Video Cameras

[Chad Duit]

What are some of the best video cameras you guys have used on your hunts? Any info would be great! Thanks!

[702plmo]

I like the canon GL2.   Not a bad camera for the money.  There are some better and some worst.   The audio on the GL1 was very low quality.   Canon improved it on the GL2.    Good luck

[Chad Duit]

Thanks for the info!

[cliff77]

I do video work for our Church and prefer sony. We use pd-170's primarily because they have the best low light performance. I've shot some archery footage and even without HD it looks good. Today's smaller HD camcorders produce better footage than SD cameras though, and are much easier to use in the field.

[paleFace]

Chad i'm using a Canon XH-A1 (HD) camera now and love it.  Cliff77 mentioned the low light performance of the Sony but I will put this Canon up against it. I have some really nice stuff done at near dark and the audio quality is much better in my opinion than the previous cameras.

[Chad Duit]

Thanks guys, do they operate quietly? I know our old camera was pretty noisy when the wind wasn't blowing much. Any tips in that area? Thanks

[seany916]

We run A1s as well and do pretty well in low light.  Never hunted with it though.  

If you want quiet operation, keep to the hard drive cameras and away from anything with tape.  Don't forget to change your settings to eliminate all beeps.

[Chad Duit]

Thanks!

[Mint]

I'm using a canon GL2 and everyone comments on how clear the picture looks. It really takes a nice video.

[seany916]

The GL2 is a great camera, but the tech is pretty dated.  For size & convenience, the HV20/HV30 by Canon as well is difficult to beat.

Yes, it's a handheld consumer camera.  The HDV picture is really crisp when downsized to DV and the audio is strangely very, very good (yes, in camera mic).

This is in comparison to XH-A1s running off of shotguns.

[Buckeyehunter]

I work for an outdoor television show and all we use are sony's.  The Pd170 vx2000 and vx2100 are all great cameras.  All three cameras have 1 lux which means if there is enough light to see it, you can film it.  Just my 2 cents.

[paleFace]

Chad I have used the onboard mic as well as a shotgun and have not noticed any hum or camera noise in my XH-A1. I just finished shooting video for a hunt in Texas for some of the folks here on Trad Gang. As soon as we can put together some clips i'll get them posted.

[Chad Duit]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the info!