Maybe someone can help me out here?

Recently I started to use my Sony HC90E to take photos also. When I am in 'Memory' mode the photos I take, come out in 2016 x 1512 pixel resolution... but when I take photos while I am recording in 'Tape' mode (16:9), the photos only come out in a low-res 640 x 360 pixels.

I have searched through the user manual and all the settings on the camcorder, but I cannot find that one setting that allows me to snap hi-res photos while I am recording a movie to tape. Unless, it's not possible (I can't understand why it should not be)?

Thanks.

You can't.
That cam will only take stills at the res you got while in Tape mode.

Bummer! Really bizarre, but thanks all the same.

its a hardware limitation.

You cant take video at one shutter speed/aperture/ISO and take a still at another shutter speed/aperture/ISO all at the same time

So, it does the next best thing, snaps a shot of the current video frame.

I am planning to use this camcorder for recording my surgical videos. My surgical camera outputs 1920*1080 so then will it record the still images at the high resolution?