While a dedicated camcorder is something I truly want...I am just about thinking of taking my DSLR Rebel T3i up in the tree with me. I know it isn't as easy, but footage is great out of these things...and I have one so why not give it a whirl. Anyone here ever have issues though with the audible noise these blasted things make turning On/Off? That is my only contention and thing holding me back honestly from at least trying it.
I use the same camera every hunt and the noise is pretty loud but as long as the deer are not right under you on a dead still day they don't seem to hear it. I have never been busted bc of it.
Side question since you use same cam. What lens do you run? And due to the lack of AF, do you run a lot of wide panned shots when moment of truth comes?
I also use the same camera. Like said before I have never had any problems with it. I have even turned it on and off with deer right under the tree and it doesn't seem to bother them. I have used mostly a wide angle for Broll and interviews, something like a 50mm or my 18-135mm. For deer footage I have used my 18-135 for closer up stuff and then a 70-300 for further stuff. It sucks having to change out lens all the time but like you said the footage looks awesome!
I most likely wouldn't bring up in the tree both lenses...at least not to start. Probably roll with my nifty fifty as they call it and get used to the set up and such before bringing another camera. For tree interviews I've used my phone with great results (Galaxy S6) and only dislike the sound..but I've heard there might be an external mic compatable with it now.
As a matter of fact that is right...I have a lapel plug and play mic coming that is supposed to be awesome little boogers for cell phone recording. 6.5 ft cord and simply plugs into headphone jack and then clip to shirt. I'll have to share findings and results of it with folks. With the new HD cams on our phones might be the best mic'ing set up for quick on the spot recordings I've had and not eat up pocket or bag space when out and about. At worst case great back up way for stand interviews.
Is there a settings option to turn the sounds off? I know my cam corder and Go Pro have that functionality.
IT is more or less the "lens or shutter or something" ( I am not a camera professional so probably not right term(s) ) opening up...
Oh ok. Ya probably not much you can do with that. The smaller cam corders are nice but I'm sure the video quality is better with the camera you have. I think you'll be alright with the noise it makes but only one way to find out. Looking forward to the footage! good luck!
You can get buy with the kit lenses to start. They will get you the footage you want. Just sit up there and play around with it while you have down time. I would also get a few extra batteries and a higher end sd card.
Yup, card I got covered. Got some cheapo extra batteries but if I decide to do this gonna grab a bigger one.
If you are wanting to do in the tree interviews, you will probably want a lens starting at no more than 18mm. That's even a little too narrow for the distance you would be. If you are not needing to use it for interviews, I would say a 70-300 would be a good choice for in the stand.
All it is is the shutter opening and closing. I've had deer within 10 yards and I turned the camera on, zoomed the lens in and then shot a doe. There were three does and a buck and none of them heard anything.
Sounds like you are set! If you are like me you will let a lot of deer walk now because you will have just as much fun "shooting" them with the camera instead of your bow...
OK, this is... er was... the most annoying thing to me. Here's how I've solved it, and another problem. With a DSLR (at least any I've used), there's now way to keep the Shutter from making noise when you power up or down your camera. The noise is the physical movement of the mirror flipping up to expose the sensor full time to record video. When you're done, it flips closed, which is it's natural position. So the only way to reduce this is to leave your camera on. As many of you know, DSLR batteries aren't the best for camera life, mostly because they are first and foremost a stills camera and video takes a lot more juice. To get around this, **I run an external battery** through a dummy battery. The first battery I got. Amazon.com: XTPower MP-10000 External Battery Pack with 10000mAh using dual USB 5V and DC 9V / 12V 2A output for many devices. Wall and Car Charger included.: Cell Phones & Accessories The E6 dummy battery Amazon.com : Lanparte E6 Battery Dummy Pack E6p01 Full Decoding for Canon 5D Mark ii iii 5D3 5D2 7D 70D 60D : Camera & Photo This battery is nice, because you can select it's output voltage from 9V or 12V. Here's where the "**" come in. A Canon camera runs of a slightly lower voltage. This is a slightly hotter power source than the E6 batteries are. This could potentially cause issues with your camera. Use at your own risk! Having said all that, I've used it for two year extensively without any issues, and I will continue to do so without hesitation. So, I install the dummy battery once in the stand. I run a 6' power cord from the dummy to the battery, set to 9V in a pocket in my pack. I actually leave the 6' cord taped to my camera arm so I don't have to mess with it. When I'm all set I plug it in, turn it off and leave it run the whole hunt until I get down. So there's the one click when I set-up and one when I get down. That battery can get me through most partial days hunts, especially through the milder early season. I have two of these batteries now. For all day sits, I'd swap out mid day. then for the last hr or so, I'd switch to a regular E6 just in case. With external batteries, your battery level indicator will not work, so if you run it down, it'll just shut off. So this year I stepped up my battery supply to this one: Amazon.com: XTPower MP-30000 Power Bank - High Capacity External Battery with 31200mAh - DC and USB Charger for Laptops, Notebooks, Tablets and Smart Phones, etc. - 2 USB 2.1/1A and DC 9V to 20V max. 4A or 80W: Cell Phones & Accessories Again, I leave it set to 9V and stick it in a pocket of my pack. I just did 3 consecutive evening hunts with it, without recharging, and it was still at 50%. I still bring the other batteries which are great backups and I can charge my phone or mirrorless camera with them. You can also power/charge your GoPro with them. So.... all that just to get around an audible "click"
I'm using my T6i exclusively this year and am having the same concerns! Had 7 does at 25 yards last night (quiet evening) and tested the shutter out. The mature does DEFINITELY heard it but didn't spook, just picked up their heads to check it out and went back to feeding 30 seconds later. That being said, it's definitely not ideal, but it's a trade off to getting superior footage. My best advice would be to switch it on as soon as possible to avoid the "click" with the deer too close. Kinda obvious, but even if you hear some twigs snap get that thing ready to go just in case. I also try and leave my camera on the last 20 minutes during prime time! Good luck!
Just curious, but can you lock up the mirror? I know people do that when taking long exposure or telephoto shots. Didn't know if that was possible in video mode. Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
That's what is happening. When the camera is powered on or switched to video mode, the mirror locks up. Turn it off, or switch back to photo mode and it releases.
But isn't there a mirror lock up setting that keeps the mirror up? Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
Not when you power down. It doesn't click when you hit record, only on power I/O. That's why I went to the external battery, so I could just keep the camera on the whole time.
