Video Camera advice. Canon GL2 vs. Sony VX2100

[sethdoman]

As soon as my income tax return get in my bank account im looking to get a higher end camera to film out hunts with.
The majority of filming will be turkey and deer hunts, but will try my hand at putting the gun down and picking up the camera for ducks and geese also (although it will be pretty hard to put that shotgun down :) )
I've been doing alot of research on the 2 cameras and still cannot make up my mind as to which one to get.
Does anyone have any experience with either of the two cameras?
Any advice on this decision would be greatly appreciated!

[duckhunter101]

granpa has a cannon and the pics are awesome sweet lookin and high qutlity

[spiral_downfall]

I have the Cannon XHA1 and I love it. My buddies run the Gl2 and love it as well. The Sony are not real hunter freindly. You have to go through a bunch of stuff in the menu in order to control light settings and low light options. All n all go Canon.

Hope this helps

[legacyshooter]

I am kind of partial to the canon. I have used the Gl2 a bunch and it is a little more hunter friendly as said before. I think the lenses that canon uses are better. We run XL2's now. If I had to choose I would go canon but, they are both really good cameras. Do your homework and get the one you like.

[nitrousneil]

i had a conversation with matt haase from the hoosier "hit" squad and here is what he told me:

Depending on your all's budget for a camera.... A good 3CCD camera is desirable, you will have a great image and quality. Also a wide angle format like 16:9 is good since most all TV's are wide angle now. You will want as much optical zoom as you can get, do not use digital zoom, so 12X or more is good. Also you will want optical image stabilization not electronic image stabilization, this will give you a good quality stable image. A big factor for hunting purpose is the low light capabilities so look for the Lux factor of the camera or sensor image size like 1/4", 1/3", or ? the larger the sensor (1/3") the more low light capable. Also a big factor is the capability of adding microphones like a shotgun mic or a wireless mic system, you can have good video, but if you do not have good sound with it, it really defeats the purpose, so good sound is crucial! I would recommend at least a minimum quality shotgun mic with your camera! So look for a camera that has a hot shoe to mount a shotgun mic or at least a mini-jack for an external mic. Included with your camera you will need a good platform to run your camera off, so a tripod with a good fluid head, or a good tree arm capable of holding the weight of the camera you get and has good fluid motion, and also has a good fluid head for panning and tilting (you can possibly use the same fluid head from your tripod on your camera arm and just swap them out when necessary to save some money). So those are things to look for when getting into videoing your hunts. There are LOTS of options out there, so just research and see what you can find that will meet the needs yet fit in your budget. Here are a few ideas to look at:

Prosumer cameras ($1,200-$1,700 used)
Canon GL2- meets all of the needs, has 1/4" sensors, 20X optical zoom
Sony VX-2100- meets all of the needs, has 1/3" sensors I believe so alittle more capable in low light, but only has 10X optical zoom.



Consumer cameras ($450-$1,000)
Panasonic kind of leads the way on these small 3CCD cameras so check them out, just make sure and get a MiniDV or hard drive recordable camera, stay away from the MiniDVD or DVD cameras, downside to look out on these cameras is to make sure they have a external mic port, also these consumer cameras have smaller sensors like 1/8" or 1/6" so are not as capable in low light conditions so check the Lux factor on these and find the best you can.
Canon also has some great HD cameras in this price range so check them out, again check the Lux factor, make sure of external mic port, and stay away from DVD or MiniDVD cameras!

we have emailed back and forth and he has also told me that these higher end cameras are not waterproof, they must be hardcased and various other small things, just use some common sense and they will be fine. hope this info helps


we are currently trying to get a GL2 on ebay right now but we keep losing :evil:

[SGTSLTR]

Not knowing much about the video cameras, I would go with Canon, only cause I know the glass is what makes the pic. Canon from what I have been reading is the way to go.

[BadCaller]

http://reviews.cnet.com/camcorders/

[sethdoman]

thanks for all the feedback guys. will prolly end up with the Canon. I just wish i had the extra cash to get the XHA1 but i guess the gl2 will do for now