You are very right. I really meant "the parts of the camera minus the embedded system that drives the whole thing", but that wasn't very succinct. :-P The application I was thinking of was indie movie making, so I would want a decent resolution up front, and I wouldn't expect a high-paying client to be forthcoming.
Along this tangent, I talked today to a friend of mine who is convinced that I would be better off using some of the lower-end consumer point-and-shoot cameras, or even purchasing old film cameras.
That question is about time lapse with a single camera, but it includes some camera suggestions, including the GoPro action cam and Canon P&S with the CHDK hack:
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
Along this tangent, I talked today to a friend of mine who is convinced that I would be better off using some of the lower-end consumer point-and-shoot cameras, or even purchasing old film cameras.