I know this has been brought up in the past, but I was wondering what some good self filming setup's are that aren't pushing 1000$. I was leaning towards the canon hf R500 with the lone wolf strong arm camera mount. Does the lone wolf come with a camera head to attach the camera to? Can you leave the Camera arm in the tree while you are not there? I am trying to go into self filming, but before I buy anything, I want to hear from you guys. And does anyone know what the difference between the canon hf r400 and the r500? Self filming seems like such a pain to pack in and pack out especially for a rookie bowhunter like me. Thoughts?
Yes the Lone wolf camera arm comes with a head to attach to the camera. The guide arm to rotate the camera is really short; but it works. Yes you can leave the arm attached to the tree. As long as you don't have to worry about anyone stealing it or squirrels chewing through the straps. If you are going to make a habit of leaving it the woods, get some Scent Free Oil from DDW to oil the bolts that attach the arms to each other. They will squeak a little over time. BUY AN EXTRA ARM EXTENSION TO ADD TO THE LONE WOLF ARM! You will be glad you did. Yes it takes a lot to self-film a hunt. That is why a lot of people don't do it. But the reward of catching it on video is WELL WORTH IT! MAKE SURE you allow yourself extra time to get into the tree and get things setup. Also, plan on not leaving the tree until well after dark. If you don't, you will probably spook deer and alert them that you are there. It's A LOT FUN to self-film and it is not as cumbersome once you start doing it. You will figure out short cuts as you go. I hope this helps!
okay thank you. I will try putting this in the photography and videogaphy section. thank you for your great feedback as well sam.
I use the same set up for the most part with no complaints so far and agree with Sam for sure!!! I have an HFR400 and it works fine for now, although I plan on upgrading to an XA20 hopefully if not this upcoming season then the next for sure. I added a DSLR to my camera bag also but not sure how much self filming I will do with it yet, still trying to figure out how to run it completely silent. Listen to Sam and def get an extra extension if you go for the LW Strong Arm, gives much further range! I attached a fluid head connector plate to mine, sam did as well I belive, and it made a world of difference in the quality of the footage and ease of use compared to the cheap friction head it came with. In terms of packing in and out I use a Mathews Fanny pack with all mics and accessories and the camera inside and attach the camera arm to the straps on the outside of it and synch them down down tight so nothing is rattling around and is quite. Then clip the whole pck to my stand and tighten. Any questions on this set up in particular lemme know I'll try to help out best I can. Here are a couple pics of my rig and set up to help showing you what I'm talking about... My rig and mics in the pack and camera arm strapped to pack all attached to my stand: Connector Plate for fluid head I rigged up to the arm: Rig in the tree:
