Maris writes, "Do you know any good digital cameras that record video as .avi files?"
Recommending a good digital camera is always a loaded question because there are many great cameras out there and everyone has their preferences. I use Canon digital cameras almost exclusively because I've never had one I didn't like. That doesn't mean Canon is the only brand that makes great cameras. And for every Canon lover, there's someone who will point to a Nikon or Pentax as being better in some way. For your specific request, there are a number of brands that could work. Canon digital cameras record M-JPEG video in .AVI container format, including many great point-and-shoot cameras like their Digital Elph line and the Canon G9. Nikon Coolpix cameras shoot video in an .AVI format. FujiFinepix digital cameras shoot M-JPEG .AVI video. Samsung digital cameras record MPEG-4 video with a .AVI file extension. I have owned a camera from each of those brands and the only one I find fault with is Samsung because the one camera I've owned from them shoots corrupted images about 1/3 of the time.
If AVI is a requirement, avoid Olympus, Casio, Kodak Easyshare, and Panasonic Lumix. Those four brands record video in QuickTime MOV format.
