Contributors to this thread:
I'm looking for recommendations on a somewhat easy to use , rugged and weatherproof (if that is an option), video camera for filming some upcoming trips with my son.
I'm very out of the loop and not real techy on video cameras, the last one I had took a tape...
Are any of them any better at low light conditions? Is $500 or less a reasonable budget for a personal use video camera?
Thanks
Give us an idea of what species and style of hunting you plan to film. Spot and stalk cameras might be different than tree stand/blind cameras. And hunting large open country sheep and pronghorn, where larger zoom capabilities might be needed, would be different than blinds and stands where most shots are inside 30 yards.
These questions are a can of worms, but I'd spend a few extra and get a Panasonic HC-VX981K. 4K video, 12mpixel stills, HDR, timelapse. $599 is a super killer deal for a camera of this quality.
Cheers, Pete
Would like it to be able to do a little but of everything. We are doing a bear hunt with hounds this spring, then an Alaska drop off caribou hunt later this summer, we do a bunch of whitetail hunting in PA , a yearly hog hunt that involves some spot and stalk and some feeder hunting.
Mainly want something that will give decent video for at home use, and another way besides still pics to preserve memories of these trips while we are able to do them together.
Doing some searching, Panasonic 770 seems to have pretty good reviews.
C3 is the most knowledgeable video camera guy on Bowsite (IMHO). His recomendation looks like a winner to me. Five years ago he spoke of an older model Panasonic which I bought on EBay for a steal and it has been fantastic. Good luck! C
I took a small Panasonic to Canada on my first bear hunt. Video quality was good, until the low light situations. This is where a slightly larger more expensive camera can really improve the video. I couldn’t film for about the last hour of the hunt, everything was grainy and fuzzy looking. I took a canon vixia hf g40 on my second trip, and was amazed at the quality. I also shot my bear with about 15 min of light left, and you could see everything clearly, even in the low light. The same couldn’t be said for the lesser camera. The canon is more than your budget, but worth it in my opinion.
Everyone wants to video there awesome hunts. I've tried for a bit, But I guarantee you will cuss that camera! It is great for viewing actual hit, but that doesn't make an outdoor movie! I'm glad folks do it and I enjoy an occasional hunt flick, but guys that do it full time earn their money!
I have used a panosonic full HD,10 mega pixel,90x camera. You can also take still pictures with it and the quality of both video and still pictures are super. It is small and fits in you coat pocket. It has an SD card port and is very inexpensive, in case you drop it or loose it out in the field. They run between $250 to $350.00. Here is a sample of the quality.
I have a super small Panasonic camcorder that I picked up on Craigslist for super cheap. It has a nice lens that I can zoom in on super tight on animals. It's great for bringing on scouting trips...bring home to look on the big screen for field judging. It takes 1080 HD video. It isn't water or weatherproof so I always have it in my pack in a drybag. It worked fantastic last year on bighorn sheep scouting trips plus several Alaska trips. Just careful when it rains.
Before the Panasonic I had a high end Canon camcorder that I paid $2,000 for. I ruined it on an Alaska trip. If something happens with my Panasonic I'm not out that much $ and still have an incredible camcorder. If it were me I'd pick something up on Craigslist that is in almost new condition. I also have a Panasonic Lumix waterproof pocket camera that takes good 1080 video and is 100% waterproof. In fact, I've attached it to a rod in Alaska and taken underwater video of spawning salmon. It has the added bonus of taking great photos. In a pinch I also take video with Iphone. I have a Iphone remote that works great for taking selfies.
