Hi Tony….
Our school is looking for a flip type video camera to be used in the classroom then downloaded onto a computer into Windows Movie Maker. The cameras we have found so far have files that have to be converted to a .wmv file. Do you know if there are any that produce a .wmv file so a conversion does not have to be done? We are just trying to eliminate a step and make it easy to use in the classroom by students.
I did some research for you, and it confirmed my initial impression–right now there is not a video camera that records in WMV format. To record in WMV format, you’d have to connect a camera (such as a webcam) directly to a computer, and then record with the computer.
I know transcoding/converting to another video format is time-consuming–wish there was another way! You could consider using different video editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Elements, that can handle your recorded files in their native format.
Actually, if you can find it, the Canon SD1000 (Powershot Digital Elph) records directly in WMV format. Canon has since upgraded all it’s cameras to the MPEG4 format. I was doing the same thing, using Windows Movie Maker, to great success until I broke my camera and had to upgrade.
Converting the MPEG4 files is not the same as recording directly in WMV format. I suggest you look at some pawn shops or on the internet shopping sites to see if you can find one second hand.
Best of luck