These cameras are finally beginning to appear, although you still can't capture high-resolution, 8x10-worthy stills. The best you'll be able to do right now is a model with good colour, low noise, and at least 3-megapixel resolution. The camcorders that take the best stills are pretty expensive, and the pictures they capture will suffice for only small-scale printing or onscreen display.

It depends on how you plan to display the pictures.

Hint: If you're going to display the pictures at least 50 percent smaller than the original size, resolution doesn't matter much--opt for the camcorder with the best colour.

The image on the left was shot with a camcorder (effective photo resolution is 1.2 megapixels), while the one on the right was shot with an inexpensive digital camera (effective resolution 1.9 megapixels). Both are displayed at least half size. Though they show differences in white balance, they both provide about the same amount of image detail.

Hint: A camcorder with middling resolution but great colour and low noise can deliver better photos than one with a relatively high resolution and poor colour.

Compare these 2-megapixel stills from a camcorder (left) and digital camera (middle) at actual size. You'll see the colour shifts, the edge artefacts, and the noise in the camcorder images that you won't spot in those from a still camera with the same resolution. But a snap from a lower-resolution camcorder with good colour and low noise that's scaled up slightly (right) can deliver the best compromise.

Hint: If you want to print the photos, you're still better off carrying a cheap digital camera. But for small prints, you'll probably get a sufficient amount of detail from a 2-megapixel camcorder.