Interestingly, I found that I can shoot 10.5 hours of
non-stop video (stopping only to change cards) on one of my superzoom
cameras (this is with the EVF always on) with just one set of AA batteries.
That's phenomenal performance for any video recording device on such a
small power-source.


Correction: I recall now that I did this test with the LCD display always
on, not the EVF. A large LCD display always being a greater energy drain
than an EVF on the same camera. I set up the camera to record a TV display,
so there would always be something in motion in the view to ensure the CPU
was being put to use for video compression, etc. Doing this while I was
working on something else all day. With the articulated LCD facing toward
my work area I could watch for when it had reached a time or memory-card
limit and restart it as soon as possible. It was also part of my "burn in"
test when first getting it, to ensure it wasn't a lemon that would crap out
in 30 days. Not to mention testing the silly claims in the manual that said
you should never record for more than an hour in any one stretch. (Part of
the reason they limited video to only 1 hour in that camera until CHDK
unlocked that limit.) This simple test put that ridiculous claim to rest,
where it belonged. No doubt one of their bean-counter's brilliant ideas so
sales of these cameras wouldn't cut into their video-camera line of sales.
That camera is now 3 years old and still going strong.

I now wonder ... how long it could record video with using the EVF instead.
or even better, with the viewfinder turned off completely (for static scene
wildlife surveillance uses). It has the option to blank the EVF/LCD. An
educated guess upward of 15 hours for the former, maybe 20-30 hours of
video for the latter. With CHDK's scripting and its 110 different levels of
video compression in 2 types (constant bit-rate or constant compression),
and a large SD card it could probably record CD-quality stereo sound and
video for a full day or more on one set of AA batteries.

Impressive stuff they're making these days.