I have been taking photography class for a few years now but still don’t own a camera of my own. i work with both film and digital.

When I look at digital cameras online, how do I know if the camera can zoom in while its taking a video?
Is it “Optical Zoom”?
The camera that I have right now can not zoom while I am taking a video, even though it can zoom in on pictures.
Also, none of the cameras I’m looking at seem to have the dimensions or quality of their video. How do I know if the video quality will be good?

Nikon D3X
(in 35mm segment)

Must be 5 – 7 megapixals, light and easy to carry, will record any voices or noises during short video shots up to 60 seconds.

I have several Canon 220 Camcorder (with mini-dvds) but my camcorder was stolen, and the dvds must be finalized in order to able to watch them. Is there a way to do so without the camcorder itself? Any software I could use for this purpose? Thanks in advance!

Obviously the photographer is needed to take the picture, but as things digitize it seems the photographer looses some of their usefulness. Take fashion photography, the setting is already there, the makeup and clothing is already there too, the taking of the picture seems quite mechanical at this point.
As an ameteur photographer, I think patience plays a large part of my ‘job’. The patience to look for worthy material and to wait for the right moment to take the picture. Editing software can take care of any small tweaks that are needed…so besides patience, what else is needed in order to take a great photo these days? and is the photographers usefulness diminishing?

Going to Hershey Park in a few days and am wondering if taking my digital camera would be risky. Where do people usually keep their camera’s when going on rides? Also, should I try the water rides first and then the dry rides or vice versa? Should I keep my clothing in a locker or in the car? Just looking for advice from people who have been to Hershey Park. Thanks.

It has to have no flash, low lighting, and no self-timer. I just want to take lots of mediocre photos.

Is there a limit to the CF size on the Canon Powershot G2? Its an old camera that I am looking to take on a long trip and dont mind if it gets banged up.

I have some experience in photography and have being commissioned for a fashion design student to photograph her latest work for a university project. How muchh should I charge in AU$?