What do you recommend??

My buddies and I are getting into filming out hunts. We used a cheap SD camcorder this year and the videos just don't look all that great. We are wanting to buy an HD camcorder that is still small enough to pack around but will shoot great HD video. What recommendations do you have for us to buy? We are even open to purchasing a used one if anyone has one for sale. Thanks for the help!! Good luck to everyone...

I have a Canon Vixia HF M40 I would sell to you! I absolutely love it to death but I haven't used it much lately and could use the cash. It shoots awesome HD video. The zoom isn't amazing but you could get a scope)cam adapter or a lens for it for better zoom. Here's a link to the canon site that gives all the specs for it. http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/camcorders/flash_memory_camcorders/vixia_hf_m40

Since day 1 its been well taken care of. I put a Camo Skin wrap on it the day I got it. There's no scratches at all.
ANYWAYS.... If you want more info/pics of it, message me. You can also check out my youtube channel and see SOME of the video I have taken with it. (not all but some)
http://www.youtube.com/user/buck4nasty4

-BG

I'll check out the links that you sent me. How much are you thinking you want for it? Also, what all would come with it if I did buy it? Thanks

I prefer the Panasonics. I have a TM700. Any of the following models are spectacular. TM700, TM750, TM900 and any of the X900 series.

I have a number of cameras these days, but the go to cam for action shots when it counts is the TM700. My other cams are a Panasonic G6 with a number of lenses and a GoPro Hero3 on a stabilizer I'm developing.

Here's the type of stuff I've been getting with these things. Most of the action shots and all the kill shots in the hunting video's are with the TM700. I've had it since 2010 and it's with me at all times on every trip.

http://www.youtube.com/user/c3hammer

Needless to say it's a fun road learning how to catch everything smoothly when it counts.

Cheers,
Pete

>I'll check out the links that
>you sent me. How much
>are you thinking you want
>for it? Also, what all
>would come with it if
>I did buy it?
>Thanks


I have the box for it still I believe. It'd come with all the cables, charger, and sd card if needed. I'd sell for $250.

The videos look pretty sweet. Could you email me some pictures of it and I'll show it to my hunting partners. You can email it to [email protected]

thanks

Why not a good DSLR that shoots in 1080 HD? The Canon T3i for example takes magnificent video (nice photos too), and has all sorts of video attachments. Kill two birds with one stone for stills and video.

BigSur,
I think the reason that the camcorder still plays a big role is due to the range they have.

Many of the nicer camcorders have lenses that will optically zoom to 20X.

You would have to spend a small fortune to get a DLSR lens that would give you that much range.

The other downside is that lots of DSLR cameras limit the amount of time you can shoot (usually file size related) before the camera shuts the video off on you.

So, it really depends on usage.

Yeah, DSLR units can do some neat stuff these days. But there is still a huge market for what the camcorders have done.

Guys like C3 and Ivideowildlife have put a lot of time into this stuff. I would bet that they each have both types of set up and use each type for what it does best.

I shoot all my video with a DSLR. I don't have a nice camcorder set up. But, I shoot short clips, just for my personal enjoyment.
It works out ok.

"THEY" say that DSLR cameras have larger sensors and perform better in low light conditions.
But, they lack lots of features that the camcorder units have.

Just depends on what you are trying to do with it.

Sounds to me like this guy wants an expensive camcorder with some zoom range for wildlife filming.

This is definitely a very interesting subject. Which way you choose to go greatly depends on what type of output you most prefer. When you lose your mind and go crazy with all of it, you'll have bins of cameras and lenses

I'm fully hook line and sinker and have all the above. I started my recent frenzy with the TM700 in 2010 for my San Juan Elk hunt. As shedygaga said, it's is the most versatile camera you can own. It's autofocus, auto exposure and zoom range from 25mm - 690mm equivalent is untouchable in DSLR terms.

I then took a punt on a T3i for it's 3x crop zoom function that triples the focal length of any lens you attach to it. It turns out my dad bought a 600mm Nikkor lens after I went away to college in 1980. With this I was able to get an equivalent focal length of 2880mm for those ultra long range critter shots. The down side is that the combo with a stiff enough tripod weights over 20 lbs. Add all the other lenses you'd want with that DSLR and you're into it $6-$8k if you had to buy it all to equal the focal range of the camcorder.

Now I've moved over to a much lighter system in the Panasonic G6 mirrorless dslr along with a gopro and the TM700. The combo with three lenses, tripod, stabilizer and extra batteries weights about 6.5 lbs. That is something I can carry on every hunt. It gives me every thing from the shallow depth of field hero shots with a 17mm f/1.8 to an equivalent 1500mm using a 100-300 zoom. The TM700 is still the go to cam for action shots in the heat of the moment. I keep it in a small bag on the shoulder strap of my pack at the ready at all times.

Here's a couple of my latest vids with the G6, Tm700, GoPro combo. I don't think there's any cameras at any price that can compete with this setup for image quality vs. weight.

https://vimeo.com/83098895 100 Days (Wasatch Front extended, check out the cougar clip at 8 yards with the TM700)

https://vimeo.com/79562320 Kristin's Curly (late Wasatch Mtns rifle elk hunt, check out the vapor trail of the bullet going through the horn and dropping the elk)

In any case the DSLR's are awesome as BigSur said for both video and stills. The camcorder is the go to cam for video in the heat of the moment. If you can swing used of each from the ksl or craigslist classifieds you will be totally set.

Cheers,
Pete

You may want to research out the HD video capabilities of the newer mega zoom point and shoots. the newer models have 50x or even 60x optical zoom. I haven't paid attention to their HD video specs but that might be something worth researching.

Thanks to everyone's feed back and personal opinions! We really appreciate it and hopefully we can find the right camera and we'll be able to share some videos with you all next year.

Good Luck

Panasonic gl3, some lenses,a mic, a few batteries, and some cards. done . . .