Do you use a camera on your adventures?

On one walk in 2010.

roval said:

the gopros are good for close ups well as surrounding landscape and pov footage but is not good for further smaller objecta or animals further out.

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I have the hero 4 black, and unless wearing it for action shots like I do skiing, I think he’d be much better served by a phone camera. The slight fisheye makes objects appear further and to post edit that can be a pain.

The great deficiency of phone cameras is their wide angle, which means the photo of that deer 25 yards away will be a few dozen pixels across. Their great advantage is the same as Rule One for gunfights. And that can’t really be overstated.

The original poster may have already figured this out, but I thought I’d mention it just in case: photography is a lot like shooting—it can be very simple, but the more you look into it and the more you try to do, the more details come into view that you probably knew nothing about—and that are really interesting. About the only solution is to dive in and keep leveling up until you find a level capable of accomplishing your goals, then try like hell to avoid getting attracted by the next shiny bit! Because that is expensive in both time and money. But so fun...

I keep a small point and shoot camera in my shirt pocket each day on the water with a lanyard made of 30lb fishing line around my neck. The little camera is supposed to be water-proof but none of them float.... I find that with a bit of attention I can get acceptable pics of my anglers and the scenery each day and am able to use a few of them to illustrate fishing reports, etc. For shop work (close-ups of gear, etc.) -that's when I quit hand-holding the camera, and add a tripod to get good clear close-ups. I keep an assortment of colored foam sheets (you can get them at any hobby or craft shop) as backgrounds for close-up shots. Done carefully with a bit of lighting the pics that result are good enough to publish in magazines (back when magazines were actually buying articles...). Here's a pic or two to show what I'm doing - most that hunt or work with firearms will have similar types of photos, from scenic to close up for technical uses...

Saltwater Everglades dawn.. had to run in total darkness until dawn for this shot - about fifteen miles from the ramp

American saltwater crocodile - just thirty feet from where we launch each day...

This closeup of a special purpose knot setup shows just how well you can do with a small point and shoot camera - and the foam sheet used to provide background contrast. Taking good close-ups of gun parts or other close-up features are very do-able with very modest cost... This particular pic was published in a magazine article to illustrate the story...

Note.. I very carefully didn't include any fishpics - those I've got tons of - but not for this site...

Jessesky said:

I have the hero 4 black, and unless wearing it for action shots like I do skiing, I think he’d be much better served by a phone camera. The slight fisheye makes objects appear further and to post edit that can be a pain.

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i agree it's for mainly pov ,action shots or closeups like somebody taking a shot.

I use gopro's. Picked up a 7 Silver last weekend to record branding calves and it is impressive.

For me the camera stabilization is the coolest part. the sound is pretty good too.
I am putting together a vid here in the next few days.

I also use the phone, of course.
This was with a basic go pro:


These days even a crappy phone takes decent pics:


More phone:

this is how useless a gopro is for further shots 11:25 into the video .

you can't see the 25 yrd 4 inch gong much less the 50 yrd gong. the table scene with the guns was with the same gopro and is ok.

the wide shots were with a gopro but the target shots were with a small fuji waterproof camera from costco with the zoom. small and sturdy. anytime you have to use the zoom for any camera it ought to be on a tripod. a nicer camera would likey mean bigger and bulkier.

I've seen videos where their smartphone is mounted at the back of the scope and it provides great impact shot/clips but is too unwieldy i think. they take the shot through the smartphone image.

NorthBorder said:

I would like to set up a camera that is not too complex for when I shoot or hunt (or hike, fish, etc.). Have been watching videos on the DJI Osmo Pocket and the Hero 7. They look pretty amazing. I would like to hear from folks on how they deploy their cameras, what type of cameras, when they are hunting. With or with a hunting partner.
Thanks in advance

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IMHO you need to answer a few questions:

How important is video ?

How important is image quality ?

How important is weight ?

How much are you willing to spend (both in $$$ and time to learn). ?

A Hero 7 is a great video camera that is somewhat rugged. Not too expensive but image quality is also not great because of the sensor size.

If you want better image quality, you need a larger sensor like Micro 4/3, APS-C or a full frame DSLR.

