video cameras

[sippy cup]

I'm looking to buy a camera to video hunts any suggestions

[TRKYHTR]

There is a million ways you could go. It all depends on what your looking for and what your interests are. It also depends on how much you want to spend. If you are just wanting to video your hunts so you can watch them back after you get home you can get away with a less expensive camera. If you want to go high end HD you are going to spend alot. I know a few guys who even videoed some hunts with their phone. It's pretty hard to watch but it all depends on what you want to do. I use a 3CCD camera with a good tripod. Don't underestimate a real good tripod I really think they make a huge difference. Good luck,

TRKYHTR

[njdevilsb]

I'm not an expert at all in this category.  I went to a few stores, checked some reviews online and finally bought a Cannon Vixia HF R30 HD this year.  I agree with TRKYHTR about a good tri pod.  I got a package deal with my camera that came with a carry bag, a memory card, and a tri pod.  I figured the tri pod looked a little too big for what I wanted and I'd end up using my small pocket tri pod.  I was dead wrong.  The stability and ease of setup using the big one compared to the little one won me over.  It makes videoing much easier and makes the quality of the video look so much better without the added movement of holding it by hand.  The added height of the big one was a big plus for getting over top of brush or grass.

Here's a video of a robin eating a worm in my back yard, and some hen footage I got in the woods this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAh8oArkOMI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQsGL_xoZIE

[jblackburn]

I'm far from an expert, but this was my first year filming hunts.  It was fun, but a lot harder than I thought it would be.  My brother in law and I bough a Canon Vixa G10 and it works pretty well and it is user friendly enough for me!  It is a refurbished one bought directly from Canon, it works perfect and was a LOT cheaper than an brand new one.  We also bought accessories from ebay and a camo skin from Campbell cameras.  My biggest piece of advice is to get a quality tripod.  We got a cheap one and it was hard to turn, so most of my footage is a bit choppy.  I'm going to trade up for a good one.

I am actually playing with footage right now, hopefully I will have an example to show soon!

Good luck!

[gophert]

Good advice right here.  I too would like to echo the fact that a good tripod is a must.  The next most important thing for me is the REMOTE for the camera.  I think most cameras may come with a remote, but make sure.  When a bird is in close a remote is a must.  You also need to consider what you are going to edit your footage with.  If you choose to go with HD, get ready, most computers have lots of trouble getting the footage to a final viewable state.  For example, I still have a basic dual core computer and a 15 minute HD video will take upwards of 6 hours to render.  Another suggestion is to find a camera with an external mic input.  An external mic will really add to the audio portion of your videos. 

Here is a pic of my camera and a few of my videos.  Good Luck!

http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,22850.0.html