[KBoards Admin]

One thing I would suggest, is to consider a digital camera with video capabilities.

I have a Canon Powershot SD750, which is a still camera but can take videos - which are so good, that I hardly ever pull out my camcorder anymore. Some of the newer ones have more powerful zoom capabilities, and image stabilization - making them a pretty good, inexpensive, all-purpose video camera.

You would need a tripod and a good seating position to shoot something far away like your child's play.

 

[KBoards Admin]

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Harvey I do have a camera (Sony Cybershot) that has the video capability. Do you happen to know how much of a drain on the battery it is when you use the video option? I might have to do some test runs with this and see how the video comes out.
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Not as long as you'd get out of a "real" camcorder, certainly. I've done several long videos, I think I can get about 35 minutes of filming off of a single fully-charged battery.

Capacity is another consideration. I can get about 30 minutes of video on a single 4GB SD card. So for long videos, the real camcorders have an advantage as well.

I have 4 batteries for my SD750 - I bought them so I'd have juice for a 6-day hiking trip I went on last summer.