still camera records video but no audio
 

I have a Fuji Finepix A340 that has the ability to record 60 second .avi files. I was aware that it did not record audio when I got it but I don't understand why that is, other than to save space. If you're already recording a huge file like that, you might as well have the ability to get audio as well.

1 minute of video (320x240) with no audio was 9.5 megs! I do have to say that the video quality was not terrible, even at full screen, considering it was done with a digital still camera.

Here's a mindbender. Why is it that a 1 minute video of continous movement through two rooms produced a smaller file size (9.5 megs) than a 1 minute black video (10.1 megs) with no movement? Hmmm.

James, maybe they just didn't want to put a mic in the camera!
:)

For what it's worth, all Canon Powershot digicams have built-in mics for audio recording in movie mode and to add vocal comments to still photos. They all include built-in speakers for audio playback as well.

The video clips that I have seen from cameras that do have audio recording capability were terrible. Most of the bad audio was of events or anything where there was considerable background noise. Apparently there is no way to set levels.

Well, the basic idea in this particular application is that some audio (whatever the quality) is better than none.

Here's an example of the audio recording quality from a PowerShot SD10 in movie mode: it's our own Charles Papert describing the remote follow focus control for his Steadicam rig.

www.dvinfo.net/media/chasfocus.avi (about 18mb)

That was interesting and was the best audio I've heard from a still camera so far. I believe that was from the West Wing set, right?

Nope, not West Wing, but some other show where he was a "guest operator" filling in for somebody else who was on hiatus. I don't rightly recollect. I know why you'd think that, because the set is obviously "in the White House" (it was a press briefing). Glad you liked the audio; in all fairness though it was pretty quiet there; it was about 1am when we shot that and they weren't anywhere near wrapping for the night. Outdoors would have been a different deal entirely -- any type of wind and it all goes to hell pretty quickly.

So you shot that video?

Yes. Chas was very generous to get me on the set. Of course I couldn't shoot any photos during their takes (in fact, I kept the camera out of sight at all times, for fear of being evicted by the floor manager). I shot this particular little clip on my way out, in an unused part of the set where he was storing his rig between takes.

Where was this shot?

Shot at Walt Disney Studios in L.A. very, very late one Friday night in January 2004.

Done!

"Threat Matrix" was that show (I couldn't remember either Chris, I had to look it up on IMDB).

The funny thing is, I'm not really used to still cameras recording video. Even though you told me you were shooting in movie mode, Chris, I don't think I assumed or considered that it would record audio also. Luckily I wasn't too cheeky in that clip--actually I sound pretty dry and boring! Alright, I'll give myself the benefit of a doubt--it was late night after a long week of shooting--and I did have the rig in low-mode (now I remember, I had been running around on those catwalks overhead, right?)

Oh, yeah... Threat Matrix!

By the time I shot this clip, I think we'd each put in about eighteen hours that day. So if we both sounded a little dry and boring, there was a pretty good reason for it. Thanks again for that great Hollywood-behind-the-scenes access; it was an eye-opener.

Can't believe I missed this! Awesome to see! Thanks Charles & Chris!

Chris: I know about the feeling of keeping a camera out of sight.
At my first real set visit I didn't take any pictures for fear of being
evicted of the set, didn't want to take that chance, hehe.