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Message: <blockquote data-quote="David Bl" data-source="post: 706899" data-attributes="member: 47456">Let's start with what I have.Currently I own a Kowa 25X60 scope, with a tripod which is good for stability, but not very good for smooth movements. I have a Fuji 6800Z digital camera (3xzoom) which was very expensive when I bought it 5 years or so ago, but is nothing special now, and is unsuitable for digiscoping, due to not being SLR type, and because the lens moved during zooming. And my old Zeiss Jena 8x32 bins, but they are beside the point.What I want is a good camcorder, partly for domestic use, but also for shooting wildlife, for memories and record, and to aid my rather rudimentary bird recognition.I've learnt that this is not as straightforward as I naively thought when I started looking into it.I'm thinking about this one <a href="http://www.cnet.co.uk/misc/print/0,39030763,49282471,00.htm" target="_blank">http://www.cnet.co.uk/misc/print/0,39030763,49282471,00.htm</a>though it will stretch my budget.The good points being lots of recording time, and a pretty good stills option, as well as 3ccd quality.However, it only has 10x zoom, and the camera board I've also sought advice on advises against using any digital zoom (on the grounds that I could get better results zooming later on the computer).I was wondering about getting this camcorder with a 2x (or 3x if I could find one) lens adaptor in the short term, then adding an Eagle Eye and one of those complicated and expensive supports (and a better tripod) for use with scope as funds permit. However, the lens of the camcorder looks pretty big in the pictures, so perhaps it won't work very well with the Eagle eye. It has 37mm filter screws.If I got that gear, it would only really be useful for days out pretty much dedicated to wildlife, while the camcorder itself, with adaptor, could be used for targets of opportunity.But then again, perhaps just getting a camcorder with a bigger zoom, with an adaptor, would give me a final mag something like what I see through my scope. I have learnt that 10x zoom for a camera is not the same thing as 10x bins - more like 7x.But I can't find one with a hard disc (which seems a good idea to me) and 3 ccds with a good stills capability.Living in Pembrokeshire, there is a paucity of shops where one can look at gear in action.I don't want to make what would be for a poor man like me a very expensive mistake, so advice would be gratefully received.Thanks in advanceDavid</blockquote>

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