what action camera to try and document your trip, and why?

[sk1]

hey guys,

i moved back home to wisconsin a few years back and no longer live out west.....that being said i do my september elk hunt every year still, and take about two weeks off to do so. for the 2018 season my kids will be 7 and 5. they always want to know more about my trip. i was considering the idea of trying to record various elements of my trip and compiling a video for them to see when i get home. i don't necessarily need to try and video a kill shot, but would like to record various elements of the trip as conveniently as possible.

anyone have any suggestions and why? is gopro the way to go?

 

[Camera Land]

Go pro is by far , NOT the way to go. You will find you will want some stills as well. The best bet would be the Sony DSC-HX80. It will give you 29 minute videos and take amazing stills. It has a Zeiss lens and a 30x optical zoom. It is compact and has a great rear screen and a viewfinder.
The gopro has a much smaller sensor and the lens is nothing to write home about. No options for great stills.
Give me a call with any questions

 

[jmz82]

Go pro is by far , NOT the way to go. You will find you will want some stills as well. The best bet would be the Sony DSC-HX80. It will give you 29 minute videos and take amazing stills. It has a Zeiss lens and a 30x optical zoom. It is compact and has a great rear screen and a viewfinder.
The gopro has a much smaller sensor and the lens is nothing to write home about. No options for great stills.
Give me a call with any questions

I'll second this in regards to the go pro. I have a Go pro 3 and very rarely use it, for video, audio is poor due to the case, the wide angle of it is ok in some instances but not great as a general camera. Plus in 90% of the time I would have my phone out to control it. All that being said and depending on your budget I would either use one of or a combination of the following. Phone - straight forward, portable, decent pictures video, you probably have it with you anyway, point and shoot camera - more features, dedicated to video/pictures unlike the phone, probably better quality but you could get one really cheap if you get an older model. DSLR/Mirrorless cameras, by far best in quality and features, ability to use differant lenses depending on the goal, downside is its probably buy far most expensive unless you get an older DSLR kit and its not as portable or easy. The Go Pro or action camera might seem like the way to go on the surface because of all the mounts but its not as easy to operate is it appears and and the quality of the final product isn't as good just based on the wide angle lense.

 

[sk1]

i guess i was thinking more of an action camera like gopro because it is mountable to wear, i was thinking this might make me use it more often. if im going to use a regular camera, i have no complaints about the quality of stuff from my iphone. i learned the hard way over the years, the best camera is the one you have easy access to use, which is always my phone. ive packed other digital cameras along but they usually dont get pulled out for much use. thats part of the reason i was thinking a hands free action camera, i would probably take more video than i would otherwise, and don't always have to find it in my pack. maybe just using my phone is the way to go, not sure

 

[jmz82]

i guess i was thinking more of an action camera like gopro because it is mountable to wear, i was thinking this might make me use it more often. if im going to use a regular camera, i have no complaints about the quality of stuff from my iphone. i learned the hard way over the years, the best camera is the one you have easy access to use, which is always my phone. ive packed other digital cameras along but they usually dont get pulled out for much use. thats part of the reason i was thinking a hands free action camera, i would probably take more video than i would otherwise, and don't always have to find it in my pack. maybe just using my phone is the way to go, not sure

I know what you mean and thats what I was thinking when I bought my go pro. its still a pain to use, a pain to view footage you shot, etc. Key is to keep your camera in a pocket that doesn't require taking a pack off or some other spot that is unreachable. cargo pants pockets are good, pockets on your packs belt are good, as well as jacket pockets. If you are still set on the action camera go for it I just know from my experience it ranks up there for one of my worst purchases or at least cost to value ratio.

 

[sk1]

I know what you mean and thats what I was thinking when I bought my go pro. its still a pain to use, a pain to view footage you shot, etc. Key is to keep your camera in a pocket that doesn't require taking a pack off or some other spot that is unreachable. cargo pants pockets are good, pockets on your packs belt are good, as well as jacket pockets. If you are still set on the action camera go for it I just know from my experience it ranks up there for one of my worst purchases or at least cost to value ratio.

thanks for the input, i might just have to think about how i can best utilize my phone as it's always in my pocket when hunting

 

[VarmintSniper30]

What about the go pro hero 6 though?

 

[JUtah]

I’ll add my $.02 and echo what others have already mentioned: GoPro was a not the solution (for me). A while back, I was also looking for an action camera that would document a week long fly fishing trip. I wanted something waterproof, small, relatively affordable, good quality stills and video, and mountable to harnesses/boat/me, etc.

I chose the GoPro 4 thinking it was fitting all of that criteria. I didn’t have enough money for a fancier camera set-up and doubted my amateur skills that even if I could afford one, I’d get monies worth.

I talked to friends who had the GoPro and they liked it. But, they used it for skiing action, and mostly just filmed one long piece and edited it down. I wanted to use it for 50% stills and the other half video. So, I got it, took it on the trip, and it was a let down for stills and the video was just ok.

Keep in mind, the GoPro is still pretty cool for what it offers. It was me who is at fault for not getting more info and researching more (I didnt even look up anything on Rokslide! Shame, shame, shame...). I ended up using my iphone for the majority of the trip and the phone takes decent enough stills. Plus, it was a lot easier to pull the phone out and snap quick photos. So, if you have a decent smartphone already, I’d say skip the GoPro and look for a real camera.

 

[VarmintSniper30]

Have any of you use t he hero 6 though?

 

[Morgansjones]

An idea to keep a camera accessible is the peak design pack/belt mount I carry a DSLR on my chest every where I go with it. If you really want an action camera an idea might be the drift HD. You can rotate the lens so the mounting options are nice.