If weight is important you will want a smaller camera (and so, a smaller sensor).

And, as with everything, you get what you pay for.

The reason you would choose a dedicated camera is basically sensor size and the ability to change lenses.

Video: A Hero 7 will run you about $350 at this point but other models can be had for $200 especially if older. Video cameras can range up through $1000 cameras up to the about to be released Sharp 8K for $5K and up from there.

Very good still cameras are much cheaper than similar quality video cameras. A really good mirrorless still camera will run up from $400. Good lenses will cost more.

If size/weight is not important, get a full frame camera. Here you get the largest sensor for a reasonable cost.

I myself went for the micro 4/3 (Micro four-thirds) format which is about 1/4 of the sensor size of a full frame DSLR and also much lighter and smaller. The one I have is out of production but great deals can be had on a Lumix G-850:



https://smile.amazon.com/PANASONIC-...s=lumix+gx850&qid=1554832725&s=gateway&sr=8-7

This setup ^^^ will give you a 1:2 wide angle through a 6:1 zoom but you can enhance the zooming through post-processing in the computer (see below). You can also buy additional lenses up to about 20:1 zoom.

One of the reasons a cell phone camera is easier and more convenient is that the software to process the images is contained right on the cell phone and is simple to use.

If you go to a dedicated camera, you can still (and should) correct/enhance your photos with computer software. With software you can enhance the sharpness, color balance and crop your images among other things. This software can be free:

https://topazlabs.com/studio/

You can also use this with cellphone pics.

Corpral_Agarn said:

I use gopro's. Picked up a 7 Silver last weekend to record branding calves and it is impressive.

For me the camera stabilization is the coolest part. the sound is pretty good too.
I am putting together a vid here in the next few days.

I also use the phone, of course.
This was with a basic go pro:
View attachment 835603

These days even a crappy phone takes decent pics:
View attachment 835604

More phone:
View attachment 835605

View attachment 835606

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Is that one photo of the narrows?

Jessesky said:

Is that one photo of the narrows?

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Yep.

Great trip. Wife and I competed in Hard as Hell 2 gun in 2018 and visited Zion while in the area.

Highly recommended.

I seldom find a person that can tell any difference in the results from using a cell phone vs a dslr. The majority of dslr cameras are used as a point and shoot camera, just like a cell phone.

I carry a Sony a77 and love it! (Yeah, it is acutally an ilc.) But if you aren't willing to learn how to use shutter speed and aperature to your advantage by adjusting the depth of field and motion blur a dslr doesn't really offer any advantage over a cell phone.

I have a coworker that likes to argue and butt into other peoples conversations. He loves to declare that a dslr is a waste of money and a cell phone will do anything a dslr will do these days. My reply is "yep, you're right". He can even get extra lenses to use on his cell phone... "yep you are right"... then we have a good laugh after he leaves!!!!

NorthBorder said:

I've been looking at the Hero 7 because it does shoot 4k and has good image stabilization, and is waterproof; and pretty tough. TheDJI Osmo + is pretty compact and is stabilized by a 3 axis gimbal. It has 3.5x optical and 3.5x digital zoom as well as 4k resolution. It looks like it shoots great video. However, for a hard use camera that gimbal is a weak link, and it is not waterproof.
Actually, I think I answered my own questions. I have an older Lumix. It shoots great stills and I have done some video that was pretty good image wise. And this stuff has gotten better in the last 5 or 6 years. Maybe I will go that route and get an updated one.

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I seldom find someone who needs 4K, let alone has the capability to take advantage of it. I used to shoot to make money on the side since it was a hobby I already enjoyed. I never needed 4K. Do you have a 4K monitor, do you have a pc with excellent ram? I got mine because I thought “awesome 4K!” But I ended up using 1440 because it was more than good enough for even a big tv, and it’s so much faster to process

I'm using one for my range/load testing now, here's a small screen shot.



I'm trying to find a good video site to upload too.

I tried that for a year or two but went back to a rifle. None of the deer I shot with the camera fell down.

Catcar67 said:

I tried that for a year or two but went back to a rifle. None of the deer I shot with the camera fell down.

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Maybe you should have been using a Canon.