video direct to CF card
 

I'm basically looking for a few specialty items. One is a video recorder that looks like a camera to allow videotaping in situations
that only allow for cameras. Cameras with "movie" ability
do a cruddy MJPEG.

Here's a step in that direction, although the frame rate and resolution are still too darn low.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0310/03...kyoceral30.asp

Any of the 3 or 3.2 megapixel Canon PowerShot digicams will have the ability to record VGA quality (640x480) video with audio for 30 seconds at about 10fps. All of the PowerShots will do QVGA (320x240) with audio at about 20fps, and the current generation of digicams with the new DIGIC chip produce little video clips that are surprisingly good despite the limitations.