well i used these products in the woods this week for my buddies bear hunt. unfortunately i didn't get to get the kill on camera do to the guide not wanting me to film the second set up. so anyways here we go. tree arm wasn't the easiest thing to put up but i think it will get better with time and knowing how to throw it up in a hurry. i think if you want to get this thing perfectly level you'll need to bring some shims with. the movement of the arm was ok. smooth most of the time. it was a little jerky on the up and down of the fluid head. this might be because my camera only was about 1 pound. i think more weight would allow it to move smoother and the fact that this is the first time using it, its not broke in yet. the construction of this things is a little beefier than most which is nice. for the price ($96 on ebay), ease of putting it on the tree, function, and construction i"m going to give it a 8.5 out of 10. i would defiantly recommend buying it. if your in the market for a tree arm. i know its going to get easer to use as the season goes on. the jvc everio gz-ms110 im not going to get to in depth. this camera has a 39x optical zoom, a 45x dynamic zoom, super lolux sensor for low light video footage, and advanced image stabilizer. i use the optical on the hunt and at the 400 yard shooting range. the jvc is easy to use and the picture quality is pretty nice. it doesn't chime when you open it. the low light footage is very nice. super light weight. come with editing software and you can upload direct to youtube.com. only bad thing is the battery doesn't last real long so buy another one if you plan on getting all the action on a all day hunt. i'm going to give this a 9 out of 10. for the price i don't think you can beat it. its about $180 off walmart.com
Hey You have the same camcorder I just bought on Friday. I love mine thus far and agree with everything you've said. I do need to get a camera arm for it.
for the price and the way its constructed i dont think you can go wrong with the ameristep. ive seen other ones that are not as rigid and cheaper but this thing will last more than a few seasons. heres the link for the bear hunt on you tube. i just did a quick edit for youtube and the image quality for youtube is pretty crappy so dont go off of that for the camera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQF6l6hMdus
