I know you asked for a suggestion, and the first thing I do is take your thread off-topic But... I suppose it depends on your needs. I subscribe to the "Do one thing, and do it well" theory. Any combination camera is gonna be a compromise of one function, or the other or both. I'd rather have a great Video camera and a great Still camera. YMMVWarm regards,DOFThere is no satisfactory substitute for excellenceDr.

Beckman..

But the problem is price. Can I get a good still camera and a good video camera for under $600?..

I bought a Sony DSC-M1 about a year ago to use as a compact still/video camera for a cruise I was going on. Over all this is about the best choice to a "Jack Of All Trades" camera. While on vacation I preferred it and used it for the majority of my videos since it was so much more compact, which was an advantage while traveling around..

The Sony M1 (there is also a M2) is about as big as a "candy bar" style cell phone. There camera does have a weird flip out screen which makes it look much different than other cameras. Over all the videos come out great. It will not give the quality that my 20gig HDD camcorder does, but it still WAY better than my point and shot does..

The photos are decent, and I feel is comparative to other cameras in it's range. I do find the focus to be funny acting in low light and the noise levels are high unless you use it at the lowest setting..

Sony does not make these models any more, but you can find them around at very good prices now. Casio makes a new model that is suppose to have excellent video, but I have yet to use it..

Very few companys go after this market, so it's going to be hard to find one that actually does a good job at both. Samsung makes a Duo Cam which is a camcorder with a decent digital camera, but it's much larger and is mainly built to be uses as a camcorder...

Ever since the rootkit debacle, I tend to avoid Sony.  .

Check out the Canon S3 IS / S5 IS. The S3 IS has been rated very high for video and it's a great still camera, too. It's 6 megapixels (plenty, really) and is selling for under $300. The S5 IS is 8 megapixels but the reviews aren't noting much of an advantage for the extra resolution. I don't think I'd pay the extra $140 for the S5 unless I just had to have the hot shoe..

If you're going to be shooting hours and hours of video, do consider a DV camcorder, though. The S3 will burn through a 1 Gig SD card in about 9 minutes. For $600, you really can have both if you shop around. I've got a great little Panasonic DV camcorder that I bought new for under $300 a few years ago, and there are a lot of good non-DSLR digital cameras in that price range...

Yeah, my cousin has one of the old S2s and he seems to eat up his SD cards fast with video. I might consider getting a dedicated still and a dedicated video from what I'm hearing.....