First, I want to say I'm not a know it all, but I do have a few qualifications when it comes to video. I own a small video production company. We mostly do weddings, music videos and commercials. You can see some of our work on our website . I've been behind a camera as long as I've been behind a bow, and I'm a bit better at it than I am bow hunting! So here are some questions I came up with, if you have more, I'll add them ! What kind of camera should I get? This is the ultimate question. It's like asking what kind of bow you should get. First, How much do you want to spend? If your budget is between $100 and $500, you'll want to get a good old Camcorder. Camcorders tend to have really high optical zoom, nice length on video recording, and good picture. you will have faster auto focus, longer record time. lighter, and they are generally easier to use. The downsides here are low light footage can be down right terrible, the majority of them you cannot change your lens. Find one in your price range and look up some footage on youtube of the camera's film quality. Also see if you can find any reviews about them! My personal favorite is the Canon VIXIA series. I've been able to produce some great footage using these! Panasonic also makes some AWESOME cameras. Just find one you like and do some research! If your price range is above $500, you'll have to ask yourself this question, DSLR or Video Camera? DSLR are awesome for filming, but their auto focus is slow, you have to zoom in using the lens, and they tend to have a 12 min filming limit. This can be bypassed on some Canon DSLRS via 3rd party firmware, giving you 30 mins, but that's still a short time to be filming. They also tend to be heavier, and they all don't have Swivel screens, which can make lining up the shot a little difficult. The plus on DSLR's is you will simply not find any video record that has the low light capabilities of them. It is incredible how well these things do in low lighting. Not only that, they have fantastic depth of field and the lenses available will produce a quality video. You will also be able to switch out lenses, and that is something the majority of the video cameras in the same price range can't do. If DSLR is the route you want to go, I'd go with the Canon Canon t7i. It's under 1k and it has a swivel screen. It also allows for 3rd party firmware to be installed called Magic Lantern, it's a fantastic piece of software and greatly improved my own shooting. Now camcorders in this price range aren't shabby. They tend to be MUCH better in low light then their $300 counterparts. Some of them come with a view gimmicks (such as a built in projector and WiFi capabilities), but don't let these be the deciding factor. I have WiFi capable camcorders and I've never used it. The projector feature is cool, but the picture quality leaves something to be desired. You will never shoot a buck and worry about your WiFi, you will worry if you camera got the shot or held up under poor lighting. These are the key factors you want to base your purchase off of. What kind of OPTICAL zoom does it have? What is the low light capabilities of the camera? Check youtube for video tests and demos for the camera you are thinking about getting. Never trust one from the manufacturer(they are trying to sell cameras!). As far as action cameras, they are good for catching CLOSE footage only. The GoPro and other action cames have a very wide angle lens, and stuff 30 yards away will be almost invisible. Plus there is NO viewfinder, which can be a pain. I personally use one for filming myself in the tree, simply because of the wide angle and you don't have to have it very far away from you. But as much as I've tried, it's hard getting a shot of a deer walking in. What is the BEST Monopod/Tripod/thing to hold my camera? Another golden question. This all depends on your price range. If your hunting from a stand, you'll want something you can control from up in a tree with as little effort as possible. There are many options out there, and the more money you spend, the better the product will be (most of the time). Personally, I have a 3rd Arm, and I love it. I've mounted my own fluid head to it and it's fantastic! If you want to have some good video, you'll need a decent fluid head to put your camera on. You don't have to go out and buy a mannfrotto to have a decent pan. There are some great options out there! Some of the Chinese knock offs work well, that being said, a Mannfrotto is REALLY nice, and it's incredibly smooth! Check ebay for fluid heads, and cheesycam.com is a great resource for budget film making If you're looking for a tripod, and don't have a lot of cash to burn, check out the Ravelli AVTP Professional 75mm Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Drag Head. I have 3 of them and they are FANTASTIC (for the price!). I got a DSLR, what lens should I get? For filming hunting, you want one with the maximum amount of range while still being able to film yourself. Some good decent lenses that do just this are; Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 The first number (in this case, 18) represents the closest your camera can focus (called a focal length) and the 2nd number (135mm) is the furthest your lens will be able to focus. The F/3.5 - 5.6 is your F stop, or relative aperture. It affects how much light will be let in and your depth of field. The lower the Fstop, the more light will get to the sensor and the depth of field will be more shallow. The higher, the less light will hit the sensor and and the depth of field will be much greater. Here is a good example of it. ( What video editing software should I use? If you are serious and want some awesome software for under $200, use HIT film. It is the best editing software out there for under $200. It has a bit of a learning curve, but it can do so much, and it's really impressive for the price. *Edit*: Hitfilm Express is now free! I'd highly recommend it if you're just starting out! If you can afford 30 bucks a month, I'd encourage you to try Adobe Premier and Adobe After Effects. They have the creative cloud and it's extremely cheap for all the things you can do. But the learning curve is steep. It's not an EASY program by any means. VideoCopilot.net has fantastic tutorials on how to use it, though, and the resources out there are immense. Or you can use iMovie or windows movie maker. There are also a few opensource editors out there, but don't expect anything awesome! If you just need to throw clips together, iMovie and Windows Movie Maker will get the job done! Realize this, Good video is garbage without good editing. Learn the software you choose, and understand its limitations. How can I get an awesome shot A camera is just like a bow, in the sense that they both require skill. The BEST thing you can do is learn your camera. READ THE MANUAL! I know that sounds like a pain , but a little reading can save you a LOT of trouble! As far as getting that perfect shot, you need to KNOW your camera and KNOW your surroundings. Look out for twigs or trees that might be in your shot, but not in your shooting lane. The best way to get better shots is with practice. When I got my GlideCam, I spend hours just following my son around with it, trying to get the best shots I could. Try to do the same with your camera, take more video, of anything. Get in depth knowledge of your settings and menus. I have some really expensive equipment, but that means very little. I have a monopod that I threw a 2 pound weight on the bottom of (costs $20), and I use it more then I use my glide cam (which cost about $600). In fact, I tend to get better shots with it! Equipment ISN'T everything, it helps, but if you have the skill, you will be able to get the job done! Do I need a super fast computer? No. You don't need anything fancy. The faster computer HELPS, it does, it makes editing a lot faster, but if you have the time, it's not worth the $1000 upgrade (unless you plan on doing it professionally). For me, time is money, and the faster I can get done editing the video, the faster I can get in the treestand! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! *Edit* I'm back! Moved to a new state and been busy with life. I've updated this to reflect the changes over the past 4 years, and hopefully many people will still find it useful.
That is an awesome wright up sir and deserves a sticky at the top of page, thanks for taking the time to do that!
Thanks so much! I'm learning so much on hear I figured I might as well share something I know well. If you can think of any other questions, I'll gladly write them up!
Great information! I'm hoping to do some filming this year from the tree and I'm glad to see the cannon vixia line gets your approval, it's one I've had my eye on.
My question about DSLR's used for video is how is the audio when doing so? I am updating my video/camera set up going into next year with the launch of the new site and hopefully videoing hunts as well and this intrigues me to cover both for now under one piece of equipment. Looking hard at the T4i or T3i
You can add external mics for the audio and you will be fine but filming with a dslr will be more difficult especially when self filming. It can be done for sure. If it were me I would want to get a few years in with a camcorder so I had the self filming thing down then I would tackle the task of using a dslr. Sent from my XT901
Great write up! I use a canon vixia hfm 40, muddy tree arm and a manfrotto tripod in my blind and a manfrotto fluid head. They all work really well. Motion makes a good tree arm. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
this is awesome info. Thanks! if you could, though, can you tell me what you think about the Sony HDR-CX290/B?
My 2 buddies and I started up a hunting group this year and shot some videos. We've learned a lot this year and last. I have a Vixia Hf R50 and a Go Pro. Self filming is tough so we try to hunt together when possible. My editing software isn't great but I've learned how to use it well. Roxie Videowave. If be happy to share some of our kills on here sometime...but since I'm new to the forum I will hold off. Thanks for the info sir!
Great info, I've been hunting for s while now but I'm new to the self filming and just filming hunts all together Beth helpful
