Hardcore Outdoor wants a camcorder

HardcoreOutdoor · Mar 13, 2009

Looking for suggestions on upper end amateur or lower end professional grade camcorders for wilderness/outdoor work. Has to be able to accept external mics and remote controls etc. Should be as lightweight, compact and strudy as possible but still take high quality or even HD quality pictures.

What are you using and what do you like? Thanks.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

flyingbrass · Mar 14, 2009

LAST EDITED ON Mar-14-09 AT 10:47AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Mar-14-09 AT 10:44?AM (MST)

LAST EDITED ON Mar-14-09 AT 10:42?AM (MST)

I got the Canon XH-A1. I put a $500 shotgun mic and got a wireless mic. Put the shotgun mic on your input 1 since it has phantom power. Your wireless will run on AAA batteries. It is an HDV camera so it looks good quality wise. I chose this camera over the excellent Sony cameras since I can get a 20x zoom instedd of the Sony 12x zoom cameras in my price range. I got mine used off of Ebay for about $2750 and it came with a Petrol Bag and a Varizoom. The varizoom is important to have smooth controls without a lot of game spooking hand movements on your end. Wayne, you know more about tripods than me so I can't comment much. I got the Manfratto 501HDV head and I chose an aluminum Manfratto tripod but maybe should have gotten the carbon fiber.
FWIW, many outdoor tv shows use the Canon XH-A1 also.
Edited to add. I got a $10 camera box at my neighbors yard sale and cut the foam out for the camera so now I got a waterproof box also that fits like a glove.
Edited for spelling
flyingbrass
cold dead hands

lvgrizfan · Mar 15, 2009

Hey Hardcore, I have been shooting hunting videos for years, hears my two-cents.

1. There are some good camcorders out there but it depends on what your doing with it. If your filming to create videos hunts for family and friends to make DVD's or post on you tube then a Sony HDR series or Canon VIXIA HF series are really great camcorders. They both run about a grand or less. Both shoot HD but unless all your family and friends have HD, Blueray players or 1080 p tv's it doesnt do you any good. If you upload or send your video to the hunting channels like Outdoors or VS, only one broadcasts in HD. So its not a big deal but if your going buy one get HD for future use.

2. Wireless mic is a must, without it your videos will be crap. I use the Bluetooth Mic with my Sony HDR it has about a 100 yard distance.

3. Almost all of the ( like 99%) hunting shows you see on TV are edited on a Mac. Programs like Final Cut, I Movie or Final Cut express are the best. I have recomended to my friends who are just doing this for fun to buy the Mini-Mac ($500.00).

4. Remember there are some more professional camcorders out there for thousands of dollars, but they are heavy and bulky. If your not on planning to do this for a living and hire a crew to help pack all that crap around stick with the high mid range cams.

$1000.00 Cam +$250.00 Wireless Mic + Mini Mac $ 500.00=1750.00

$ 1000.00 less for everything you need then one high end cam.

Goodluck

HardcoreOutdoor · Mar 16, 2009

I spent a few days running the camera for Jay Scott on my brothers bow elk hunt this year and I really enjoyed it. It is gear intensive, requires some skill and strategy you have to be on top of your game to get it right. You don't get many second chances. From that stand point it is sort of like being back in the search and rescue business which I miss.

My first day of shooting was pretty bad but by the end of the third day I had improved significantly which made the night time screening session a lot less painful. The stuff we shot is supposedly going to be used on one of the shows or maybe a DVD so I guess I should be set up so that if I do get something I want to use for broadcast I can.

I agree, I want something in the high end consumer/low end professional or "prosumer" class. I have looked at the Canon GL2, Canon XH-A1, Sony HVR-V1U, Sony HVR-Z5U, Panasonic AG-HVX200 and Panasonic AG-DVX100B DV.

My problem is that there is a fairly steep technical curve to overcome and while I want something I can grow into, I don't want to buy too much camera with bells and whistles I will never use. I guess the first thing I need to do is choose a format then figure out what cameras are available.

Thanks for the information and your input, it is appreciated.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

lvgrizfan · Mar 16, 2009

Checked your site out last night, nice job, good site with a lot of great info. Ill be reading more.

HardcoreOutdoor · Mar 16, 2009

Thank you. That is always nice to hear.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com

KO · Mar 20, 2009

Hi Wade,
Lots of good camera options out there right now. I have shot outdoor video for over tens tears and used several different cameras from handy cams, Canon GL2, Sony vx2000, vx2100, Canon XH A1, and most recently the Sony V1U. The quality of footage keeps getting better with each purchase, but I always felt like I would have to choose between a 20x optical zoom or a really good low light camera. Nobody made my "dream camera" that would shoot 20x optical zoom with a 1 lux minimum illumination rating. That all changed a couple months ago! Sony has finally come out with a quality HD camera with 20X optical zoom and a 1.5 lux rating! It is the Z5U and I have one on order. I think it will be the ultimate outdoor/hunting footage camera. It even gives you an option of recording to tape or compact flash!