Mountaineer Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 I'm looking to start filming hunts for myself and friends. I ordered a very nice miniDV camcorder that should be here soon, and I was wondering if there are any tips or advice anybody could give to me? One question I do have is should I try to camouflage the camera? The body of it is silver, and I was thinking of getting some camo material, cutting it out to roughly fit the body of the camcorder, and somehow just getting it to stay on by using velcro to stick the material to itself. Another question is do you use the LCD screen when filming hunts or the viewfinder? I'll probably be using the lcd screen, unless there is an advantage to the viewfinder. Any tips would be appreciated! Gonna try and get some gobblers on tape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthehunter Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 well what brand of camera did you buy? we use a GL2 by canon and we camoflauge it. They have camo tape you can buy and we use stuff like that to conceal it. as for the vidoeing, we almost always use the viewfinder, this way you have a little more control and know exactly what you arelooking at and have more steadiness in your hand. make sure you are always in focus. everytime we turn the camera off we make sure that it is zoomed out almost all the way. anytime you can rest on something, do it. use a tripod on the ground and a camera arm that mounts to the tree when your in the stand. other than that it is mostly just trial and error, the more you do it the more you will find out the right way to do it. go out and just start videoing everything you can in the woods, at home, anywhere. this way it will help you get use to the camera and it will get you more comfortable with it. go out and have fun, you will love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 I used some camo material that I got from wal mart. I sewed some elastic around where I wanted it, and also sewed in seem for running a piece fo flexible wire into the mateiral to bend for the lcd screen so it would stay up without blocking my view. Worked out pretty well. I used the cam a few times before making the cover, adn think the deer did spot the glare off the silver body of the camera. After I started using the cover, never got spotted. Being most of the hunts I filmed I was filming them while hunting by myself, I kept the lcd screen open so I could see what I was watching without having to hold the camera up. My cam has a good sized touch swivel lcd, works out really well. The remote was nice for zooming in and out and turning on record without having to reach up too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer Posted April 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 well what brand of camera did you buy? A Panasonic PV-GS320. It's a miniDV cam, has 3CCD instead of the normal CCD imagery so I'll get much better colors. It only has a 10x optical zoom, but I wanted good quality recordings, and this camera was the best I found in my price range. And since miniDV has better quality than DVD or HDD camcorders, I think it'll work out great once I convert and edit my films and put them on DVD. I'm going to try alot of different approaches to recording hunts; using a tripod, using viewfinder or lcd, freehanding, and so on .... I'm def going to try to camo it up once I get it in, I'm going to stay away from camo tape, so I'm going to try the fabric material approach. I KNOW turkeys would be able to see the silver camera once they get into shooting range, and I definitely don't want that to happen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 A tree arm and a tripod are mandatory. I put the blue, non-marring masking tape on the cam and then covered it with camo clad. I can take it off at any time and it won't leave a mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer Posted April 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 A tree arm and a tripod are mandatory. I put the blue, non-marring masking tape on the cam and then covered it with camo clad. I can take it off at any time and it won't leave a mark. Hmm that's a great idea, very creative lol. I may try that, not sure yet. I'll definitely be using a tripod for turkey hunts, that should turn out nice. And I plan to get a tree arm around deer season. I'm beginning to get more excited about actually filming hunts than doing the hunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Here you go, this is what I came up with for my handycam. Worked out pretty well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birddog Posted April 17, 2007 Report Share Posted April 17, 2007 Almost more impt. than the camera is an external mic: Buy a decent cordless microphone: Nothing will ruin a quality video more than poor sound. If your buddy or yourself is talking, people need to be able to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsman2230 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 The camera you bought is a very good camera. My friend and I have the same one. It takes very good video. We are actually in the process of using ours to make our own video as well. I try to drape camo burlap over the camera and the tripod. Its a good thing to have your camera stable to keep the footage as clear as possible. You might need to look into buying a boom mic and/or another mic to attach to the hunter so you can get all the audio you can from the animals and also the hunter. Also a wide angle lens might help with better footage in low light conditions. Its not necessary but it might help. Best of luck this season and I am looking forward to seeing some great footage from you posted here in the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer Posted April 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 My camera does not have an external mic input. I've read that the built in mic is very good however, sensitive with a broad dynamic range. I'm hoping it will do the job, as I'm not going for professional Outdoor Channel filming, just something for memories to show family and friends. How could I incorporate another mic into my setup if I wanted to do so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OklaBow712 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 My camera does not have an external mic input. I've read that the built in mic is very good however, sensitive with a broad dynamic range. I'm hoping it will do the job, as I'm not going for professional Outdoor Channel filming, just something for memories to show family and friends. How could I incorporate another mic into my setup if I wanted to do so? That was my question as well....what about directional mics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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