whats best??

[justin kuenzli]

I want to get into filming, whats a good camera to start with thats cheap? dont know much about it, want to learn.

[Jordan Zimmer]

Hey Justin, I have the Sony Hadycam camera that I have used filming my brother turkey hunting and bow hunting. It is a small camera and it is easy to carry in and out of the woods...I believe it is a couple hundred bucks.

[LegendsofN.A.]

What are you looking to do with your footage? Is it for personal or do you want to do some thing more with it later?

[justin kuenzli]

would like it so i could do more with it, if i would get good footage. maybe some day on a show

LegendsofN.A. said:

What are you looking to do with your footage? Is it for personal or do you want to do some thing more with it later?

[LegendsofN.A.]

Hey Justin, Sorry it took so long to reply to this. I haven't been to the site in a while, but I will send you a message with some really good info and link you can get some really good info from.
Mike

justin kuenzli said:

would like it so i could do more with it, if i would get good footage. maybe some day on a show

LegendsofN.A. said:

What are you looking to do with your footage? Is it for personal or do you want to do some thing more with it later?

[Battle of the BOW]

Hey Justin

Man, so many variables. It really depends on a few things. If you just want to shoot footage and shop it around to different shows, I would research those shows and find out their requirements. I know on a National Level HD is pretty much the Industry Standard...except Battle of the Bow :) Anyway, if you're looking to film and edit yourself, you can get a very good SD camera for your buck that will get great footage. Even the XL series from Canon is getting very affordable. And it really takes a work horse of a computer to edit true HD footage. Another thing to consider is audio. We couldn't afford to get lapel mics for everyone on the show, but if you only need one set, I would seriously consider shopping around for a decent lapel mic. Audio will be a big requirement from other shows as well.

Check out this link. We bought all 10 of our cameras for the show from these guys. Small company, great customer service and excellent prices. Ask for Chris
Click HERE

Good luck man-it's going to take a little digging and research to really get the answer you're looking for. Hop on some forums and see what the consensus is out there. Everyone has an opinion on brands and models, but once you get into it a little it will become clear what will work best for you.

Joey

[Dennis Cliff]

I have been filming with a Canon GL 2. It is about $1500 plus the extras needed. You can buy good used ones on E-Bay.
Hope that helps.

[Outdoors Network Admin]

Hey Brian

I know when we spoke on the phone you had mentioned that you would like to potentially submit footage to hunting shows to be used on television. If that's the case, I honestly recommend contacting the networks you wish to pursue and find out their requirements. I know pretty much every national company requires HD now, but they have requirements above and beyond just the term HD. If you're looking for a good camera (standard definition) that you can use for a year or two that will retain its value, I recommend the canon GL or XL series. There are still alot of regional shows that shoot in Standard Def and are looking for footage. This might be a really good place to start. We used the XL2 on the Battle of the Bow and I have always liked the performance of the camera. It's a very steady camera, good low light shooting, great for point and shoot but also has many functions once you get used to the camera. The GL series basically records to the same hardware but is a smaller camera and much easier to transport. The real difference between the GL and the XL series is the lens capabilities. You cannot swap out the lens on the GL series and the lens used with the XL series really makes a difference. Both very nice cameras...you're looking at between $800-$2,000 depending on your choice. But they really hold their value and you shouldn't lose much on resale.

As far as HD cameras, I am in the process of researching our move to HD. I don't have a lot of info available at the moment, but will keep you updated as I learn more.

Thanks Brian
Hope this helps a little
Joey

[Brian L. Melichar]

Thanks for the info, it sounds like I should hold off untill I learn more. I seen on the One Quality web site most of their units ran about $1200.00 to $1400.00 does that sound close?

[Joey Brunner]

Absolutely. The xl1 series is pretty much the same as the Xl2. It has some upgrades and some improvements on the lens, but everything I have read about it says that it's pretty similar...at least in terms of cost savings. If you got the extra cash the XL2 is better but if you your budget is around around $1,000, the XL1 is great. Sure, the GL2 is a little less yet at around $800 but I personally think that for a few hundred bucks you're getting a lot more. It's a bigger camera but I like the steadiness of a shoulder camera and being able to change lenses. I just checked OneQuality.com and they do have some great deals on there.


I just saw a JVC GR-HD1U High Definition Camcorder on OneQuality for under $1,000. I have read some good things about the camera and it might really be the direction you're looking to go. Looks like a pretty solid HD camera for under $1,000. I'll keep looking tonight to see what else I find. Anyone else have any suggestions?


Brian L. Melichar said:

Thanks for the info, it sounds like I should hold off untill I learn more. I seen on the One Quality web site most of their units ran about $1200.00 to $1400.00 does that sound close?