One thing you left out that's cool with CHDK and a camera like this is that you can turn on USB remote control. Then if you use a USB charge brick plugged into one of those power strips with an on off switch, you can connect the brick to the mini-USB port on the camera. Flicking on the power strip for a second then off triggers the shutter. I just used this setup to do some product photos and it made it super easy since I didn't have to keep reaching up to the camera to hit the shutter button. If you connect the HDMI to a large display you could set up a remote monitor for a pretty good stop motion kit or other studio work on the deep cheap.
The video footage is nice if you don't need more than 1080P at 24 frames/second. It's what I use even though I later got a camera that can do 4K (huge files). Files on this camera are limited to 4GB but that gets you ~ 14 minutes at 1080P. To go longer, all you have to do is stop & start recording so it starts another file. 14 minutes is a long time for one shot. Use a fast enough SD (speed class 6 or higher) so you don't get stutters or dropouts. That's not really a camera limit but it can be a gotcha. The only other thing is what I mentioned in the video - access to the card/battery while it's on a tripod. With room on the card and a full charge, that's not much of an issue. Even with those limitations, I definitely recommend it.
Sorry, it's a fixed zoom lens. It can do 50mm equivalent but at that focal length you'll probably get about f/3.5. Canon doesn't specify maximum aperture at intermediate focal lengths, just widest, f/3.1 at 28mm equiv. & max zoom, f/5.9 at 392mm equiv. For less than $200 USD you can get an older Canon DSLR of at least 12MP and a 50mm/1.8. HTH.
Hi, first, the usual - make sure your battery is charged and the contacts in the camera are clean. A pencil eraser (not too rough, it's really abrasive) is good for shining up the contacts on the battery and the ones in the camera. More likely, it is the battery/SD door switch. Even with the battery inserted and the little clip catching the battery, the battery door has to be closed for it to power on. Inside the battery chamber, between the SD slot and the back of the camera is a little slot. There's a piece of plastic on the battery door that slides in the slot and activates a switch to let it know the door is closed. I was able to turn my camera on with the door open by *gently* using a toothpick to activate the switch. So... The switch my be gummed up, broken loose, or defective or the plastic tab on the battery door may be worn down or broken. Good luck, HTH.
