Inexpensive M43 Camera for Video?

Posted by fishpatrol on February 7, 2012 01:39 pm 3

I work at a small non-profit where we're in need of a new camera. (Our old 3.2 megapixel Powershot SD200 isn't cutting it any more, if you can believe it.) Although cost is a major concern, I'm very interested in choosing a camera that will be useful for several years. We mostly shoot events, currently, but we'll be using the camera to shoot some instructional videos and lectures too. No fast action, very little shooting done outside. Pretty basic, in some ways, but what we create needs to look good.

Olympus's E-PL1 is an obvious choice because it's so cheap: $290 new at Amazon. (I'd like to buy a body & lens for less than $500 if possible.) But the E-PL1 has a max file size of 2GB, and since it's only video format is M-JPEG, that makes for a 7 minute limit. No good. What cameras should I put on my short list that don't have that constraint on video length?

Camera size isn't a huge factor, really; I'd accept a DSLR if it can shoot 720p and hit the $500 mark, but it seems like you have to choose much older models or buy on the used market to get there, and older models aren't nearly as advanced at shooting videos. We also don't need full manual controls nearly as much as we need dependable image quality. Any ideas?