Videography on Creeks
Since more and more boaters are starting to carry video cameras with them on the steeps it seems appropriate to dedicate a page to the gear that boaters use and tips on getting the most successful shots. This page will be very basic at first since it will just be my ideas along with a few others but as time goes by hopefully more info. will be contributed so that a wealth of knowledge will accumulate here on this page.
|
Low end Digital Video Cameras |
| Canon ZR 45 MC (There are a million other Digital Video Cameras in this league) This is just the one I use. |
| Case: Pelican 1150 (This case is big enough to carry my camera(ZR 45) with battery mounted and extra large battery, extra blank tape. I also hear you can manage to fit an extra wide angle lense in this size box but I have not experimented with these on this camera yet.) |
| Accessories: Extra 7hr battery (approx) |
| This is a pretty good rig, the camera is small, the box is small but big enough to throw a few extras in and if you don't carry an extra battery then you have a little room left over for whatever needs to stay dry. The quality obtained with this camera is pretty good overall and the camera seems to hold up in the elements pretty well. The camera is also able to take still shots. The software that I use to edit on the computer includes Pinnacle and Arcsoft. If you are getting heavy into recording the steeps and want to step up to some real editing you need to check out some stuff like After Effects, Adobe Premier, and Final Cut. There are several others out there but those are some good ones that will let you run with your imagination for a long while. The learning curve for this software will be considerably longer than consumer grade stuff. |
|
Carrying this size on the Creeks: |
| Pelican 1120: If you use this size then you will probably not have room for anything else. Very Snug Pelican 1150: This is the box that was described above. Pelican 1200: I'm not sure what you could fit into this box but I'm sure it's a lot. This chart only applies to Small Video cameras and how they fit in Pelican dry boxes. |
|
3 Chip Digital Videocameras |
| Canon GL2 and GL1, This is the camera that was used to film a lot of the footage from "Amongst It" by John Grace. When the quality is really good, that's when the GL2 is being used. |
| PV-GS400 - a small 3 chip camera with 3MP video resolution and 4MP still capabilities. |
| Panasonic pv-dv953 fits (very tightly) in a pelican 1150 case, 3 chip camera, under $1000 |
| Sony dsr-pd170.... (good for low light situations, comes with a wide angle adapter) |
| PV-GS400-a small 3 chip camera with 3MP video resolution and 4MP still capabilities.(Scheduled to be released in July.) |
| These are just a few considerations for high end cameras. |
|
Carrying this size on the Creeks: |
| Case: Watershed Ocoee Bag with Liner. This is a pretty large camera. It seems most boaters
use the Watershed Bags or something similar since the camera would require a large sized Pelian case that wouldn't
be all that practical for carrying in your boat. Be sure and pad the inside of your Watershed bag with a buffer/cradle: Minicel Foam (1/4"), Bubble Wrap, Towels, or your own idea. |
| If you want to spend some cash then here is a sit up you should consider. The GL2 and cameras
in this league are much nicer than the digital camera that cost under a 1000. The main reason is the picture quality.
If you get one of these cameras and have a means of sending yourself to some far off lands you will be positioned
to take on all the other grass roots steep creeking production groups in and around the U.S. The only other thing
you will need are skills on the creek and skills on the computer editing the high quality footage that you will
be bringing home each day. The GL2 is a bit larger and heavier than most of the other little digital video cameras. That's the price you will pay to gain the high quality. |
| Other tips: |
| Videoing slows the group down considerably. Have a long day planned. |
| Bottom of drops usually have a lot of mist which has been know to fry a few cameras in the day |
| Insurance on cameras, including high end, I hear runs for around $30 a year, just don't lose the camera |
| Helmet Cams/Pods sound really cool but you will probably have to do some experimenting before you can acquire some quality footage. Stabalizion is not always the best and the iris is either non existent or not the most accurate. There are a lot of companies selling these today and most are waterproof to considerable depths so you should be okay on the water issue. These usually have a cord on them long enough so that the main camera can be stored somewhere in the boat and a wire can be run from under your spray skirt, or however you want to mount, to the "lipstick" camera that is: on your helmet facing forwards/backwards or stern/bow facing towards the boaters. Lots of experimenting here. |
| Leave your camera out to dry when you get back, just open the case or bag so that moisture can evaporate |
| Carry a small umbrella if you think it will be raining the whole time on the creek |
| Carry a small towel: use to dry hands/camera, shield camera from mist, etc |
| Some companies (Sony) make hardshell cases that can be filmed from within the case. The camera is mounted inside the case and has buttons on the outside of the box that run to your camera. There are also bags with similar features that are relatively cheap. |
| Desicant pack- This is a product designed by Pelican, small silica gel desicant pack that you can leave in your case to absorb moisture, can be reactivated in the oven, cost ~$10 |