Best of the Hunt

Tape is dead

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:50:19 +0000

When was the last time you played an 8-track? Record? Shoot video with a VHS camcorder? Been awhile, right?

Tape is dead for recording video with a camera. The last consumer high def format- HDV- is quickly being replaced by cameras that shoot on internal hard drives, memory cards or other forms of storage.

Buying a video camera can almost be like buying a card. Different people look for different things. (Cue Ford vs. Chevy.) One of the factors you need to consider is how your camera stores the video it shoots.

On-board hard drives can offer flexibility, but provides several issues. Dropping a HD-based camera at any point can cause serious problems. You can ruin the unit very quickly. It also has a upper limit of what you can record before you have to hook it up to a computer to offload.

Look for a camera that can record to a SD card like the Canon Vixia MF M300 or the Panasonic HDC-HS250. The Panny has the advantage of shooting to the on-board hard drive or a SD/SDHC card.

The next issue? Backing up all that data and keeping up with it. One of the worst things in the world can be that feeling when you realized you dumped that great hunt by emptying the trash on your computer. Ouch.

Kevin Tate of Mossy Oak Productions

Richie — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:30:07 +0000

“Our mission is getting footage of far more than just the hunter’s shot,” explains Kevin Tate, Creative Director for Mossy Oak Productions. “Putting together a great video is about telling a story, the whole story.”

Taking the time necessary to get great video footage will mean the difference between friends snoozing during the video showing or sitting at the edge of their seats.

Let us know what these tips do for your video capabilities in the woods.

How to Make Deer Hunting Videos

Richie — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:16:11 +0000

If you’ve ever thought of making your own deer hunting videos but wondered who would want to watch them, you should consider the enjoyment you’ll get from making them. You may be surprised at who would enjoy watching your videos. But even if no one did, you would have the videos to reflect back on and help you relive an exciting hunt. Read more.

The HunterCam Cradle

Richie — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:08:04 +0000

Check this rig out for all you hunters who want to take your videography skills to the next level.

The orginal HunterCam Cradle design.

Features include:

– Three pivoting arms for extended reach (see specifications)
– Two way leveling
– Built-on clamp
– High Quality pan/tilt head with Quick Release camera shoe
– Ideally intended for tree stand hunting

Take a look see and let us know if you think it is worth its weight in gold.

Is a Hunting DVD Worth Watching?

Richie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:14:38 +0000

People who don’t hunt or fish or participate in any outdoor sports often like to make fun of things like fishing programs or a hunting DVD. They can’t understand why anyone would want to watch something like someone else fishing or hunting. And while it’s true that many fishing and hunting videos aren’t action-packed, many hunters love them. Even if 20 minutes is spent just listening to the fishermen or the hunter talk about what they’re doing, the observant hunter is soaking up what they’re saying and figuring out how to put it to use on his own terms. Read more.

Spider Brace Shoulder Mount

Richie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:07:10 +0000

We used the spider brace while shooting a whitetail hunt in Kansas. I know what you’re thinking- that’s just one more thing to worry about when hunting. But with the light weight and mobility of the Spider Brace, no shot was out of reach. Take a look and tell us what you think.

Kevin Tate on using the buddy system while shooting a hunt

Richie — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:34:58 +0000

Use the Buddy System to Make a Video While Hunting

Shooting an animal and simultaneously shooting the hunt is possible. Garnering a great video, even a decent video, is improbable. With a tripod, camera mobility is lost. Read more.

Is the buddy system something you might want to try. If so let us know how it goes in the woods.

Video: Welcome to Best of the Hunt

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:30:28 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a quick 2 minute montage of a Kansas whitetail hunt with graphics and music treatment. This is a great example of how to build a short promo to tease a hunt without giving the end away.

Technical details: Shot HD at 720P30P with a Panasonic HPX-170 straight to P2 cards. Edited on Final Cut Pro 6. Compressed to a full size MP4 and uploaded to Youtube. Audio recorded with Sennheiser G2 Evolution mic system. Music courtesy of FirstCom.

Kansas Whitetail

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:01:13 +0000

In the field in southern Kansas

The camera I would buy for hunting (under $800 )

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:56:37 +0000

I get a lot of folks asking me what the best video camera out there is today. I always reply “how much money you got?” Here are my thoughts on what I would buy for under $800 to take into the field.

I have always liked Canon’s consumer/prosumer cameras. They seem well built and have great optics. They also pack a lot of features in.

Their HV30 is a great example. It’s a HD camera that shoots 1080 hidef to HDV tape.

At this point, I would recomend against a camera that shoots to hard disk only, SD or HD. There are still too many “gotchas” with off-loading and storing data. Putting it to a DVD is a whole ‘nother story. (Unless you get a Mac, then iMovie is the solution to a lot of those problems.)

HDV is essentially the high def version of mini-DV. It uses the same type of tape, which can be picked up almost anywhere now. Plus, you don’t have to worry about offloading the camera in the middle of the week at camp.

B&H Photo has them in stock as of this writing for around $750.

Check out others thoughts on the HV30.