This is something I have been wanting to do for a few years but I'm bound and determined to make it happen this year. I have made a few kills on video but I haven't had a camera in a while. I have spent a lot of time checking out Campbell Cameras. I'm not wanting to go professional quality on the camera. I may want to down the road but I have too many irons in the fire to drop that kind of coin on it right now. So for now, I would like to go basic and spend $500-600 bucks and upgrade along the way. I know there's a bunch of you that are well versed in this stuff so give me some advice please and be specific! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There are so many things that I could say here but, other than the most basic things of 1080p HD and records on an SD card, the 3 things that I would make sure my camera has would be... - manual focus - LANC remote capability - Mic input for shotgun mic I have a Canon HF-G20 and will be upgrading this year. I've used it for the last 3 years and it lays down great footage. If you're interested, PM me. I should be able to fall into your price range.
I did mean to mention that it doesn't HAVE to be new. Campbell's has a very basic setup for just under $700 but I don't want or need the treestand mount though. I need a tree arm. It does come with a shotgun mic, carrying case, SD card but doubt it has manual focus but I'm not sure. I will have to look. It has a healthy optical zoom which is a plus. You're right though. A shotgun mic is a must. I have some knowledge about this stuff but not a lot Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Filming my hunts along with friends and family hunts has taking my hunting experience to the next level of excitement. I hope everything works out for you and good luck! I don't have much advice on equipment but it's free to hit the record button. Film everything, that was what I struggled with the most when I started filming.
I was going to recommend the G20 as a great camera in his price range if you can find one used/refurbished, and I second your list of must-haves. Although I think you could get away without a shotgun mic if you're only filming for yourself and to put stuff on YouTube to share with friends/family. I've had to run without the shotgun a few times and it certainly isn't the end of the world provided you're conscious of talking directly into the camera when doing interviews. A nice Rode Videomic is going to set you back $100 to $200 depending on model and you may want to wait until that fits into the budget to get one. For camera arms I would spend the extra $$ on a 3rd Arm Adventure series or a Muddy Outfitter before I spent it on a mic. Some of the cheaper camera arms are a pain to get hooked onto the tree and leveling them is a nightmare. The harder you make it on yourself to film the less fun you'll have and the less likely you'll be to continue doing it.
Since you guys are talking LANC remotes, what do you recommend? I don't want to spend $250 if I don't have to but on the other hand I don't want to buy a piece of junk either.
Justin, if you were choosing between the first whitetail package that Campbells offers on their site or going with just the camera from the second package what would you choose?
Maybe some. The picture is a little better with the 30 over the 20. The biggest difference is double the optical zoom. The G30 is a fantastic camera...one that I would highly recommend.
Justin, I would appreciate any and all advice you have to give. Mainly, where to put my money and what I should get first etc. I've been around the forums since 08 and was an HNI member since 04 before that. I took a big break from the forums but still checked out bowhunting.com all the time. I respect the hell out of what you guys have grown and really respect your opinion. Let me know what you would get with my price range. I need to keep it under the $700-800 mark and I plan on upgrading as I go. I just can't swallow dumping all that cash at once. Anyone else that had experience give me some advice on bare bones gear to get started. I was considering the first whitetail package on Campbell's but hate the mount and figured I could do better for that money Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For $800ish-( refurbished canon g20 direct from canon, 3rd arm tree arm, varizoom stealth or some type of lanc remote) As Justin stated, you can get by without a shotgun mic(play music throughout your video to cover up wind noise) but this should be your next purchase. I've heard the heads that come with the 3rd arms are decent, but a good fluid really makes a video. (No one likes jerky, shaky video). A manfrotto will set you back $85 but will provide smooth pans/tilts. For $1000 you could probably pick all of this up, and it would provide TV quality video in thd right lighting conditions. Otherwise you might be able to find the first 3 things I stated for $800 (ish)
Has anyone used the Canon VIXIA hf r600? Its on the cheaper end and I have a limited budget for my stuff but is it worth it to spend the extra $250 ish for a g20?
The g20 will be MUCH better in low light, which is crucial in my opinion. But spend what your budget allows. The R600 will produce good footage in good lighting conditions
Buy nice or buy twice is the motto I love by. You will end up spending more in the long run if you start cheap. Buy the most your budget allows. Just my $0.02 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've almost settled on the Canon G20 unless something else pops it's head up in the mean time. Thinking of going the refurb route through Canon. Any major drawbacks with this? Also, will the 10x optical zoom be a major setback? That's the only major difference I see between the 20 and 30. Obviously, I know there has to be more but the 30 is about $400 more. Would the G20 with the 10x be fine for mainly filming in the timber? Is there another camera out there that compares closely to that camera with the capability of an add on microphone, SD card slot, 10-20x optical for that price range or less?
Will the Moddy Outfitter arm work well with a Manfrotto head for the G20 or should I step up to the Pro?
