Want To Start Filming Hunts? Here Is The Must Have Gear List!
We get asked about what equipment we use all the time for filming for Final Descent Outdoors. And honestly, its a pretty wide spectrum when it comes to the cameras and gear our guys run! So we won’t be talking so much about specific cameras or other gear because everyones budget is different! But these are the must haves to be able to film not good…but great adventures in the outdoors! No matter if you are wanting to film for a national tv show, a YouTube Series, or just to capture memories to relive at home!
Video Camera:
Lets just start with the big one. What camera should you get? That 100% depends on your budget! If you got a couple hundred bucks…you can start filming your hunts. Got a couple thousand, promise the sky is the limit. Do I go camcorder or do I go DSLR? All great questions and I encourage you to do a ton of research before you make a purchase! I personally use a Sony FDR AX700 camcorder in the field along with a Sony A7S iii DSLR camera. Yea, we are Sony guys but each brand has great options and choosing will come down to budget and personal preference. With that being said, use the resources of the internet to help you make a great decision! Watch tons of YouTube videos to help you decide which camera is best for you then learn the thing inside and out!
Extra Batteries:
I put this second on the list for a reason! Batteries can be liars! Especially when they get a few miles on them! Multiple times I have had a battery drop from a high charge to dead in minutes! So having extra batteries is a MUST! I recommend having two extra batteries and having them charged and ready at all times! When your batteries show 20% go ahead and change them!
SD Cards:
In life and with SD Cards you get what you pay for! If you are filming in 4K and high quality you need cards with lots of room! I personally run 128G or high cards. 4K footage will burn up a gig of space about every 12 minutes of recording. If you are using 1080 footage then you will get about 50 minutes per gig. So with us…we use lots of gigs! Also, make sure that SD Card is 4K capable! Cards DO GO BAD on rare occasion! So frequently dump your footage so you don’t lose footage!
Shotgun Mic/Headphones/Windscreen:
You can record the best footage ever and the audio be terrible and it ruins the footage! Don’t just make sure the visual aspect is great! Make sure the audio aspect is great too! Their are SO MANY options for shotgun mics! Get one that works well for your camera and get a good windscreen! I’m in Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains! Wind makes for bad footage so having a great wind screen (big fuse cover…also called a dead kitten) is a must! We also HIGHLY recommend headphones. This way you can hear if you have any audio issues. Nothing is worse than getting back and loading your footage up to review and finding out the mic wasn’t running or had some type of audio interference! Once you get a little more into the art of filming you may want to add wireless mics to your arsenal as well to help capture audio of your hunter in the moment.
Fluidhead Tripod/Camera Arm:
In the same way wind noise can ruin your footage, shaky footage is also a great way to ruin footage! When it comes to a tripod you have to make sure it has a fluid head. The cheap Walmart tripods are not fluid in movement and they will make for less than quality footage! Their are so many brands out there so do your research. Manfrotto, Magnus, and others are a good option. For me, I want something sturdy but light. I travel a lot and have to put this tripod in my pack to carry it so it can’t be extra bulky. When it comes to tree arms, their are also lots of options but we do highly recommend Fourth Arm Camera Arms. We don’t have any affiliation at the moment with them. Have met them and they re super nice guys and have great products. They have a pretty wide selection so find the arms that works best for you to use while hunting in a tree stand.
